Mississippi passes law to support advanced recycling

On Friday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill that helps to increase plastics recycling and create new economic opportunities in the state.

Advance recycling encompasses various manufacturing processes that convert used plastics into high-quality materials for new plastics.

These innovative technologies can process more types of plastics compared to traditional recycling.

Even plastics with food residue that cannot be mechanically recycled can be converted into new plastics for use in food, pharmaceutical, and medical applications. Plastics Sustainability Senior Director Craig Cookson said, “Mississippi is actually the 16th state to enact this legislation, neighboring Louisiana who enacted this legislation last year and Tennessee a few years ago, so it helps Mississippi keep pace with these other states at, again, attracting new business, new technology, new innovation for the state.”

A 2021 report by Closed Loop Partners, a New York based investment firm, estimates advanced recycling could double the plastic packaging recycling rate by 2030.