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The markets roundtable discussion provided participants with information on market trends for electronics recycling, plastics, steel, glass and paper recycling. The markets roundtable included representatives from the Steel Recycling Institute, Glass Packaging Institute, Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers (APR), SP Recycling representing paper and Synergy Recycling (electronics). The event drew approximately 100 participants, well over the 80 attendees originally anticipated attending.  
 
Further activities of the Green Prosperity: Recycling and a Sustainable Southeast workshop included a SERDC annual membership meeting, a formative meeting of the KRIG - Kentucky Recycling Interest Group, a tour of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Materials Recovery Facility, and networking opportunities for participants who attended from all across the southeast. Eleven states represented were AL, MO, SC, GA, VA, MS, WV, PA, KY as well as Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Recycling businesses benefited from interactions with local government representatives as potential sources of supply for recycled content materials were identified and discussed as possible business opportunities.  Local governments found new potential vendors as well as explored common issues and concerns in the management of recycling programs.  
 
As part of its support structure to state recycling organizations across the southeast, SERDC participated in discussions with KRIG representatives and the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center to provide information regarding SERDC resources. In the future, the groups will explore how SERDC and the KRIG can potentially form a synergetic partnership in support of recycling in Kentucky and create opportunities for additional recovery of materials. 
 
SERDC's sponsors for the two day workshop and its current members are a large part of the event's success.  SERDC appreciates support from both public and private sector partners. Many participants discussed the robust program, opportunities for networking and access to expert resources as beneficial aspects to attending and reasons why they will continue to support SERDC's work and events in the future.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola recently announced the development of "The 'PlantBottle."  The "PlantBottle" is currently made through an process that turns sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a key component for PET plastic. 

The company claims that manufacturing the new plastic bottle is more environmentally efficient.  A life-cycle analysis conducted by Imperial College London indicates the "PlantBottle™" with 30 percent plant-base material reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with petroleum-based PET.

Coca-Cola announced that, unlike other plant-based plastics, this bottle can be processed through existing manufacturing and recycling facilities without contaminating traditional PET. 

Coca-Cola North America will pilot the "PlantBottle™" with Dasani and sparkling brands in select markets later this year and with vitaminwater in 2010.   The bottles will be identified through on-package messages and in-store point of sale displays. 

"The 'PlantBottle™' represents the next step in evolving our system toward the bottle of the future," said Scott Vitters, Director of Sustainable Packaging of The Coca-Cola Company.  "This innovation is a real win because it moves us closer to our vision of zero waste with a material that lessens our carbon footprint and is also recyclable."

Aluminum company Novelis Inc. announced that it recycled an estimated 39 billion aluminum beverage cans in the past year, a new company record.

By recycling the used containers back into aluminum sheet for new cans, the company estimates it saved approximately 73 million MBTUs of energy and avoiding the production of nearly 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

"The environmental benefit of aluminum recycling is enormous," said Nick Madden, vice president of global procurement and metal management for Novelis. "Not only does it reduce the need for the mining of natural resources, but it eliminates large amounts of emissions generated through primary production. The GHGs avoided through our can recycling program over the past year is the equivalent of taking more than 900,000 gasoline-powered automobiles off the road for 12 months."