Opportunities Increase With Rigid Plastics Recycling

Last year, the recycling of rigid plastic materials (not counting bottles) increased by thirteen percent in the United States to a level of almost nine hundred and fifty million pounds. This increase was contributed to consumers’ ability to recycle these materials within their residential and business communities which has now reached an all time high of fifty seven percent nationwide.

There are over fourteen hundred cities in the US that collect recycling for rigid plastic which includes items such as cups, containers, and trays made of both PET and HDPE plastics. For those cities that offer recycling of these items, the personal recycling rate tops sixty percent.

Popular and in-demand uses for recycled rigid plastic includes the manufacturing of buckets, pipes, auto products, food storage containers, crates, kitchen tools, and other housewares.  The growth of “green” storage products, tools, and furniture has continued to grow as individual and business consumers are presented with more buying options and prices comparable to similar items not classified as environmentally friendly. Increased recycling rates mean more available materials for manufacturers which translates to lower production and pricing costs.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Increasing recycling rates is a win-win situation for everyone. Recycling more at home or work cuts down on your waste disposal costs and in turn make recyclable materials, like rigid plastic, more readily available to manufacturers who can then produce, at a lower cost, the items we need for work, school, and recreation. Going green is a winning proposition!