Plastic by The Numbers

Plastic recycling is woefully inadequate across the world, but specifically in North America, where we manage to consume more goods than anywhere else.

• 38% of the world’s consumer spending

• 19% of the world’s plastic production (110 billion lb of production)

• 8.7% of all plastic consumed in NA is recycled (9.6 billion lb)

PET and HDPE lead the way for plastic recycling, while PP has lagged far behind. Of the 19 billion lb of production only 1 billion lb is currently being reprocessed.

Green Group Consulting (GGC) formed to connect all levels of the plastic supply chain and improve the availability of recycled resins. From improving local collection to increasing recycled content in end products, GGC can provide actionable insights for your system.

Where Your Plastic Goes

As plastic production has continuously increased, the rate of recycling has failed to increase in step. With increasing consumer demand for products with recycled content and brand owner sustainability commitments, the supply of recycled resin will not be able to meet the demand. Sourcing a consistent stream of recycled resin will become increasingly difficult. GGC has multiple avenues for securing a consistent supply of recycled resin for your products.

Recycling by Resin

PET, HDPE, and LDPE come in a few form factors: water bottles, milk jugs, detergent bottles… These distinct form factors allow for easier collection and sortation. On the other hand, PP is used in a myriad of products. This leads to increased difficulty in sortation and collection. This, in conjunction with volatile pricing, has steered the market away from recycling PP. Legislation is being proposed and passed in different states requiring recycled content in packaging and parts. The demand for recycled PP resin will skyrocket for products to be compliant with these new laws. The limited amount of collection and reprocessing the market currently does will not be able to meet the needs of companies. Securing PP recycled resin sources now will give your firm a distinct advantage over your competitors.