Dive Brief:

• A survey released by the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) found that material recovery facilities (MRF) across the United States accepted food service packaging, while noting that the acceptance of such materials varies greatly from facility to facility.
• Responses from 70 MRFs in North America were collected. Studies showed that the three types of materials most widely accepted are cup sleeves, pizza boxes and paper carryout bags. Rigid plastics including cups and takeout containers are accepted at a majority of facilities.
• The study surveyed the acceptance of 19 specific types of packaging. It was assessed that the greatest force behind these materials being accepted was the availability of end markets for the recovered materials. 

Dive Insight:

The survey, conducted by Resource Recycling Systems on behalf of the FPI's Paper Recovery Alliance and Plastics Recovery Group, was an effort to find baseline acceptance levels and to measure future progress. 

The President of FPI, Lynn Dyer, said "This benchmark study also shows we're on the right track with our systematic, MRF-to-market approach to increasing recovery of foodservice packaging."