The Recycling Partnership鈥檚 Polypropylene Recycling Coalition (the Coalition) released its inaugural annual report showcasing measurable improvement in the circularity of polypropylene (PP). Established in 2020, the Coalition awards grants to materials recovery facilities (MRFs), secondary sorters, and reclaimers to increase acceptance, improve capture, and deliver higher-quality recycled PP to responsible end markets. Together, its members have helped deploy over $15 million across 60 grants, resulting in new or improved polypropylene recycling access to 48 million people.
Polypropylene, also known as #5 plastic, is ubiquitous in our daily lives and widely used in packaging for dairy foods, salads, deli items, microwaveable meals, and more. Its high value has resulted in growing demand for post-consumer recycled polypropylene, yet only 8% is recycled annually. The Coalition鈥檚 grants address challenges by enabling recycling facility upgrades, improved sortation capabilities, and community engagement needed to boost PP recycling rates.
鈥淚n just four years, The Coalition has improved polypropylene recycling access, capture, sortation, and processing in more than half of U.S. states, and there is more to do,鈥� said Brittany LaValley, Vice President of Materials Advancement at The Partnership. 鈥淲hile we celebrate this progress, we know there is significant opportunity to continue to expand the demand for recycled polypropylene, spur investments in access, education and infrastructure, and create a more robust market for this versatile material.鈥�
Together with producers, communities, recyclers, and manufacturers, the Coalition is working to drive a 5% increase in the U.S. polypropylene recycling rate by:
- Increasing community recycling program acceptance of polypropylene: How2Recycle庐 designated key polypropylene formats as 鈥渨idely recyclable,鈥� ensuring people have guidance to get more material in the bin. As a result, 48 million people gained new or improved access to recycle their polypropylene.
- Ensuring more recycling facilities can successfully sort polypropylene: Community recycling program acceptance increased by 11%. As one example, the Scott County Waste Commission facility in Iowa received a Coalition grant, and as a result, its new optical sorter, it has captured 7x more polypropylene in the first six months of 2024 than it did in all of 2023.
- Supporting responsible end markets: 64 million new pounds of polypropylene recycled annually, leading to an increased supply of reliable post-consumer recycled polypropylene for reuse in packaging and products. For example, a grant from the Coalition to Ocean County鈥檚 Northern Recycling Center in New Jersey for upgraded equipment means the county collects more polypropylene and now sells the material to multiple domestic buyers.
- Informing policy: Polypropylene has been added to 鈥渇avorable鈥� or potential recyclable lists in states like California and Oregon, paving the way for more of this material to be recycled. As an example of pre-investment, a grant to include dedicated polypropylene recycling at Recology in Sonoma Marin, California, was part of their $35 million modernization completed in early 2024.
Accomplishing a 5% increase in polypropylene recycling rates requires deploying $10 million in new capital throughout 2025, strategically focused on achieving critical milestones. This funding is part of a comprehensive strategy to deploy $55 million in new capital to modernize recycling infrastructure and expand polypropylene capture nationwide.