2016Yearbook_Flipbook

2016

THE I SR I SCRAP YEARBOOK

same manufacturers to Design for Recycling®, giving due consideration during the design stage to their products end- of-life. These challenges are not insurmountable and plastic recyclers are providing leadership to overcome them.

Despite the ubiquity of plastics, plastic recycling is still a young industry. The technology to cost-effectively sort and recycle plastics has been developed in just the past 25 years. While it is important that consumers recycle the plastic containers that hold food, beverages, and household cleaners as well as other plastics that arise in the home, recycling of engineered and industrial plastics is vital. Engineered and industrial plastics are typically high grade materials used as components in all types of equipment. They may be the sprocket wheel in an electric motor or the imitation wood that adorns your vehicle interior. Engineered and industrial plastics are used as internal and external components of everything from refrigerators to computers, automobiles to boats, and medical equipment to sheet materials used in construction. While one can picture so much opportunity for growth in plastics recycling, there are many challenges that confront this nascent segment of the recycling industry. It is incumbent upon us to educate manufacturers about the merits of using plastics made from scrap and for those

U.S. Plastic Bottle Recycling

TOTAL U.S. BOTTLES COLLECTED (mmlbs)

BOTTLES ON U.S. SHELVES (mmlbs)

GROSS RECYCLING RATE

YEAR 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

1,003 1,170 1,272 1,393 1,451 1,444 1,557 1,604 1,718 1,798 1,812

4,637 5,075 5,424 5,683 5,366 5,149 5,350 5,478 5,586 5,764 5,849

21.6% 23.1% 23.5% 24.5% 27.0% 28.0% 29.1% 29.3% 30.8% 31.2% 31.0%

Source: NAPCOR

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INSTITUTE OF SCRAP RECYCLING INDUSTRIES, INC.