March 13, 2017
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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The American Chemistry Council (“ACC”) announced the release of a March 2017 report titled:
2015 National Post-Consumer Non-bottle Rigid Plastic Recycling Report (“Report”)
The Report was prepared by Moore Recycling Associates, Inc. for the ACC.
ACC says the Report is the ninth annual report issued that calcualtes pounds of post-consumer non-bottle rigid plastics (packaging and non-packaging) recovered for recycling in the United States.
A minimum of 1.24 billion pounds of post-consumer non-bottle rigid plastic was estimated to have been recovered for recycling in 2015. This is stated to be the second highest year on record and nearly four times greater than eight years ago. Other statistics quoted include:
- Domestic purchases increased overall by 1.9 percent
- Exports dropped by 13 percent compared to 2014
- The total in 2015 decreased 45 million pounds compared to 2014
- United States and Canadian reclaimers acquired approximately 67 percent of the material reported in 2015 (an increase of four percent as compared to 2014)
Note that the Report uses the United States Environmental Protection Agency definition of “post-consumer” as a material or a finished product that has served its intended use that is then diverted or recovered before it is disposed.
The contents of the Report include:
- Methodology
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Survey Categories
- Data Gaps and Assumptions
- Findings
- Non-bottle Rigid Plastic Recycled
- Domestic Capacity and End Markets
The Report also provides certain recommendations addressing:
- Market Development
- Invest in Infrastructure: Sorting, Reclamation, and End Markets
A copy of the Report can be downloaded here.
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