The materials we use in our society are valuable. Yet in the U.S., we only recover about one third of municipal solid waste annually. Packaging materials represent a large and visible part of this waste stream. How can we capture the value of those materials instead of throwing them away after a single use? What makes an effective material value recovery system and how can we dramatically improve the recovery of packaging materials in the U.S.?

To answer this question, GreenBlue embarked upon a three-year research project funded by CalRecycle's Market Development and Expansion Grant program and GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The research focused on how collection, sorting, and reprocessing infrastructure and technology can impact packaging recovery, as well as the identification of waste management policies that support or limit recycling. We analyzed the material recovery efforts of several European Union nations, as well as Australia and Ontario, Canada, to make recommendations for California and the U.S. The synthesis of the research is Closing the Loop: Road Map to Effective Material Value Recovery Systems.

Though infrastructure investment is critical to material recovery, it doesn't happen in a vacuum. Waste management policies that take a systems approach and are harmonized at the national level can pave the way toward more recycling. But absence of harmonized policies or laws working at cross-purposes can actually inhibit material recovery systems. Extended producer responsibility for packaging is a policy option that is used to great effect in the EU and Canada. In all cases, forward-thinking policy guidance must be the first requirement to establish an effective packaging recovery system.

Second, once effective policies are in place, attention can be turned to infrastructure: collection bins and schedule, sorting equipment, innovative reprocessing facilities and markets for reprocessed materials. Our research showed that the best-performing systems were not single-stream: they collected glass (and many also collected paper) separately from other packaging. This simple infrastructure decision places some sorting burden on consumers, but also results in high-quality, valuable, clean materials for reprocessors, lessens wear and tear on sorting equipment and reduces worker injuries from broken glass.

A third requirement for an effective system is the need for ongoing public education campaigns that encourage consumer participation in recycling and composting. Even in high-performing recycling countries such as Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, constant public education is needed to remind consumers to recycle, educate tourists and new citizens, and explain the benefits of recycling.

A final mandatory condition for an effective recovery system is a sustainable source of financing, because all of the choices made for the above three requirements have obvious cost implications that individual local governments in the U.S. are not presently able to afford.

There is no one-size-fits-all option that can be easily adopted in the U.S. There is plenty of information available. However, we now need to take that first step down the path towards an effective material value recovery system.

To help guide California and the U.S. down that path, the Road Map provides an analysis of the best practices from various international material recovery systems, the challenges faced when collecting packaging in rural areas and a vision for a truly effective system in the U.S. Understanding these factors is critical for policymakers and packaging executives to dramatically improve the system to efficiently and cost-effectively recover more high-quality materials.

Closing the Loop: Road Map to Effective Material Value Recovery is available at www.sustainablepackaging.org for free download.

Liz Shoch is a project manager for GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition
(www.sustainablepackaging.org). For more information, email [email protected].