AmericanChemistry

In Closing: A Summary of the “Too Valuable to Waste” Blog Summit

For the past five weeks, the American Chemistry Council hosted its second Blog Summit. Entitled “Too Valuable To Waste,” the summit has focused on the importance of plastics recycling, consumer education about recycling, and the future of recycling.

We were honored to be joined by an incredible line-up of experts.  Our sincere thanks go to our featured contributors Bill Carteaux, John Frederick, Anne Johnson, Billy Jones, John Lively, Patty Moore, Blair Pollock, Rachelle Strauss, Amanda Wills, Jeff Wooster and our fellow readers.   Thank you for sharing your insights, opinions and expertise on plastics recycling.

Across the country and around the world, significant efforts are underway to increase the recycling of plastics and other materials. Innovations in products and technologies, increased access to recycling, and consumer education promoting plastics recycling are allowing us to recapture this valuable resource and put it to good use in new products – from fleece and decking to carpet and cell phone casing.  Yet, as we all learned through the summit, there is much more to do.

When we explored the state of recycling today, Patty Moore pointed out that great strides have been made in recycling, particularly with infrastructure for certain plastic materials.  But, she asks us to expand our thinking beyond curbside recycling programs because not all plastics lend themselves to this method of collection.

In week two, we explored what needs to be done to improve consumer education about recycling.  The contributors were unanimous that confusion among consumers about what and how to recycle remains a huge impediment.  There were several suggestions.  Rachelle Strauss emphasized that simplicity and convenience were the keys to making wide scale, lasting changes in consumer behavior, and Blair Pollock highlighted the need for consumer incentives (e.g., deposits) and ongoing education to meet changing community demographics.

Anne Johnson suggested that a nationally relevant recycling label that could be used on all packaging materials and formats could go a long way to educate consumers on what is and is not recyclable.  Jeff Wooster and his 6-year old neighbor came up with an idea to help consumers understand and remember what to put in their recycling bin – stickers.  A great way to involve children in recycling education.

Week three was a discussion about recommendations to the Obama Administration regarding a National Recycling Agenda.  Bill Carteaux and several others suggested single-stream recycling and exploration of waste-to-energy policies.

We then explored new trends in products made with recycled plastics.  Amanda Wills offered that buying products made from recycled materials is an easy, significant path to a greener lifestyle. She points out that unlike installing solar panels or purchasing a hybrid car, becoming more aware of a product’s lifecycle is a green initiative that makes a difference without the larger expense.  Amanda further reminds us that manufacturers are using recycled materials in product production.

The American Chemistry Council appreciates the robust dialogue that was created around these very important topics.  It has given the plastics industry – and hopefully other stakeholders – ideas and insights on how we can better create a culture of recycling for plastics and other materials.  We believe plastics are a valuable resource, too valuable to waste.
Thank you for sharing your perspectives!

Sharon Kneiss
American Chemistry Council
Vice President, Products Divisions

Tags: american chemistry council, Community Efforts, Conservation, Economy, Efficiency, Energy, Environment, Green, Innovation, International, Packaging, Plastics, plastics industry, Plastics Recycling, Reduce, Regulation, Reuse, Sustainability, Technology