Dive Brief:

• According to figures released by the American Chemistry Council, the recycling of post-consumer plastic film packaging increased by 11% in 2013.
• This 1.14 billion pounds collected in 2013 represented the highest amount recycled since the survey started in 2005.
• The 2013 National Postconsumer Plastic Bag & Film Recycling Report also determined there was a 74% increase in polyethylene film collected for recycling since 2005. 

Dive Insight:

The report uncovered that the collection rate is mostly increasing within small to mid-sized companies. Researchers found that consumers are bringing a greater amount of materials, such as flexible plastic wraps, to in-store recycling collection centers.

Brands and retailers have recently started adding “store drop-off” labels onto packaging. The project, offered via the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), encourages consumers to bring used polyethylene wraps back to the store for recycling. 

The SPC has also partnered with other groups to launch the Wrap Action Recycling Program to simplify the process associated with recycling polyethylene wraps.