We Can’t Give Up on Plastic Recycling: We Must Do Better

February 14, 2023

Guest blog author Kristen Rinehart is the vice president and general manager of recycling for NERC Advisory Member Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), a Hilliard OH-based stormwater management company and the largest plastic recycler in North America.

Here’s a harsh reality: Americans are really good at generating plastic waste and really bad at recycling it. According to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. recycling rate for the 40 million tons of plastic waste generated annually is only about 5%. In October, Greenpeace USA released a report that claims plastic recycling is a failure, declaring, "The data is clear: Practically speaking, most plastic is just not recyclable.”

Recycling plastic certainly isn’t easy. Plastic bags and Styrofoam are notably difficult to recycle. But to give up on plastic recycling altogether would be a tragic mistake –– not just for the environment, but for the economy. But first, as Greenpeace suggests, let’s look at the data. While it is certainly true that we don’t recycle enough plastic, it isn’t because plastic cannot be recycled. Recycling businesses are actually well positioned to capture, sort and recycle much of the consumer plastic out of our waste stream.

In fact, of the 5% of plastic that currently makes it into the recycling stream, a whopping 91% is ultimately recycled and repurposed into new plastic products. Many plastics, such as water and detergent bottles, lids, milk jugs, and tubs are easily sorted and converted into new products –– look for recycling codes 1, 2 and 5. For example, our company, Advanced Drainage Systems, last year turned 600 million pounds of plastic into the pipes and storm chambers that manage stormwater in communities across the country. Additionally, businesses around the country are making major investments to improve and expand their recycling operations, enabling them to sort, wash, grind and prepare plastic for reuse.

ADS invested $65 million in our new Engineering and Technology Center, which will discover new ways to recycle and use plastic in our products. And Rumpke Waste and Recycling will invest $50 million to increase its capacity to recycle waste, including plastic, in a new Columbus recycling center that will be the most technologically advanced system in the country and the fifth largest in the world.

But as demand increases for recycled plastics, the supply is stagnant. For instance, ADS has a goal to recycle 1 billion pounds annually by 2032, but we can only achieve that goal if more plastic is collected.

So, there is much we all must do to ensure plastic recycling can work. For one thing, state and local governments must tackle this severely underfunded collection issue, as only 53% of Americans have curbside recycling access. Businesses should also advocate for public policies that make it easier for consumers to recycle while doing their part to educate the public.

Finally, residents must take advantage of the recycling solutions available in their communities, as only about 72% of people with access to recycling actually contribute. Make sure you have the recycling bins you need at your own homes to participate, or find drop-off locations for plastic and other materials, if you have the means to do so.

The answer to plastics recycling isn’t to stop trying. Instead, businesses, governments and residents must all do their part to improve our recycling rates. If more plastic is captured and diverted, businesses will sort, grind, wash and repurpose the plastic into new products, and help solve our plastics problem.

Disclaimer: Guest blogs represent the opinion of the writers and may not reflect the policy or position of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.