Five more grants bring total Polypropylene Recycling Coalition awards to nearly $9 million, impacting 28 million people
The Recycling Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition (Coalition) continues its steadfast approach to grantmaking and improving the recovery of polypropylene across the country that began almost three years ago. Recently, the Coalition provided an additional five grants to recipients across four states.
- Atlantic Coast Recycling of Ocean County, New Jersey
- Pioneer Recycling of Clackamas, Oregon
- RecycleSource of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- TC Recycling of Mars, Pennsylvania
- Recology Sonoma of Sonoma, California
“The Coalition recognizes that materials recovery facility (MRF) modernization through equipment upgrades is critical to delivering an effective and efficient residential recycling system,” said Brittany LaValley, Senior Director of Materials Advancement at The Recycling Partnership. With the cutting-edge technology that is available, MRFs have the opportunity to maximize capture of recyclable materials. For those MRFs that have been unable to support investment, Coalition grants enable them to increase the capture of polypropylene and see a faster return on investment.”
The Coalition’s efforts are led by stakeholders from across the polypropylene value chain who understand the importance of driving meaningful change and measurable impact for polypropylene recovery and recycling. In the Coalition’s short tenure, it has provided 36 grants totaling $8.8 million that have supported sorting improvements and community education, ultimately impacting 28 million people across the U.S. through improved recycling and enabling the recovery of 39 million new pounds of polypropylene recovered annually.
Examples of the impact that can be made with this approach are seen in projects like that of the Atlantic Coast Recycling of Ocean County facility in New Jersey. Having noted increasing amounts of polypropylene in the stream over the years, they applied for a grant to support polypropylene separation through the installation of new equipment.
“We have always understood the importance of polypropylene and with support from The Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, we have ensured there is appropriate space and equipment dedicated to capturing this valuable material,” said John Stanton, Director of Business Development for Atlantic Coast Recycling of Ocean County.
Another good example of the impact that can be made is Pioneer Recycling in Clackamas, Oregon who received a grant to install equipment that will capitalize on the increase in polypropylene cups and other takeout containers that residents are recycling. Their new equipment will allow them to sort both polypropylene and fiber (i.e., cardboard) from the same machine, allowing for maximum use of the limited space they have in their facility.
While great strides have been made through the Coalition’s persistent commitment to support the modernization of MRFs, with polypropylene as the third most prevalent plastic in the recycling stream, there is a clear understanding of the continued need to support infrastructure investments as well as education and outreach. Given the action-oriented nature of the Coalition and impact to date, support and growth of the Coalition is critical to ensure the environmental and economic benefits of polypropylene recycling continue to be unlocked.
The mission-driven work of the Coalition is currently supported by contributions from organizations representing all segments of the material’s value chain. Members include Keurig Dr Pepper, Braskem, The NextGen Consortium, the Walmart Foundation, Advanced Drainage Systems, Berry Global, Campbell Soup Company, EFS-plastics, Ferrero, The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, KW Plastics, LyondellBasell, Merlin Plastics, Milliken & Company, Nestlé, Plastic Ingenuity, PolyQuest, Procter & Gamble, Sabert, St. Joseph Plastics, TotalEnergies, and Winpak. The Coalition is advised by industry leaders, including Association of Plastic Recyclers, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, World Wildlife Fund, and Closed Loop Partners.
For anyone interested in learning more about funding polypropylene recycling advancements, visit Polypropylene Recycling Coalition. For MRFs interested in applying for a grant, the application is available on our Polypropylene Recycling Grants for MRFs webpage.