Waste/Packaging

The big picture: The United States generates about 300 million tons of material solid waste (MSW) annually through by several sources, including residential, commercial and institutional sites, as well as industrial facilities. MSW is made up of packaging, food, yard trimmings, furniture, electronics, tires, clothes, appliances and much more. Only 30-35% of MSW is recycled or composted.

Why it matters: Non-biodegradable and non-recyclable waste ends up in our oceans and landfills. Private sector organizations, civil society and governments around the world are identifying ways to transition our current economy from a linear economic model (take, make, use, toss) toward a circular design that aims to eliminate waste and pollution, keeping resources in constant use and out of landfills.

Industry’s role: A systems approach, including upstream solutions for better packaging materials and design, as well as downstream solutions of waste recovery and recycling infrastructure, are required to address the mounting global waste.

• Numerous companies, including PCPC members, are using circular design principles to reduce the amount of materials used in the manufacture of their products—replacing them with renewable or recycled content and designing for reuse and recovery.  
• Companies are also making commitments to zero waste in operations by using a waste-minimization hierarchy: reduce, reuse and recycle.