Organizations Join to Develop ‘Plastics Recyclability’ Definition

Since public awareness of plastic pollution is at an all-time high, it's no surprise that a definition of ‘plastics recyclability’ has been in the works.

Two global organizations have joined forces to eliminate growing confusion about what products can and cannot be recycled.

Plastics Recycling Europe and the Association of Plastic Recyclers have pointed out the confusion that can arise when a product’s packaging claims it can be recycled but the local council, for instance, cannot accept it.

For example, the problem can often occur in relation to single-use coffee cups, made from a combination of plastic and paper. The two materials individually are technically recyclable, but when combined, they can prove complex to process for many ordinary plastic or paper recyclers.

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A global definition of ‘plastics recyclability’ has been developed to eliminate confusion about what products can and cannot be recycled.

With public awareness of plastic pollution in the environment at an all-time high, governments across the world are increasingly making pledges to cut back on consumption of single-use plastic items like shopping bags, straws, cutlery and cotton buds. But there remains a lot of confusion about how and where to recycle many different plastic items, and consumers can be put off by the complexity of collection and recycling systems.

Two international organisations representing plastics recycling – Plastics Recycling Europe and the Association of Plastic Recyclers – have now come together to define what it means when we say plastic is ‘recyclable’.

Read the full report here.