The Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) has released a report titled “2014 Post Consumer Plastics Recycling in Canada,” informing Canadians that their recycling efforts continue to increase the amount of postconsumer plastic packaging being recycled across Canada.
While recycling rates in general across Canada are stagnant, there is an additional 3 percent  of plastic being recycled in 2014 compared with 2013, as reported by Moore Recycling Associates Inc., Sonoma, California. This increase is primarily the result of more plastic packaging collected for recycling, specifically plastic bags and film and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) No. 2 bottles. In total, at least 320.7 million kilograms of postconsumer plastic were collected in Canada for recycling, according to the report.
 
The results are derived from a voluntary survey that is sent out to more than 500 companies that handle recycled plastics in North America. These companies include reclaimers, exporters, brokers, material recovery facilities (MRFs) and other handlers of used plastics.
 
“We are proud to report that 78 percent of the plastic material reported was reclaimed in Canada or the USA. This amounts to more than 250 million kilograms,” says Carol Hochu, president and CEO of CPIA.
 
The reported plastic quantities represent an increase of 800,000 kilograms  (nearly 2 million pounds) for bottles and an increase of 7.8 million kilograms  (17 million pounds) for bags and film, in large part because of plastic bags and film that are collected through curbside recycling programs.
 
“Canada’s plastic recycling infrastructure is well-established and working hard to increase recycling opportunities for everyone,” says Krista Friesen, vice president of sustainability at CPIA. “With CPIA’s efforts and the entrepreneurship of the Canadian plastics recycling industry, the survey results show the industry is integral to the circular economy. While a 3 percent increase may not seem like much, it is important to remember that we are seeing continued improvement in the lightweighting of packaging, so to realize any increase means that a larger volume of plastics were recovered.”

Source : recyclingtoday.com