Letter from the Executive Director
Mid April marked my one-year anniversary as Executive Director of CRI. It has been quite a year of change and challenge.
CRI moved its headquarters out of the Washington, DC area for the first time in its history. People began to take climate change seriously and personally. Recycling took center stage once more.
Recycling has progressed from simple scrap reuse, to solid waste management tool, to being recognized as an important strategy for global energy and natural resource conservation. Recycling is universally accepted for the significant contribution to reducing the effects of global warming it can make. Our challenge now is to fit the right type of collection with the myriad items that can be recovered. This is our new message.
As more communities want to recycle more items, the pressure to embrace the “easiest” or “most convenient” collection methods will be strong.
We continue to stress that “recycling” is more than just collection. Materials processors and end users are equally important partners in recycling. Each of these three sectors must be viable for recycling to be a permanent component of our national economy and manufacturing infrastructure. For private industries to make infrastructure invest-ments and commitments to using recycled content in manufacturing, collection quality is critical.
Matching the collection method to the type of material, and the way a product gets used, makes sense. Beverage containers are emptied frequently (more per person than the average food container), and often away from the at-home recycling bin. And glass beverage containers need a better collection method than co-mingled curbside that causes breakage.
The discussions about whether to recycle are over. Our work continues to focus on what is the best collection method for beverage containers. We appreciate your partnership with us in this challenge.
Betty McLaughlin,
Executive Director
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