Dive Brief:

• A three-month experimental project is underway in Citrus Heights, CA that could change how plastics that are not easily recycled are handled. The program is co-sponsored by Dow Chemical Co., Republic Services Inc., Citrus Heights and the Flexible Packaging Association.
• The ‘Energy Bag,’ a purple-colored plastic bag, was distributed to 27,000 residences in the Citrus Heights area. Participants separate flexible packaging and plastics that are typically difficult to recycle into the bag, which is then placed into the curbside collection bin with other recyclables. Republic Services will haul the recycling and bagged items to its MRF, where it will be separated.
• The materials collected in the bags will be transported to Beaverton, OR-based Agilyx Corp., where the recyclables will be converted into a synthetic fuel oil. The process is called pyrolysis.

Dive Insight:

Items the project can divert from the landfill include candy wrappers, pet food packaging, frozen food bags and labels from water and soft drink bottles. The use of a broad range of components in these products creates a major challenge for recyclers, making it virtually impossible to recycle. If the purple bag experiment is deemed a success, a host of other communities may be in line to establish programs replicating the project in their areas.