Check out our new animated video which encourages recycling professionals and communities nationwide to adopt a uniform set of terms to better communicate with residents about what plastics to recycle.
What's New?
Rigid Plastics
In 2017, at least 1.35 billion pounds of post-consumer rigid plastics were recycled nationwide – 4 times the amount recycled in 2007. This equates to a total increase of over 1 billion pounds of plastic recovered for recycling since 2007! A recent study found that over 60% of people in the U.S. have access to non-bottle rigid container recycling. We’d like to keep the rigid recycling momentum going, increasing recovery rates and access year over year. Learn more about rigid plastics here.
Plastic Film
Plastic bags and plastic wraps make up the category “plastic film.” This includes everything from grocery and bread bags to shrink wrap and paper towel film. In 2017, the recovery for recycling of post-consumer plastic film surpassed 1 billion pounds – a 54% increase from 2005. Learn more about plastic film here.
Plastic Bottles
Plastic bottles are the most commonly-recycled household plastics. One report, "Plastics Recycling Collection: National Reach Study" found that 92% of Americans have access to plastic bottle recycling. In 2017, plastic bottle recycling reached nearly 2.8 billion pounds, a 29.3% recovery rate. Learn more about plastic bottles (and recycling them) here.
Terms & Tools
Try this Terms & Tools resource, developed to help recycling professionals increase recovery rates by using more effective communication.
