Waste Management becomes a Recycling Demand Champion

Houston-based Waste Management (WM) says it has worked with Cascade Cart Solutions, Grand Rapids, Michigan, to begin producing the company’s curbside carts using bulky rigid plastics collected in curbside recycling programs.

© Waste Management

The new EcoCart, which was unveiled at WM’s 10th Annual Sustainability Forum, is made with 10 percent postconsumer content. With its cart purchasing commitment, WM joined the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) Recycling Demand Champions Campaign. The program is designed to foster and build the end-use marketplace, calling on companies to commit to purchasing products made with postconsumer resin (PCR). As a Demand Champion, WM will help improve plastics recycling in North America by committing to increase our use of PCR.

“Working with suppliers to create new domestic market opportunities for recycled plastics is the basis for The APR Recycling Demand Champions Campaign,” says Liz Bedard, APR director of rigid plastics recycling program. “The partnership between APR, Waste Management and Cascade is the culmination of 18 months of hard work. The utilization of residential PCR in recycling carts is the perfect example of industry stakeholders working together to develop a new application that is also an iconic symbol of recycling that consumers see every day.”

“We’re proud to join APR as a Recycling Demand Champion and thank our customers, like KW Plastics, for the valuable end market they provide for bulky rigid materials, which are utilized for the Cascade EcoCart sustainable cart for trash and recycling bins,” says Brent Bell, WM vice president of recycling.

In addition to the new Cascade EcoCart, WM highlighted 15 other companies at its new Circular Economy Showcase at the WM Sustainability Forum that use postconsumer recycled content to produce new products. The program also included a panel highlighting “Recycling Demand/Demand Recycling” to inspire other companies.

The 10th Annual WM Sustainability Forum was held during Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO) week. WM educated attendees about how to ‘Recycle Right’ by recycling bottles, cans, paper and cardboard, while keeping food, liquid and plastic bags out of recycling bins. In addition to conveying the importance of recycling, which conserves natural resources, recycled items are given the opportunity to serve new purposes.

Attendees learned how their recycling efforts translate into new products. WM worked with companies that take recycled material to produce new products for the tournament. At the WMPO, fans could purchase apparel and headwear from Puma, Bermuda Sands and Loudmouth, which are made from Unifi’s Repreve recycled fibers produced from plastic bottles.

“We continue to find that consumers become very excited when they understand how recycled plastic bottles can be transformed into fiber that is used to make apparel more sustainable,” says Jay Hertwig, senior vice president of global brand sales for Unifi, Greensboro, North Carolina. “Seeing the Repreve bottle count on something like the Loudmouth pants being sold at the tournament reaffirms their commitment to recycling–they recognize that the bottles they recycle during the tournament could wind up being in the pants, shorts or tops that they buy online or at the store.”

Loudmouth sourced Unifi’s Repreve fabric made with 30 percent recycled content from plastic bottles. In addition to the third annual version of Loudmouth Golf “WMPO Party Pants,” WM also produced matching Loudmouth tote bags and drawstring bags for WM team members and guests attending the tournament.

“As part of their zero waste mission, Waste Management asked us to design a loud pant made out of recycled bottles,” says Woody, Loudmouth Golf founder & designer. “The fabric, known as Repreve, is so luxe, you won't believe you're wearing fabric made from recycled bottles. Now you can help the earth and look great doing it.”

Through a broader collaboration between WM and the its branded merchandise partner Zorch, fans supported a $10,000 contribution to The Foundation for Plastic Recycling. The Foundation was also selected in part to celebrate Waste Management joining APR as a Recycling Demand Champion.

“We applaud Waste Management for their remarkable commitment to recycling,” says Lisa Lopinsky, executive director of the Foundation for Plastic Recycling, which the Washington-based APR established. “The donation of the proceeds from the sale of the WMPO Party Pants is an investment in our mission to drive sustainability solutions for plastics packaging in order to support the Circular Economy, and we are most appreciative.”