US recycling boost

Recycling in the United States is woeful. A 2012 report calculated annual consumer packaging waste at $11,402 million.

$2.9 billion was PET, $2,9 billion HDPE, $1.5 billion aluminium, $1.3 billion paper and $1.3 billion PP.

It should really be for government to help sort this out through municipal collection programmes. But that’s not happening.

So, all credit to the group of leading consumer goods companies who have just created the $100 million Closed Loop Fund to support local initiatives. These companies include Coca-Cola, Keurig, PepsiCo and Unilever.

The $100 million is intended to unlock other funding. It is estimated that the total needed for an adequate US infrastructure is $1,000 billion, so the task seems manageable.

Another estimate is that a 75% recycling rate for all municipal solid waste, as opposed to the current 34.5%, would eliminate the equivalent emissions of 72 coal-fired power plants.

Without doubt, a breath of fresh air.