Recycled materials advocacy group ISRI announced earlier this month that it had launched a new tool for assessing the compatibility of fiber-based recycled material.
The Fiber Recycling Readiness Tool would help companies assess how compatible a fiber-based packaging material is with the U.S. residential recycling system. The tool uses industry expert knowledge, including a comprehensive study by Moore & Association on the current Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and paper mill infrastructure across the country, and would provide companies with a way to test their brands’ packaging recyclability, Currently, many companies send their packages to MRFs and universities for texting.
“Retail shelves across the country are filled with a growing number of fiber-based packaging like paper, paperboard, and corrugated boxes. ISRI’s new tool will provide brands, packaging developers and other stakeholders with clear guidance on whether their packaging will successfully pass through the current recycling infrastructure,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener. “This tool is a great advancement for the recycled materials industry.”
ISRI said the online resource scores materials based on a number of criterion and gives companies a color-coded result – green when the package meets criteria, yellow when it requires modifications and red when it does not meet the criteria. The tool also provides individualize feedback on how to improve a package’s recyclability.
“This is an exciting time for the fiber industry. This Tool can help brands use Design for Recycling® principles for creating fiber-based packaging that can flow through the current recycling infrastructure. This can decrease contamination at the MRF and increase the quality of the bale being sent to the consuming mills,” Leonard Zeid, Chair of the ISRI Fiber Recycling Readiness Tool and also Executive VP Brokerage and Marketing at Midland Davis Corp said.