The Plastics Industry Association has responded to a report from Greenpeace which has surveyed the recyclability of plastics in the US.
The Greenpeace research found that only some PET and HDPE plastic bottles and jugs can be legitimately claimed as recyclable in the US, and common plastic pollution items, including single use plastic food service and convenience products, also fall into this category.
Tony Radoszewski, President and CEO of PLASTICS, said: “The February 18 report released by Greenpeace is part of a targeted campaign against the nearly one million Americans employed by the plastics industry.”
“Instead of seeking actual solutions, Greenpeace choose to release sensationalist ‘studies’ that do nothing to address the real issue.”
“There is a lack of sufficient recycling infrastructure for all materials in the US and that must be addressed. However, lifecycle analyses consistently show that, on the whole, plastics are more environmentally beneficial that alternative materials, and even more so when they are successfully recycled into new materials.”
“We take issue with the report for so many reasons, and there is already an ongoing industry-wide dialogue about how the recycling system is performing today and how it could perform with updated infrastructure.”
“Measures like the RECOVER Act, which would designate funds to improve the recycling infrastructure in this country, and other efforts like the RECYCLE Act and the Save Our Seas 2.0 are the kinds of legislation our industry supports in order to build a robust recycling system here in the US.”