Check out our June 2019 Impact Report and learn about the $73 million in value we have delivered to transform recycling for good.
See how we are working together with communities, our funding partners, and the industry to drive change coast to coast and create a stronger economy, healthier p[...]
By Asami Tanimoto
UPDATE: Upon receiving feedback from area stakeholders and further review, we removed two references to a contamination rate reported in the Portland metro region that resulted from a generation study of single-family households co-funded by The Recycling Partnership. It was decid[...]
2020 Impact Report Tells Story of the National Nonprofit Catalyzing Change to Move the U.S. Toward a Circular Economy
The Recycling Partnership and NERC present the 2019 Regional Recycling Impact Workshop
Harness the power of your program through tools for fighting contamination, education and outreach, and harmonizing your message to create a stronger recycling system throughout the 11-state region.
The North[...]
Our 2016 Annual Report highlights real-time benefits of the transformative organization’s work, focusing on year-on- year growth, systems solutions across the supply chain, and the multiplier effect that intelligently-deployed new infrastructure delivers.
“Day to day, we’re always looking fo[...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
New “Bridge to Circularity” Report Calls for $500 Million by 2025 to Transform the U.S. Recycling System
Report Emphasizes Need for Creating New Pathways to Recyclability, Unlocking Post-Consumer Material Supply, and Crafting Bold, Transformative Policies Supported by Cut[...]
How likely is it that neighboring communities using the same MRF are talking to their residents about recyclable materials in the same way? As this new report prepared by The Recycling Partnership highlights, not very likely.
What are the chances that a community will have easy-to-find recycling i[...]
The 2016 State of Curbside Report is a snapshot of the performance of curbside recycling programs in a number of key communities across the U.S. Over 400 cities were profiled to understand key recycling program attributes and to evaluate their performance in recovering household recyclables at t[...]
The 2020 State of Curbside Recycling report calls for these clear, integrated strategies:
Substantially greater support of community recycling programs with capital funding, technical assistance, and efforts to strengthen and grow local political commitment to recycling services.
New and enhanced s[...]
Check out what we’ve been up to this past year. Highlights of our 2017 Annual Report include: a breakdown of our three biggest city projects, updated metrics, and an impressive, ever-expanding list of our awesome funders who want to create healthier communities across the country through improved [...]
This webinar, hosted by The Recycling Partnership’s VP of Industry Collaboration and resident National Sword expert Dylan de Thomas, gives a critical update on what China’s scrap ban and customs enforcement actions are and where it came from. It also covers the potential impact on markets, M[...]
By Dylan de Thomas
Vice President of External Affairs
The Recycling Partnership
For many Americans, recycling is second nature. It’s something that we can’t imagine living without. The ethos of “waste not, want not” runs deep in our collective conscience. We feel bad when we throw something [...]
To make truly informed decisions about improving a municipal program, local leaders would be wise to systematically analyze what is (and isn’t) ending up in recycling receptacles at the individual household level. Case studies from three cities help illustrate the method.
The ultimate fate of recycling rests in the hands of a broad set of stakeholders who must all take action to support the transition to a circular economy
FALLS CHURCH, Va., (Feb. 13, 2020) – For curbside recycling in the United States to deliver its enormous potential economic and environmental be[...]
Multifamily Recycling Success: How Minnesota Is Making a Difference
From college dorms to apartment buildings, multifamily properties often pose unique challenges when it comes to recycling efforts. But four Minnesota communities are proving that education and outreach can have a significant impact [...]
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition & The Recycling Partnership studied how plastic, paper, glass, aluminum, cartons and steel packaging fared in material recovery facilities & reprocessor facilities
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (JUNE 11TH, 2019) — ASTRX (Applying Systems Thinking to Recycling), th[...]
Film and flexible packaging is unlike other packaging when it comes to recycling. For starters, it’s not a single packaging type – the term encompasses a wide range of packaging, from polyethylene (PE) air pillows protecting e-commerce goods to heavy-duty dog food bags, to salty snack bags with [...]
Best Management Practices report helps local recycling programs achieve long-term success
Falls Church, Va. (June 24, 2020) – The contract between a local recycling program and a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is one of the most impactful legal documents in the U.S. public recycling system. That[...]
Niagara Bottling, a driving force in packaging innovation joins The Recycling Partnership to help the rapidly growing nonprofit transform recycling in states, cities and communities across the country. By supporting The Recycling Partnership’s recycling solutions, Niagara Bottling along with 38 [...]
The Recycling Partnership and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, with Love Beauty and Planet, Help Expand Curbside Recycling Collection in Nashville
Collection to go from once a month to every other week by early 2020
A combined $2.8 million grant from The Recycling Partnership a[...]
On Wednesday, May 27, The Recycling Partnership hosted a follow-up webinar with industry experts to answer the important question: What are on-the-ground impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis on recycling operations and workers? The supply chain and solid waste have both been deemed essential work i[...]
By Elizabeth Schussler, Sr Dir Social Change, Behavior and Impact
Trying to fight contamination in your local recycling program? Ask specifically for what you want (or don’t want). Our research shows that much of contamination can be solved by telling residents exactly how to recycle properly. (Wa[...]
60+ Brands, Retailers, Government Agencies, and NGOs Collaborate to Advance All Plastic Packaging
to become Reusable, Recyclable, or Compostable by 2025
Falls Church, Va., (August 25, 2020) – Today, the U.S. Plastics Pact, a collaborative led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (W[...]
(Falls Church, VA) On January 7, 2019, Re-TRAC Connect and The Recycling Partnership officially launched Municipal Measurement Program (MMP) to harmonize the measurement of material management programs and to provide municipalities with decision-making tools that can improve recycling program perfor[...]
By Keefe Harrison, CEO
Partnership is part of our name for a reason. From the start, The Recycling Partnership has believed that public-private partnerships are critical to our mission—and to our mutual success in building a resilient and responsive recycling system. This approach is at the hear[...]
Once a program has successfully motivated behavior change, the question becomes, will the new behavior stick? If not, how long will it last before the program should reach out again? This is a challenging question to answer, as few programs do long-term evaluations, and ultimately, it is dependent o[...]
Featuring Sarah Dearman and Steph Kersten-Johnston
We’ve recently welcomed two new staff members who have joined us from the corporate world: Sarah Dearman, formerly Sustainable Packaging Program Director at Coca-Cola North America, is now our new VP of New Ventures; Steph Kersten-Johnston, forme[...]
By Liz Bedard
As an employee of both The Recycling Partnership and the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), I have the unique privilege of viewing the recycling industry from all sides. Suppliers, manufacturers, MRFs, haulers, residents, communities, corporations: you name the audience, I’ve ta[...]
Amazon, International Paper, and Starbucks Coffee Company have joined on as new funding partners of The Recycling Partnership, a rapidly growing national nonprofit that leverages corporate investment to transform recycling for good in hundreds of communities across the country. By supporting The Re[...]
by Tricia Tiedt
What are we wasting for? See how much greenhouse gas (GHG) equivalents you could be saving with our newest interactive online tool. By inputting your community’s households, collection data, and participation rate, the GHG Calculator estimates the tonnage of recyclables and related[...]
In mid-2017, The Recycling Partnership surveyed its MRF Working Group to identify top contaminants and their impact at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) level. In gathering data using a matrix [Appendix 1], the surveyed group members provided detail on Labor; Facility Down Time; Disposal; Equipm[...]
Two Grants for Additional Can Capture Equipment Have Potential to Capture Per Year More than 36 Million Aluminum Beverage Cans, Typically Most Valuable Material in the Recycling System
WASHINGTON, DC (April 13, 2021) – Recycling facilities in North Carolina and Texas will use Can Manufacturers Ins[...]
This article originally appeared in the March 2018 issue of Resource Recycling magazine.
by Cody Marshall and McKenna Morrigan
How do you get people to recycle more? What does it take to reduce contamination? How much more high-value recyclable material can be captured through curbside programs?
Now[...]
Single challenge aims to recycle nearly 2 million tons of material – including 7 billion bottles and cans – resulting in a greenhouse gas avoidance of 5.5 million tons of CO2
PURCHASE, NY (July 31, 2018) – The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of one of the world’s leading food a[...]
The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper Will Support Circular Plastics Economy
Through Investment and Action, in Conjunction with World Wildlife Fund, The Recycling Partnership & Closed Loop Partners
WASHINGTON – America’s leading beverage companies – The Coca-Cola Company, [...]
This article originally appeared on CityLab.com.
NICOLE JAVORSKY
Times have been hard for U.S. recycling since China tightened its contamination standards, and local programs are trying to adjust.
“This facility is our version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”
That’s how Eileen Ka[...]
This press release was originally published by the World Wildlife Fund on June 12, 2017.
World Wildlife Fund Convenes Organizations to Enable A Global Market For Sustainable Materials Management
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced the Cascading Materials Vision, a platform that seeks to enabl[...]
This summer and through the fall, The Recycling Partnership, a national nonprofit that applies corporate partner funding to improve curbside recycling systems in cities and town across the country, will be working with Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) to improve recycling in th[...]
This press release was initially published by Orange County Government Florida.
Partnership with National Organizations Will Help Recycling Education
Orange County, Fla. (March 12, 2019) – Today the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a grant agreement with The Recycling Partne[...]
The following op-ed was penned by Partnership CEO Keefe Harrison and published by The Philanthropy Journal on December 18, 2017. Read the original piece here.
While society has historically relied on government and nonprofits to create solutions for our largest challenges like hunger, social injusti[...]
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has a new plan to increase demand for recyclable plastics in North America, and with help from The Recycling Partnership, it is calling upon manufacturers and retailers to make it work. Companies joining the Recycle Demand Champions initiativewill instruct[...]
This article originally appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Companies want to be seen as doing good for their community and the world. Charities can help — and benefit.
By Megan O’Neil
Keefe Harrison aspired to a life as a field biologist. In her late teens and 20s, she tagged sea turtles[...]
New funds highlight state’s Know It Before You Throw It education campaign
that will help Michigan reach goal of doubling state’s recycling rate to 30% by 2025
DETROIT – The City of Detroit is receiving nearly $1 million in grants to support the largest expansion of recycling in the city’s h[...]
Global Solutions, Local Scale: Recycling Efforts Show Promising Path for Climate Action
This op-ed written by Partnership CEO Keefe Harrison was originally published by CityFix on Aug. 10, 2017.
Now that cities can no longer rely on the U.S. federal government to take serious action on the global [...]
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (March 18, 2021) —Today, in honor of Global Recycling Day, The Recycling Partnership has launched Communities for Recycling, an innovative national initiative to provide Americans with real-time, personalized, and hyper-local recycling information through Facebook’s Messenger e[...]
By Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN Business
Atlanta (CNN Business) – Early last year, Coca-Cola set an ambitious goal for itself: Collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sells by 2030.
The company has committed to making its bottles and cans out of at least 50% recycled materi[...]
FALLS CHURCH, VA (June 4, 2018) – Marine debris is a global crisis for our waterways and oceans and an imminent concern for consumers, communities and industries. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be more marine debris than fish in our ocean and 80 percent of marine debris comes from land-b[...]
This article, written by The Recycling Partnership’s former VP of Communications and recycling legend Jason Hale, was originally published by Sustainable Brands.
The Recycling Partnership: How We’re Fixing a Broken System
This is the third in a three-part series from The Recycling Partn[...]
By Keefe Harrison
When the world moves through this terrible coronavirus pandemic, the economy is going to need help. That’s why The Recycling Partnership is working hard, every day, to ensure that the economy that rebounds is a circular one that serves people and the planet.
I grew up in a fami[...]
The Partnership tackles the Top 10 Myths of Recycling in this informative, downloadable, free infographic. This guide serves as a catch-all to debunk some pervasive, overarching myths about recycling that apply households all across America.
by Jill Martin, Recycling Today
Simplified communication decreases contamination and confusion among residents while increasing the capture rate for curbside recyclables.
Imagine trying to take a train, subway or bus system across a city where the signage, names and colors of the routes are inconsis[...]
By Keefe Harrison
(first published on LinkedIn)
As I head into the 2020 Plastics Recycling Conference, the pressing need to protect our environment from plastic waste by activating a truly circular economy is top of mind. This is an important point in time to pivot our society’s current make-to-[...]
This article, co-written by The Recycling Partnership’s VP of Industry Collaboration Dylan de Thomas and Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s Senior Manager Trina Matta, was originally published in Resource Recycling on June 29, 2017.
Late last year, The Recycling Partnership and Sustainabl[...]
This form is a tool to facilitate feedback on material quality and to create that needed dialogue between a Material Recovery Facility and its communities. Feedback on each load as a standard operating procedure will help isolate problem areas for better targeting, and track progress in fighting con[...]
This article was originally published by Fast Company on April 4, 2019. To read the original, click here.
You may throw a plastic container in the recycling bin and assume it’s going to easily become a new item. But every step of our recycling system—from product design to collection to sorting[...]
This article was originally published by Bloomberg on Nov. 29, 2017.
The economics of plastic recycling have suddenly been upended, thanks to a Chinese import ban and cheap U.S. oil used to make virgin plastic. That’s made recycled plastic suddenly more expensive than virgin plastic and made it mo[...]
The following op-ed was penned by The Recycling Partnership’s VP of Industry Collaboration Dylan de Thomas and was originally published by Resource Recycling. Read the original article here.
For a long time, the story of recycling has been purported to be simple – you just have to do X and i[...]
Aims to Reach More People to Help Increase Recycling Rate from 23% to 34%
DENVER – Mayor Michael B. Hancock, The Coca-Cola Foundation and national non-profit group The Recycling Partnership announced today the launch of a new large-scale recycling education campaign that will be piloted this summe[...]
This article originally appeared on Heineken USA’s blog on Aug. 2, 2017.
To the great people of Europe: thanks for sharing! Teams from the top soccer leagues in the world touched down in the U.S. this summer for the fifth installment of the International Champions Cup and the competition was[...]
Choose from seven different impact ads to share on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
America’s leading beverage companies join the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and The Recycling Partnership to deploy convenient recycling carts in Pleasant Township and Whitehall
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The American Beverage Association (ABA), in partnership with The Recycling Partnership and [...]
This press release was originally published and distributed by Public Affairs out of the Office of the City Manager for the City of Auburn, AL.
AUBURN, Ala.- The rollout of the single-stream recycling program is complete, and the City of Auburn is moving on to the next step of the process, e[...]
SARASOTA, FLA.—Participation and collection volumes are up, and contamination is notably low in Sarasota following a city-led recycling program reboot this spring that included amped-up education and new, 95-gallon single-stream carts, supported by the national non-profit, The Recycling Partnershi[...]
By The Recycling Partnership Team
We live on a planet that is well known for having finite resources (and yes, some renewable ones, many of which we’re depleting at a rate that surpasses the rate of replacement). If we keep buying things that are made out of these finite and depleting resources,[...]
This article was originally published by Waste360 on May 23, 2017.
Massachusetts Takes A Lead from The Recycling Partnership to Stem Contamination
Most residents believed they understood the rules, as surveys showed. But when DEP tested that theory it saw a huge gap between people’s perception of [...]
The Recycling Partnership Joins as Grant Program Partner to Evaluate Proposals and Provide Technical Assistance for Projects that Target Missorted or Lost Cans at Recycling Centers in the Southeast
WASHINGTON, DC (January 27, 2021) — The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and The Recycling Part[...]
The Recycling Partnership Joins CMI as Grant Program Partner to Evaluate Proposals and Provide Technical Assistance for Projects that Target Missorted or Lost Cans at Recycling Centers in the Southeast
The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and The Recycling Partnership (The Partnership) announced re[...]
Polypropylene Recycling Coalition awards nearly $2 million in grants that will impact four million people nationally
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (December 8, 2020) – The Recycling Partnership today announced nearly $2 million in catalytic grants to advance polypropylene recycling in the U.S. through its Po[...]
$2.7 Million in Grants Awarded Following The Recycling Partnership’s 2019 50 Cities Leadership Summit Transforming Recycling Programs Nationwide
Falls Church, Va. (Oct. 08, 2020) – Just one year after hosting its inaugural Leadership Summit, which saw a select 50 cities invited for a two-day r[...]
If you’re one of the many Americans who have recently found themselves working from home, you may be finding some difficulty adjusting to the new norm of social distancing from your in-home or makeshift office.
With employees across more than 14 states, The Recycling Partnership is accustomed to r[...]
Greetings from Abu Dhabi. As the 2019 World Ocean Summit wraps up, and I prepare to head home, I’ve settled on my mantra for the year:
There’s no time to be timid.
Warming waters. Acidification. Marine debris. The ocean is the pulse of our planet and it needs our help. We know that climate ch[...]
Foundation’s $300,000 grant will boost recycling across the country
Falls Church, VA (April 24, 2019) – Alcoa Foundation announced today it is contributing $300,000 to The Recycling Partnership, the nonprofit change agent transforming recycling for good. The donation will help boost residentia[...]
FALLS CHURCH, VA (May 14, 2019) – The Recycling Partnership today announced the appointment of a new chairwoman and two new members to its Executive Committee, as well as new committee chairs for its board governance, communications, and public affairs committees for 2019.
Kim Carswell, dir[...]
Part of The Partnership’s “It’s All You” campaign for the City of Chicago, this video shows adults and kids alike how everyday recycling can make a big impact – like saving the world.
Less than half the recyclables in U.S. homes are captured: just 14 million tons out of an available 36 million are recycled every year from single-family homes. The Recycling Partnership is working to change that by improving recycling systems in hundreds of communities across America with financi[...]
National nonprofit The Recycling Partnership proudly welcomes global packaging provider Sonoco as its newest funding partner. The two organizations are strongly aligned in their commitment to improving the world for people and communities through meaningful recovery of materials and reductions in gr[...]
This article, written by The Recycling Partnership’s former VP of Communications and recycling legend Jason Hale, was originally published by Sustainable Brands.
A Circular Economy: You’re Not in It Alone, So Why Go It Alone?
This is the second in a three-part series from The Recycling [...]
Global leader ExxonMobil is the first energy company to join The Recycling Partnership, a rapidly growing national nonprofit that leverages corporate investment to transform recycling for good in hundreds of communities across the country. Through support and collaboration, ExxonMobil, along with 34[...]
Hey, municipal recycling coordinator! How do you know if your curbside recycling program is performing well? Do you know how to connect to powerful easy-to-use tools to increase your performance and address complicated issues like contamination? Do you have the ability to compare your multifamily,[...]
Recycling is many things. It is both a noun and a verb. To a waste professional it may be the collection and diversion of tons of marketable materials. To community members, recycling is an easy way to waste less and to contribute to the greater good. When asked about recyclables, however, most mist[...]
For Immediate Release
City is receiving $140,000 recycling grant to raise awareness of what can and cannot be recycled and how to recycle;
Newark one of seven cities across nation to receive recycling grant
Newark, NJ—September 25, 2019—Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Public Works Director Khalif Thomas, T[...]
“The Recycling Partnership believes that producers should play a prominent role in bringing the critically needed capital necessary to level up a struggling U.S. residential recycling system through a shared producer responsibility model.
As the Blueprint points out, we’re at a critical poin[...]
How are your new year’s resolutions coming? Regardless of where you are with cleaning out the garage, organizing those cabinets, or learning how to knit, there’s still time to help your community meet it’s 2021 recycling resolutions.
Our free tools and resources can help you do just that:
Per[...]
America Recycles Week release of free Social Media Kit v.3 and DIYSigns to empower communities to educate residents on how to recycle more, better
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (Nov. 12, 2019) – Residents putting trash in the recycling costs the U.S. recycling system more than $300 million each year. While s[...]
Leading circular economy change agent welcomes call for nationwide recycling assessment to inform and strengthen residential recycling
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (July 9, 2020) – The Recycling Partnership applauds the House Appropriations Committee for including a nationwide Recycling Needs Survey and A[...]
We are not currently accepting applications for this grant program.
Marine debris is a global crisis for our waterways and oceans and an imminent concern for communities and industries. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be more marine debris than fish in our ocean and 80 percent of marine deb[...]
Media Contact:
Carina Uehara
Nestlé Waters North America
+1 (203) 863-0219
Carina.Uehara@waters.nestle.com
#NotTrash Instagram campaign is first activation between Poland Spring and The Recycling Partnership to help residents recycle more, better
STAMFORD, CT – Less than 30% of plastic bottles ar[...]
This article, written by The Recycling Partnership’s VP of Industry Collaboration Dylan de Thomas, was originally published by Sustainable Brands.
Half of a Half Equals a Whole Lot of Potential
This is the first in a three-part series from The Recycling Partnership on collaborating to drive [...]
Colgate-Palmolive becomes first company to fund navigation of five‑step gated recyclability process
BENTONVILLE, ARK. (Nov. 6, 2019) – The Recycling Partnership officially launched its new Pathway to Recyclability initiative to help packaging suppliers outline, address, and successfully navigate[...]
We are saddened to report Steve Thompson died suddenly last week. Steve was a recycling champion, a mentor to many, a member of our family for more than a decade as Executive Director, and an intensely valued friend to the industry. Steve held a vision for improved recycling and his leadership, thro[...]
Leading companies from across the value chain take action to
enhance polypropylene circularity with first Request for Proposals
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (July 8, 2020) – The Recycling Partnership is pleased to announce today the launch of its Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, an industry collaboration t[...]
Industry Collaboration Delivers More Than $80,000 For Recycling Education Grants
Today, The Recycling Partnership announced the recipients of its Steve Thompson Memorial Education Grants program to bring more than 50 recycling professionals from across the U.S. to Minneapolis for the 2017 Resource R[...]
On Tuesday, March 31, The Recycling Partnership hosted a webinar for cities, states and industry partners to provide timely and comprehensive information about the state of the recycling and solid waste industry during the times of COVID-19. We heard from the leading voices at our most trusted indus[...]
By Ben Dixon, Partner, SYSTEMIQ & Keefe Harrison, CEO, The Recycling Partnership
The challenge of plastic waste is too big to ignore and too difficult to solve alone. Good work to collectively reduce the use of virgin plastic and build recycling solutions for more types of plastics is underway. [...]
It’s time to develop a circular economy for packaging in the U.S.
We’re launching several new initiatives to start building the Bridge to Circularity, including Recycling 2.0 – an opportunity for all stakeholders to collaborate to develop the recycling system of the future.
Congressional Webinar: Recycling 101 & Impacts of COVID-19
New survey data from The Recycling Partnership and SWNS confirms that 85% of Americans strongly believe in recycling. This is especially timely as we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on communities and recycling busines[...]
This story originally appeared in The Washington Post
By Mary Esch | AP
May 18
ALBANY, N.Y. — The halt on China’s imports of wastepaper and plastic that has disrupted U.S. recycling programs has also spurred investment in American plants that process recyclables.
U.S. paper mills are expan[...]
Check out our June 2019 Impact Report and learn about the $73 million in value we have delivered to transform recycling for good.
See how we are working together with communities, our funding partners, and the industry to drive change coast to coast and create a stronger economy, healthier p[...]
By Asami Tanimoto
UPDATE: Upon receiving feedback from area stakeholders and further review, we removed two references to a contamination rate reported in the Portland metro region that resulted from a generation study of single-family households co-funded by The Recycling Partnership. It was decid[...]
2020 Impact Report Tells Story of the National Nonprofit Catalyzing Change to Move the U.S. Toward a Circular Economy
The Recycling Partnership and NERC present the 2019 Regional Recycling Impact Workshop
Harness the power of your program through tools for fighting contamination, education and outreach, and harmonizing your message to create a stronger recycling system throughout the 11-state region.
The North[...]
Our 2016 Annual Report highlights real-time benefits of the transformative organization’s work, focusing on year-on- year growth, systems solutions across the supply chain, and the multiplier effect that intelligently-deployed new infrastructure delivers.
“Day to day, we’re always looking fo[...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
New “Bridge to Circularity” Report Calls for $500 Million by 2025 to Transform the U.S. Recycling System
Report Emphasizes Need for Creating New Pathways to Recyclability, Unlocking Post-Consumer Material Supply, and Crafting Bold, Transformative Policies Supported by Cut[...]
The 2020 State of Curbside Recycling report calls for these clear, integrated strategies:
Substantially greater support of community recycling programs with capital funding, technical assistance, and efforts to strengthen and grow local political commitment to recycling services.
New and enhanced s[...]
Check out what we’ve been up to this past year. Highlights of our 2017 Annual Report include: a breakdown of our three biggest city projects, updated metrics, and an impressive, ever-expanding list of our awesome funders who want to create healthier communities across the country through improved [...]
The ultimate fate of recycling rests in the hands of a broad set of stakeholders who must all take action to support the transition to a circular economy
FALLS CHURCH, Va., (Feb. 13, 2020) – For curbside recycling in the United States to deliver its enormous potential economic and environmental be[...]
Multifamily Recycling Success: How Minnesota Is Making a Difference
From college dorms to apartment buildings, multifamily properties often pose unique challenges when it comes to recycling efforts. But four Minnesota communities are proving that education and outreach can have a significant impact [...]
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition & The Recycling Partnership studied how plastic, paper, glass, aluminum, cartons and steel packaging fared in material recovery facilities & reprocessor facilities
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (JUNE 11TH, 2019) — ASTRX (Applying Systems Thinking to Recycling), th[...]
Best Management Practices report helps local recycling programs achieve long-term success
Falls Church, Va. (June 24, 2020) – The contract between a local recycling program and a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is one of the most impactful legal documents in the U.S. public recycling system. That[...]
Niagara Bottling, a driving force in packaging innovation joins The Recycling Partnership to help the rapidly growing nonprofit transform recycling in states, cities and communities across the country. By supporting The Recycling Partnership’s recycling solutions, Niagara Bottling along with 38 [...]
The Recycling Partnership and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, with Love Beauty and Planet, Help Expand Curbside Recycling Collection in Nashville
Collection to go from once a month to every other week by early 2020
A combined $2.8 million grant from The Recycling Partnership a[...]
On Wednesday, May 27, The Recycling Partnership hosted a follow-up webinar with industry experts to answer the important question: What are on-the-ground impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis on recycling operations and workers? The supply chain and solid waste have both been deemed essential work i[...]
60+ Brands, Retailers, Government Agencies, and NGOs Collaborate to Advance All Plastic Packaging
to become Reusable, Recyclable, or Compostable by 2025
Falls Church, Va., (August 25, 2020) – Today, the U.S. Plastics Pact, a collaborative led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (W[...]
(Falls Church, VA) On January 7, 2019, Re-TRAC Connect and The Recycling Partnership officially launched Municipal Measurement Program (MMP) to harmonize the measurement of material management programs and to provide municipalities with decision-making tools that can improve recycling program perfor[...]
By Keefe Harrison, CEO
Partnership is part of our name for a reason. From the start, The Recycling Partnership has believed that public-private partnerships are critical to our mission—and to our mutual success in building a resilient and responsive recycling system. This approach is at the hear[...]
Amazon, International Paper, and Starbucks Coffee Company have joined on as new funding partners of The Recycling Partnership, a rapidly growing national nonprofit that leverages corporate investment to transform recycling for good in hundreds of communities across the country. By supporting The Re[...]
In mid-2017, The Recycling Partnership surveyed its MRF Working Group to identify top contaminants and their impact at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) level. In gathering data using a matrix [Appendix 1], the surveyed group members provided detail on Labor; Facility Down Time; Disposal; Equipm[...]
Two Grants for Additional Can Capture Equipment Have Potential to Capture Per Year More than 36 Million Aluminum Beverage Cans, Typically Most Valuable Material in the Recycling System
WASHINGTON, DC (April 13, 2021) – Recycling facilities in North Carolina and Texas will use Can Manufacturers Ins[...]
This article originally appeared in the March 2018 issue of Resource Recycling magazine.
by Cody Marshall and McKenna Morrigan
How do you get people to recycle more? What does it take to reduce contamination? How much more high-value recyclable material can be captured through curbside programs?
Now[...]
Single challenge aims to recycle nearly 2 million tons of material – including 7 billion bottles and cans – resulting in a greenhouse gas avoidance of 5.5 million tons of CO2
PURCHASE, NY (July 31, 2018) – The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of one of the world’s leading food a[...]
The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper Will Support Circular Plastics Economy
Through Investment and Action, in Conjunction with World Wildlife Fund, The Recycling Partnership & Closed Loop Partners
WASHINGTON – America’s leading beverage companies – The Coca-Cola Company, [...]
This article originally appeared on CityLab.com.
NICOLE JAVORSKY
Times have been hard for U.S. recycling since China tightened its contamination standards, and local programs are trying to adjust.
“This facility is our version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”
That’s how Eileen Ka[...]
This press release was originally published by the World Wildlife Fund on June 12, 2017.
World Wildlife Fund Convenes Organizations to Enable A Global Market For Sustainable Materials Management
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced the Cascading Materials Vision, a platform that seeks to enabl[...]
This summer and through the fall, The Recycling Partnership, a national nonprofit that applies corporate partner funding to improve curbside recycling systems in cities and town across the country, will be working with Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) to improve recycling in th[...]
This press release was initially published by Orange County Government Florida.
Partnership with National Organizations Will Help Recycling Education
Orange County, Fla. (March 12, 2019) – Today the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a grant agreement with The Recycling Partne[...]
The following op-ed was penned by Partnership CEO Keefe Harrison and published by The Philanthropy Journal on December 18, 2017. Read the original piece here.
While society has historically relied on government and nonprofits to create solutions for our largest challenges like hunger, social injusti[...]
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has a new plan to increase demand for recyclable plastics in North America, and with help from The Recycling Partnership, it is calling upon manufacturers and retailers to make it work. Companies joining the Recycle Demand Champions initiativewill instruct[...]
This article originally appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Companies want to be seen as doing good for their community and the world. Charities can help — and benefit.
By Megan O’Neil
Keefe Harrison aspired to a life as a field biologist. In her late teens and 20s, she tagged sea turtles[...]
New funds highlight state’s Know It Before You Throw It education campaign
that will help Michigan reach goal of doubling state’s recycling rate to 30% by 2025
DETROIT – The City of Detroit is receiving nearly $1 million in grants to support the largest expansion of recycling in the city’s h[...]
Global Solutions, Local Scale: Recycling Efforts Show Promising Path for Climate Action
This op-ed written by Partnership CEO Keefe Harrison was originally published by CityFix on Aug. 10, 2017.
Now that cities can no longer rely on the U.S. federal government to take serious action on the global [...]
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (March 18, 2021) —Today, in honor of Global Recycling Day, The Recycling Partnership has launched Communities for Recycling, an innovative national initiative to provide Americans with real-time, personalized, and hyper-local recycling information through Facebook’s Messenger e[...]
By Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN Business
Atlanta (CNN Business) – Early last year, Coca-Cola set an ambitious goal for itself: Collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sells by 2030.
The company has committed to making its bottles and cans out of at least 50% recycled materi[...]
FALLS CHURCH, VA (June 4, 2018) – Marine debris is a global crisis for our waterways and oceans and an imminent concern for consumers, communities and industries. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be more marine debris than fish in our ocean and 80 percent of marine debris comes from land-b[...]
By Keefe Harrison
When the world moves through this terrible coronavirus pandemic, the economy is going to need help. That’s why The Recycling Partnership is working hard, every day, to ensure that the economy that rebounds is a circular one that serves people and the planet.
I grew up in a fami[...]
by Jill Martin, Recycling Today
Simplified communication decreases contamination and confusion among residents while increasing the capture rate for curbside recyclables.
Imagine trying to take a train, subway or bus system across a city where the signage, names and colors of the routes are inconsis[...]
By Keefe Harrison
(first published on LinkedIn)
As I head into the 2020 Plastics Recycling Conference, the pressing need to protect our environment from plastic waste by activating a truly circular economy is top of mind. This is an important point in time to pivot our society’s current make-to-[...]
This article was originally published by Fast Company on April 4, 2019. To read the original, click here.
You may throw a plastic container in the recycling bin and assume it’s going to easily become a new item. But every step of our recycling system—from product design to collection to sorting[...]
The following op-ed was penned by The Recycling Partnership’s VP of Industry Collaboration Dylan de Thomas and was originally published by Resource Recycling. Read the original article here.
For a long time, the story of recycling has been purported to be simple – you just have to do X and i[...]
Aims to Reach More People to Help Increase Recycling Rate from 23% to 34%
DENVER – Mayor Michael B. Hancock, The Coca-Cola Foundation and national non-profit group The Recycling Partnership announced today the launch of a new large-scale recycling education campaign that will be piloted this summe[...]
This article originally appeared on Heineken USA’s blog on Aug. 2, 2017.
To the great people of Europe: thanks for sharing! Teams from the top soccer leagues in the world touched down in the U.S. this summer for the fifth installment of the International Champions Cup and the competition was[...]
America’s leading beverage companies join the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and The Recycling Partnership to deploy convenient recycling carts in Pleasant Township and Whitehall
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The American Beverage Association (ABA), in partnership with The Recycling Partnership and [...]
This press release was originally published and distributed by Public Affairs out of the Office of the City Manager for the City of Auburn, AL.
AUBURN, Ala.- The rollout of the single-stream recycling program is complete, and the City of Auburn is moving on to the next step of the process, e[...]
SARASOTA, FLA.—Participation and collection volumes are up, and contamination is notably low in Sarasota following a city-led recycling program reboot this spring that included amped-up education and new, 95-gallon single-stream carts, supported by the national non-profit, The Recycling Partnershi[...]
By The Recycling Partnership Team
We live on a planet that is well known for having finite resources (and yes, some renewable ones, many of which we’re depleting at a rate that surpasses the rate of replacement). If we keep buying things that are made out of these finite and depleting resources,[...]
This article was originally published by Waste360 on May 23, 2017.
Massachusetts Takes A Lead from The Recycling Partnership to Stem Contamination
Most residents believed they understood the rules, as surveys showed. But when DEP tested that theory it saw a huge gap between people’s perception of [...]
The Recycling Partnership Joins as Grant Program Partner to Evaluate Proposals and Provide Technical Assistance for Projects that Target Missorted or Lost Cans at Recycling Centers in the Southeast
WASHINGTON, DC (January 27, 2021) — The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and The Recycling Part[...]
The Recycling Partnership Joins CMI as Grant Program Partner to Evaluate Proposals and Provide Technical Assistance for Projects that Target Missorted or Lost Cans at Recycling Centers in the Southeast
The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and The Recycling Partnership (The Partnership) announced re[...]
Polypropylene Recycling Coalition awards nearly $2 million in grants that will impact four million people nationally
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (December 8, 2020) – The Recycling Partnership today announced nearly $2 million in catalytic grants to advance polypropylene recycling in the U.S. through its Po[...]
$2.7 Million in Grants Awarded Following The Recycling Partnership’s 2019 50 Cities Leadership Summit Transforming Recycling Programs Nationwide
Falls Church, Va. (Oct. 08, 2020) – Just one year after hosting its inaugural Leadership Summit, which saw a select 50 cities invited for a two-day r[...]
Foundation’s $300,000 grant will boost recycling across the country
Falls Church, VA (April 24, 2019) – Alcoa Foundation announced today it is contributing $300,000 to The Recycling Partnership, the nonprofit change agent transforming recycling for good. The donation will help boost residentia[...]
FALLS CHURCH, VA (May 14, 2019) – The Recycling Partnership today announced the appointment of a new chairwoman and two new members to its Executive Committee, as well as new committee chairs for its board governance, communications, and public affairs committees for 2019.
Kim Carswell, dir[...]
Part of The Partnership’s “It’s All You” campaign for the City of Chicago, this video shows adults and kids alike how everyday recycling can make a big impact – like saving the world.
National nonprofit The Recycling Partnership proudly welcomes global packaging provider Sonoco as its newest funding partner. The two organizations are strongly aligned in their commitment to improving the world for people and communities through meaningful recovery of materials and reductions in gr[...]
Global leader ExxonMobil is the first energy company to join The Recycling Partnership, a rapidly growing national nonprofit that leverages corporate investment to transform recycling for good in hundreds of communities across the country. Through support and collaboration, ExxonMobil, along with 34[...]
Hey, municipal recycling coordinator! How do you know if your curbside recycling program is performing well? Do you know how to connect to powerful easy-to-use tools to increase your performance and address complicated issues like contamination? Do you have the ability to compare your multifamily,[...]
Recycling is many things. It is both a noun and a verb. To a waste professional it may be the collection and diversion of tons of marketable materials. To community members, recycling is an easy way to waste less and to contribute to the greater good. When asked about recyclables, however, most mist[...]
For Immediate Release
City is receiving $140,000 recycling grant to raise awareness of what can and cannot be recycled and how to recycle;
Newark one of seven cities across nation to receive recycling grant
Newark, NJ—September 25, 2019—Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Public Works Director Khalif Thomas, T[...]
“The Recycling Partnership believes that producers should play a prominent role in bringing the critically needed capital necessary to level up a struggling U.S. residential recycling system through a shared producer responsibility model.
As the Blueprint points out, we’re at a critical poin[...]
America Recycles Week release of free Social Media Kit v.3 and DIYSigns to empower communities to educate residents on how to recycle more, better
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (Nov. 12, 2019) – Residents putting trash in the recycling costs the U.S. recycling system more than $300 million each year. While s[...]
Leading circular economy change agent welcomes call for nationwide recycling assessment to inform and strengthen residential recycling
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (July 9, 2020) – The Recycling Partnership applauds the House Appropriations Committee for including a nationwide Recycling Needs Survey and A[...]
We are not currently accepting applications for this grant program.
Marine debris is a global crisis for our waterways and oceans and an imminent concern for communities and industries. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be more marine debris than fish in our ocean and 80 percent of marine deb[...]
Media Contact:
Carina Uehara
Nestlé Waters North America
+1 (203) 863-0219
Carina.Uehara@waters.nestle.com
#NotTrash Instagram campaign is first activation between Poland Spring and The Recycling Partnership to help residents recycle more, better
STAMFORD, CT – Less than 30% of plastic bottles ar[...]
Colgate-Palmolive becomes first company to fund navigation of five‑step gated recyclability process
BENTONVILLE, ARK. (Nov. 6, 2019) – The Recycling Partnership officially launched its new Pathway to Recyclability initiative to help packaging suppliers outline, address, and successfully navigate[...]
We are saddened to report Steve Thompson died suddenly last week. Steve was a recycling champion, a mentor to many, a member of our family for more than a decade as Executive Director, and an intensely valued friend to the industry. Steve held a vision for improved recycling and his leadership, thro[...]
Leading companies from across the value chain take action to
enhance polypropylene circularity with first Request for Proposals
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (July 8, 2020) – The Recycling Partnership is pleased to announce today the launch of its Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, an industry collaboration t[...]
Industry Collaboration Delivers More Than $80,000 For Recycling Education Grants
Today, The Recycling Partnership announced the recipients of its Steve Thompson Memorial Education Grants program to bring more than 50 recycling professionals from across the U.S. to Minneapolis for the 2017 Resource R[...]
On Tuesday, March 31, The Recycling Partnership hosted a webinar for cities, states and industry partners to provide timely and comprehensive information about the state of the recycling and solid waste industry during the times of COVID-19. We heard from the leading voices at our most trusted indus[...]
By Ben Dixon, Partner, SYSTEMIQ & Keefe Harrison, CEO, The Recycling Partnership
The challenge of plastic waste is too big to ignore and too difficult to solve alone. Good work to collectively reduce the use of virgin plastic and build recycling solutions for more types of plastics is underway. [...]
It’s time to develop a circular economy for packaging in the U.S.
We’re launching several new initiatives to start building the Bridge to Circularity, including Recycling 2.0 – an opportunity for all stakeholders to collaborate to develop the recycling system of the future.
Congressional Webinar: Recycling 101 & Impacts of COVID-19
New survey data from The Recycling Partnership and SWNS confirms that 85% of Americans strongly believe in recycling. This is especially timely as we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on communities and recycling busines[...]
This story originally appeared in The Washington Post
By Mary Esch | AP
May 18
ALBANY, N.Y. — The halt on China’s imports of wastepaper and plastic that has disrupted U.S. recycling programs has also spurred investment in American plants that process recyclables.
U.S. paper mills are expan[...]
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