the company commissioned. But most US recovery facilities don’t take tubes because the recyclable and traditional versions are so similar, said Sandeep Kulkarni, a technical consultant at the Association of Plastic Recyclers, a trade group.
Together, Waste Management and Republic Services run about a quarter of the US materials-recovery facilities tracked by the Recycling Partnership, which said processing capacity is also an important factor., said that given the challenges of recycling, companies should invest more in alternatives such as reusable containers and packaging. Colgate sells toothpaste tablets in glass bottles, but has said consumers are more likely to gravitate toward the tubes they’re used to.