Early 2023 Progress On The Atlanta Lubricant Container Recycling Pilot
In 2022, the National Lubricant Container Recycling Coalition (NLCRC) launched an industry-first collaborative recycling pilot program focusing on consumer plastic packaging for engine oil and other petroleum-based products.
The pilot involves approximately 40 locations in Atlanta, including select retail stores and auto care centers, instant oil change locations, and several commercial facilities. The pilot aims to assess and measure the economic and market drivers for post-consumer recovery and recycling, better understand consumer waste disposal behaviors, and define parameters for model development and future scalability.
To date, the pilot efforts have helped recover 760 lbs. of hard-to-degrade plastic, equivalent to over 6,000 quart-size oil containers diverted from landfills.
The NLCRC is looking to expand the recycling pilot to other commercial entities in the Atlanta market and increase the recovery share of the to-be-disposed lubricant containers with the long-term goal of becoming a self-sustaining program.
The end-of-life management of lubricant containers is concerning due to the low rate of degradation of plastics in landfills and the lack of recycling. In response to increasing consumer demands, packaging legislation is having a direct impact on stakeholder companies across the value chain.
The National Lubricant Container Recycling Coalition or “NLCRC” is an industry-led technical coalition established by a committed group of industry leaders in lubricant and associated plastic packaging manufacturing, focused on establishing solutions for post-consumer recovery and recycling of plastic lubricant containers.
NLCRC members include Berry Global, Castrol, Chevron, CKS Packaging Inc., Graham Packaging, Nexus Circular, Pennzoil - Quaker State Company, Petroleum Packaging Council, Plastipak Packaging, Safety-Kleen, and Valvoline.
You’re invited to stay up to date with the latest of NLCRC. Connect with us through LinkedIn and Twitter. If you have any questions or inquiries, email us at hello@nationallcrc.com.
