ZeroTrash® Revolution Blog Blog
Explore articles on recycling, waste management and sustainable habits by category
Soft plastic recycling: key challenges and solu...
Recycling soft plastics is one of the most pressing environmental challenges today. Soft plastics – such as plastic bags, wrappers, and packaging films – are often excluded from standard curbside...
Soft plastic recycling: key challenges and solutions
Recycling soft plastics is one of the most pressing environmental challenges today. Soft plastics – such as plastic bags, wrappers, and packaging films – are often excluded from standard curbside recycling programs. This is due to a combination of factors, including the composition of the materials, limited processing infrastructure, and consumer confusion about disposal methods. The general reports on the plastic recycling industry in the U.S., which are now carried out by nonprofit organizations and are not systematic, don’t seem to show positive data. According to the latest rates from research on recycled plastic, more than 95% of the plastics generated are put in a landfill or incinerated for energy. The research groups also revealed that while plastic recycling is on the decline, the per capita generation of plastic waste has increased by 263% since 1980. Another investigation shows missed opportunities in about 83% of the plastic packaging that could be recycled curbside – think bottles and containers – not being put in the bin. And what about soft plastic? It is placed on a lower priority and also shows recycling rates of less than 10 percent, still not always being calculated and reported. Soft plastic is perceived as a barrier to the efficient process of recycling other types of plastic, being put together in a blue bin for recycling. Let’s figure out what the main challenges of soft plastic recycling are and what solutions could exist to work on changing these frustrating numbers of plastic waste and changing the attitude towards soft plastic. What is this soft plastic exactly? The name itself speaks about its look and structure - this film is simply soft. An easy way to identify a soft plastic product is to scrunch it up and see that it doesn’t bounce back fully. In other words, it is any lightweight package or part of a package whose shape can be readily changed. Flexible packaging includes, but is not limited to, bags, pouches, liners and wraps that utilize plastic or film. It can also be packaging such as grocery, zip lock, soft plastic containers, cling film, stretch wrap, shipping packaging, freezer bags, and dry-cleaning bags. Key challenges of soft plastiс recycling Being soft and light doesn’t mean being perfectly suitable for recycling. Recycling facilities face specific problems while having soft plastic on their board and these are the real reasons for these difficulties: 1. Contamination of recycling streams. While being useful for packaging purposes because of its thin, stretchy, clingy structure, plastic film is still difficult to recycle without specialized equipment. If mixed with other recyclables and processed through machines, plastic packaging tangles the mechanisms and jams the machines. This leads to operational disruptions and increased maintenance costs. Other than that, it endangers workers who try to clean it out of the equipment at the recycling facility. This problem occurs even earlier, when soft plastic is placed in the curbside recycling cart after mixed waste management. 2. Lack of recycling facilities. Out of approximately 500 Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in the U.S., only 20% to 30% can handle soft plastic waste. Their limited capacity also leads to the majority of soft plastics not being processed and often ending up in landfills. 3. Multi-layered plastic materials. Some soft plastic packaging, like aluminum-lined snack wrappers and food pouches, is often made from layers of different materials. It makes the package content protected by providing stiffness, oxygen barrier, UV protection, and sealability. This solution complicates soft plastic recycling efforts. Separating these layers is technologically challenging, which stands for the complexity of classification, layer separation, and is economically unfeasible due to high costs for treatment. 4. Consumer confusion about plastic waste management. Consumers are often not sure what type of plastic waste is accepted at their location because programs for recycling significantly vary. A survey revealed that 60% of people are uncertain about how and what to recycle, resulting in improper disposal of soft plastic waste. Lack of information and awareness about the easy options for plastic recycling leads to curbside recycling full of soft plastics. Soft plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges today, leading to widespread pollution. The key environmental risks associated with soft plastic waste are: 1. Landfill overflow Plastic takes up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills. During this process of degradation, plastic waste may leach potentially toxic substances into the soil and groundwater, producing environmental and health risks. 2. Microplastics While degrading soft plastic waste fragments into microplastics, tiny parts less than 5 millimeters in size are created. These microplastics have been detected in various environments, including deep-sea sediments and remote areas, indicating their pervasive distribution. Microplastics can adsorb and transport harmful pollutants, potentially entering the food chain and posing risks to wildlife and human health. Studies have found microplastics in human organs, including the placenta, raising concerns about their impact on human health. 3. Ocean pollution In addition to microplastics wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems, soft plastic waste can directly influence the lives of marine animals. For instance, sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals often mistake plastic waste for food, which leads to ingestion that can cause internal injuries, intestinal blockages, starvation, and death. Solutions: How to improve soft plastic recycling? The good point about these challenges is that they already have some solutions that can improve soft plastics recycling. Emerging innovations and technologies can significantly expand processing capabilities. Chemical plastic recycling technologies, like pyrolysis, involve breaking down plastic into smaller molecules using high heat in the absence of oxygen. Technology transforms plastic waste into raw materials such as oils, gases, and waxes, which can be used as a better alternative to virgin resource extraction. AI and robotics also enter the plastic recycling industry, suggesting new, efficient sorting systems. Robots are taught to identify and sort different types of plastics. Smart solution for your home that can make your home’s soft plastic waste management more efficient and prepare it to be actually recycled. Clear Drop® Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) is an example being the first home and business appliance to simplify soft plastic collection and ensure it all goes to recycling. It transforms fluffy plastic packaging into a space-saving 12×8×4-inch block. Clear Drop sends free mailing envelopes with pre-paid labels to ship compacted plastic blocks directly to the facility. Unlike grocery store drop-offs or similar products, SPC guarantees that no soft plastic is left out of the recycling chain. Consumer responsibility still plays a significant role in the whole plastic recycling process. Before plastic recycling, you can think of cutting the amount of waste and reducing your soft plastic consumption. Think about changing one habit and buying some products in refillable shops instead of contributing to plastic packaging, buy from local markets with your reusable shopper bags and beeswax wraps for food. Reorganize your waste management - keep soft plastic waste separate from other recyclables to prevent contamination in the recycling facilities. Read and share with your community information about restrictions for curbside recycling programs and verify your local recycling policies to prevent contamination. Use store drop-off recycling programs with retailers like Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods. They often provide collection bins for plastic bags and certain plastic films. The How2Recycle program offers a Store Drop-Off label, guiding consumers on which plastics are eligible for these programs. As consumers, we can play a pivotal role in reducing plastic waste by rethinking our consumption habits, organizing our home waste management, and correctly disposing of soft plastics through specialized recycling programs.
Composting: electric vs. professional or tradit...
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, only about 5% of the annual 66.2 million tons of food waste is composted, which leads to landfill overfilling and emissions of methane....
Composting: electric vs. professional or traditional options
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, only about 5% of the annual 66.2 million tons of food waste is composted, which leads to landfill overfilling and emissions of methane. The rising environmental needs for composting and new legislations in separating organic waste for households create a new market for solutions and home appliances. This market for various devices for composting or preparing food scraps to compost-like material is already overcrowded by different technologies. Here also comes electric composters, which have become a separate category, and are being introduced by more and more brands these days. They claim to conveniently convert organic household waste into plant food or soil amendments without unpleasant odors or pests. But do they really make compost that can enrich the soil and introduce a genuine solution, or is it a misleading trend? This is a point that has been questioned by many environmental experts and gardeners. Let’s look at the facts! How electric composters work The features of electrical composters may vary from the producer, but the general logic of their work stays the same. Basically, all of them use heat, grinding, and aeration technologies inside the devices to dehydrate and grind up organic waste. They get rid of bacteria and pathogens while heating your organics to a high temperature, depending on the model, to about 160°F or over 212°F. During the heating process, the device starts to grind your food scraps into small pieces into dry brown powder or chunky and fibrous material, depending on what waste you have. The rotation of the material and charcoal filter simulates compost aeration and helps to prevent odors. This process takes a few hours and reduces the volume of your organic waste to 70-90%. That sounds perfect for keeping your kitchen odor-free and pest-free, but suspicious about fully dehydrated and ground material being used as a compost that usually needs microbial decomposition and compost bacteria for benefiting the soil. The Composting Misconception Despite marketing claims, the material that is the final product of electric composters’ work is not one that can be called compost and doesn’t have the same ‘composting magic’ features to help plants grow better and contribute to soil health. Even naming it differently can’t guarantee good output for the soil, as it’s declared by electric composters’ brands. “Right from the moment that I saw the first unit, I questioned the 'composting' aspect. How can they compost so quickly when composting is a very slow process?” – said Robert Pavlis, an educator, gardener, blogger, writer and chemist, in an interview with GardenMyths.com. As stated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the output from these devices is more accurately described as "dehydrated food waste byproduct" rather than compost. This material is not biologically stable and often requires further decomposition before it can be safely and effectively used in soil. Applying it directly to plants may not grant the intended benefits to soil health and could potentially harm plant health due to incomplete decomposition and possible high salt content. Some of the tests of environmentalists challenge the statements of electric composter producers, showing that the final material could be detrimental to plant growth and does not eliminate the odor of food scraps, which can attract pests. As outlined by horticulturist Ron Alexander, it’s not only the missing bacteria that may be problematic, as the freshly ground material can contain concentrated levels of certain nutrients and salts that, when added to garden beds, create an imbalance in the soil's nutrient profile. It may also heat up during the decomposition process, harming plant growth. In addition, the organic waste could become moldy or attract pests if immediately used in the garden. In cities where composting options are limited, such devices provide a practical way to separate food scraps. But since they don’t make a real compost, meaningful progress in reducing food trash and proper composting requires a professional approach and participation of municipal systems. Professional composting: a sustainable alternative Unlike electric devices that grind and dry organic waste without microbial action, professional composting systems rely on natural decomposition to produce true compost.Professional composting, as understood by the US Composting Council, involves large-scale, controlled composting processes that handles significant volumes of organic waste and ensures rapid decomposition under managed conditions. What are these conditions, and why can they process organic waste more efficiently than home setups? The professional composting process entails the following steps: aerobic decomposition with oxygen; strictly controlled temperature, humidity, and airflow levels conditions; the use of microorganisms and sometimes mechanical turning or forced aeration to speed up the composting process. One of the main differences between professional and home composting is time. A professional composting service will create the ideal conditions for the breakdown of organic waste into efficient compost, supporting soil health. Another key difference is in the variety of waste that can be composted. Professional composters can handle a much wider range of organics, including things like bioplastics and bones, that can’t be processed in domestic outdoor or indoor compost bins. Alternatives as part of the solution For those seeking to make a meaningful contribution to sustainability, engaging with professional composting services or traditional composting methods is advisable. By supporting systems that produce genuine compost, individuals can enhance soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and participate in a more sustainable waste management cycle. At the same time, there are other solutions for those households for whom doing a traditional compost is not an option and coping with flies, leaks, and odors is a mission. At Clear Drop, we investigated the current issues with organic household waste management and solutions with their benefits and drawbacks to introduce our own technology. We created a kitchen appliance that solves the challenge of convenient household organic waste management without full dehydration.Suppression of your organic waste is carried out using a combination of 3 technologies: dry without heating, aeration, and ozone treatment. Drying reduces the moisture content of your food scraps and other organic waste by only 30-40%, which is still preserves the essential organic matter, allowing it to be effectively composted in industrial facilities or in your own or community pit. Aeration is the process of saturating the waste mass with air. Ozonation - regular treatment of the contents of the container with limited and safe doses of ozone. Additional protection for the consumer from unpleasant odors is carbon-filter adsorption. With its help, all air coming out of the device is filtered and cleaned. While electric composters offer convenience, they fall short of delivering true compost or contributing meaningfully to soil health. Real sustainability lies in supporting systems that return nutrients to the earth through natural decomposition. Whether by engaging with municipal composting services or exploring home methods rooted in biology, the smarter path is one that nurtures soil, not just simplifies disposal. In tackling organic waste, we need solutions that close the loop - not just reduce volume.
Tackling plastic in the healthcare industry: ch...
5 million tons of plastic waste is generated in US healthcare annually The healthcare industry, while vital to human well-being, is a significant contributor to plastic waste. From single-use syringes...
Tackling plastic in the healthcare industry: challenges and solutions
5 million tons of plastic waste is generated in US healthcare annually The healthcare industry, while vital to human well-being, is a significant contributor to plastic waste. From single-use syringes and IV bags, to sterile packaging, PPE, food packaging, regular business operations, and more, the sector relies heavily on plastic materials to ensure hygiene, patient safety, efficiency and convenience. However, this reliance generates vast quantities of plastic waste - much of it non-recyclable due to contamination or mixed materials. According to a report by Healthcare Without Harm, hospitals in the U.S. produce over 5 million tons of waste annually, with plastics making up a substantial portion. To put it in perspective, 5 million tons is the equivalent of nearly 3 million midsize cars! Given the environmental urgency, healthcare sustainability professionals are increasingly seeking ways to reduce plastic use and improve recycling within their facilities. Here are six practical solutions that can make a meaningful impact: 1. Conduct a plastic waste audit A comprehensive plastic waste audit allows healthcare facilities to understand the types and volumes of plastics being used and discarded. By identifying high-waste areas, sustainability teams can target specific processes or departments for improvement. For example, operating rooms are known hotspots for single-use plastics and can benefit from focused interventions. However, we must remember that plastic plays a critical role in modern healthcare, offering numerous benefits like improved sterility, durability, and cost-effectiveness. So it’s important to not instantly demonize plastic, but instead examine how its use can be reduced or how recycling the material can be improved. A good audit will provide insight into opportunities for any healthcare facility. 2. Switch to reusable medical supplies where safe Many plastic products in healthcare are single-use for safety reasons, but some items can be safely replaced with reusable alternatives. Surgical instruments, gowns, and certain types of trays can be sterilized and reused. Hospitals should evaluate which plastic items could be replaced with reusable versions without compromising safety or compliance. 3. Implement recycling programs for clean plastics While contaminated plastics are difficult to recycle, clean plastics—such as packaging from sterile instruments—can often be recycled. Establishing a system where staff can easily separate clean from contaminated plastics encourages recycling. Partnering with specialized recycling companies can also open new avenues for processing healthcare-specific plastics. “As a research institute conducting studies on the impact of microplastics on human health, we analyzed how much non-contaminated plastic waste we were producing ourselves,” said Dr. Charlie Rolsky, Executive Director and Lead Research Scientist at the Shaw Institute in Blue Hill, Maine. “We couldn’t ignore the irony and decided to take action by evaluating how we can reduce that waste and also better ensure that as much of it is recycled as possible. We’re now working with suppliers that offer lower or plastic-free packaging, but we are also soon beginning a pilot program with Clear Drop to test their Soft Plastic Compactor device, which reduces the volume of the waste by about 90% - making it much easier for us to manage and also for recyclers to collect and process for re-use.” 4. Source bioplastics and eco-friendly alternatives The market for biodegradable and compostable medical products is growing. Items such as bioplastic syringes, eco-friendly bedpans, and compostable packaging can replace traditional plastic counterparts. Healthcare procurement teams can prioritize suppliers who offer sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. 5. Staff training and engagement Sustainability initiatives succeed when staff across all levels understand their role in reducing plastic waste. Regular training sessions, visual aids near disposal areas, and recognition programs for sustainable practices help create a culture of environmental responsibility. Engaged staff are more likely to follow recycling protocols and suggest improvements. 6. Work with manufacturers for sustainable product design Healthcare institutions can leverage their purchasing power to influence manufacturers toward more sustainable designs. This includes advocating for products with minimal or recyclable packaging, modular designs that reduce material use, or take-back programs where manufacturers reclaim used products for recycling. “There’s no single solution to solving the problems that are related to plastic waste,” said Ivan Abrouzov, President and CEO of Clear Drop, Inc. “Whether it’s within healthcare or other industries, many factors have caused the issues we face, especially when it comes to recycling. It will only be through multiple solutions that we can begin to reduce waste, improve recycling and create what we like to refer to as a ZeroTrash® Lifestyle. Our technology and products are a step toward making that a reality. Whether it’s with our products or not, I encourage everybody to be part of the solution.” Reducing plastic waste in healthcare is not without its challenges - safety, regulatory compliance, and cost all play a role in shaping what’s possible. However, by adopting targeted strategies and fostering innovation, the industry can significantly reduce its plastic footprint. Collaboration between healthcare providers, manufacturers, and sustainability experts is essential for developing scalable, practical solutions that protect both human health and the environment.
Clear Drop: how we’re revolutionizing home wast...
What if managing household waste was not a burden, but the easiest and most natural thing you do at home? And what if all our waste was actually processed? That’s...
Clear Drop: how we’re revolutionizing home waste management
What if managing household waste was not a burden, but the easiest and most natural thing you do at home? And what if all our waste was actually processed? That’s the question we are addressing at Clear Drop® trying to find innovative solutions for waste reduction in landfills coming from households. We believe that real environmental change starts not with complicated recycling systems, but with smart, seamless solutions. That’s why we’re pioneering the future of pre-recycling: a simple, effective way to prepare waste for recycling right where it’s created with the help of our home appliances. From tricky soft plastic packaging to everyday food scraps, we’re transforming how homes handle waste - and helping people move closer to a Zero-Trash lifestyle. What is more important, we create a system where your soft plastic waste is processed with our partner network of recycling facilities and your organic waste is stored in the way it can still enrich the soil. Why Clear Drop? Clear Drop is a symbol of the neutral impact of humankind on nature. It is a metaphor for what remains after human consumption. Every day we as humans consume food and buy many products in packaging. It results in waste - plastic packaging, empty bottles, paper, glass, cans, organic waste etc. While only a marginal part of that is truly recycled, the footprint of human consumption is very high. The goal of Clear Drop is to reduce this footprint to a single clear drop. A new concept of pre-recycling Pre-recycling is the approach that meets current challenges where the recycling system can’t deal with all types of waste we generate. Pre-recycling means preparing waste for its further efficient recycling before it is dropped into the recycling bin. Currently, some materials tackled by Clear Drop’s home appliances are literally not recycled as soft plastic, not being collected conveniently enough. The regular recycling process is often ineffective: trucks “transporting air”, and labor-intensive separation - together they consume a lot of energy, and resources and create pollution of their own. With pre-recycling, discarded items are conveniently separated and prepared for recycling on the spot facilitating waste reduction. Further on - the material is prepared for storing at home and further delivery to the recycling facilities of our partners. It is cleaner, denser, more convenient for transporting and all-around more manageable for further processing. Moreover, we guarantee recycling. The actual problems we address Challenging soft plastic waste An estimated five trillion plastic bags are used annually worldwide, not including numbers of film packaging and other types of soft plastic. Only 1% of households can recycle film at home today. Less than 10% of soft plastic is recycled, and the data is still not always being calculated and reported. Unlike some traditionally recyclable commodities, such as PET bottles or HDPE bottles, there is not very much publicly available information on the generation and composition of film and flexible packaging.Soft plastic is perceived as a barrier to the efficient process of recycling other types of plastic while being put together in a blue bin for recycling (link to the previous blog post). Soft plastics are lightweight, flexible and inexpensive to produce. This has made them popular choices for packaging. But this ignores the problems of disposal, including harm to nature and people when it ends up in landfills. Unless it’s compacted in a solid substance that changes the process of processing, soft plastics can get tangled or stuck in machinery at recycling or waste-processing facilities, causing inefficiencies and disruptions in the process. Clear Drop solution: compacting soft plastic waste Clear Drop offers the first step in solving this problem – business and home appliances that can prepare soft plastic waste for further transportation and actual recycling. Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) significantly simplifies the soft plastic collection and transforms fluffy packaging into a shape-preserving 12 × 8 × 4-inch block. It happens with the help of a patented plastic surface-softening technology to keep soft plastic compacted for storage and transportation that is safe for users and the environment. SPC accepts all major types of soft plastic packaging (excluding PVC and PS which are dangerous by nature) like food wrappers, soft plastic containers, shopping bags, cling film, and other types of packaging from your purchases.The device stores around one month of soft plastic waste and provides low energy consumption. The soft plastic prepared by the SPC is easy to pick up and transport, making it more manageable than any other option. The soft plastic block can be emailed to Clear Drop. We offer end-2-end service in collaboration with our recycling partners which adds more possibilities to soft plastic waste reduction in landfills. Dealing with the consequences of organic waste Organic waste is just as harmful to the environment as plastic if it ends up in landfills instead of being composted. When compostable materials, like food scraps and yard waste, are thrown in with regular trash, they end up in landfills. These materials could have been repurposed into nutrient-rich compost to enrich the soil and contribute to waste reducion, but instead, they take up valuable landfill space and contribute to 11% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. In landfills, organic waste decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen), producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Methane is approximately 25 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, contributing significantly to climate change. Organic waste in landfills contributes to the production of leachate – a toxic liquid that can seep into the ground, potentially contaminating soil and water sources. Composting not only recycles nutrients but also helps sequester carbon in the soil, reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Without composting, this potential benefit is lost. Organics Collector: new technology to close the loop for organic waste To not let organic waste end up in a landfill people don’t need to do composting by themselves to support waste reduction. Clear Drop makes collecting organic waste at home convenient uninterrupted and without an unpleasant smell, leaks, dissolving organic bags, flies or the necessity to frequently empty the bin with one more home appliances, Organics Collector. Organics Collector (OC) stores and gradually accumulates food waste for several days up to one week. At the same time, the device helps to avoid the appearance of unpleasant odors and insects. Featuring non-energy-intensive processes, the OC consumes very little energy. The unique combination of the O3 generator and filtration system makes sure unpleasant smell is eliminated. Additionally, while stored, the organics in OC undergo a dehumidification process, reducing their moisture content by 30–40%. This makes all OC-collected material easier to transport and pick up and preserves composting features of the material. Once the bin is full, the dried organics can be disposed of at a municipal waste collection point or go to your local or community compost pit. Clear Drop® Founder's Message ‘These are just the first two systems we’re bringing to market. The problem is massive, and Pre-recycling is still in its infancy. But many more solutions are coming. Our promise to the world is that everything processed by our appliances will be recycled — if disposed of properly. We wouldn’t do this if we couldn’t make a difference. Let’s work together to make our future look like a hopeful science fiction story — not the bleak dystopias we risk if we don’t change our approach to waste management.’ Ivan Arbouzov, Founder & CEO of Clear Drop®
Why business recycling matters: a key to corpor...
Corporate sustainability has become a major component of any company’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) program and has become a fundamental aspect of their overall business strategy. Corporate sustainability influences...
Why business recycling matters: a key to corporate sustainability
Corporate sustainability has become a major component of any company’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) program and has become a fundamental aspect of their overall business strategy. Corporate sustainability influences the hiring process, partnership deals, and company image. Business recycling has emerged as a crucial element, helping companies reduce waste, minimize their environmental impact, and align with ESG principles. This is not only true for large corporations with formal corporate sustainability programs, but also for small to medium size companies looking to minimize their environmental footprint and align more closely with customer and employee expectations. Corporate sustainability: satisfy both employees and customers Business sustainability practices are an essential part of corporate culture and necessary to attract top talent. A recent study by PwC revealed that 68% of job candidates say that environmental practices are important in choosing an employer. Employees want their companies to invest in sustainability efforts, including reducing carbon, using renewable energy, and reducing waste. Moreover, a Deloitte study found that most employees believe their companies should contribute more to addressing climate change and sustainability. Two-thirds of employees globally report that they do not think their employers are doing enough to address climate change and don’t have enough business sustainability practices. In addition, more and more consumers expect companies to be more active in sustainability efforts. Forbes reports that 87% of consumers have a more positive image of a company that supports social or environmental issues. Consumer behavior also shows a trend in sustainable purchases and willingness to pay more for sustainable products. According to Nielsen, 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to a positive social and environmental impact. And about half of respondents (47%) in a Deloitte survey, Sustainable Consumption Trends, said they had purchased a sustainable good in the last four weeks. Expanding sustainability: beyond carbon to business recycling As companies strive to meet ESG goals and reduce their environmental footprint, business recycling and waste stream management programs are becoming essential. According to EPA data, 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but only about 30% of it is recycled. While businesses produce about 25% of all the world’s waste every year, business recycling rates tend to be lower than residential. The growing plastic waste crisis More than 95% of plastics generated are put in a landfill or incinerated for energy. The EPA also revealed that while plastic recycling is on the decline, the per capita generation of plastic waste increased by 263% since 1980. And what about soft plastic-- or film plastic? McKinsey reports recycling rates well below 10 percent, although plastic film recycling is not widely tracked and reported. Soft plastic tends to reduce the efficiency of recycling other types of plastic, since it disrupts the sorting process when it is co-mingled with plastic bottles and other semi-rigid plastics. Business recycling programs Businesses across various industries have implemented waste management programs that not only mitigate waste generation but also promote recycling, reusing materials, and fostering circular economy principles. Corporate: many companies, such as Apple, have set ambitious landfill diversion goals. Apple has committedto becoming carbon neutral for corporate operations and aspires to divert over 74% of its waste from landfills through their business recycling and reuse programs. Healthcare: University of Michigan (U-M) Health has completed a plastics recycling program at Mott Children’s hospital and the Von Voigtlander Women’s hospital. Operating room plastic was collected over a 6-month period and U-M was able to divert 2.64 tons of plastic from landfills. The program is now permanent and will be expanding. Higher Education: Virginia Tech, University of Richmond and Arizona State University are three examples of the many colleges focused on collecting and recycling soft plastic waste. Examples of film and soft plastics collected: air pillows, bread bags, bubble wrap, produce bags and shrink wrap. How to set up waste recycling programs for your business Setting up a comprehensive recycling program involves several key steps: 1. Conduct a waste audit: Check the types and quantities of waste that your company produces. This will provide a better understanding of these waste streams and the resources needed to better address them. 2. Separate recyclables: collect each type of waste separately including plastics, organics, glass, metal, cardboard and paper, and electronics. 3. Educate employees: Employee engagement is crucial. Create recycling educational programs to raise awareness and communicate how they can and should recycle at their workplace. Create easy access to recycling bins as well as simple instructions on what is recyclable and where it should be placed. 4. Set clear goals: Set specific goals for waste recycling, such as diverting 50% of your waste from landfills. Track your progress and share with your team regularly to ensure you’re moving forward with your targets.5. Collaborate with certified recycling facilities: Negotiate with local recycling centers that are certified to process specific types of waste. Ensure that they are capable of recycling the materials you are collecting. 6. Invest in technology: For some companies, the complexities of recycling in the workplace may limit employee participation. Leverage online and app-based training tools to educate employees. Further, emerging innovative technologies are also enabling a shift towards a more convenient and circular approach in recycling programs. Smart solutions for efficient plastic waste management A new, innovative solution is now available that can help bolster your business recycling program by making your soft plastic waste collection more efficient and preparing it to be recycled more easily. The Clear Drop® Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) is the first business and home appliance to simplify soft plastic collection and ensure it all goes to recycling. The SPC transforms fluffy plastic packaging into a space-saving 12×8×4-inch block. The plastic brick is then processed at a dedicated recycling facility, using environmentally safe methods to give your plastics a second life and ensure the efficiency of your recycling programs. As businesses continue to implement sustainable practices like comprehensive recycling and waste management programs, the focus on diverting plastic and other waste from landfills becomes increasingly important. Through innovative technologies, employee engagement, and organized programs, companies can reduce waste, meet landfill diversion goals, and enhance their corporate sustainability efforts. Savvy companies are recycling more; because customers expect it and employees want to be part of it.
