We must improve how we recycle plastics in NY

“El Reciclaje es Real. Recycling is Real.”

These are the words of José B., plant manager at PolyQuest, a plastic bottle recycler in Farmingdale. José is highlighted in our latest recycling series video showing the hardworking men and women who recycle plastic every day, keeping it out of the environment. The way we see it, we are all in this together and a true spirit of collaboration is necessary to reach higher recycling goals and keep valuable plastic material in the economy, where it belongs.

Unfortunately, some of us are not in this together. In the past few years, while our industry has announced over $8 billion in investments nationally in new recycling technologies, facilities and innovations, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in messaging from anti-plastic activist organizations. We’ve heard things like “plastic recycling is a myth.” These groups claim that recycling will never work, continue to create roadblocks to meeting important sustainability objectives, and block compromise legislation.

Recycling is real and that is exactly what our new industry initiative shows. Tens of thousands of Americans go to work every day making it happen, including PolyQuest's employees, who have recycled more than 18 billion bottles since 2008.

For most, “recyclable” defines whether something can be put into a blue or green bin. But that’s only the first step in a process that turns a used product into material that can be made into yet another product — from shredding the old material to extruding the new material or creating equipment that lets us design safe new ways to put more recycled content into products.

Some will ask, “Why are some recycling rates so low?” That is a fair question and one that can be easily answered. Infrastructure for recycling has not kept up with innovations in products and materials that provide value in other ways like reducing food waste, enhancing safety, and minimizing the material used to make a product.

We must invest in recycling infrastructure. Our industry understands we have a role to play in helping to fund that infrastructure. While our industry doesn’t support legislation in Albany purported to be extended producer responsibility — a system set up to fund and improve recycling infrastructure through all the materials being collected and recycled — the plastic industry does support well-crafted EPR programs that ensure the modernization of our recycling systems. The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act sounds nice, but establishes an impractical EPR-type system that is set up for failure. This bill forces New York taxpayers and businesses to use materials that studies have shown are worse for the environment. An independent report by the McKinsey consulting firm found that plastics have lower total greenhouse gas contributions than alternatives like glass or aluminum.

Manufacturers and recyclers cannot increase recycling rates on our own. We need partners — lawmakers who share our commitment to sustainability and solutions, brand owners dedicated to the use of recycled content in products and packaging, and retail establishments who want to make it as easy as possible to place that used product in the blue bin. And yes, consumers must be at the heart of this effort by finding that bin and knowing what goes where.

New York is overdue for sound EPR policy that funds infrastructure improvement, creates end markets for recyclable material, and supports promising new recycling technologies. Let’s work together and craft great, effective legislation that actually gets us where we need to go.