Plastics Color Corporation Paper Explores Polymer Disposal Options
Calumet City, Ill. - PCC (Plastics Color Corporation), a leading supplier of color concentrates, compounds and additive masterbatches for the plastics industry, today published a white paper which explores the many disposal options available to both producers and consumers of plastics products. "The arena of plastics disposal is both confusing and evolving," said PCC's Vice President of Business Development Tim Workman. "We are committed to helping our customers understand the various options to achieve their corporate sustainability goals." The paper provides a brief history of plastics disposal issues from their beginnings in the 1970s and explores several alternatives including recycling, composting and biodegradability. The white paper is available by request from PCC.
The paper's summary states:
As scientists, environmentalists and manufacturers continue to push biodegradability to the forefront of the plastics disposal debate, the "paper or plastic" grocery store dilemma of yore may soon be replaced with consumers mulling over the question, "compost or landfill?" The "correct" answer lies in the ultimate disposal of the product - a fate that is unknown to the manufacturer and depends in large part on consumer location, politics, public perception and, above all, cost. And therein lies the modern plastic paradox - how does the polymers industry create more environmentally-friendly products when the ultimate disposal environment is unknown until the consumer is finished using the product. And how much are consumers willing to pay - in dollars as well as convenience - to address the problem of plastics disposal. Compounding this uncertainty is the mixed messaging consumers are receiving from the convergence of science and sales. While terms such as bioplastic, biodegradable plastic, degradable and compostable are often interchanged in consumer advertising, the chemical and biological processes those words describe are distinct and occur only under certain conditions in certain environments.
While most plastics from hydrocarbons are recyclable, they are not biodegradable without the addition of specialty chemical additives. Special additives and compounds are added to the plastic resins during the manufacturing process and do not alter the final product's performance, are undetectable by the end user, and products containing them can be processed through current recycling methods.
Last April, at NPE 2012, Plastics Color Corporation signed a joint agreement with Bio-Tec Environmental LLC, the developer of EcoPure® bio additive. The agreement established PCC as the primary manufacturer and seller of Bio-Tec's patent-pending additive technology for the plastics market in North America. EcoPure promotes biodegradation of traditional polymer systems in biologically active landfills. "EcoPure and our customized SoluPur(TM) with EcoPure formulations, in addition to our recycled colorants line and SoluPLAs(TM) PLA products gives us a three-pronged approach to helping our customers meet their sustainability goals in all currently viable ways," said Workman. "We continue to develop new market-leading technology solutions that help our customers remain at the top of their industries." See all of PCC's sustainable polymer solutions.
About Plastics Color Corporation
Plastics Color Corporation (PCC), headquartered in Calumet City, Ill., is a global provider of colorants, compounds, additive masterbatches and custom polymer solutions for an extensive range of markets including pharmaceuticals, medical, consumer goods and others. PCC supports virtually every type of manufacturing process and material. We engage our customers from concept to commercialization and help them develop new cutting-edge products that lead the market. PCC has more than 40 years' experience in the polymer industry and operates fully-equipped product development laboratories and manufacturing facilities in California, Illinois, North Carolina, and Nanjing, China. PCC's Illinois and North Carolina labs are certified by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, A2LA. PCC also provides testing and product development services through our Solutions Center in Asheboro, N.C. For more information, call (800) 922-9936 or visit www.plasticscolor.com.
Joe Grande
Press Contact
413.684.2463
