As part of its mission to pursue zero waste, SPI has joined other top organizations as an inaugural member of the Recycling Partnership, a grant fund established by the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP) to support and transform public recycling performance. Selected communities will use grant funding to:

• purchase roll carts for curbside collection;
• provide technical assistance with program implementation and improvements;
• help advocate the economic value of the recycling industry to decision makers; and
• create educational tools for residents.
  
  

Working alongside the likes of the American Chemistry Council, Alcoa Foundation, and Coca-Cola, SPI will serve on the Recycling Partnership’s Advisory Committee as a voting member. In this role, SPI will advocate for the expansion of programs in communities that have the capability to maximize recovery of plastic products including rigids, thermoforms, and other non-bottle packaging materials.

SPI has emerged as an important stakeholder in the recycling discussion, offering a unique perspective as its members represent the entire plastics supply chain. Its highly-active Recycling Committee is working on programs that raise awareness about the demand for material, the recoverability of new feedstreams, and the advancement of technologies that improve quality of material.

Since SPI’s members’ expertise is in processing, recycling, and manufacturing rather than collection, the organization has not created unique programming in this area. However, identifying opportunities to influence collection in ways that support the work of SPI’s members is of high importance. Joining the Recycling Partnership presents the right opportunity to proactively cultivate collection programs in a way that reflects the industry’s goals in a tangible, measurable way.

The Recycling Partnership’s purpose and mission line up with SPI’s goals to support stronger plastics recycling partnerships across the country. By assessing the overall health of the recycling infrastructure, identifying the barriers to recycling, and building a to-do list around those barriers, the Recycling Partnership will create a new framework of public-private collaboration to improve the recycling infrastructure.

Overseen by CVP, in its first year at least three southeastern communities will receive one-time grants. Data and other information collected in the first round will serve as benchmarks to guide the partnership through its national expansion in the next two to five years. Projections show that work in ten communities could result in a one billion-pound (450 million-kg) increase in recovered recyclables.

Other members of the Recycling Partnership are the American Forest & Paper Association, the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers, Ball Corporation, and Carton Council. The Curbside Value Partnership is a 501(c)(3) organization designed to grow participation in curbside recycling programs nationwide (for more information, visit www.recyclecurbside.org).