Key Insights Into The NLCRC Presentation at The August 2022 Annual Petroleum Packaging Council Conference

The NLCRC had the opportunity to provide an update on our progress at the Petroleum Packaging Council (PPC)’s Fall meeting held in Nashville this past August 28th through the 30th to a record number of attendees.

In this meeting, the NLCRC shared key learnings from the first months of the Atlanta recycling pilot program and what is expected to occur over the course of the next year. Additionally, the NLCRC  shared its perspectives on EPR legislation in the US which is expected to have impacts across the entire petroleum and related packaging industries.

In the presentation, NLCRC Executive Director Tristan Steichen discussed the challenges with petroleum-related packaging and how the products make packaging particularly complex to recycle. Post-consumer packaging contains residual products which create contamination challenges for recycling equipment. Although mechanical recycling is the dominant form of processing plastic waste in the US, there are few mechanical recyclers that will mix post-consumer lubricant packaging with other plastics. Further, there is not enough volume to substantiate capital investments to handle ‘contaminated’ material. 

Chemical recycling can be a viable solution for handling this type of petroleum-impacted packaging, however, this is not commonly used for this material nor widely available. A collective action of committed industry stakeholders to address the challenges of post-consumer collection, recovery, and recycling becomes the solution to address this recycling challenge.

There is not a company that can single-handedly shift the existing industry and community standards. To make bold changes within the community, a national program or system is required to create open collaboration, design, testing, and investment throughout the entire value chain.

The NLCRC began in 2021 by bringing companies together to learn about the challenges facing the petroleum packaging industry and to begin to transition the market to a more circular model while also reducing the impact of lubricant containers in the environment by preventing landfill disposal.

Collaboration translates to business value when multiple parties join to address the recovery and recycling needs driven by an increase in plastic use in the U.S. Developing a solution that creates a new source of material improves access to post-consumer resin and sets a foundation for circularity. Investing in this type of solution has a direct environmental and social impact; it is measurable, reportable, and valued by investors. The objective of the NLCRC represents a scalable solution that can address the potential risks and help demonstrate sustainable performance at the same time.

From industries to households, everyone has an essential role in reducing the lubricant container waste problem in the US. The NLCRC members include Castrol, Valvoline, Pennzoil - Quaker State Company, Graham Packaging, Plastipak Packaging, Berry Global, Chevron, the Petroleum Packaging Council, and Nexus Circular. 

Learn how the NLCRC is addressing the waste problem by becoming a member. Connect with us through LinkedIn and Twitter. If you have any questions or inquiries, send us an email at hello@nationallcrc.com.