New research suggests mixed-waste MRFs are capable of recovering more plastics than single-stream facilities. A study, commissioned by the American Forest & Paper Association and conducted by consultancy Burns & McDonnell, considers the costs and recycling effectiveness of single-stream and mixed-waste collection systems when applied to a hypothetical community of 650,000 residents. While the results suggest mixed-waste facilities cost almost...

After a long-simmering defamation lawsuit was dismissed this month, the Basel Action Network has gone on the offensive. A report released by BAN today indicates Intercon Solutions, a Chicago-area processor that appears to be inactive, exported at least 167 containers of scrap material to Hong Kong and other Asian ports between 2010 and 2011. The new allegations, which build on...

The world's only remaining glass-to-glass recycling outlet for CRTs has idled its panel and funnel furnaces in Bharuch, India for "heavy maintenance" and stopped taking CRT glass from its U.S. partner, Cali Resources, E-Scrap News has learned. The president of Cali Resources said any glass that would traditionally head to India is being processed in Mexico for a construction-products venture...

This week a Kentucky news channel unearthed a CRT dumping ground near a processing facility owned by processor Global Environmental Services. The company, which also recently lost or withdrew from its environmental certifications, has since admitted to the wrongdoing. According to a report published Wednesday by Lexington, Ky. NBC affiliate LEX 18, GES met with state investigators this week and...

When it comes to its moniker, a key plastics recycling group hopes less is more. The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers is now the Association of Plastic Recyclers. The change, announced earlier this month at the group's fall membership meeting in Indianapolis, is aimed at better representing the activity of current and prospective APR members. "It just seemed like we...

A bill that had the potential to do away with North Carolina's e-scrap program was revised before passing. House Bill 765, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Pat McCrory, gained the approval of North Carolina legislators in the House on Sept. 29. While an earlier version of the wide-reaching legislation would have defunded the state's e-scrap program, the ratified...

The processor known for its controversial approach to handling CRT glass has been fined more than $100,000 for an alleged series of worker safety violations cited at its Plainfield, Ill. plant. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued 26 "serious" violations on Sept. 22 to Kuusakoski U.S., the American wing of the Finnish metals company Kuusakoski Recycling. The fines,...

As the Resource Recycling Conference kicked off in Indianapolis last week, the host city's recent decision to turn to mixed waste processing was the subject of a fiery and insightful debate. The "Separation Anxiety" panel at the 2015 Resource Recycling Conference focused largely on whether Indianapolis made a mistake last year when it agreed to a contract with Covanta to...

The Closed Loop Fund, a recycling-focused investment group founded by nine major corporations, has made its first significant funding announcement. The group, which was started in April 2014, will loan a total of $7.8 million to fund a plastics recovery facility (PRF) in Baltimore and help two Midwest communities switch from dual- to single-stream recycling collection programs. In addition, the...

The chairman and principal investor of 3S International says the processing company's future is bright, despite a recent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.In an interview with E-Scrap News, W. Sidney Smith was frank about the company's early struggles. But he held firm that 3S would find a way to profitability utilizing its three automated processing machines for mercury-containing flat-panel display...