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THE I SR I SCRAP YEARBOOK
2016
INSTITUTE OF SCRAP RECYCLING INDUSTRIES, INC.
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The manufacture and distribution of plastics is everywhere.
Between 2004 and 2014, the global production of plastics
grew from 225 million tons to 311 million tons. With the
explosive growth
in the manufacture
of plastics comes
the need to ensure
that these materials
are recycled in an
environmentally
responsible manner
once they reach the end of their useful lives. PlasticsEurope
reports that 7.7 million tons of plastics were recycled globally
in 2013, including more than 3.5 million tons of post-
industrial and post-consumer plastic scrap that were recycled
in the U.S., according to ISRI estimates.
Post-consumer
plastic scrap commodities including plastic bags, bottles,
tubs and other products are generated by businesses and
consumers, have served their intended end use and have
been separated or diverted from the solid waste stream
for the purpose of recycling. Similar to prime or prompt
scrap in the metals industry,
post-industrial
plastic scrap
is generated by the plastic manufacturing process prior
to consumption by end-users and is a highly valued raw
material input for producing new plastic products. Recycling
of engineered and industrial plastics present tremendous
opportunities that demonstrate plastics recycling today is
“Bigger Than the Bin.”
From an environmental perspective, recycled plastic
can provide enormous benefits over the use of its virgin
counterparts. For example, plastic lumber made with
scrap plastic bags, and other materials, conserves trees and
eliminates the need to use hazardous chemicals to treat
wood that will be used outdoors.
According to the U.S. EPA, plastic recycling results in
significant energy savings (an estimated 50–75 MBtus/ton of
material recycled) compared with production of new plastics
using virgin material.
Plastics