ISRI launches Fiber Recycling Readiness Tool

The Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has launched an online feature to help boost the recycling of paperboard packaging in the United States.

ISRI's new Fiber Recycling Readiness Tool is a research-based online resource developed to assess the compatibility of typical postconsumer fiber-based packaging found in the U.S. residential recycling system.

“Retail shelves across the country are filled with a growing number of fiber-based packaging like paper, paperboard and corrugated boxes,” ISRI President Robin Wiener says. “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. This tool is a great advancement for the recycled materials industry.”

The association says creating the feature involved an ISRI-commissioned study by Atlanta-based Moore & Associates looking at the current material recovery facility (MRF) and paper mill infrastructure in the United States.

Currently, many brands test their packages’ recyclability by running tests at MRFs and at universities with knowledge of fiber recycling. “This tool represents a major advancement in that it captures the package design, processing and end use in one resource,” ISRI says.

“This tool can help brands use Design for Recycling principles for creating fiber-based packaging that can flow through the current recycling infrastructure,”  says Leonard Zeid, chair of the ISRI Fiber Recycling Readiness Tool and executive vice president at Moline, Illinois-based recycling company Midland Davis Corp.

Zeid says the new online resource can decrease contamination at the MRF and increase the quality of the bale being sent to the consuming mills. "This is an exciting time for the fiber industry," he adds. "I want to thank our ISRI members and staff and the ISRI Brands Leadership Council that participated in creating this valuable recycling resource.”

The Fiber Recycling Readiness Tool automatically scores a set of criteria and shares a color-coded result to determine whether the packaging meets the criteria (green), has challenges that require modifications (yellow) or does not meet the criteria (red).

The online tool also provides individualized feedback on design choices that could improve the package’s recyclability.