Dive Brief:
- A detergent company based in Oakland, CA developed a system that could transform the way laundry soaps are packaged.
- The startup, Puretergent, seeks to disrupt the recycling of hard plastic bottles through a mail-in return program that calls on consumers to mail the pouch back to the company for recycling.
- The #7 packaging used to store the detergent isn’t widely accepted in a majority of the recycling collections in the country.
Dive Insight:
The company is in the process of establishing drop-off points at stores, and established a funding campaign via Indiegogo in order to solicit funding to jumpstart the program, though it hasn't quite seen liftoff just yet. Puretergent is also working to develop a method for customers to return the pouch to the manufacturers via mail.
Julia Fry, the company’s founder, said recycling can be guaranteed if the packages are returned, recyclability being one of the goals in creating the pouch system.
TerraCycle, a startup based in Trenton, NJ also encourages customers to send in packaging through its host of partnerships and incentives. In February, the sustainability firm launched a recycling project with Open Farm, a dog food company. Customers send empty bags back to TerraCycle, who recycles the material at no charge.
Recently, TerraCycle announced an automotive parts recycling program, implemented to reduce the volume of parts that end up in landfills. Used car parts are collected by consumers, mechanics, and garages in a box provided by TerraCycle for a fee. When the box is filled, the parts are sent to the company for recycling.