"If you make it, you should take it." Plastic manufacturers should get directly involved with plastic recycling and help close the loop by using post-consumer content and recycling plastic bottles in a fashion similar to glass and aluminum. If manufacturers are responsible, they will design products for continued service instead of disposal and will build the infrastructure necessary to recycle the plastic back into packaging.

What Should Manufacturers Do?

Container makers can make reprocessing easier by limiting the number of container types and shapes, using only one type of plastic resin in each container, making collapsible containers, using water-dispersible adhesives for labels, and phasing out metals, such as aluminum seals. Plastic resin manufacturers can limit the variety of resins within each numbered type of plastic, avoid using pigments, and formulate resins to better withstand post-consumer processing. Both container and plastic resin makers can help develop reprocessing if encouraged to use plastic that is discarded by consumers.

Legal mandates that all containers sold include a percentage of post-consumer material would reduce the amount of virgin material consumed. Although not as effective as other source-reduction techniques, mandating recycled content is one way to implement bottle- to-bottle recycling and to close part of the materials flow loop. Worn-out refillable containers could become a source of materials for new bottles.

If container makers were required to use recycled material, designers would be stimulated to create containers that are more recyclable. If resin producers participated in post-consumer plastic processing, plastic materials would be altered to be more recyclable. Thus, less material would end up landfilled.

#2 Expand Source Reduction and Reuse

Reducing the use of packaging is the most direct way to eliminate problems that stem from producing, using, and disposing of plastic packaging. Many product manufacturers, such as soda bottlers, have only recently switched from an easily recyclable container to plastic. The American Plastics Council does not include source reduction in its charter and overlooked it until recently, when it began promoting lighter-weight packages as a form of source reduction. Unfortunately this does not cut down on the number of containers produced for single use packaging. Ultimately, reducing lies in the hands of consumers, retailers, and elected officials and those willing to pressure retailers and manufacturers for more recyclable packaging.

Container reuse has benefits too. Some grocery stores carry soaps, detergents, milk, foods and other items in refillable containers. Since refillable plastic containers can be reused many times, container reuse could substantially reduce the demand for disposable plastic. This would reduce use of materials and energy, as well as potential environmental impacts. If reuse becomes a market objective with consumer demand, plastic manufacturers and container designers will consider the service the container provides and hopefully design for reuse instead of disposal.

# 3 Get more information and get involved with other organizations

A variety of groups are working to mitigate the environmental and health effects that plastics create both locally and internationally. Here are some groups you can contact for further information:

Californians Against Waste
This group is spearheading the effort to increase the recycled content of plastic pakaging. Currently non-food containers are required to contain 25% recycled material. CAW is working to expand the law to cover food containers and to increase the recycled content to 35%.

Greenaction
One of the campaigns of this local group is to stop the incineration of medical waste in Oakland. Medical waste contains large amounts of PVC, which emits highly toxic dioxins when incinerated.

Greenpeace
Greenpeace has been pushing for a phase out of PVCs because of their harmful effects on the environment and on our health. Take a look at their fact sheet on PVC.

Environmental Defense Fund
The EDF has produced a report on Extended Producer Responsibility. You can find it at: www.edf.org/programs/PPA/vlc/epr.html

Institute for Local Self Reliance
Extensive information on Extended Producer Responsibility and Product Stewardship.

• Avoid plastic by buying in glass or metal whenever possible
• Look for items with little or no packaging.
• Bring your own containers and bags to stores and refill or reuse them
• Purchase items in refillable containers
• Eliminate packaging by buying in bulk whenever possible
• Urge your grocery store and other stores where you shop to carry products in bulk or that have reduced and recycled content packaging
• Avoid disposable products: pens, razors, lighters, plastic utensils, batteries
• Use reusable cloth napkins, tableware and plates when hosting a party
• Bring your own cup when purchasing beverages away from home
• Ask your nursery if theyÕll take back plastic pots
• Refill toner cartridges when possible
• Buy used items whenever possible

BUY RECYCLED CONTENT

• Buy products and packaging that contain recycled content. In order to complete the recycling loop, consumers must buy recycled products.

SUPPORT MANUFACTURER RESPONSIBILITY

• If you are unable to recycle a particular plastic container, try contacting the company that manufactured the product and ask them to put their product in more easily recyclable containers. Also ask them to use recycled content in their packaging or to use glass or metal instead.

GET INVOLVED

• Contact Greenpeace, Greenaction or one of the other groups we list here and get involved!