Advancing Recovery for Small Format Packaging Through Cross-Sector Collaboration
The Small Format Packaging Infrastructure Coalition brings together leaders from across the packaging, recycling, waste management, and sustainability communities to tackle a shared challenge: improving the recovery and reuse of small format materials like aluminum caps, glass vials, plastic pods, and small paper cartons.
These materials are part of everyday life but often escape recovery in current systems due to their size. This coalition provides a platform for alignment across sectors—uniting brands, technology providers, and material processors—to deliver practical solutions that benefit recycling systems, the environment, and the circular economy.
Led by the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI), the coalition works to strengthen infrastructure, support smart design, and create actionable data that enables long-term improvements in materials recovery.
Mission
The coalition’s mission is to create a more efficient and circular system for small format packaging by:
- Enhancing recovery infrastructure to reduce material loss and improve quality
- Supporting best practices in both packaging and recycling system design
- Developing actionable data for potential inclusion in EPR programs and recycling standards
- Recognizing the role of MRFs and glass processors in capturing value before disposal
Why Small Format Packaging Matters
Every day, millions of small-format items slip through the cracks and when they do, they don’t just contaminate glass. They slow and reduce recycling across the board:
- Cross-Stream Contamination
Tiny plastics, metals, and paper fragments end up in glass bales, but they also enter paper, plastic, and metal streams, driving up sorting errors at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). When a handful of plastic pods or metal caps leaks into a bale of paper or a pile of aluminum cans, the whole load may need to be diverted or downgraded. This increases costs and forces entire trucks to be landfilled rather than recycled. - Reduced Recovery and Higher Costs
Small items clog screens and conveyors, which often results in delays on sorting lines that back up the entire facility. For example, a few thousand glass vials mixed into an aluminum stream can force operators to slow or shut down lines while they hand-pick contaminants. That lost throughput means fewer tons of any material get recycled each day and drives up the cost per ton for MRFs and haulers. - Lower-Quality Recycled Feedstocks
Even if small pieces are technically recyclable, their presence in the wrong stream degrades the purity of recovered bales. Glass cullet becomes “dirty,” paper pulp gets tainted, plastic flakes are mixed, and metal streams lose value. As end markets demand higher purity, contaminated bales often end up landfilled or sold at a steep discount. - An Untapped Circular Economy Opportunity
When we capture small-format packaging before it contaminates any single stream, we unlock new value for glass, plastic, metal, and fiber. Imagine a world where that stray foil cap or coffee pod is routed to the right processor: glass plants get clean cullet, plastic recyclers get high-quality resin, metal shredders get pure aluminum, and paper mills avoid costly contaminants. That is better for the environment, better for brand owners, and better for municipalities.
Press Release
The Small Format Packaging Infrastructure Coalition announced its formation to align industries and improve the capture of small format packaging items across the recycling system.
“This is a positive and inclusive step forward for all material types,” said Scott DeFife, President of GPI. “Our goal is to work together to maximize recovery, reduce contamination, and increase the value of recycled materials—whether that’s glass, metal, plastic, or fiber.”
Read the Full Press Release (PDF or full copy embedded here)
Join the Coalition
Interested in becoming a member or learning more?
Contact: Rebecca Thomas, rthomas@gpi.org
Media Inquiries: Angela Chiappetta, ac@sqcomms.com