U.S. Plastics Industry Sets Consumer Recycling Goals

Broadening its effort to make plastic packaging environmentally respectable, the U.S. plastics industry announced Thursday the goal of having most of the nation’s consumers recycling their products by 1995.

The announcement, in Washington, came with a “blueprint” for increasing the national plastic recycling rate--now 10%, by industry estimate.

“This is a major new direction for the plastics industry,” said John Pepper, president of Procter & Gamble, which packages such consumer products as Tide, Cheer, Era and Dash liquid detergents in plastic. “We want to emphasize industry’s commitment to meeting its responsibilities.”

The blueprint describes current recycling projects and makes recommendations for increasing efforts nationwide, particularly with curbside collection.

Environmentalists, however, remain skeptical of curbside plastic recycling, saying this shifts the cost of collection to consumers through their garbage bills instead of encouraging industry to redesign the plastic packaging itself and to pay for its collection.

Because of the material’s bulk, “it’s very expensive to collect plastic,” said Jeanne Wirka, solid waste policy analyst with Washington-based Environmental Action. “Communities will continue to shy away from collecting plastics at curbside because they’re paying for it. Basically, we’re not bowled over.”