The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) represents over 90% of the post-consumer plastics recycling capacity in North America. APR members, as purchasers, recyclers and reclaimers of collected plastic bottles, are radically affected by every promulgation, repeal or amendment of a state’s "container deposit legislation" or "bottle deposit system".

APR neither supports nor condemns the judgment of any state to have or not have bottle redemption or deposit legislation. The conditions that motivate a state to adopt or repeal a bottle redemption program are exclusively the domain of that state. It is logical, however, for legislative decision-makers to listen to the segment of industry that will ultimately receive and process the plastic recyclables generated by the consequences of legislation.

Our motivation is simple; for our industry to grow we need to dramatically increase the volume of plastic that can reasonably be recycled back into a marketable product. To be successful, we must strongly support increased supply of bottles while simultaneously protecting the quality of the stream of collected bottles. This is not a simple task. If containers collected for recycling are manufactured from less recyclable plastics or contain hostile residue contaminants, not only are the containers not recycled, but they may render otherwise good bottles as un-recyclable. If the recycling infrastructure for landfill-diverted materials cannot deal with the quality of collected materials economically, the material ultimately will be hauled back to a landfill at added citizen expense.

As recycling is a business, both material supply and demand must constantly be nurtured. Currently the recycling capacity for PET and HDPE greatly exceeds the volumes being collected. Whatever methodology provides the greatest volume of recyclable plastic with the minimal contamination should be comprehensively developed. This advancement requires a cooperative effort from all parties with standing, including the food and packaging industry, the environmental community, the recycling industry, and government. A cooperative program that divides responsibilities and respects needs is essential to the long-term satisfaction of all parties.

As the domestic plastics reclamation community, we volunteer to actively participate in legitimate forums to exchange ideas, experience and knowledge to determine which recycling alternatives are reasonable and which are counterproductive. Our challenge is finding sustainable answers that meet diverse needs. Getting essential participants into the same conversation is the first step.