The Closed Loop Fund invests in end markets for often-landfilled mixed plastics, and a chemical company develops recyclable films for making food pouches. Carbon fiber recycling: A nonprofit group working to engineer new methods of recycling uncured carbon fiber has inked a $400,000 contract, which will allow it to more than double its staff. The Port Angeles, Wash.-based Composite Recycling...

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Trade and technology stories grabbed our readers' interest in July, particularly China's announcement of a ban on recovered plastics imports. The list below shows our top stories last month in terms of unique page views. 1 | China says it will ban imports of key recovered plastics Chinese authorities have announced the country will prohibit recycled PET, PE, PVC and...

An environmental group leader in Hong Kong raises concerns about China's proposed import prohibition, and an agricultural plastics recycling program finds success in Minnesota. Regional reaction: China's recently proposed ban on imported plastics and other recyclables could severely damage Hong Kong's scrap trading sector, according to one Hong Kong environmental group. In an op-ed in the South China Morning Post,...

Low commodity prices lead Australian recycling companies to stockpile recyclables, and a lack of multi-family recycling requirements turns recycling into a luxury amenity in Texas. Stockpiles Down Under: Low commodity values are leaving recycling companies in Melbourne, Australia with few viable downstream outlets for recovered materials. The Sydney Morning Herald writes that the situation has led to stockpiles, which, in...

The used and refurbished phone market is predicted to grow substantially, and a Canadian province increases its "eco fee" for the first time in its history. Market change: Nova Scotia has raised the environmental handling fee (EHF) charged to consumers when they purchase electronics in the Canadian province. According to CBC News, the increase is the first since the EHF...

Info Dog Security of Spencer, Iowa has either achieved its NAID certification for physical destruction of hard drives.       Visit our archive to view previous editions of the scorecard.  

The American Chemistry Council responds to the latest study quantifying plastics production and recycling, and San Diego plans to spend $90,000 per year to recycle PS food-service containers. Pyrolysis emissions: Plastics-to-fuel facilities generate very low emissions compared with food processing, automobile manufacturing and other industries, new research has shown. A report commissioned by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) found that typical...

Government funding boosts an agricultural PP processing plant, and retailers in two countries reduce their use of thin plastic bags. Australia: Two large supermarket chains will phase out single-use plastic bags and offer a more durable, reusable alternative in the coming year. Recycling International writes that the decision by Woolworths and Coles comes against a backdrop of bag bans in...

Houston will undergo another round of bidding from companies interested in sorting and selling its curbside recyclables, and the editor of a local paper gets a firsthand lesson in the problem of contamination. More bidding: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has changed his mind on awarding a 20-year recycling contract to FCC Environmental Services and will instead seek another round of...