Waste360
By Gage Edwards
As the plastics industry faces rising demand for circular solutions, policymakers, manufacturers, and communities are all pushing for clearer standards and modernized recycling systems. In this Q&A, America’s Plastic Makers president Ross Eisenberg breaks down what’s driving momentum for recycled content, why advanced and mechanical recycling must work hand in hand, the economic impact of stronger recycling infrastructure, and how national policy updates could unlock meaningful progress.
Waste360: Please introduce yourself and share your role at America’s Plastic Makers. What does your organization focus on within the manufacturing and recycling landscape?
Eisenberg: I’m Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Makers, part of the American Chemistry Council. We’re focused on three major efforts to strengthen recycling in the United States: 1) modernizing outdated federal definitions and treating advanced recycling as manufacturing; 2) passing bipartisan legislation to create consistent national recycling standards and definitions for recycled content; and 3) activating American leadership to craft a global agreement on curbing plastic pollution.
Waste360: Manufacturing continues to be a major contributor to the U.S. economy. How does increased plastics recycling strengthen that economic engine?
Eisenberg: Recycling strengthens American manufacturing because it’s a form of manufacturing. Whether it’s mechanical or advanced (chemical) recycling, recycling involves creating new products from a feedstock—which, in the case of recycling, happens to be used plastics that would otherwise be discarded.
The American Chemistry Council released an analysis showing that if we were to redirect just half of the plastics currently landfilled into recycling facilities, the U.S. could gain 173,200 jobs, including 43,300 direct positions, deliver $12.8 billion in annual payroll, and generate nearly $50 billion in additional economic output. That’s on par with the annual economic contributions of milk sold by the dairy industry each year.
Waste360: Many companies are committing to incorporating more recycled plastic into their products. What is driving this momentum, and how are manufacturers responding?
Eisenberg: Major companies are already using some recycled plastic in their products, and consumers want more. Circularity is the future, where plastic material is designed for recycling and reuse, collected and sorted at end of life, and remade into new products instead of being landfilled. Companies have responded to consumer demand by setting ambitious goals to design products to be recycled and including more recycled plastic in their products. Expanding plastic recycling, especially through advanced recycling technologies, is key to meeting brands and consumer demand for recycled plastic.
For example, leading brands and industry groups have joined forces to transform recycling for films and flexible packaging in California. The Circular Action Alliance, alongside partners like ACC, The Recycling Partnership, the Plastics Association, the U.S. Flexible Film Initiative, and the Alliance to End Plastics Waste among others, is driving collaborative efforts to meet the state’s ambitious SB 54 requirements.
Through initiatives such as CalFFlex, the Peer Collaborative, and the CAA Plastic Film & Flexibles Taskforce, these organizations are breaking down barriers and building scalable solutions that work across the entire value chain. Their approach combines mechanical and advanced recycling technologies with critical investments in research, environmental impact analysis, and economic modeling—laying the foundation for strong end markets for post-use film and flexible packaging.
Waste360: You’ve talked about the role of modernized recycling systems. What changes or improvements are most needed to unlock the full economic and sustainability benefits of plastics recycling?
Eisenberg: First, we need to scale up modern recycling infrastructure. There are a lot of new technologies that can be deployed throughout the recycling process, such as robotic sorters, which can more accurately identify and sort different types of plastics, and advanced recycling technologies, which can remake more types of used plastics like films and flexibles into new products.
To improve widespread adoption of these modern technologies, we support federal action establishing an EPR program that would help generate funding, incentives, infrastructure, public education, and other needed changes to fill the gaps in the current recycling system. Then we need to regulate recycling as manufacturing—because that’s what it is. Despite the potential for advanced recycling to help us eliminate plastic waste, a range of regulatory barriers stand in its way. Finally, American companies need legislation that establishes clear national standards for plastic recycling and using recycled content in new products that support waste reduction.
Waste360: Advanced recycling technologies are becoming a larger part of the conversation. Can you explain what advanced recycling is, and how it complements, rather than replaces, traditional mechanical recycling?
Eisenberg: Advanced recycling uses heat or solvents to convert used plastics back into their molecular building blocks, which can then be used to make new plastics and other products. Advanced recycling can process hard-to-recycle materials that mechanical systems can’t easily process. Mechanical recycling remains the backbone of our recycling system, and advanced recycling simply expands our capabilities so we can recycle more types of plastics, improve quality, and keep more material in the circular economy. These technologies work best together, not in competition.
Waste360: Looking ahead, what makes you optimistic about the U.S. becoming a global leader in sustainable manufacturing, recycling technology, and circular plastics?
Eisenberg: Policymakers on both sides of the aisle are beginning to see that smarter recycling policy can strengthen our economy, keep plastic out of landfills, and make American industry more competitive. And major brands want more recycled plastic, which can accelerate the adoption of these innovations. When you combine market pull with American ingenuity and a growing commitment to modernize our recycling system, we have all the ingredients to lead the world in sustainable manufacturing and circular plastics.
Waste360: Finally, what practical actions can individuals or communities take today to help strengthen recycling access and keep more materials in circulation?
Eisenberg: We urge people to learn what can and can’t be recycled in their community as that’s a key step to recycling more plastics and reducing contamination. The easiest way to do this is to search the name of your community and “recycling.” Also, communities can work with local officials to expand access to recycling or gain access if it isn’t already offered. This can include advocating for modernized recycling carts, clearer instructions and upgrades to nearby recycling facilities. These local actions could add up to cleaner streams, stronger markets and more recycled plastics in products instead of landfills.