Page 62 - Plastics News October 2023

IN THE NEWS

NPE2024 Registration Opens
he Plastics Industry Association COVID-19 pandemic. speaker presentations, and the show
T(PLASTICS) opened registration The show floor, which PLASTICS re- will feature the new NPE Circularity
for NPE2024: The Plastics Show on ports has sold out, covers more than Hub, showcasing the industry’s cir-
Sept. 12. PLASTICS expects more 1.1 million ft2 and will have a theme of cular economy. In addition, the show
than 55,000 attendees for the trien- “Made for You.” The show will feature will feature an opening night party, as
nial show, which will take place May six technology zones with more than well as a Women in Plastics Breakfast
6-10, 2024, at the Orange County 2,000 exhibitors, including more than for influential women working in the
Convention Center in Orlando, Flor- 355 that will be exhibiting for the first plastics industry.
ida. Last held in 2018, the 2021 event time. There will be more than 100
was canceled due to the ongoing

Industry Association Campaign Centers Workers Who Recycle Plastic

ing. And recycling is not something tics production (estimated by the EPA
that happens when you put it in the as 8.7% in 2018, prior to the impacts
bin, it takes separation, collection, of National Sword and COVID-19)
sortation and reprocessing. And an appropriate measure of success,
if you get the material to the right and what should we see in the com-
place, it can be done. ing years? Should we hope to main-
tain that or see it increase by some
Our target audience is policymak-
ers. We want them to know that amount?
he Plastics Industry Association recycling can be done and will be M.S. The rate needs to go up. We have
Thas announced an advocacy cam- done. big problems in sorting and collection.
paign titled “Recycling is Real,” to We need to make it convenient for
present recycling as a manufacturing PT: Regarding the economic feasibility consumers with curbside programs.
process and show some of the recy- of recycling, and given what we have Many MRFs (material recovery facili-
clers, converters and equipment sup- seen with pricing in the past several ties) are operating older technologies
pliers who work to remanufacture months, can recyclers really grow and that have not kept up with changes in
plastics. Videos featuring Ultra-Poly, compete with virgin resin? plastic packaging, The industry needs
Novolex, Placon and MAAG have M.S. Not in the status quo, there are partners, because we do not control
been released, with additional videos things that need to happen. A lot of it the whole process. We need to sur-
to follow. Matt Seaholm, president is going to be improving efficiency and round the table with people who un-
and CEO of PLASTICS, spoke with working together to figure out how to derstand that recycling can work and
Plastics Technology about the strategy recycle more. But erosion of faith in that industry is ready and willing.
and goals of the campaign. the system is blocking that.
PT: Does recycling address plastic
PT: There seems to be a inten- EPR policies (extended producer re- pollution and how?
tional choice in these videos to sponsibility) can make an important
get into the manufacturing envi- contribution if done correctly. Recy- M.S. Yes. The greater the value plastic
ronment and show people doing cled content requirements can create waste has, the less likely it is to get
things. Can you tell us why? a stable end market, such that invest- into the environment. That’s why bot-
tle deposit programs work. In places
M.S.: What we wanted to achieve is to ments can be made. The industry is where they have been implemented,
show recycling being done, and give committed to identifying solutions they make a big difference in the col-
voice to the people who do it. When that keep plastics out of the environ- lection rate. If a material has value,
you see it, it’s much harder to accept ment. people will find a way.
the idea that recycling is not happen- PT: Is the recycling rate as a % of plas-

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