5 Great Reasons to Promote Industrial Plastic Recycling

We are extremely happy to be able to say we have done very well recycling industrial scrap plastic in Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Other companies throughout the U.S. are enjoying similar success. The fact is that industrial plastic recycling works. It should be promoted whenever possible.

To be clear, the plastic waste we deal with is commercial and industrial plastic. Companies like ours do not recycle consumer plastics. That is an important distinction, especially in light of the fact that so many municipal plastic recycling programs fail. But that is another topic for a different post.

In this post, we want to present five great reasons to promote industrial plastic recycling:

1. Recycling Keeps Industrial Plastic Out Of Landfills

Let us start with the environment. Recycling industrial plastics keeps plastics out of landfills. In some cases, recycling even prevents fewer plastics from being sent to incinerators. Both scenarios are good for the environment. Both are good for sustainability.

Here’s how we see it: there are some materials that we need to dispose of in landfills. We have no other choice. But if there is a market for plastic regrind, why not recycle industrial plastic to feed that market? Why throw the plastic away if there is a market for recycling it?

2. Industrial Plastic Recycling Creates Jobs

Companies like ours are made up of dozens of team members who all work together to get the job done. Every time a new commercial plastic recycling plant opens, jobs are created. That is important to the people who fill those jobs. It’s important to the communities they live in. Job creation is always a good thing.

3. Industrial Plastic Recycling Adds to the Tax Base

Opening a new commercial/industrial plastic recycling plant will certainly help the local community by creating jobs. But it does more. Opening a new plant also adds to the tax base. Remember that every business operating in your town pays property taxes. If you live in a major city, it’s possible that businesses also pay local income taxes.

At any rate, contributing to the local tax base means lower property taxes on local residents. A strong economy that promotes local business provides a firm base on which communities can be built. The more businesses you have, the more stable the tax base.

4. Recycling Reduces Resource Demand

Next up, industrial plastic recycling reduces dependence on some very key resources. Bear in mind that plastic is an oil product. The more plastic recycled, the lower the demand for virgin plastic. Subsequently, demand for crude oil also goes down. At a time when oil prices seem like they have nowhere to go but up, reducing dependence on crude can be a very good thing. Higher oil prices definitely make recycled plastic regrind more attractive to manufacturers.

5. Recycling Just Makes Good Sense

If all the other reasons aren’t enough to convince you that recycling industrial plastic waste is a good idea, here’s one more attempt at it: recycling just makes good sense. Think about recycling versus waste.

By its very definition, waste is an undesirable thing. It is sometimes unavoidable. But when it is avoidable, not doing so just doesn’t make sense. Why throw something away if it can be repurposed, reused, or recycled? To throw something away just because you can is, by definition, wasteful. Recycling is just the opposite.

 

If your company operates in one of the seven states we service, feel free to contact us about your industrial plastic waste. If you have plastic we can use, you might be able to convert it into cash by selling it to us.