Program Overview

The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), North America’s largest alliance of plastics reclaimers, represents companies totaling over 94% of the post-consumer plastic processing capacity in the United States, Mexico and Canada. APR actively seeks new ways to strengthen the economically viable, and environmentally responsible recycling of post-consumer plastics.

There is strong demand for new feedstock to meet the ever-growing demand for recycled resin material. Recyclable rigid plastics, of the type found “behind the counter” in full-line supermarkets, provide valuable feedstock to plastics reclaimers and other industry stakeholders.

This website has been developed by APR, with assistance from the American Chemistry Council, and is the result of 2-1/2 years of work that included two studies. It has been created to provide a useful tool for the grocery industry as they look for new ways to “green” their operations. 

• It’s conservatively estimated that 350 million pounds of recyclable rigid plastics are generated annually by 35,000+ mid-sized to large U.S. supermarkets.

• Average sized grocery stores (45,000-55,000 sq ft) generate a minimum of 40lbs of wide mouth rigid containers weekly, with higher volume stores averaging 60lbs or more. When including Pharmacy stock bottles, narrow mouth containers, spools, etc., the potential to double that volume is possible.

• Stores with pharmacies realize higher disposal cost savings from recycling rigid plastics since Rx stock bottles represent approximately 50% by weight of rigid plastics generated in each store.

• Time studies have shown no additional labor is needed to recycle grocery rigid plastics.

• Cardboard (watermelon/squash) bins are ideal and readily available for organizing in-store collection.

• Training store associates requires less than an hour initially for a leadership team, and only a few minutes per individual in each department.