Sally Houghton is the Executive Director of the Plastic Recycling Corporation of California, PRCC. She has been in the plastic recycling industry and worked for the California non-profit since 2007. In this role, she coordinates a team that manages all aspects of the plastic recycling industry including a strong supply chain, knowledge of the PET industry, logistics, quality control and legislative understanding. It is this broad experience of the industry that provides her a firm grasp of all elements in the recycling chain, she feels.

“I am a big believer in the importance of a strong recycling industry as it conserves natural resources, strengthens our economy and creates jobs. Recycling is an essential part of Sustainable Materials Management (SMM), an approach that emphasises the productive and sustainable use of materials across their entire life cycle, while minimising their environmental impacts,” she says when commenting about her choice of profession. 

Since joining PRCC, she has seen and helped the growth of the industry, particularly the PET reclamation industry - from one converter to six. In California, PRCC now has the ability to recycle, collect and convert PET back into a bottle. 

“There are so many more women in the U.S industry from when I started 15+ years ago that I feel proud to be in the industry. It has been a privilege seeing the recycling industry grow and women playing a big role in its development. At the start of my career I had several strong women role models who paved the way,” she says.