As both the plastics and healthcare industries continue to evolve, the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) remains dedicated to our mission to collaborate across the value chain to inspire and enable the healthcare community to implement viable, safe, and cost-effective recycling solutions for healthcare plastics.
Last year, we embarked on several projects from identifying synergistic waste streams within hospitals to conducting a lifecycle assessment literature review to identifying sortation best practices in the EU. We published a number of case studies, shared the final phase of our advanced recycling research, and continued to work with industry partners to share learnings and overcome shared challenges.
Now as we enter a new year, we’re excited to share our 2026 project roadmap! While some projects will carry over from last year, we’re also launching a slate of new initiatives in the new year.
2026 Project Overview
Houston Healthcare Plastics Regional Recycling Initiatives
Building on work carried out in 2024 and 2025, this project aims to initiate a regional healthcare plastics recycling program in Houston. The Houston initiative is a collaborative effort with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) and the Vinyl Institute, starting with the Houston Methodist healthcare network.
The goal is to create a model program that showcases effective collaboration and responsible plastic recycling practices within a network of hospitals that can serve as a blueprint for other regions.
HFAB Resource Refresh
To support healthcare facilities as they navigate the evolving recycling landscape, this project will assess our existing Hospicycle tools to identify gaps in information and any outdated resources.
Working closely with our Healthcare Facility Advisory Board (HFAB), the project team will determine desired content updates by conducting a gap assessment. They will work to understand what tools are most useful, what resources are missing, and what can be improved. They will then develop a plan to refresh our available resources and build new tools to meet the changing needs of healthcare facilities.
Recycling Infrastructure
This project aims to improve our understanding of what medical device manufacturers (MDMs) and packaging suppliers should prioritize for recycle-ready packaging and materials selection. The project team will engage with U.S. hospitals through interviews to understand what works for those who have recycling systems and what barriers exist for those who do not. The interview results will be used to identify specific infrastructure needs within hospitals that would improve plastics recycling.
The results of these discussions will inform the development of a publicly available map highlighting hospitals that are currently recycling, their recycling partners, and what materials are being recycled.
Standardized Labeling for Flexible & Rigid Packaging
The goal of this project will be to support accurate material identification to improve end-of-life separation and recyclability by developing a standardized approach to labeling flexible and rigid medical packaging materials across MDMs and suppliers.
Industry alignment through a harmonized approach is key to ensuring clarity and applicability to support credible sustainability claims. The project team will review and understand the current state of existing labeling practices to inform the development of labeling guidelines.
Volume and Value Tool Summary
With the goal of developing a tool to predict plastic and recyclable material moving through a facility, this project team would use predictive analytics gathered from procurement data from FY2025 projects as well as partnerships with hospitals to determine product material makeup.
The tool would offer visibility to the potential volume of material available for recycling and make it easier to find partners/resources for collection. It would allow the user to evaluate a material’s recyclability to see how purchasing decisions affect the end volume of recyclable materials.
Interested in learning more about HPRC and the work that we do? Follow us on LinkedIn to stay in the loop on our latest work and check out currently available resources on our website.