Live at PRS Final Recap: Diageo and WM Share Recycling Insights, Plus EPR Readiness

CPG stakeholders heard the latest recycling insights from industry experts for day three of the Packaging Recycling Summit, presented by Packaging World. Here are some top insights from the show.

Diageo closes the loop on glass

Gapriel Opoku-Asare, director of society and ESG at Diageo North AmericaDiageo is working to increase glass recycling rates by involving its restaurant and bar customers, in a program dubbed “Don’t Trash Glass,” explains Gabriel Opoku-Asare, director of society and ESG at Diageo North America, at the Summit Wednesday. Opoku-Asare joined Laura Hennemann of Strategic Materials, Inc. (SMI) and Scott DeFife of the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) for a panel discussion on the state of glass recycling.

These participating establishments receive containers to separate glass from trash, and Diageo works with Glass King and GPI to collect and recover glass containers for recycling. The program brings sustainability benefits for both Diageo and these restaurants and bars, Opoku-Asare says.

“We are looking at the long-term on the horizon. Supply chain resilience for us is dependent on raw material, so in the future, if the glass is going through the circular loop, we can guarantee a consistent supply of glass. But if you look at our bars and restaurants who are also within our chain, this is also good for them to improve their own carbon footprint," said Opoku-Asare.

WM invests in new technology for recycling facilities

Jim Marcinko, recycling operations director at WMThe makeup of the recyclable materials stream has changed significantly over the past decade. While the overall weight of materials has remained relatively stagnant, it now includes much higher paper content, lighter materials, and a higher plastic count by piece, according to Jim Marcinko, recycling operations director at WM, who spoke at the Summit Wednesday. Marcinko discussed new sortation technologies to increase the PCR material supply in a panel with Jeff Snyder of Rumpke and Justin Davis of AMP.

In response, WM has allocated about $1 billion to reinvest in its facilities and expand into new markets.

“What worked great 10 years ago is now dated, it’s tired, and the mix of materials has changed. So, we’ve had to adapt our facilities, and one of the biggest things we’ve seen is the technology has really accelerated. We can do a much better job with facilities targeting more materials more accurately, increasing recovery," said Marcinko.

EPR laws on the way in U.S. states

Seven U.S. states currently have EPR laws in place, with several more introducing legislation or discussing the prospect of EPR in their states.

Even if a state doesn’t enact a full EPR law at first, as was the case with Illinois’ and Maryland’s 2023 legislation, companies need to be aware that the groundwork is being laid, Dan Felton, executive director at AMERIPEN, explained at the Summit Wednesday.

Dan Felton, executive director at AMERIPEN“[Illinois’ and Maryland’s EPR legislation] got pushed down to a needs assessment, which is a critical building block right now for EPR in the U.S. I look at it as a business plan; when setting something up that’s all new, you need to know, ‘What am I traying to solve for? What is the current lay of the land in terms of recycling, composting, and reuse? If a statute says to increase recycling or reuse, how am I going to get there?’ It’s a critical first stage to inform these programs moving forward.”

Watch all Packaging Recycling Summit mainstage sessions on demand for FREE by registering as a virtual attendee.