Audubon-based J.P. Mascaro & Sons has announced that as part of its curbside collection of recyclables contract, South Heidelberg Township residents can now include flexible plastic packaging for recycling as part of an industry-sponsored recycling “Pilot Program.”

The local waste company and its TotalRecycle fully-automated single stream recycling facility are leading the pilot initiative.

The goal is to demonstrate the viability of processing flexible plastic packaging, including plastic bags, wraps, and product packaging, at automated material recovery facilities. The company is also marketing r-Flex, a recycled product, to end users.

Historically, this type of plastic has not been successfully recycled and ended up landfilled.

In an attempt to process and market flexible plastic packaging as recyclable for the first time, the Materials Recovery for the Future industry and association members, including Dow Chemicals and Procter & Gamble, have awarded a $2.6 million grant to Mascaro to upgrade its TotalRecycle facility to make this type of recycling possible.

Collecting flexible plastic packaging as a recyclable in South Heidelberg Township will start at the end of this month. The company is currently notifying households of the types of plastic waste that can be collected as recyclables.

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