U.S. Sets Record for Plastic Bags and Film Recycling

Tag : plastic part


Arlington, Va.  Plastic bags and film recycling increasedsignificantly across the U.S. in 2006, reaching a record high andvalidating a growing national recycling trend sweeping the states.The dramatic increase in recycling is in part driven by greaterdemand for recycled plastic and increased recycling of plasticgrocery bags.
An estimated 812,010,000 pounds of post-consumer film (includingplastic bags) was recovered in 2006, according to the 2006 NationalPost-Consumer Recycled Plastic Bags and Film Report conducted byMoore Recycling Associates, Inc. of Sonoma, California. Thisrepresents a 24 percent increase from 652,477,000 pounds recoveredin 2005.
More Americans are recycling plastic bags and film than everbefore, driven by a growing recognition that plastic is a valuableresourcetoo valuable to waste, said Steve Russell, managingdirector for ACCs Plastics Division.Working with retailers,recyclers and communities around the country, the ACC is working topromote plastic recycling and drive even higher rates for thefuture. Plastic bags can be recycled into many valuable products,including durable decking and new bags.
Over the past several years, Trex has processed and used atremendous amount of recycled plastic and that demand has led us topartner with the public and private sector on innovative recyclingprograms, said Dave Heglas of TREX, a northern Virginia companythat uses recycled plastic bags to manufacture green buildingmaterials. We have recycled over 2.5 billion pounds of plasticover the last 10 years into lumber substitutes for outdoor decks.
The value of recycled plastic is leading to new innovations in thebag industry too. Hilex Poly, a leading plastic bag manufacturer,established a program that recycles old bags into new ones calledBag-2-Bag