Grasping at straws: single-use plastic and the need for greater recycling infrastructure
While the federal government might be reconsidering or rolling back bans in the battle against plastic waste, several states are standing firm in their efforts to combat single-use plastics.
Plastic pollution was first recognized in the mid-1900s, when plastic debris was beginning to be found in our oceans. Since then, plastic production has increased but so have efforts to combat its use, explain non-profit sustainability organization, Seaside Sustainability.
Plastic is a necessary product and highly convenient but this convenience, namely of throw-away, single use plastic, comes at a steep environmental price. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that our ‘plastics addiction’ has evolved into a ‘plastics crisis’, with impacts on our health, our environment and our climate.
Just weeks ago, in January 2025, Donald Trump reignited the debate over plastic straw bans, bringing the environmental concerns and broader plastic pollution issue very much to the forefront of discussion. Seemingly, this has not influenced the continued efforts at many state and local levels, where bans on plastic straws and other single-use plastics remain firmly in place.
U.S. homes and businesses throw out enough plastic to fill a football stadium 1.5 times every day on average and that amount is increasing.
Recent state action:
California, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
California’s SB 54, known as the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, mandates a 25% reduction in single-use plastic packaging and plastic foodware by 2032. The law also requires that 100% of single-use packaging and plastic foodware be recyclable or compostable. In December 2024, CalRecycle released a report estimating that over 2.9 million tons of plastic were used in covered products in 2023.
Washington, House Bill 1150:
Introduced on January 2, 2025, this bill proposes a product stewardship program for packaging and printed paper, including recycling and reuse targets and plastic source reduction.
Tennessee, Senate Bill 38:
Introduced on January 6, 2025, this bill aims to create jobs, divert recyclable packaging from landfills, recover valuable materials and engage producers in reducing and reusing packaging.
A focus on recycling infrastructure:
While banning single-use plastics remains a key strategy in reducing waste, improving recycling infrastructure is just as crucial. Many single-use plastics, like PET bottles and HDPE containers, can be effectively recycled, yet millions still end up in landfills due to contamination or inadequate collection systems. Others, like the infamous plastic straws, are rarely easily recyclable, making reduction efforts essential. This means it is essential that states hold firm on their plastic bans while also investing in smarter recycling solutions.
In December 2024, the EPA completed their summary of findings from three years of data collection on residential recycling to estimate the financial investments that are required in order to modernize the U.S. recycling system.
Two reports were posted to Congress. The first is an assessment of the nation’s current recycling infrastructure stock and gaps. It estimates that a whopping $36.5 to $43.4 billion investment is needed to improve curbside collection, drop-off and processing infrastructure across the U.S. by 2030. EPA’s second Report to Congress, presents the results of a survey which found that approximately 80% percent of states and territories do not have recycling deposit programs.
The Recycling Partnership’s report, The State of Recycling, notes that only 43% of all U.S. households participate in recycling. When it comes to recycling access, multifamily communities are among the most underserved in the U.S. The report indicates that only 37% of multifamily homes have recycling access, meaning almost 20 million households are effectively excluded from recycling. This is in comparison to an 85% recycling access rate in single-family homes.
Dedicated drop-off points and recycling collection stations, offer an effective, alternative solution to curbside recycling. This is especially true for high-density environments and multifamily homes. Drop-off recycling is less costly to operate compared to curbside programs and can be implemented quickly. Operators are able to save on labor and transportation costs because these costs are transferred to the recyclers themselves; usually involving simply walking to a clean, safe recycling container, located on or in close proximity to a property. Even in rural areas with low population density, drop-offs are considered a more financially viable recycling option than underused curbside programs.
One of the biggest challenges with implementing recycling drop-off programmes in new areas, is the initial risk of contamination of recycled waste. With drop-off points being further than curbside, participants are required to transport waste to the location and stream it themselves which can be less convenient. What’s more, the anonymous nature of dropping waste elsewhere means that participants are less accountable for contamination occurrences, than they would be with collection from their own front yard. However, zero contamination can be achieved in high-density environments, with clear signage, color-coding and specially-shaped apertures. The success of such drop-off programmes relies heavily on communication with residents at every stage of the process, from initial consultations to ongoing education and outreach.
For effective recycling in every household, it’s essential that participation and engagement feels easily achievable. The expansion of secure, conveniently located recycling infrastructure is absolutely crucial.
We are finding that many communities are now starting to install clean, safe, efficient units; working with metroSTOR to improve recycling, even if the area has been previously underserved. metroSTOR’s extensive range of recycling infrastructure is designed from the ground up to make it as easy for people to recycle correctly, as it is for them to dispose of trash. Regardless of location or household type, the range of metroSTOR units bridges gaps between high-density, multifamily or otherwise excluded communities and effective recycling. The units are color-coded, built tough, with all-steel construction, durable coatings and components developed in harsh urban environments.In 2024, Licking County residents collected more than 4.8 million pounds of material in the 22 public drop-off recycling sites with metroSTOR’s units! Residents here were encouraged to understand acceptable use and which items were and were not allowed to be recycled. It was clearly communicated that dumping of bulk items, anywhere, is illegal and as a result, contamination in Licking County continues to remain low. You can read the full article here.
Is this something that could benefit your municipality? Perhaps lower than desired recycling rates in your high-density community are niggling you? Installing a metroSTOR system is easier and more cost effective than you might think and the increase in recycling rates speak for themselves.
