“Americans baffled by broken recycling system,” GMA study finds

16 Apr 2019 --- A Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) study has found that Americans are more “environmentally concerned” than ever before but experiencing widespread confusion about what can and cannot be recycled. It has led to an increase in “aspirational recycling” in which 40 percent of the population – predominantly Millennials – recycle items that they’re unsure will meet local requirements in hopes that any unrecyclable items will be later sorted.

The report identifies that, although Americans are increasingly eco-conscious, a patchwork system of local policies has confounded consumers and damaged recycling efforts. According to the study, 75 percent of Americans say they have changed their behavior in recent years to be more environmentally conscious, taking steps to recycle more frequently, buy sustainable products or reduce waste.

Despite the growing concern for environmental issues, there remains a considerable gap between aspiration and reality. For instance, 92 percent of respondents are unsure or believe anything with a plastic resin label could be recycled curbside, although only two of the seven recycling codes are consistently recyclable. More than half of Americans said frequently unrecyclable items like plastic bags, to-go coffee cups and plastic straws could be recycled. Another clear disconnect is that the codes are designed for employees at sorting facilities, not consumers.

“Confusion is not a sustainable system,” says GMA President and CEO Geoff Freeman. “America’s recycling future cannot depend on a patchwork system that undermines good intentions with bad policy.”

Compounding these issues further is the labyrinth of recycling policies employed throughout the US – thousands of municipalities set their own recycling rules. Though more than 90 percent of respondents say they feel they know their local recycling rules, fewer than six in ten reported researching them.

Consumers largely support a more uniform system – 74 percent surveyed said that more standardized rules at the national or state level would bring more clarity to recycling.

Innocuous mistakes
Even seemingly innocuous mistakes – like tossing a non-recyclable item into the bin – can backfire, ultimately causing more harm than good, sending everything to the landfill. 40 percent of Americans are “aspirational recyclers” who recycle items that they’re unsure will meet the requirements in hopes that any unrecyclable items will be later sorted. That number goes up to 44 percent for those who say they are very environmentally concerned and to 49 percent for Millennials.

“The first step [to improving US recycling] is getting recyclables in the bin – but it’s also about getting them there the right way,” explains Meghan Stasz, GMA Vice President of Sustainability and Packaging. “Thousands of recycling programs use dramatically different technology. Some deploy optical sorters, magnets and fans to sort by weight and material type. Others use workers to hand-pick higher value material from a conveyor belt. The result? What’s recyclable in one town is prohibited in the next.”

The consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is working to meet the needs of consumers and the environment, with all of the 25 largest CPG companies committing to increasing recyclable content, minimizing packaging or reusing material. Further, 80 percent of those companies have committed to producing fully recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2030 at the latest.

“The industry is evolving to meet the needs of consumers and the planet, but it cannot succeed in a vacuum,” notes Stasz. “Wildly differing local rules coupled with a complex network of codes and growing costs of recycling programs are contributing to a broken system that will require more than just private industry to resolve.”

“Confusion creates contaminated items that can’t be recycled but end up in the recycling stream. Contamination rates are rising, from 7 percent 10 years ago to 25 percent today,” Stasz says.

China crisis
Shifts in the global economy, notably in China, are forcing cities across the US to reduce or suspend recycling programs that are no longer economically viable. And while historically China accepted contaminated recycling loads, the country’s new policy limiting contamination to a near impossible 0.5 percent standard caused the value of recycled material to plummet.

“The recycling system has many failure points. If consumers don’t recycle, CPG companies can’t reuse material. If companies only design packaging to protect the product and not with the full lifecycle in mind, we wind up with packaging that can’t be recycled or recovered. If local systems aren’t using best practices and educating residents, participation rates fall and municipalities struggle to afford recycling programs,” Stasz adds.

As local governments scramble to figure out solutions in the wake of China’s new requirements, the CPG industry continues to innovate. Going beyond its rigorous commitments, CPG companies are slimming down packaging, piloting refillable containers and even using beach plastic to make shampoo bottles.

“Few industries are able to adapt as quickly to consumers as CPG,” adds Freeman. “The CPG industry is a leading force for change, but there is no panacea – no person, industry or government that will solve this alone. We want all stakeholders at the table, ready to make the hard decisions that will create lasting change.”

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, Americans recycle just 9 percent of plastic, 26 percent of glass and 34 percent of metal.

“The CPG industry is making real investments to increase sustainability, but it is one part of the equation. Today, the attitude on recycling is ‘why wouldn’t we?’ But it could easily shift to ‘why bother?’ We need to come together, support what works and drive innovation at every level of the process,” Stasz concludes.