The Recycling Partnership creates first US roadmap

Non-profit organisation The Recycling Partnership has announced its first-ever roadmap to address systemic issues in the US recycling system and accelerate the transition towards a circular economy for packaging.

New report “The Bridge to Circularity” by the organisation emphasises the need for creating new pathways to recyclability. It calls for $500 million by 2025 to fund the initiatives it outlines in transforming the US recycling system.

The report recommends that plastic packaging be used as the entry point to catalyse system change, however it highlights the importance of building an improved system for all materials, not just plastics.

In its report, The Recycling Partnership translates the targets of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment by urging businesses and governments in the US to step up its efforts towards a circular economy by addressing plastic waste and pollution at its source. It urges companies to align its efforts with realities of the current recycling system while also investing to advance the system.

To build a bridge between the current system and an optimised circular system, The Recycling Partnership has outlined a set of actions based on three distinct issues currently undermining the U.S. recycling industry:

1. The speed of packaging innovation has outpaced the capabilities of the US recycling infrastructure
2. The current US recycling system cannot deliver the supply of recycled materials demanded by the Global Commitment
3. Underlying challenges create a difficult environment in which to develop a sustainably funded and responsive future recycling system

Future actions outlined in the report include:

• Formation of collaborations to optimise the system so that multiple materials and packaging formats can be recycled
• The launch of an industry-wide $250 million residential recycling intervention to capture more than 340 million pounds of post-consumer plastics
• $250 million to advance technology, build more robust data systems and enhance consumer participation

CEO of The Recycling Partnership Keefe Harrison said: “Our current recycling system is fundamentally underfunded and incapable of delivering a circular economy without dramatic evolution.

“With this report, we are providing the clear roadmap to create a new and improved recycling system of the future. We’re providing actionable solutions to help current and future partners build a sustainable and effective recycling system in the U.S.”