Ep 29: How Recycling Works at KW Plastics with Stephanie Baker
Release Date: 01/31/2024
Ep. 53: Unlocking Textile Recovery in a Data-Driven System w/ Jennifer Wang, & Traci Kinden
Recycled Content
In this episode of Recycled Content, host Kara Pochiro hands hosting duties over to Marisa Adler, a leader at the intersection of textile recovery systems, data, and policy and the lead for the Textile Recovery Summit taking place alongside the Plastics Recycling Conference and Resource Recycling Conference this February. Marisa is joined by Traci Kinden of TexRoad and Jennifer Wang of Full Cycle Resources to unpack what “data” really means in textile recovery, where today’s information comes from, and why gaps in end-market and operational data can create real risk for policy,...
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Ep. 52: Inside the Conversations Shaping Plastics Recycling w/ Michael Westerfield & Nicole Janssen
Recycled Content
In the first episode of 2026, Recycled Content host Kara Pochiro hands hosting duties over to Maite Quinn-Richards, President of Resource Recycling. Maite is joined by APR Board members Michael Westerfield of Dart Container Corporation and Nicole Janssen of Denton Plastics for a preview of the key issues shaping the future of plastics recycling, which will be explored at the 2026 Plastics Recycling Conference (PRC) this February in San Diego. Drawing on perspectives from both brand manufacturing and recycling, the conversation explores current market pressures, recycled content demand, design...
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Ep. 51: Plastic Recycling in Transition: Challenges, Opportunities, and What’s Next w/ Steve Alexander, President & CEO of APR
Recycled Content
APR President and CEO Steve Alexander returns to the Recycled Content podcast to dig deeper into what is really holding the American recycling system back and the ongoing fight against misinformation surrounding plastic recycling. In this episode, Steve and host Kara Pochiro unpack misleading recycling rate statistics, push back on the false claim that plastics placed in household recycling bins do not get recycled, and clarify why today’s challenge is not capacity, but market demand and material supply. The two dive into how APR is working to close these gaps through policy leadership,...
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Ep. 50: Inside the APR Recycling Demand Champions Program w/ Kate Eagles and Emily Tipaldo
Recycled Content
This month, Recycled Content host Kara Pochiro is joined by the Association of Plastic Recyclers’ (APR) Kate Eagles, Program Director of Policy & Markets, and Emily Tipaldo, Program Manager for the Market Development Committee. Together, they break down the APR Recycling Demand Champions Program, an initiative supported by The Recycling Partnership, that recognizes companies committed to the long-term use of North American post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. They also discuss how this year’s recognized champions, Amcor, Charter Next Generation, Kraft Heinz, Novolex, and Triton Group,...
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Ep. 49: Inside Colgate-Palmolive’s Journey to a Recyclable Toothpaste Tube w/ Dr. Jun Wang
Recycled Content
In Recycled Content’s fourth episode spotlighting APR’s Recycling Leadership Award winners, host Kara Pochiro sits down with Dr. Jun Wang, Director of Packing Innovation at Colgate-Palmolive, winner of the Design Innovation Award. Together, they explore how Dr. Wang led the team behind Colgate-Palmolive’s innovative mono-material toothpaste tube, which earned APR Design® Recognition and helped shift an entire product category toward recyclability. The two discuss how Colgate turned a long-standing non-recyclable package into one compatible with existing recycling systems, the importance...
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Ep. 48: FDA Insights on Recycled Plastics for Food Packaging w/ FDA Regulatory Review Scientist Sean Fischer
Recycled Content
In this episode of Recycled Content, APR Technical Director Scott Trenor takes over hosting duties to explore the FDA’s role in ensuring recycled plastics are safe for use in food packaging with guest Sean Fischer, an FDA Regulatory Review Scientist within the Division of Food Contact Substances. The two dive into the evaluation process, and critical need behind the FDA’s No Objection Letters (NOL), an official statement from the FDA signaling that the agency has reviewed a recycling process and has no concerns about its ability to produce material suitable for food-contact use. The...
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Ep. 47: Painting a New Future for PCR Utilization w/ Darren Scholl, Chief of Operations at KW Container
Recycled Content
In the third episode of our series highlighting APR’s Recycling Leadership Award winners, host Kara Pochiro is joined by Darren Scholl, the Chief of Operations at KW Container, winner of the PCR Utilization Award. The two highlight KW Container’s work transforming the paint-and-coatings industry by creating fully recyclable paint cans made with recycled plastics and driving demand by consuming over 1 billion pounds of curbside-collected polypropylene in the last 14 years. With more than 30 years of experience in plastics, Darren offers a behind-the-scenes look at KW’s latest innovations,...
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Ep. 46: Transforming Post-Consumer Plastics and Textiles into Sustainable Fiber and Resin w/ Meredith Boyd of Unifi
Recycled Content
In this episode of Recycled Content, host Kara Pochiro is joined by Meredith Boyd, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Unifi, to discuss the innovation behind REPREVE®, which received the APR Recycling Technology Innovation Award. Together, they explore how REPREVE® has transformed textile recycling by leveraging multiple sources into different sustainable fibers. Meredith shares insights on the importance of transparency, sustainability, and market diversity in building a true circular economy, as well as why textile recycling is about longevity,...
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Ep. 45: Advice from an Influential Leader in Recycling w/ APR’s Outstanding Leadership Award Winner Debra Wilson
Recycled Content
Debra Wilson, Materials R&D Director at Amcor and recipient of the inaugural APR Recycling Leadership Award for Outstanding Leadership, joins Recycled Content host Kara Pochiro to discuss Debra’s 33+ years of commitment to plastic standardization activities. The two dive into Debra’s influential role in aligning APR Design® Guidance with RecyClass standards, as well as her work with ASTM International and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Debra reflects on her proudest accomplishments during her tenure and the importance of collaboration and...
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Ep. 44: Designing for the Future - Celebrating 30 years of the APR Design® Guide with APR’s Megan Byers and Chris Max of Kraft Heinz
Recycled Content
In this episode of Recycled Content, host Kara Pochiro is joined by Megan Byers, Program Director at the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), and Chris Max, Research Lead in Sustainable Packaging Innovation at Kraft Heinz company. Kara, Megan, and Chris dive into the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability as APR celebrates 30 years of shaping how brands design packaging with a focus on sustainability and recycling. During the discussion, Megan walks through the evolution of the APR Design® Guide from a simple technical manual to an internationally recognized tool influencing...
info_outlineHost and APR's VP of Communications and Public Affairs, Kara Pochiro, is joined by Stephanie Baker, Director of Market Development for KW Plastics' Recycling Division. Kara and Stephanie discuss how KW got its beginnings from the disposal process for automotive battery casings and has now turned into a closed loop recycling business in Alabama, revitalizing the recycling economy with over 500 employees. The two also focus on the process of creating recycled resin that can be used in common products like shampoo bottles to unconventional items like deodorant sticks. They also talk about KW’s sister company which uses the recycled resin to create paint jars that have lasting and reusable impact. Tune in to hear Kara and Stephanie discuss policy and how it is important to work on building recycling infrastructure so that people at all levels can contribute to recycling and make an impact. To learn more about plastics recycling, head to www.plasticsrecycling.org.