The three-year program, started by SoundWaters, has been a resounding success in Stamford, Connecticut, and beyond.
In Stamford, Connecticut, nonprofit organization SoundWaters has empowered students to lead the charge against plastic pollution by recycling bottle caps. Started in 2019 by SoundWaters, the One Million Bottle Cap Challenge engages with an ambitious goal of recycling 1 million bottle caps within a school year, involving mostly classes of sixth graders at Stamford schools. Bob Mazzone, vice president of development, SoundWaters, says an item this small, yet common, has made an indelible impact on students’ understanding of plastic pollution.
SoundWaters’ mission is to kindle locals’ interest in protecting nearby Long Island Sound through education. Mazzone says when kids look at the water from the sound under a microscope at SoundWaters’ laboratory, they are distressed to discover it contains microplastics. SoundWaters set out to educate students about microplastics and was able to accomplish this thanks to a three-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The One Million Bottle Cap Challenge found inspiration in Mazzone’s past; it harkens back to his fourth-grade year, when his teacher challenged his class to collect 1 million of something, which became soda tabs. Since then, Mazzone says he has never forgotten that quest to collect a million of an item. Taking from Mazzone’s experience, the One Million Bottle Cap Challenge was meant to catch students’ imagination in the same way.
To make it more impactful for these students, SoundWaters told them that collecting 1 million bottle caps would prevent the equivalent weight of an entire car, or two to two-and-a-half tons, of plastic from entering Long Island Sound. Students quickly rose to the occasion.
“They attacked this, and the exciting part is that they did exactly what we were hoping they would do— they used their voices, they used their energy, they told their parents, they got their parents to tell their families and got their parents to tell their co-workers,” Mazzone says.
He adds, “And that was the entire objective of this project … to get students to play an active role, take initiative, use their voice, [and to] give them the agency to make an impact even as sixth graders … and they have seen the impact that they can make.”
The program received widespread positive reception in and beyond Stamford. Other schools and businesses from Connecticut jumped in. An Arizona correctional complex and the Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark in Greece even became involved.
Mazzone says students were able to recognize how much plastic is used in their lives while preventing these bottle caps from reaching the sound.
“I don’t think that anyone will ever look at plastic packaging, plastic bottles, the same way and they will certainly never look at plastic waste on the ground the same way,” Mazzone says.
About 150 of the students worked with the World Design Organization (WDO), a global organization dedicated to the advancement of industrial design, he says. With the help of the WDO, students were tasked with designing a product following industry protocol that could be created from the plastic bottle caps. Designers from around the world, including France, Singapore and India, held video calls with them to plan a product for use in kitchens. The winning design created in the program’s first year was a countertop drying rack. In the following years, a plastic storage tub was designed as well.
To manufacture the drying rack, collaboration among different companies and organizations was vital. Coordinating the backend of the program was Eve Vitale, chief executive of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Foundation, Danbury, Connecticut.
After being sorted by Norwalk, Connecticut-based Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, the bottle caps were sent to Portland, Pennsylvania-based Ultra-Poly Corp., which was able to handle metal contamination in some of the caps. Here, the polyethylene and polypropylene caps were ground separately and turned into pellets.
Kevin Cronin, vice president of sustainability at Ultra-Poly, says he videotaped the process for students. It first involved loading caps onto a belt that leads to a grinder. The ground plastic went through elutriation, or separation by density, using an air flow table; this is where, for instance, paper liners in caps were separated from a plastic cap, Cronin says. The plastic finally was put into a single-screw extruder, melted and pelletized.
Cronin says the video of the process gave students an opportunity to see the challenges associated with mechanical recycling, such as when liners of metal caps accidentally get embedded within the plastic caps. However, it also got them to consider a future career in the recycling industry. Cronin says plastics education should focus on the fact that plastic is not intrinsically bad but an enabling resource.
“The real value of this is to be able to show kids that mechanical recycling does in fact work, and there’s infrastructure in place and it can make a difference,” Cronin says.
The team that won the design challenge worked with a Penn State Behrend student who developed a 3D-printed model of the drying rack and designed the mold used to manufacture it. Vitale says Penn State students who are a part of SPE manufactured the products. The resulting dish racks are continuing to return to Stamford for students and the public to keep.
The collection tallies for the three years were:
Despite setbacks posed by the pandemic, Mazzone says students and teachers still were able to stay engaged with the challenge.
Since grant funding for the project has now expired, SoundWaters will no longer be accepting bottle caps. Mazzone says locals have contacted SoundWaters with questions about what to do with their bottle caps now that the program is over. Most notably, locals were confused on whether to recycle bottle caps by themselves or keep them on the bottle.
After researching the matter and hearing from community members, Mazzone says he realized that the answer varies depending on local recycling guidelines. Different communities, he says, have different recycling companies and recycling capabilities; some local guidelines tell people to take bottle caps off before recycling them, while others advise that bottle caps must remain on bottles when recycled. Mazzone says the lack of consensus on what to do with bottle cap recycling hints at a lingering problem that the recycling industry continues to face.
“You know, we didn’t choose bottle caps because they were contentious or in the middle of a storm. We chose bottle caps because they’re everywhere and people can relate to them. And they were small. It made it easier to handle, but it turned out, bottle caps tend to be a problem,” Mazzone says.
SoundWaters will continue to use lessons from the program in its education, he says. Vitale says SPE also plans to build on the success of the program since it already fits with the curriculum that the organization teaches across the country through PlastiVan, an education outreach program. PlastiVan covers numerous lessons related to polymer science, many of which are linked to the One Million Bottle Cap Challenge, such as thermoplastics and recycling and productive reuse of materials.
Vitale says the strongest takeaway for students is that plastic is ubiquitous. She has given students exercises to understand this reality, having them think of an activity that doesn’t involve plastic or imagine what a shopping trip would look like if all plastics in a store disappeared. Another crucial lesson, she says, is that plastic items like water bottles may be single use, but the material itself is not single use; it can be used to make a positive impact through product innovation and design for recycling.
“We hope that they will be advocates for responsible use of plastics and understand that the answer is not in banning or removing plastics from our society wholesale, but that together, scientists and engineers, and the public at large can and should work together to continually improve all aspects of plastics production and end-of-life solutions,” Vitale says.
She says the prevalence of plastics education programs in the U.S. is hit or miss. Through PlastiVan, she has found that certain regions have more of an interest in recycling than others. Regardless, expanding educational programs through PlastiVan, she says, is imperative.
For SoundWaters, problems related to climate science and microplastics must be approached by teaching students to use their voices.
“If we can teach kids about Long Island Sound, they will understand it. They will care about it. And you add those two together, and they will want to take care of it. ... in five years, 10 years, 15,20,25 years, they will be voting, they will be making decisions. They will have their own children. And so, the compounding effect of education is immense,” Mazzone says.
SWANA and NWRA have submitted comments on the SWIFR and education and outreach grants.
The Environmental Protection Agency published two notices June 9 in the Federal Register seeking comments related to the programs it is developing and implementing as directed by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
One of the two actions provides the opportunity to share information to inform the development of the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program, which EPA says “will fund improvements to local postconsumer materials management, including municipal recycling programs, and assist local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems.
The SWIFR grant program will provide $275 million to improve postconsumer materials management and infrastructure, while the Education and Outreach Grant Program provides $75 million for programs to inform the public about waste prevention and recycling to increase collection rates and decrease contamination.
According to the Recycling Education and Outreach; Grant Program and Model Recycling Program Toolkit notice, “The education and outreach grants will fund programs to improve the effectiveness of residential and community recycling programs, including those that tackle waste prevention, through public education and outreach. The Model Recycling Program Toolkit is for state, local and tribal governments to use in carrying out their programs.”
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, says it has provided comments to the EPA on funding for solid waste prevention, management and recycling initiatives. The association says it has urged the EPA to create a grant application process that will be equitable to communities of all sizes and to allow grant funding to go the widest possible categories of infrastructure, education and outreach programs and projects.
“SWANA is very pleased to provide these comments to EPA on the recycling grant programs,” says David Biderman, SWANA executive director and CEO. “We expect EPA to swiftly review comments and launch the grant process in the Fall of 2022. There is no time to waste.”
The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, says it has submitted comments to the EPA related to its Recycling Education and Outreach Grant Program and Model Recycling Program Toolkit notice.
“NWRA and its member companies support EPA’s efforts to develop a Model Recycling Program Toolkit aimed at strengthening recycling efforts nationwide,” NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith says. “We appreciate this opportunity to share our industry’s perspective and offer best practices to help develop a robust toolkit.”
In its comments, NWRA says it provided guidance on standard terminology, recommended identifying items that cannot be recycled as well as those that can and suggested that communications efforts should be measured for effectiveness.
NWRA adds that it believes that the best messaging needs to be repeated and reinforced and that the EPA should focus on how to provide messaging over the long term.
Despite macroeconomic and geopolitical risks and continued inflationary pressures, the aluminum company has increased its earnings guidance.
Constellium SE has reported results for the second quarter of 2022, ended June 30, that include 424,000 metric tons in shipments, 4 percent more than in the comparable quarter of 2021, and revenue of 2.3 billion euros ($2.33 billion), which is 50 percent more than in the comparable quarter in 2021. The company’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) totaled 198 million euros ($201 million) for the quarter, an increase of 17 percent from the comparable quarter in 2021.
For the first half of 2022, the Paris-based company that designs and manufactures aluminum alloys and engineered solutions for a range of applications including cars, beverage cans and airplanes, says it shipped 825,000 metric tons, a 4 percent increase from the first half of 2021, while its revenue increased 49 percent to 4.3 billion euros, or $4.36 billion. Adjusted EBITDA totaled 365 million euros, or $370 million, for the first half of 2022, an increase of 25 percent from the comparable period in 2021.
“Demand remained strong across most end markets during the quarter, and our team continued to execute very well despite significant inflationary pressures,” says Constellium CEO Jean-Marc Germain says. “Both P&ARP [Packaging and Automotive Rolled Products] and AS&I [Automotive Structures and Industry] reported record adjusted EBITDA as continued strength in packaging and industry demand more than offset continued weakness in automotive caused by the semiconductor shortage and other supply chain challenges. A&T [Aerospace and Transportation] reported very strong second quarter adjusted EBITDA supported by a greater than 50 percent increase in aerospace shipments compared to the same quarter last year and continued strength in transportation, industry and defense (TID).”
Germain continues, "Macroeconomic and geopolitical risks remain elevated, and we expect inflationary pressures to continue, particularly for inputs like energy and regions more directly affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, I am confident in our ability to continue to execute well through these challenging times.”
Given the company’s strong performance so far in 2022 and its outlook for the second half, Constellium is raising its guidance and expects adjusted EBITDA of 670 million euros to 690 million euros ($680 million to $700 million) for the year, he adds.
In Constellium’s P&ARP segment, or the second quarter adjusted EBITDA increased 2 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021 primarily because of improved price and mix, favorable metal costs, favorable foreign exchange translation and higher shipments, largely offset by higher operating costs mainly because of inflation, according to the company. Shipments of 292,000 metric tons increased 3 percent from the comparable quarter in 2021 in light of higher shipments of packaging and automotive rolled products. Revenue of 1.3 billion euros, or $1.32 billion, increased 49 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021 primarily because of higher metal prices and improved price and mix.
For the first half of 2022, adjusted EBITDA of 177 million euros, or $179.6 million, increased 9 percent compared with the first half of 2021 primarily owing to improved price and mix, favorable metal costs, favorable foreign exchange translation and higher shipments, partially offset by higher operating costs mainly because of inflation, the company says. Shipments of 568,000 metric tons increased 3 percent compared with the first half of 2021 on higher shipments of packaging rolled products. Revenue of 2.5 billion euros ($2.54 billion) increased 50 percent compared with the first half of 2021 primarily because of higher metal prices.
For the second quarter of 2022, adjusted EBITDA for Constellium’s A&T segment increased 50 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021 primarily because of improved price and mix and higher shipments, partially offset by higher operating costs arising from inflation and the production ramp-up in aerospace, the company says. Shipments of 60,000 metric tons increased 13 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021 on higher shipments of aerospace rolled products. Revenue of 461 million euros, or $468 million, increased 61 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021 on higher metal prices, improved price and mix and higher shipments.
For the first half of 2022, adjusted EBITDA of 116 million euros, or $118 million, increased 88 percent compared with the first half of 2021 primarily because of improved price and mix and higher shipments, partially offset by higher operating costs arising from inflation and the production ramp-up in aerospace. Shipments of 115,000 metric tons increased 14 percent compared to the first half of 2021 on higher shipments of aerospace and TID rolled products. Revenue of 846 million euros, or $858.6 million, increased 59 percent compared with the first half of 2021 primarily in light of higher metal prices, improved price and mix and higher shipments, Constellium says.
In the AS&I segment for the second quarter of 2022, adjusted EBITDA increased 13 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021, also largely owing to improved price and mix and higher shipments, partially offset by higher operating costs mainly due to inflation, the company says. Shipments of 72,000 metric tons increased 4 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021 because of higher shipments of automotive and other extruded products. Revenue of 501 million euros, or $508 million, increased 45 percent compared with the second quarter of 2021 also largely because of higher metal prices and improved price and mix.
For the first half of 2022, adjusted EBITDA of 83 million euros, or $84.2 million, increased 6 percent compared with the first half of 2021 primarily owing to improved price and mix and higher shipments, partially offset by higher operating costs mainly arising from inflation. Shipments of 142,000 metric tons increased 2 percent compared with the first half of 2021 on higher shipments of other extruded products, partially offset by lower shipments of automotive extruded products, Constellium reports. Revenue of 1 billion euros, or $1.01 billion, increased 38 compared with the first half of 2021, again largely because of higher metal prices and improved price and mix.
For the second quarter of 2022, the net loss of 32 million euros, or $32.5 million, compares with net income of 108 million euros, or $109.6 million, in the second quarter of the prior year. The decrease in net income is primarily related to a 158 million euro, or $160.3 million, unfavorable change in unrealized gains and losses on derivatives mostly related to its metal hedging positions and higher selling and administrative expenses, partially offset by higher gross profit and a favorable change in income taxes, the company says.
For the first half of 2022, net income of 147 million euros, or $149.2 million, compares with net income of 156 million euros, or $158.3 million, in the first half of the prior year. Constellium says the decrease in net income is primarily related to a 130 million euro ($131.2 million) unfavorable change in unrealized gains and losses on derivatives mostly related to Constellium’s metal hedging positions and higher selling and administrative expenses, partially offset by higher gross profit and lower finance costs.
Five companies cooperate on U.K. effort to divert and reprocess postconsumer plastic scrap.
Fiberight Ltd., United Kingdom, is working with four partners on the Uncaptured Unrecycled Plastics (UP) project, designed to divert and reprocess difficult-to-recycle plastic scrap.
The UP effort has secured 4.2million pounds sterling ($5 million) in co-funding from Innovate UK’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge (SSPPC). Fiberight says it also has secured about $120,000 in funding from the Welsh government toward a plastics R&D project aiming to commercialize what Fiberight calls a “near-to-market application for flexible plastics.”
The UP project has been designed to establish and operate a commercial-scale demonstration facility processing postconsumer plastic packaging from mixed waste streams, such as reject material from material recovery facilities (MRFs), to create a new supply of recycled plastics to be used in the economy.
The Swansea facility will use feedstock from local MRFs, initially contaminated MRF films and contaminated rigid plastics, before moving up to processing MRF reject materials. The capacity of the facility will be up to 60,000 metric tons per year.
Project partners include U.K.-based technology provider Impact Recycling, whose BOSS polymer separation systems will be integrated with Fiberight’s HydraCycle technology to “showcase a holistic water-based separation process for the recovery and recycling of different plastic types and packaging formats.”
U.K.-based rigid plastic reprocessor Moulding Solutions will be an offtake partner for recycling the recovered rigid plastics. The company will use plastics recovered from the Swansea facility to boost its current supply for the production of extruded pellets for use by U.K. manufacturers of products such as utility pipes, wheeled carts and packaging.
U.K.-based Ranela Recycling Services, involved in flexible plastic recycling, will advise on product quality, recycling equipment and routes to market for finished flexible or film-based plastics products, Fiberight says.
The fourth partner, Switzerland-based ProAmpac, a provider of flexible packaging, will provide technical advice and support to the project.
In terms of end markets and applications for the recycled materials, multiple U.K. sectors will be targeted, including nonfood contact packaging, heavy gauge refuse sacks, pipes and buckets, lumber and roadside furniture.
“We are delighted to offer funding to Fiberight and the project partners,” says Paul Davidson of Innovate UK. “Capturing and recycling plastic packaging that otherwise would be sent for incineration as part of a MRF reject stream will help the U.K. to increase its plastic recycling rate and reduce the environmental impacts associated with disposal. This large-scale demonstration will prove if this technology is capable of achieving that and at commercial scale.”
Nick Thompson, co-founder and managing director of Fiberight, adds, “The UP project will showcase the full value chain collaborating to establish a new way of recycling plastic packaging in the U.K., capturing the lost resources and realizing significant environmental benefits.”
Hydropol offers the benefits of traditional polymer plastics and is water soluble, biodegradable, nontoxic and UV resistant, the company says.
Aquapak Polymers, a polymer technology manufacturer based in Birmingham, England, has partnered with Industrial Physics, a global packaging, product and material test and inspection company based in Boston, to create a set of water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) testing methods for its Hydropol biodegradable polymer.
According to a news release from Aquapak, Hydropol offers the benefits of traditional polymer plastics and is water soluble, biodegradable, nontoxic and UV resistant. It also offers multiple end-of-life options like recyclability, compostability and compatibility with anaerobic digestion plants.
Industrial Physics is a global test and inspection partner that works across a wide range of industry sectors to help customers protect the integrity of their packaging, products and materials. The group comprises various specialist testing brands, including Systech Illinois, TQC Sheen, Quality By Vision, Eagle Vision, Steinfurth, Technidyne, RayRan, Testing Machines Inc. and more.
Industrial Physics’ surveyed 255 packaging professionals globally. The survey found that professionals say testing new sustainable materials is challenging. Almost half the 255 global packaging professionals, 49 percent, said meeting testing standards was one of the biggest challenges they faced in the wider adoption of sustainable packaging materials.
An example of this is that current WVTR test methods and standards are based on traditional polymers rather than biodegradable alternatives such as Hydropol.
Aquapak approached Industrial Physics to support it in developing a repeatable and reliable test method for WVTR for its Hydropol biodegradable polymer.
The WVTR test method is a known challenge for hydrophilic polymers, and the team at Aquapak was looking to use knowledge and resources from Industrial Physics to develop a testing method that could be carried out in-house as well as replicated at its customers' premises wherever they were in the world.
Max Phippard, quality control manager at Aquapak, says, “Allowing the WVTR test to reach equilibrium means that we are confident in the results. Over the last few months, we have carried out full analysis of multilayer samples to gain an understanding of how our customers can replicate their own WVTR testing regime on Hydropol.”
“We have reached a point where the WVTR test on Hydropol can be replicated anywhere in the world by using the approach taken by Aquapak and ourselves,” says Alana Shema, product line director at Industrial Physics. “This is a major step forward because it will shape how hydrophilic films are tested in the future. It allows our global customers who source sustainable packaging materials such as Hydropol to carry out their own WVTR knowing they can trust the results.”
Phippard adds, “As highlighted in Industrial Physics’ research, businesses face challenges when looking to switch to new, sustainable packaging materials. Developing a WVTR approach for Hydropol is one of the ways we are supporting our customers as they take this journey."
Industrial Physics says it offers a range of packaging, product and material integrity testing solutions to food and beverage, flexible packaging, medical, pharmaceutical and coatings markets. The company adopts a collaborative approach with customers to help them work through the challenges of moving to sustainable packaging.