Recycling Rigid Plastics at Grocery Stores: An Overview of the APR Grocery Store Project
Today s Speakers Kara Pochiro APR Communications Director Steve Alexander APR Executive Director Liz Bedard Director APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program
Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recylers (APR) National trade association - The Voice of Plastic Recycling Representing those companies with over 90% of the post-consumer plastic processing capacity in North America. The goal of APR is to increase the amount of plastic material recycled in North America
Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recylers (APR) Communications Committee *Information clearinghouse *Webinars & Fact Sheets *Annual Recycling Rate Reports Technical Committee *Design for Recyclability *Critical Guidance Documents *Model Bale Specifications Rigid Plastics Recycling Program *Plastic Recycling beyond Bottles
Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) Two ends of the equation Supply & Demand are in sync Missing - a nationally focused effort to expand plastics recycling beyond #1 and #2 bottles APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program
APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program Liz Bedard, Director
Overview of Presentation APR and the APR Rigids Program Overview of Phase 1 & 2 What, Why, Where and How APR National Grocery Rigid Plastics Campaign
Recycling plastics beyond #1 and #2 plastic bottles is an issue for individuals, recyclers, brand name companies, public policy maker, collectors, resin companies and reclaimers. Consumers want to recycle more plastics AND a wide variety of industries want more plastics recycled!
Two ends of the equation Supply & Demand are in sync Missing - a nationally focused effort to expand plastics recycling beyond #1 and #2 bottles APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program
APR Rigid Plastics Recycling Program membership committee representing rigid plastic stakeholders generators, collectors recyclers, reclaimers brand names companies resin producers public policy makers
American Chemistry Council Avangard Berry Plastics Blue Ridge Plastics Clean Tech Inc. ConAgra Foods Custom Polymers Inc Dart Container Denton Plastics Dow Chemical Company Entropex Envision Plastics Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. Graham Recycling Company Green Mountain Coffee Haycore Canada Inc. IntegriCo Composites Kimberly-Clark
KW Plastics Recycling Lyondell Basell Industries Merlin Plastics Supply Inc. Milliken & Company Moore Recycling MRC Polymers NAPCOR NatureWorks LLC NYC Depart. Of Sanitation North Carolina Div. of Pollution Prevention Oregon Depart. Of Env. Quality Perpetual Recycling Solutions Prime Plastic Products Procter & Gamble Company ReCommunity Recyc RPM Rehrig Logistics Starbucks Coffee Company Talco Plastics, Inc. Waste Management Recycle America
A SUPPLY FOCUSED PROJECT.. 1. Estimated annual volume & resin type of recyclable rigid plastics a. 354 million pounds annually b. Approximately 50% PP and 50% HDPE 2. Identified obstacles preventing future rigid plastics recycling
Best Operational Practices Two national grocery store chains (Representing approximately 8% of US stores) Pilots in one district for 12-16 weeks Model educational material Various handling and processing methods tested Some pharmaceutical material collected
1. Maximizing Volume 2. Minimizing costs 3. Maximizing revenue 4. Addressing obstacles
What are grocery rigid plastics? Where are they? Why recycle them? How to recycle them?
WHAT are grocery rigid plastics?
WHAT are grocery rigid plastics?
WHAT are rigid plastics?
WHAT are rigid plastics?
WHERE are rigid plastics?
WHERE are rigid plastics?
WHERE are rigid plastics?
WHERE are rigid plastics?
WHY recycle rigid plastics? APR Grocery Store Rigid Plastics Study *US supermarkets (with annual sales of $2 million or more) generate huge quantities of rigid plastics very marketable rigid plastics Estimated Total 354 million pounds/year Easily recoverable 212 million #/yr (few sku #s, easily stacked) Bulky - 142 million #/year (bulky to handle ) *Over 90% of grocery rigid plastics is #5 PP and #2 HDPE
WHY recycle rigid plastics? Reduce Costs. *
WHY recycle rigid plastics? Recycling revenue.. *
WHY recycle rigid plastics? Sustainability goals.. Zero Waste giving away recycled feedstock consistent message
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics? Level 1 - New revenue and savings... Grocers recover, clean, stack and recycle in store rigid plastics. Level 2 Increase revenue and savings... Grocers include additional rigid plastics (pharmacy stock bottles, spools, etc.) Level 3 - Maximize revenue/savings potential Grocers install rigid plastic balers at their Distribution Centers
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics?
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics?
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics?
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics?
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics?
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics?
HOW TO recycle rigid plastics?
With financial and resource support from ACC 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Website www.recyclegroceryplastics.org Interactive, on-line Best Practices Guide How To Videos Market Lists Worksheets Off-site Technical Assistance On-Site Technical Assistance
Website - www.recyclegroceryplastics.org
* How To Manual
Recycling Makes Sense Recycling Made Easy Completing the Cycle
Market List
How To Worksheets
Photo Gallery
FREE Offsite Technical Assistance An introductory, exploratory call with supermarket leadership, A follow up development call, Training design and development assistance, and Up to three progress assessment and troubleshooting conference calls. FREE Onsite Technical Assistance In partnership with Grocery Store chains APR underwrites Brown Sustainability Solutions Grocery store chain underwrites travel costs
In conclusion Grocery store rigid plastics - an exciting new source of HDPE and PP Potential of 350 million pounds annually Grocery store chains are responding enthusiastically APR is committed to providing tools and resources to stimulate the recycling of this material.
Contact Information Liz Bedard ebedard18@gmail.com Kara Pochiro kara@plasticsrecycling.org www.plasticsrecycling.org www.recyclegroceryplastics.org Look us up on LinkedIn!