News Release

Plastic Bag Makers Support Plastic Bag Recycling Program in Philadelphia

Public-Private Partnership Aims to Boost Recycling through Education and Convenience

PHILADELPHIA, PA (December 3, 2009) – Today the Philadelphia City Council, led by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, along with local retailers and business groups, announced a program designed to increase the recycling of plastic bags among the City’s shoppers and residents.  The announcement follows the recent adoption of a City Council resolution which calls on local retailers to offer programs to collect recyclable plastic bags and product wraps from shoppers who bring them back to the store.

The American Chemistry Council, which includes the Progressive Bag Affiliates—a group of leading manufacturers and recyclers of plastic bags and plastic resins in the United States—applauded the effort.  “Plastics are too valuable to waste and should be recycled.  We are delighted to work with the Philadelphia City Council and local retailers to help increase access to convenient recycling for Philadelphia residents,” said Shari Jackson, Director of the Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Council.

PBA will support the City Council’s program by providing technical assistance and tools to retailers to help them promote education and awareness among Philadelphia’s shoppers to recycle their plastic bags and product wraps.

Wide scale recycling of plastic bags and product wraps is a relatively recent, but rapidly growing, trend.  The recycling of plastic bags and wraps increased 27 percent nationwide from 2005 to 2007, and the rate of recycling these products climbed to 12 percent.  Programs like the one in Philadelphia and others like it in Lake County, Illinois and Austin, Texas, along with public policy initiatives such as California’s 2007 statewide, at-store plastic bag recycling mandate and similar laws in New York, Rhode Island and Delaware, will help fuel continued growth in recycling.

Recently, the Progressive Bag Affiliates announced a landmark goal of 40 percent recycled content in all plastic shopping bags by 2015.  When fully implemented, the Full Circle Recycling Initiative will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 463 million pounds, conserve enough energy (mainly natural gas) to heat 200,000 homes, and reduce waste by 300 million pounds every year.

About the Progressive Bag Affiliates
The Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Council promote the responsible use and recycling of plastic bags. The PBA recycling toolkit is being used by retailers around the nation as a reference for determining the best ways to deploy effective recycling solutions in stores. To learn more about increasing plastic bag recycling, please visit www.plasticbagrecycling.org.