Thank you for spreading the news of Trex's launch of their national online directory to help consumers recycle plastic film (Trex launches national directory of film recycling partners, Sept. 23, Page 22). I'm writing to clarify a misconception in the following excerpt from your article related to Stina's Film Drop-off Directory.
You wrote: "That directory previously listed 18,000 store drop-off locations that accepted used plastic bags and film. The decision to shut down that project followed an ABC News investigation that concluded that plastics bags dropped off at many Walmart and Target stores listed on the directory were ending up in landfills."
Stina Inc. did NOT shut down the Film Drop-Off Directory because of the ABC News investigation. It hastened our removal of specific chains from the directory but was NOT the reason for shutting down the directory.
The actual story is that we lost funding for the directory well before the ABC piece. It was costly to maintain the directory for 20 years, with a robust protocol of vetting stores and maintaining listings. We had been deactivating stores for MANY years due to bins not being in place or not being able to confirm that material was being recycled.
We also redirected consumers who expressed frustration to solutions. We provided information, and people responded with gratitude.
We hope our decision results in more support for recyclers and greater focus on how we design for circularity. We have worked very hard as a company to prevent greenwashing and provide transparency and accuracy in plastic recycling data sets. It would mean a lot to us if you could correct your conclusion. I encourage you to read our blog post and connect with Trex or any other film recycler to get more insight as to the role Stina Inc. has played in plastic recycling.
We encourage people to continue taking items that Trex — nextrex.com/view/educate — accepts to participating retailers. The NexTrex website and new directory offers the most accurate information for the public on what to do with the broad range of clean, dry film found in nearly every household and business.
Nina Bellucci Butler is CEO of Stina Inc., a nonprofit that offers research and analysis, stakeholder engagement and technical assistance related to plastics recycling.