Plastic bag recycling has caught some attention in recent months as the ongoing discussion of plastic bag legislation has become a highly debated topic. To straighten out some myths regarding plastic bags and plastic bag recycling, I wanted to respond to Lisa Kaas Boyle's post here on Huffington Post Green to explain the real benefits of plastic bag recycling and what our company, Hilex Poly, is doing to make the process easier and more convenient for consumers across the country. After all, this is a topic that Hilex is incredibly familiar with as it is our job, and the job of more than 10,000 employees of the plastic bag manufacturing and recycling industry.
Plastic Industry Tactics: Aggression and Distraction
Some have called the plastic industry aggressive in its recent attempt to curb anti-plastic bag legislation. Our answer to this is, yes, we are aggressive. We believe in defending the consumer's right to choose how they want to carry their groceries -- be it plastic, paper, reusable or no bag at all -- as well as educating the public about proper handling and potential dangers of reusable bags if not properly stored and cleaned. At the crux of this plastic bag debate is the principle of consumer freedom and we are open and supportive of all bag choices as we defend the American right to choose.
Fact: Recycling Plastic Reduces the Use of Virgin Plastic
In her recent post, Boyle shared an excerpt from an article by Stiv Wilson, in which I was misquoted. The fact is, I told Mr. Wilson we have doubled the amount of recycled material to 30 percent in the past few years. And, every day we are working to bring down the percentage of virgin material used in our bags. The more people recycle, the more recycled materials we will have to reuse in our product.
Fact: Disposable Plastics are Sustainable Because they are Recycled
Plastic bag recycling is something that our company does every day, so we know the process inside and out. More than 800 million pounds of plastic bags and film are recycled every year and made into new products like backyard decking, playground equipment and new plastic bags. The easier plastic bag recycling is for consumers, the higher recycling rates will climb, which is exactly the reason why legislation that supports plastic recycling is vital.
Fact: Disposable Plastic is Sustainable because it can be made into Fill and Fluff and other Stuff
If you don't believe that consumers are constantly repurposing plastic bags, take a look at the facts. According to a market research study, about nine out of every ten consumers reuse these bags for everyday household purposes. With so many individuals reusing plastic bags, it is no wonder that a recent study, reported in the Scottish Parliament ERDC Committee -- Economic and Rural Development Committee, revealed that sales of other, heavier gauge plastic bags soared by 400 percent in Ireland after they implemented a ban on plastic bags.
Fact: Plastic Pollution Can Be Cleaned Out of the Environment
Keeping plastic in the recycling stream is our top priority. The easier it is for consumers to recycle plastic bags, the less likely it is for them to be disposed of improperly. Unfortunately, plastic does end up in the ocean; however it should be noted that plastic bags are not the leading cause of animal and marine death. In fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated that they are unable to find information supporting this claim. Debris, such as fishing lines, is most commonly at fault.
Time for Common Sense Legislation and Consumer Choice
This is a time for the country to keep plastic in the recycling stream and to preserve consumer freedom and American jobs. With the plastic bag recycling and manufacturing industry in the United States directly employing more than 10,000 employees -- and effecting thousands more as the industry branches out throughout the market -- recycling is a positive solution for the environment and a positive industry for this country, particular at a time when U.S. jobs are so vital to the economy.
Common sense legislation that supports recycling initiatives and maintains the best interest of the American consumer is what this country needs most. Recycling laws will educate individuals on the importance of the process and will teach them how to help the environment on a day-to-day basis.
If you would like to learn more about our local recycling stations and plastic bag legislation in your state, visit our interactive map available at BagtheBan.com.
Mark Daniels is Vice President Of Marketing And Environmental Affairs at Hilex Poly, a plastic bag manufacturing company.
Full paper here: http://www.seaturtle.org/plasticpollution/MTN129p1-4.pdf
"Of particular concern are floating plastic bags that might be mistaken for jellyfish, and discarded fishing gear in which sea turtles get entangled, or pieces of which they ingest (Mrosovsky et al. 2009). Laboratory experiments demonstrated that green and loggerhead turtles actively target and consume plastics whether it be small pieces intermixed with food items, or single 1- to 10-cm2 sheets (Lutz 1990).
Why don't you ever site reports by scientists whose work goes through the rigor of peer review?
Your goal as a for profit company is to make more plastic. Sell more plastic, whatever its form. No matter what the harm. This is why governments all over the world (25%) of the world has policies on plastic bags-- because they're bad. No matter how many letters you send that cut and paste the same statistics, you can't disguise that fact that their is a groundswell of public support for eliminating your product in the environment. What's exciting is how fast this movement is growing, globally. 25% of the world with policy in place in less than a decade? That's great news. Give us five more years and that will be 75%. You editorials on this subject are becoming a mad-lib.
2. If you wanted "consumer freedom" you'd support tiny fees on bags to cover pollution cleanup & maintain freedom.
3. Recycled bags don't reduce virgin plastic. You can't make a recycled bag from already-reheated & reformed material. You first must pump in virgin film, which has to get recycled before being turned into a recycled bag. An unending spiral.
4. 57% of the film we recycle is just exported to China. It has NO MARKET here. "Recycle more"? We can't deal with what we already recycle.
5. Re Ireland, 400% soaring over what original number? Saying 400% by itself is useless.
6. Plastic pollution CANNOT be efficiently cleaned out of the environment. Not without removing the base of the entire food web.
7. Plastic can blow out of a recycling bin or truck. Or a person's hand in a gust of wind. The idea that a bag only enters the environment if the owner didn't mean to recycle it is ludicrous.
8. A tiny fee on a bag and people immediately stop using it? They never loved the bag. It was there. You talk about choice. A fee shows people they HAVE a choice.
Your companies could & should be part of the solution. You're not.