The Better “Bottle” for Personal Care Products

Yes, it is flexible packaging, and it does have multiple layers. Over the course of the past several years, our product development team has been able to construct each layer from high density polyethylene (HDPE) so that the entire structure is the flexible packaging equivalent to a #2 recyclable bottle.

First, check to be sure that your STANDCAP has the #2 HDPE logo on it.

It’s important that if your STANDCAP does not have this logo on it that you don’t put it in your recycling bin. If your STANDCAP does have this logo, great! That means it is ready to be recycled. Simply squeeze out as much of the product from the recyclable STANDCAP as you can, remove the cap and discard it, and place the recyclable STANDCAP in your recycling bin. If your community accepts #2 HDPE plastic, the recyclable STANDCAP can be put into your curbside recyclable bin. #2 plastic is a commonly recycled plastic and is what many laundry detergent bottles and milk jugs are made from. Please do not cut open the recyclable STANDCAP to try and remove excess product! At the recycling facility, the recyclable STANDCAP is ground up and goes through a “rinsing” process, where all the residual product is washed off the plastic. In short, there is no need to do any rinsing at home. Your community may not accept the recyclable STANDCAP for recycling. Please check with your local community programs.

The caps are not recyclable because they are made of a different plastic than the recyclable STANDCAP structure. The recyclable STANDCAP cap should be disposed of in the trash, not recycled. We are working to convert all our caps into a more compatible material within the HDPE recycling stream.

Our recyclable STANDCAP is made with #2 HDPE, which is one of the most widely recycled plastics. The recyclable STANDCAP is a lightweight packaging alternative which uses less plastic, reduces carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and landfill waste compared to rigid plastic & glass bottles. Unfilled rigid packaging can take up 26 times the space of the unfilled recyclable STANDCAP designed for the same product. Why ship air? Production, transportation, and a product’s full lifecycle directly impacts our environment. The recyclable STANDCAP positively impacts our environment and stimulates a circular economy. In addition, we found that if one leading condiment manufacturer switched just 10% of their ketchup bottles to the recyclable STANDCAP, it would eliminate approximately 2,600,000 pounds of plastic from being produced and ending up in landfills every year. That’s the equivalent weight of 28 Boeing 737-800 airliners! To learn more about the full sustainability benefits of the recyclable STANDCAP, download the Lifecycle Assessment Study.

In 2022, Glenroy® earned recognition for technical recyclability from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), stating that the recyclable STANDCAP is compatible with the HDPE #2 container recycling process. This means that “at least 60% of consumers or communities have access to a collection system that accepts the item per the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ‘Green Guides’”. (Source: APR Design^Ò Guide) To learn more about the APR and the work they do, check out their web site and our podcast, the Flexible Packaging Round Table. Sandi Childs, Director of Film and Flexible Programs at the APR joined us for a 2-part discussion. Watch or listen to part-1. Watch or listen to part-2. We continue to work with associations like the APR, other organizations in the flexible packaging industry, and brand owners to develop structures that not only provide the barrier properties necessary to protect the products inside but are also less straining on our environment. Even with all these efforts, your community may not yet accept the recyclable STANDCAP for recycling. Please check your local community programs to ensure that the recyclable STANDCAP is accepted. We are proud to be leaders in this space and our goal is to continue developing innovative packaging solutions to serve the next generation.

Recycling practices vary by municipality and not all materials are accepted in all towns. If your town doesn’t accept #2 plastic, we suggest you recycle the recyclable STANDCAP through the TerraCycle Zero Waste Box™ offerings. The recyclable STANDCAP is not included in the store drop-off recycling program and should not be placed in the bins outside your local stores. Additionally, we encourage you to work with local legislators to increase the amount of recycling in your area.

Glenroy offers 3 variations of STANDCAP – the premade STANDCAP Pouch, the premade STANDCAP Pouch with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, and the recyclable STANDCAP. Each format has its own unique properties. While some formats may not be recyclable, they still provide many environmental benefits when compared to rigid plastic and glass alternatives (including using less plastic, reduced usage of fossil fuel, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, using less water, and contributing less to landfills – even after factoring in plastic and glass recycling rates). To learn more about the full lifecycle sustainability benefits of STANDCAP and how it helps to decrease consumers’ carbon footprint, please download the Lifecycle Assessment Study. If you are ever in doubt about if the STANDCAP is or is not recyclable, throw it out! Because of the sustainability benefits of STANDCAP, its reduced carbon footprint will allow you to feel better about trashing it.

Plastic is not designed to be biodegradable. The #2 HDPE plastic used in the recyclable STANDCAP is designed to be “circular,” so that the material can be re-processed into new products and packaging.

The simple answer: it gets turned into new products and packaging! Once the tube is in the recycle stream, it gets sent to places like a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where it gets sorted, ground up, rinsed, and, then sent to a reprocessor who turns the ground up HDPE into little plastic pellets. These pellets can then get turned into new products and packaging!