US companies given funding boost to continue plastic recycling research
Montgomery County, Maryland was selected to receive the primary grant and Firstar Fiber, Nebraska and Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center were awarded secondary grants.
The Plastics Industry Trade Association (SPI) and the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) grants begin immediately and will enable the companies to establish collection programs and processing methods for PET thermoformed packaging.
The SPI are providing program funding of $100,000 (€75.7) and NAPCOR are providing project management and technical assistance.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) focussed on packaging including cups, trays, boxed and lids made from PET sheet.
Project roles
Primary grantee Montgomery County’s program is expected to provide a solid urban and suburban model, offering an immediate and a long-term impact on the recycling of PET thermoforms.
Firstar Fiber’s collection efforts will focus on residential and away from home programs and Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center will look at reverse supply chain dynamics, intermediate processing for material quality beneficiation, and modeling of rural PET thermoform collection.
The grant program, which received 13 applications, was open to US recycling program operators that provides or contracts for the full scope of services and can affect implementation across all areas.
Landmark period
SPI president and CEO Bill Carteaux said: “This program marks an important milestone toward keeping thermoform packaging out of landfills and making the recycling of them commonplace.
“The diversity of these three grant recipients enables us to provide models for public and private operations, as well as for both metropolitan and rural areas.”
NAPCOR technical director Mike Schedler said: "It confirmed to us that intermediate processors of recycled materials in the US are not only eager to capture and market PET thermoform material domestically, but have already begun to work through how to make it happen.
“We expect this program to result in successful, sustainable PET thermoform recycling models that will be replicable in other markets."
