March 16, 2010
Mislabeled Plastic Bottles Vex PET Recyclers
These days, almost every plastic bottle indicates that it’s recyclable. As far as two plastics recycling associations are concerned, that’s just the problem.
A preponderance of bottles falsely labeled as PET or PET-compatible is causing problems for recycling companies, reports PlasticsNews.
The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers and the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) are bringing the issue to the fore, trying to influence the plastics resin supply chain and bottle manufacturers.
Steve Alexander, executive director of APR, said the issue had been “exacerbated in the last year or so.”
Dennis Sabourin, executive director of Sonoma, Calif.-based NAPCOR, said there had been a “misuse” of the resin identification code.
βIt is causing problems because these mislabeled containers have significantly lower melt temperatures that will cause the recycled material to stick together inside the dryer,β Sabourin told PlasticsNews.
Officially, the resin identification code is not a recycling code. But since it’s law in 39 states, many consumers view it as a recycling code.
The code may need to be revised, and ASTM International is reviewing this.
David Cornell, technical director for APR, said it becomes problematic when too many copolymers, which increase melt strength and enhance processability, are added to the mix. In that case, the “resulting polyester no longer behaves like PET bottle polymer and may not process well together,β he told Plastics News.
“Sometimes folks do get carried away on claims, and wrong or insufficient words are said about compatibility,β he added.
In other plastics recycling news, MBA Polymers, a multinational plastics recycler wants to see increased U.S. standards for plastics recycling.
Mike Biddle, president of MBA, said in a Plastics Today article there needs to be better “end-of-life scenarios” for electronics and automotive waste in the U.S.
He would like to see the U.S. pass reclaim-oriented legislation to help take care of the 21 million tons of electronics waste and 10 billion pounds of automotive waste generated annually in North America.
Biddle added that MBA plans to double its capacity in the coming year.
Environmental management & energy news delivered daily to your inbox
Advertisers
Trends in Sustainability Performance Management
Take the lead on sustainability. - Take the lead in your industry. >>
Sustainable Agricultural Partnerships Summit
Aug 10-11, San Francisco - Measure & Reduce Water & Carbon Impacts. >>
Can you take the pain out of carbon reporting?
See how with CA ecoSoftware. >>
Recent Daily News [ see all ]
- 07/29/2010
- 07/28/2010
- 07/27/2010
- Green Rating Systems: Which One is Right for You?
- Russian City Saves $26,000 Annually with LED Street Lighting
- Arizona’s Energy-Efficiency Ruling to Save Utility Customers $9B over Next Decade
- Brea to Cut City’s Energy Use 40%
- Zotos Mfg Plant Gets Nod to Build 3.3-MW Wind Power Project
- CEC Throws Out Edison’s Claim to RECs from Mountain View Wind Projects
- Robert Brunner On Solar Power For Handheld Devices
- HVAC Energy Reduction SW Saves Six NY Buildings 9.9M kWh Annually
- Roundup – Hormel Foods, BMW, Microsoft
- Green Marketing: How It Works and When to Use It
- Wind Power Installations Drop to 2007 levels
- EV Roundup: Nissan, Chevrolet, Enterprise, PG&E, Schneider Electric, Raser
- No Renewable Electricity Standard in Reid Energy Bill
- Vermont Resort Cuts Carbon Footprint with ‘Cow Power’
- CCS Technologies to Capture 65% and 90% of CO2 Emissions at Coal Power Plants
- Fuel Cell Power Plant Installed at Frozen Food Processing Plant
- Green Building Talked Up By Perkins & Will’s Peter Busby
- Large Wind Projects Get Ready to Roll in Arizona, California
- Why the BP Oil Spill is a Tragedy of the Commons, Part II
- Senators Push for a Renewable Energy Standard
- Roundup – GM, Seventh Generation, Wal-Mart
- Consumers Prefer to Charge their EVs at Home
- UPS Sustainability Report: Sets Goal to Improve Fuel Efficiency by 20%
- IT Sector Reduces Energy Costs by $2B, CO2 Emissions by 32 Million Tons
- Naval Base Lighting Retrofits Save Nearly $60,000 Annually
- TIAA-CREF CEO On Building Energy Efficiency
Charts [ see all ]
White Papers [ see all ]
- Your Customers Want Green!
- Eco-Competitiveness: Safeguarding Profitability and the World's Natural Resources
- Global Trends In Sustainability Performance Management
- The EPA's Mandatory Reporting Rule
- A Business Framework for Excelling at Enterprise Carbon Management
- Your Customers Want Green!
- What's On Your Sustainability Dashboard?
- 9 Ways to Reduce Energy Costs
Comments and Discussions
Matt Perry on Green Marketing: How It Works and When to Use It
"Hi Emily, Thank you for your article. Your background in science really comes through...."
Girard Gurgick on No Renewable Electricity Standard in Reid Energy Bill
"Does any one know why just passing a simple carbon tax is not the primary..."
Baltazar Perez on Green Marketing: How It Works and When to Use It
"Great article Emily and certainly environmental issues should be at the forefront..."
Tony Nocito on EPA Supports Superfund Tax Reinstatement
"Each one of the industries mentioned in this article are laden with asbestos. All of the..."
Terrence Murray on Wind Power Installations Drop to 2007 levels
"We had been hearing for a couple of months now from our project finance banking..."
Martyn on Green Marketing: How It Works and When to Use It
"There’s one area of corporate Greenwash that really irks me and that’s the..."
sandee loeffler on Green Marketing: How It Works and When to Use It
"We have just released a new packaging item for our plants to replace the 15 tons..."
Reader Comments
When would MBA establish a east coast plant? How does this process compare with plastics to oil?
Cynthia R | June 3rd, 2010