The report is based on a symposium held May 12 and 13, 1971, in Columbus, Ohio. Each of the four parts of these proceedings, corresponding to the sessions of the symposium, brings together current knowledge and thinking in the disposal and reclamation of consumer containers. The contents include topics on the following disposal areas: Plastics, composites and paper (Incentives for the recycling and reuse of plastics, thermoplastics in waste recycling, Polytrip, the returnable plastic milk bottle system, reclamation of plastic-paper composites, paper industry plans); Glass containers (Design trends in glass containers, re-using scrap glass, techniques for self-disposal, composite bottle design and disposal, separation of glass from municipal refuse); Metallic containers (Ferrous scrap recycling and steel technology, metallurgical aspects of reclaiming container scrap, recovery and utilization of aluminum from solid waste).