The Recycling Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition released its inaugural annual report showcasing measurable improvement in the circularity of polypropylene (PP). Established in 2020, the Coalition awards grants to materials recovery facilities (MRFs), secondary sorters, and reclaimers to increase acceptance, improve capture, and deliver higher-quality recycled PP to responsible end markets. Together, its members have helped deploy over $15 million across 60 grants, resulting in new or improved polypropylene recycling access to 48 million people.
Polypropylene, also known as #5 plastic, is ubiquitous in our daily lives and widely used in packaging for dairy foods, salads, deli items, microwaveable meals and more. Its high value has resulted in growing demand for post-consumer recycled polypropylene, yet only 8 percent is recycled annually. The Coalition’s grants address challenges by enabling recycling facility upgrades, improved sortation capabilities, and community engagement needed to boost PP recycling rates.
“In just four years, The Coalition has improved polypropylene recycling access, capture, sortation, and processing in more than half of U.S. states, and there is more to do,” said Brittany LaValley, vice president of materials advancement at the Partnership. “While we celebrate this progress, we know there is significant opportunity to continue to expand the demand for recycled polypropylene, spur investments in access, education and infrastructure, and create a more robust market for this versatile material.”
Together with producers, communities, recyclers, and manufacturers, the Coalition is working to drive a five percent increase in the U.S. polypropylene recycling rate by:
Ensuring more recycling facilities can successfully sort polypropylene: Community recycling program acceptance increased by 11 percent. As one example, the Scott County Waste Commission facility in Iowa received a Coalition grant, and as a result, with its new optical sorter, it has captured 7x more polypropylene in the first 6 months of 2024 than it did in all of 2023.
Accomplishing a five percent increase in polypropylene recycling rates requires deploying $10 million in new capital throughout 2025, strategically focused on achieving critical milestones. This funding is part of a comprehensive strategy to deploy $55 million in new capital to modernize recycling infrastructure and expand polypropylene capture nationwide.
Published January 2025
