A report from the nonprofit organisation, As You Sow and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), reveals that while there is a rise in the use of plastic packaging across the US market to meet the needs of fast food and consumer beverage markets, only 14% of it is recycled.
The new report, Waste and Opportunity 2015, finds that the plastic packaging contributes to an overall waste of $11.4bn in potential recycling revenue every year, considered as a major contributor to ocean pollution.
Additionally, the report assessed the packaging practices of 47 fast food/quick service restaurant (QSR) chains, beverage companies, and consumer good/grocery companies, and identified only few leaders and many laggards.
As You Sow senior vice president and report author Conrad MacKerron said: "We found that most leading U.S. fast food, beverage, and packaged goods are coming up significantly short of where they should be when it comes to the environmental aspects of packaging.
"These companies have not sufficiently prioritized packaging source reduction, recyclability, compostability, recycled content, and recycling policies.
"Increased attention to these key attributes of packaging sustainability would result in more efficient utilization of postconsumer packaging, higher U.S. recycling rates, reduced ocean plastic pollution, and new green recycling jobs."
In the Fast food/QSR company category, Starbucks and McDonald's were cited for "Better Practices" while in the Beverage company leaders and laggards category, New Belgium Brewing, Coca-Cola, Nestlé Waters NA, and PepsiCo were cited for "Better Practices."
Natural Resources Defense Council senior resource specialist and packaging report project editor Darby Hoover said: "Companies have an opportunity and an obligation to curb this pollution. Better packaging design and improved support and adoption of recycling are key to turning the tide on this unnecessary waste."
The report also noted that smaller proportion of the US population has convenient access to curbside recycling than previously believed; and a technical glitch is preventing vast amounts of black plastic containers commonly used in QSRs from being recycled.
While significant amounts of packaging can be made compostable, composting needs to be significantly expanded in US communities.
The report also noted that increasingly contaminated streams of recyclables are preventing readily recyclable materials such as
plastic PET bottles from being more widely recycled.
