Leveraging its vast supply of data on residential recycling, The Recycling Partnership offers comprehensive, connected digital solutions to support companies, communities and people in solving recycling challenges.
The Partnership’s digital solutions are powered by its National Recycling Database, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive source for local recycling information across the U.S. This database empowers households, manufacturers, retailers, brands, policymakers, environmental organizations, and government officials to understand how individual recycling programs are conducted, what materials are recyclable at the local level, and ultimately how to improve packaging recyclability.
The U.S. recycling system is not a unified or governmental entity, but rather a network of 9,000+ separate local recycling programs. Each individual program has specific parameters for which materials can be recycled, and municipalities collect recyclables in different ways. With generous support from Apple, the National Database indicates what materials are accepted for recycling based on specific community programs, versus general information about what’s recyclable in an area. This aggregated resource incorporates recycling data from all communities of over 2,500 households (97% of the U.S. population) and a custom neural network that captures local recycling changes as they occur.
The National Database will fuel the transformation of today’s U.S. recycling system into a system of the future, allowing:
- Consumers to access trustworthy local recycling information;
- Local recycling program coordinators to convey updated and correct recycling information to residents;
- Retailers and brands to design packaging for maximum recyclability;
- Material producers to determine steps to overcome impediments to recyclability;
- Policymakers at the state and federal level to determine what is accepted for recycling at the local level.
The Recycling Partnership offers several digital tools that harness the breadth and depth of the database for multiple audiences. Click the links below to learn more!