Truly ending plastic waste is going to take even more innovation. That is why we have also been working to drive transformative change across our industry.
There are certain materials, such as the plastic film that makes Ziploc® bags, that are not currently as easy to recycle as other materials. That is not because they cannot be recycled - they can! - it is because the industry has not seen enough uses for the recycled materials to invest in the processes require for recycling.
We're working to change that. We have spent hundreds of hours with recycling industry experts to better understand barriers for recycling and find solutions to overcome them.
The biggest excuse against plastic film recycling has been the claim that there is not an end market for the recycled film. But we proved that wrong in 2018 by launching
Ziploc® brand recycled trash bags. They are the first trash bags made with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic film, including Ziploc® bags, collected through a U.S. recycling centre.
It is proof positive that recycled film can be reused for valuable new items and diverted away from landfills. And we are using this proof to keep building the case for curbside plastic film recycling in U.S. communities.