Keefe Harrison
Recycling Contractor , Southeast Recycling Development Council, Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Anderson
- United States
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Recycler's Guide to Managing Degradable Plastics
2009-09-29 09:14:33 UTC
The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) is the trade organization that represents plastic recyclers. They recently released a fact sheet outlining what recycling officials should know about degradable and bio-based plastics. The entire sheet is attached or can be found at http://plasticsrecycling.org/article.asp?id=57 but a sample of the info is below:
Are degradable plastics recyclable with standard PET or HDPE?
No. They're contaminants in the recycling stream. Degradable plastics should be collected so as to not interfere with current PET and HDPE container recycling.
Why can't bottles with degradable additive be recycled with standard plastic?
The additives change the expectations for a plastic. Bottles with degradable additives can be ground and melted like another bottle but with reduced quality and service life expectations.
"The facts are very clear," reports David Cornell, the Technical Director from the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR). "The degradable additive concept effectively renders the product using the additive non-recyclable. Many recycled plastics are used to make durable goods. Failure of these next-use products, such as carpets or piping, could range from distressing to tragic."
APR has seen no data which demonstrate no harm done during or after the recycling process. With the variety of durable end uses recycled plastics are used for, the idea of degrading material runs counter to value creation and good stewardship.
Keefe Harrison
United States -
Recycling Web Seminars for Recycling Coordinators
2009-03-20 11:33:54 UTC
The Assoc. of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers has free recycling web seminars for recycling coordinators. You can get info and register here: https://plasticsrecycling.webex.com/mw0305l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=plasticsrecycling
Session topics and dates include:
April 30, 2009: Effective Contracting, Making the most of your hauler contract
May 13, 2009: Social Marketing Based Outreach, Boosting participation for effective economics
June 9, 2009: Non-bottle Plastic Collection, What to make of tubs, bags & film
July 15, 2009: Current Market Update, Making your way through a tough economy,
understanding foreign markets, & managing
bio-based plastics in the recycling stream
August 11, 2009: Reaching Out to Elected Officials, Boosting support from your communitys decision makers
September 17, 2009: Energy and Climate Change, Plastics recyclings impact on domestic concerns
keefe harrison
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