Pet food flexible plastic packaging recycling report

In the United States, Nestlé Purina is a founding member of Material Recovery for the Future, which promotes a circular economy and stronger recycling infrastructure.

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(Brian Lasenby | BigStock.com)
(Brian Lasenby | BigStock.com)

Adapted from a press release:

A Materials Recovery For the Future research report detailed the successful collection, separation and preparation for recycling of flexible plastic packaging, like that used in pet food and treat bags. In the United States, Nestlé Purina is a founding member of Material Recovery for the Future, which promotes a circular economy and stronger recycling infrastructure. Materials Recovery for the Future is an initiative of the Foundation for Chemistry Research and Initiatives, an organization established by the American Chemistry Council

The report, “Flexible Packaging Recycling in Material Recovery Facilities Pilot” prepared by Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) demonstrates that with adequate optical sorting capacity and peripherals, FPP can be efficiently captured in a large single-stream MRF and processed into a commodity bale, known as rFlex, for reuse in a variety of markets while diverting plastic from landfills.

Nestle Purina PetCare sustainability efforts

Globally, Nestlé and Purina set a goal to make their packaging completely recyclable or reusable by 2025 across all businesses, including that of dog, cat and other pet foods. However, company officials noted the will need t for substantial upgrades to the recycling infrastructure in the United States to achieve this goal. Flexible plastic packaging, as is used in some pet food applications, present a challenge to Purina.

“As a society, we have a responsibility to minimize our waste and find ways to repurpose material to be used again, where possible, in next generation products and packages,” Diane Herndon, senior manager of sustainability at Purina, said in an emailed statement to Petfood Industry. “At Nestlé Purina, we are working hard to transform our packages to be more easily recycled or reused. It is just as important to upgrade the recycling infrastructure in the United States so that flexible plastics can be collected in curbside recycling, sorted and baled, and then reused. The Material Recovery for the Future (MRFF) pilot took a big step toward making flexible plastic packaging recyclable by using new technology to keep this valuable material in a circular economy. Partnerships like MRFF combine the best capabilities of organizations up and down the packaging supply chain to make change happen. We are proud to have been a founding partner in this important work.”

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