With a renewed sense of urgency around building a more effective U.S. recycling system, The Recycling Partnership (TRP) kicked off a five-part webinar series yesterday spotlighting the people, policies, and partnerships driving meaningful change on the ground. This first session, titled, “Community Recycling Programs: How Can We Take Recycling from Surviving to Thriving?,” brought together a diverse panel of voices working to reimagine what effective recycling looks like in communities across the country.

The hour-long discussion featured perspectives from municipal leaders, corporate sustainability executives, and recycling specialists, all grappling with the same question—How can we turn well-meaning but often fragmented local recycling systems into cohesive, high-performing engines of circularity?

What emerged was a clear consensus: Recycling is local, but the solutions must be systemic. Whether it’s improving access, rethinking packaging design, engaging communities, or driving policy change, every stakeholder has a role to play. And the path forward will require collaboration, creativity, and, above all, sustained investment.

“This isn’t about flipping a switch,” said Keefe Harrison, TRP CEO and moderator of the event. “It’s about building durable systems that work for everyone.”

The Case for Systemic Support to Improve Community Recycling Programs

Harrison first set the stage for the discussion, noting, “With more than 9,000 local recycling programs across the country and an average recovery rate of just 23%, the U.S. system isn’t broken—it’s underbuilt.”

To move forward, Harrison emphasized, stakeholders must understand what a functional recycling system requires. This includes design for recycling, access for all households, active participation, robust sortation infrastructure, and end markets that ensure old materials become new again. “It’s about connecting all five parts of the system and addressing each area strategically,” she told the more than 1,000 webinar attendees.

Harrison highlighted how TRP works backwards from desired outcomes to identify roadblocks. “We ask, ‘What must be true?’ and then we target the gaps. Whether it’s packaging design, local access, public engagement, or infrastructure, we use data to focus where change is needed most.”

Read the full article about community recycling programs by Anne Marie Mohan at Packaging World.