A public-private partnership, supported in part by the Plastics Industry Association and aimed at increasing recycling rates, is moving into a major Ohio city.
Cincinnati will be next location for the Beyond 34 program established by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The effort seeks to improve the overall recycling rate in the United States to, well, beyond 34 percent.
Officially called "Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for a New Economy," the program will help Cincinnati try to reach its zero-waste goal. The city wants to hit that milestone by 2035.
The partnership includes the foundation, the city, Hamilton County and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. Arizona State University, through its Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, will provide technical help.
Rob Walton is a son of Walmart Inc. founder Sam Walton and former chairman of the retailer.
"Cincinnati rose to the top after our analysis of several U.S. cities using criteria important to successful recycling programs such as local policies, recycling education, and data collection," said Marc DeCourcey, senior vice president of the foundation, in a statement.
Selection of Cincinnati follows a pilot project launched in 2017 in Orlando, Fla.
More information about Beyond 34 is available at from the U.S. Chamber website.
Organizers said factors keeping the national recycling rate at around 34 percent for the past decade include both consumer education and motivation challenges. There also is a need to modernize and expand recycling and storing infrastructure. The lack of consistently strong markets for certain materials also hampers improvements, the foundation believes.
Beyond 34 targets all recycling, not just plastics.