US recyclers face supply challenge: panel

The US plastics recycling industry could face a supply gap as recycling efforts expand due to challenges in materials collection, panelists said at a waste and recycling conference in Las Vegas June 28.

"The supply of all plastics that can be recycled is more or less being recycled now," said Michael Timpane, vice president at consulting firm Resource Recycling Systems.

Timpane, speaking at Waste Expo 2021, said that as several large-scale chemical recycling projects are planned for the US, the industry needs to find ways to source additional streams of raw materials. Timpane said the industry needs to support additional regulation to encourage people to recycle away from home, at events such as parties that generate a lot of waste but not much recycling.

Kate Bailey, director at Eco-Cycle, a Colorado-based nonprofit recycler, noted that in the US, about three in 10 plastic bottles are recycled. She said companies expanding to chemical recycling have focused on the processing technology but not collection efforts. She said she expects a big increase in funding collection resources to help supply raw materials for recycling facilities.

Timpane also noted that the supply and demand challenges have helped recycled plastics develop their own market structure separate from virgin resins.

"It has its own value," he said. "Brands want to show recycled post-consumer content on their packaging, and that's worth something."

However, it has been a challenge for packaging producers as virgin resins remained cheaper than their recycled counterparts.

"It's hard to walk away from nice cheap resins for your packaging," Timpane said.