This Is Plastics: Chicago Healthcare Plastics Recycling

Rethinking Recycling

In this pilot project, participating hospitals collected a variety of healthcare plastics (primarily from main operating rooms and ambulatory surgery centers) which were then transported by waste haulers to material recovery facilities (MRFs) for processing, or transferred to specialized plastics recyclers. HPRC and PLASTICS identified key success criteria for a regional cooperative like this, defined market requirements, and detailed best practices so that the model could be replicated in other markets.

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Hefty® EnergyBag®

Citrus Heights, CA

OceanBound Plastic Program

Chico, CA

State-of-the-art MRF

Orlando, FL

Hefty® EnergyBag®

Cobb County, GA

Hefty® EnergyBag®

Boise, ID

Chicago Healthcare Plastics Recycling

Chicago, IL

Bag-2-Bag® Recycling

North Vernon, IN

Indiana Recycling Expansion

Connersville, IN

Waste Polystyrene as Feedstock

St. James, LA

New Recycling Technologies on Display

Ipswich, MA

Home for Foam

Mason, MI

NEMO for End of Life Vehicles

Flint, MI

Hefty® EnergyBag®

Omaha, NE

Hefty® EnergyBag®

Lincoln, NE

Better Recycling (and Biodegradability) through Additives

Amherst, NH

Circular Blu

Bradford, NH

OceanBound Plastic Program

Greensboro, NC

NEMO for End of Life Vehicles

Waverly, OH

Revolutionizing Polypropylene (PP) Recycling

Ironton, OH

Pacific Northwest (PNW) Recycling Project

Portland, OR

Recycled PS Monomer

Tigard, OR

Regenyx

Tigard, OR

Geomembrane Recycling

Portland, PA

Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF)

Birdsboro, PA

NEMO for End of Life Vehicles

Portland, PA

Scoring a Goal, Closing the Loop

Philadelphia, PA

Carbon Renewal Technology

Kingsport, TN

Tennessee Recycling Expansion

Morristown, TN

Bag-2-Bag® Recycling

Roanoke, TX

Plastic Asphalt

Freeport, TX

Pathway 21

Seattle, WA

EcoStar

Madison, WI

  • Modernizing Infrastructure

    Updating waste management infrastructure to collect and recycle more plastics.

  • Advancing Recycling Innovation

    Inventing new ways to generate value from used plastic.

  • Developing End Markets

    Connecting the demand for recycled plastics to the supply.

In this pilot project, participating hospitals collected a variety of healthcare plastics (primarily from main operating rooms and ambulatory surgery centers) which were then transported by waste haulers to material recovery facilities (MRFs) for processing, or transferred to specialized plastics recyclers. HPRC and PLASTICS identified key success criteria for a regional cooperative like this, defined market requirements, and detailed best practices so that the model could be replicated in other markets.

Take action

Advancing Recycling Innovation

Chicago Healthcare Plastics Recycling

Chicago, IL

By HPRC & PLASTICS

In this pilot project, participating hospitals collected a variety of healthcare plastics (primarily from main operating rooms and ambulatory surgery centers) which were then transported by waste haulers to material recovery facilities (MRFs) for processing, or transferred to specialized plastics recyclers. HPRC and PLASTICS identified key success criteria for a regional cooperative like this, defined market requirements, and detailed best practices so that the model could be replicated in other markets.

Why it Matters

So many sources of recycled plastics remain untapped. While the HPRC-PLASTICS project only focused on the medical realm, its reach could be applied to other sectors where too much useful plastic is ending up in a landfill. For consumers, the more these techniques are applied to different industries, regions and environments, the harder it’ll be to run more than two errands without finding a recycling receptacle tailored uniquely to whatever particular plastic product you happen to be using at that very moment.

Take Action for Better Recycling

Plastic waste is a valuable resource, and we’re missing an opportunity to do more. You can be a part of a positive change. Join the grassroots movement and contact your elected official with the click of a button.

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Resources for Industry Champions

If you’re looking for ways to keep the positive momentum going, we’re here to support you with resources to help share the good news about plastics.

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