“The Polypropylene Recycling Coalition brings stakeholders to the table to have good, hard, challenging conversations. And, we’re walking away with strategy.” - Stephanie Baker, KW Plastics
About the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition
The Recycling Partnership launched the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition in 2020 with a single goal in mind — unlock the potential of a 2-billion-pound opportunity to capture and recycle more polypropylene. The Coalition brings leading industry stakeholders together to exchange ideas, provide funding, and take collective action to address the recycling challenges of this material that is part of daily life, used in everything from yogurt cups to butter tubs to beauty product packaging. Its unique performance properties for protecting and transporting products means it has massive potential in the circular economy, but only if it stays out of the landfills.
To unlock the recycling potential of polypropylene, the Coalition prioritizes three key areas:
- Increasing access to residential recycling for polypropylene
- Ensuring more recycling facilities can successfully sort polypropylene
- Supporting responsible end markets with a steady supply of recycled polypropylene for reuse in packaging
It All Starts at the Curb
No material can be reclaimed if residents do not know where to put it. Only 60-65% of people across the U.S. have access to recycle polypropylene, and only 20% of polypropylene used in consumer products is captured through household recycling. Part of the Coalition’s ongoing mission is to increase community engagement and education to ensure the right material gets placed in the right bin. Through the Coalition’s efforts, 48 million more people across the U.S. now have access to recycle polypropylene, supported by nearly $2 million in community recycling education.
Supporting the Recycling Facilities
The Coalition works toward targeted system change and on-the-ground action by providing grants and technical expertise to recycling facilities to increase access to the ability to efficiently sort key polypropylene formats. To date, the Coalition has awarded $17 million in grants to over 65 recycling facilities across the country to upgrade their infrastructure to better sort polypropylene, resulting in more desirable material to resell to new markets.
Creating a More Valuable End Market
Recycled polypropylene can be turned into new packaging, housewares, buckets, gardening supplies, and more. The final piece of the puzzle in making polypropylene widely recycled is ensuring there is a healthy market for all that reclaimed material.
Take Action to Accelerate Polypropylene Recycling
Be Part of the SolutionResults by the Numbers (as of June 2025)
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To date, the Coalition has awarded over $19 million, providing grants to recycling facilities and communities across the U.S. to support increased polypropylene capture.
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Since the Coalition’s founding, we’ve provided new or improved access to polypropylene recycling to 48 million people.
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The Coalition has supported the recovery of 75 million new pounds of valuable polypropylene annually for processing in growing domestic markets.
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Map: Residential recycling access for polypropylene bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs.
Results Achieved When We Work Together: The Road Back to “Widely Recyclable”
In 2020 the How2Recycle program downgraded polypropylene from “Widely Recyclable” to the “Check Locally” label. Under the banner of the newly formed Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, we worked with urgency and a common framework to achieve in a mere two years what could have taken a decade or more.
By pooling institutional expertise and experience across different industries, the Coalition simultaneously improved recycling access, provided community education, upgraded recycling facilities’ sorting capabilities, and raised awareness of polypropylene’s value in the circular economy.
That’s why today How2Recycle clearly identifies key polypropylene formats as “Widely Recyclable” across the United States. This is just one example of the results we are achieving by working together.
Advancing Polypropylene Recycling: Three Case Studies of Collective Impact
The Polypropylene Recycling Coalition is driving measurable progress in polypropylene recovery across the United States, empowering communities and facilities to capture more recyclable materials, reduce landfill waste, and strengthen markets for post-consumer plastics. These three case studies showcase the power of innovative technology, strategic collaboration, and community engagement to advance polypropylene recycling at scale.
Building on a History of Commitment to Recycling – Ocean County, New Jersey
Ocean County’s Northern Recycling Center transformed polypropylene recycling with the installation of an optical sorter supported by The Recycling Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition. Capturing more than 850,000 pounds in 2023 alone, the county now diverts significantly more material from landfills and anticipates annual collections of 2.2 to 4.4 million pounds. This success aligns with New Jersey’s Recycled Content Law, reinforcing local markets for post-consumer plastics.
Technology to Improve Collection – Recology, Sonoma Marin, California
With the modernization of its Santa Rosa MRF in 2024, Recology Sonoma Marin integrated dedicated polypropylene recycling as part of a $35 million facility upgrade. Supported by a grant from The Recycling Partnership, the new technology enables efficient material recovery for the 170,000 customers it serves. This advancement supports California’s aggressive recycling goals and bolsters a circular supply chain for polypropylene recovery.
Capturing More Polypropylene — and Inviting the Community to Join In – Scott County, Iowa
The Waste Commission of Scott County boosted polypropylene capture sixfold with the help of an optical sorter funded by the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition. By combining technology upgrades with a robust community education campaign, the county achieved a dramatic increase in recyclable materials and expanded awareness across 25 counties. Messaging efforts included direct mailers, billboards, and virtual tours, inspiring a broader commitment to recycling.
Facility Upgrades Near Austin, Texas Boost Polypropylene Capture
What was once a small, outdated materials recovery facility (MRF) in fast-growing central Texas is now a hub for recovering polypropylene and other plastics. When Circular Services, formally known as Balcones, acquired Taylor, Texas-based Wilco Recycling in 2021, the MRF had virtually no sorting capacity for polypropylene, also known as #5 plastic. The sorter began operating in September 2024 and is processing over 30 tons of polypropylene per month as of January 2025.
From Access to End Markets: St. Peters Delivers Systemwide Recycling Change
Two years ago, St. Peters, Missouri had a system that wasn’t working. Recycling was opt-in and bag-based. Access was limited. Polypropylene, found in everyday items like yogurt cups and butter tubs, wasn’t being recovered. Residents wanted to recycle, but the system wasn’t built for success. Today, that’s changed. With support from The Recycling Partnership, including the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, American Beverage Association’s Every Bottle Back initiative and Missouri Beverage Association, the city set out to build a better system.
Denton Plastics is Ready, Building the Infrastructure to Back Bold Policy
Denton Plastics is turning Oregon’s Extended Producer Responsibility law into action with an 18,000-square-foot expansion that will nearly double its capacity to process 2.6 million pounds of polypropylene by 2026. Supported by a $2 million investment from The Recycling Partnership, Metro, and Denton, the project strengthens local recycling infrastructure and ensures more material is transformed into new products.
Are you a company that wants to help us chart a path forward for this material?
Become Part of the CoalitionThank you to our partners and founding members.
