Getty Images
May 13, 2021
Falls Church, Va. – The public is calling for more things to be recyclable but the path to cement that future remains unclear. That is why The Recycling Partnership has convened the Pathway to Circularity Industry Council (the Circularity Council) to assess what actions must take place to help the U.S. recycling system accept more packaging.
Stakeholders from across the recycling industry have been calling for a much-needed transparent and inclusive process to assess packaging recyclability. With the Circularity Council (see full list of members here), The Recycling Partnership is answering that call by engaging 35 senior industry leaders representing various material types, brands, government, Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), NGOs, retailers, and trade associations. This group will address the missing and needed determinants for recyclability of packaging, initiating a national engagement around solution building.
Councilor BJ Lagman, who represented the city government in the virtual forum, said the activity is part of the goal of attaining an extensive sustainable development in the world by 2030.
“It is focused on showcasing several zero-waste systems and practices of different cities and municipalities across the globe, including San Fernando’s, to private and public institutions,” Lagman said.
During the forum, Lagman, together with City Environment and Natural Resources Office Officer-in-Charge Marilen Malabanan, discussed the city’s long-term programs, projects, and activities that served as factors in reaching a current 81 percent waste diversion rate, one of the highest marks in Asia.
Beginning this month, villagers can divert a few more items away from their trash cans: Rumpke Waste and Recycling recently announced that it would accept new plastic items for recycling.
Along with the previously accepted plastic items like bottles and jugs, Yellow Springs residents can now fill their recycling bins with fruit and yogurt cups and butter, sour cream, cottage cheese and whipped topping tubs.
Whereas the plastics Rumpke usually accepted for recycling tended to be #1 PETE or #2 HDPE that is, polyethylene terephthalate or high-density polyethylene the newly accepted items are all #5 PP, or polypropylene, plastics. Polypropylene has long been passed over for collection by many residential recycling programs across the country, due in part to the expense of recycling the material compared to producing it from scratch.
BURLINGTON, Mass. and PLANO, Texas Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ: KDP) announced that it has successfully achieved one of its longstanding sustainability commitments – all of the K-Cup® pods the Company produces are now recyclable.
The extensive effort involved converting more than 100 manufacturing lines to produce the pods now made from polypropylene #5 plastic. In addition, new packaging for the recyclable K-Cup pods features a green recyclable flag as well as the industry-respected How2Recycle® label that clearly communicates recycling instructions to consumers[1].
Keurig Dr Pepper produces approximately 80% of the coffee pods sold at retail[2] for use in Keurig® brewers and, earlier this year, began shipping to retailers the new recyclable format, which is now largely transitioned on retail shelves.