When it comes to plastics and recycling, we’d like you to know the rest of the story. As we have come to better understand the need to conserve our natural resources, the desire to reuse and repurpose products has become even more crucial. Did you know…

• Over 35 million metric tons of plastic products are manufactured each year in the United States with another 50 million tons of products imported.
• Worldwide plastics manufacturing is estimated to be around 380 million metric tons annually with as much as half of that being single use plastics.
• There is believed to be around 40 million tons of waste plastic generated in the U.S. each year however only 2 million metric tons are thought to be recycled.
• Estimates are that as much as 85% of “recycled” plastic still ends up in landfills.
• Every year, as much as 11 million tons of Plastic Waste known as OBP (Ocean Bound Plastics) enters our Oceans Worldwide on top of the estimated 200 million already there. That equates to a full-size garbage truck dumping plastic waste every minute, 24-7-365. Although estimates vary widely, any amount is too much.
• Plastic products are an integral part of our world and how we live. As technology advances, so will the materials and methods used to make these products. Until then, many positive steps are being taken to improve how this waste is managed.
• The Wares Company is doing our part by manufacturing many of our products from both Post Consumer and Post-Industrial Recycled Plastic. These materials are reprocessed and reused to live again as new and useful products.
• The Wares Company offers recycled material options that include recovered Ocean Bound plastic and also options for natural fiber “sustainable” fillers.

The Wares Company products are, depending on the product selected, available in a number of different material options including several recycled options. We have chosen to manufacture (Made-In-USA Alliance, Ohio) a majority of our products from these recycled plastics including options containing recovered OBP and some containing natural fiber fillers which are considered “sustainable” materials. Although the fiber fillers themselves are not recyclable, they are made from other product waste and reduce the amount of plastic content in our products by as much as 30%.

The Wares Company continues to explore several options in utilizing Recycled and Reprocessed Plastics for a major portion of our WaresCo line of Products. We currently offer products in both Post Industrial and Post Consumer Recycled Polypropylene (Certified 90% PIR and PCR options). The Post Industrial-PP is primarily recovered scrap plastic from the Automotive Industry and is clean second-generation material. Our Post Consumer-PP primarily comes from recovered household waste such as syrup bottles, cottage cheese cartons and other food industry packaging. 

Another option we are now offering is a 90% PIR and 10% OBP Blend. OBP (Ocean Bound Plastics) is a term used for waste plastics that is considered “Ocean Bound” because it is either at risk of ending up in our oceans or has already been recovered there. Although there are a number of definitions of what constitutes OBP, it is generally thought of as abandoned plastic waste located within 50km of shores where waste management is non-existent or inefficient. Plastic products already located in landfills or controlled dump sites are not considered OBP. However, when abandoned in an uncontrolled dump site, this waste is considered as OBP having the potential to find its’ way into streams, rivers, or other bodies of water including our oceans.

The Wares Company is working with multiple suppliers to present our customers (and their customers) with the best options for recycled and sustainable plastic products. The OBP-PP “Blend” we currently offer contains OBP recovered from the Caribbean Islands and east coast of the U.S. One of the primary sources of this material is St. John’s in the U.S. Virgin Islands where plastic is treated as trash due to a lack of recycling facilities. To address this issue, our supplier has partnered with Island Green Living to collect and process OBP. This program is making it possible for The Wares Company to offer you and your customers an opportunity to be a part of the solution. 

In addition to the above, we are also considering other possible sources of Ocean Bound Plastics including recycled/reprocessed fishing rope from the west coast of Canada (Ocean Legacy Foundation). We’re also looking into incorporating various natural fiber “fillers” into the products including “Hemp” and other wood biproducts. 

As the need and public desire grows to become even more sustainable moving forward, The Wares Company hopes to continue our commitment to providing quality products as well as being a leader in contributing to the solution.

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