While recycling technology has advanced, particularly in the plastics arena, there is more work to be done to build a circular economy. Not only is more investment required in recycling infrastructure to increase opportunities for recycling, but industry experts need to help consumers recycle. According to Alan Schrob, director of mechanical recycling at NOVA Chemicals, in a recent study conducted by NOVA Chemicals, 66 percent of consumers responded affirmatively that they would be willing to do additional sorting of flexible plastic to increase recycling rates.
“This presents an opportunity for public and private collaboration between producers and municipalities to educate and communicate with consumers to improve recycling practices,” Schrob said.
Raegan Kelly, head of product and sustainability at Better for All and a founding member of the company, said given the consistently low rates of recycling of five to nine percent for most plastics and high rates of loss to the environment for lightweight and single-use plastics, the industry is increasingly splitting its attention between the materials used and how they can be managed or recycled after use.
“For petrochemical plastics, the issues are manifold: Toxins present during processing and as products; difficulties sourcing consistent and economically viable recycling streams and then producing quality affordable recyclate; and the inevitable creation of persistent pollution and microplastics when products are thrown away, the large majority of which continue to end up on the side of the road or in landfill,” Kelly said.
The task of finding or creating materials that can compete with a 100+ year old entrenched global plastics industry is challenging. Kelly said these materials must also be better on many dimensions: they must be non-toxic, they must factor in carbon emissions, they must not persist in the environment for decades, they must function, and they must work with existing manufacturing equipment.
“For innovators looking to address one of these issues, additives that cause petrochemical plastics to ‘break down’ more quickly into smaller pieces or enzymes that can break molecular bonds after some time are two ongoing projects worth considering,” Kelly said. “On the product side, established CPG brands are offering single material solutions – i.e., cap, label and bottle all in PET so that all can be recycled in the same stream.”
These solutions, along with heavy-weight plastic “reuse” containers designed to be washed and reused, all mitigate the impact of petrochemical plastic but don’t solve for toxins, emissions (though reuse does reduce emissions per use), or persistent pollution. As a result, innovators are looking to improve bio-based and compostable polymers and this is a growing field of innovation.
“PLA, or polylactic acid, is an established market player with the scars to show it,” Kelly said. “The material suffers from low heat tolerance, its resemblance to petrochemical plastic, and its inability to biodegrade or compost anywhere but in strict commercial composting conditions. However, as commercial composting infrastructure grows in the United States, so does the adoption of PLA as an option.”
Paul Harencak, vice president of business development and technical services at LPS Industries, a manufacturer in the packaging industry, said the most significant innovation in today’s plastic recycling initiatives is the ability to use plant-based films for recyclability and composability. These films have the strength and surface printability to offer good graphics and yet comply with sustainable characteristics.
“As for recycling, the work that needs to continue is providing the infrastructure to make it easier for the consumers and end users to find accessible curb side pickups,” Harencak said.
Harencak said one of the greatest innovations is reducing the incompatible substrates and working to use laminated and extruded structures that are compatible with recycling. For example, having a metalized polyester or a foil laminated to a paper or a polyester film makes for a difficult product for the recycling stream.
“With the government’s help on a state level, banning single use plastic, with application exceptions, has reduced the landfill tonnage. These mandates, while well intended, have increased public awareness for recycling,” Harencak said. “What is still an obstacle is the education that plastic pollution is caused by human actions. This will hold true for plastic recycling as well. It will take educating today’s youth to understand that recycling is everyone’s responsibility.”
While multiple recycling streams exist for rigid plastics, companies are exploring new programs designed to capture and recycle the growing amount of flexible packaging films. For example, at NOVA Chemicals’ recycling facility in Connersville, Indiana, which will be recycling and producing SYNDIGO® recycled polyethylene (PE) at commercial quantities in early 2025, optical sorters and washing technology will separate and process PE wraps, sacks and films.
“Our latest innovations have proven that mechanically recycled PE can be repurposed into high-value applications and assist brands and retailers in reaching their sustainability objectives,” said Schrob.
The collection and transportation of acceptable plastics requires extensive planning and coordination across the value chain. As a polyethylene (PE) resin producer, PE recycler, and recycled PE producer, NOVA Chemicals assists retailers and distributions centers overcome this challenge by helping companies develop and implement film collection protocols, fostering collaborative relationships between brands, retailers and recyclers to divert plastic waste from landfills.
“Many brands and retailers have made commitments to include recycled content in their packaging, but most are unaware of its capabilities and how it can be incorporated into their products. We work closely with brands and converters to design packaging that incorporates recycled materials and makes packaging product more recyclable in a wide variety of applications from e-commerce mailers to frozen food bags that require high puncture resistance and durability,” said Schrob.
A Continuous Evolution
Studies indicate low percentages of plastics are actually being recycled and Harencak said the low recycling rate will continue until two major objectives are accomplished. First, the ability to make recycling easy for the consumer and end-user to separate trash from recycling. The current recycling of aluminum, glass and recyclable plastic containers needs to expand to film based recycling at curbside. This is added infrastructure needed for municipalities.
“Second, educate the general public and youth. Like seat belt use and cigarette smoking, plastic recycling will take a couple of generations and possibly some government intervention to make it work,” Harencak said.
And as Schrob further pointed out, managing the variety of packaging demands of brands, consumers and retailers is no small feat.
“As Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation gains traction, packaging producers are considering the end-of-life options for plastic materials, leading to a focus on designing for recyclability,” Schrob said.
Kelly believes traditional plastic product models need to and will take a page out of biomaterial product play books. As she explained, at the product design stage, impacts have to be considered throughout the life of the product including after use.
“To be certified commercial or home compostable, or USDA biobased for example, a product must pass a series of third-party lab tests. While I am not implying that lab tests are 100 percent applicable to real-world settings, testing does force material and product developers to tow the line regarding toxic ingredients and inaccurate end-of-life or material ingredient claims,” Kelly said. “To date, plastic product and packaging producers rarely think beyond immediate function and marketing impact. End users, waste management, and the world at large are on their own when it comes to dealing with the impact of this failure of imagination.”
Mixed material products, food contact plastics, eye-catching nonrecyclable containers, and small lightweight plastics all end up by necessity in the waste stream.
Kelly further pointed out that when setting out to create a product that will compost successfully in a commercial facility and at home, one must consider product use at every stage of the supply chain. What goes into the material? How is it processed at the manufacturer? How is it packaged? How is it printed? How is it consumed? What happens to it when it is washed, reused, thrown away, lost by the side of the road? Will it harm? Will it be of value as a material input? Is it expensive to process? Do recyclers and organics recyclers happily accept this product? How can you improve it for their sake? Does it leave behind a toxic legacy?
“It is not easy to account for every use when conceiving a product, but for sure what we know is what we have been doing is not working,” Kelly said. “No single solution is perfect, but biobased materials like PHA offer a rethinking of what is acceptable.
They are tools in a growing toolbox of materials that address the problems created by petrochemical plastics – persistence, toxicity, carbon emissions, and low-value recyclates.”
As new materials create efficiencies and gain market share, the cost of the materials will come down, and Kelly said the industry will see more widespread adoption of biobased nontoxic materials in limited-use applications.
“What I hope to see is greater engagement across the board similar to what we see at some stadiums and events working towards zero waste,” Kelly said. “And that careful thought is put into the material mix introduced into each setting, how it is managed on-site and afterward, and that data is collected and analyzed to see what worked and what needs improvement.
Published February 2025
