Scientists are using an enzyme to break down PET and PU into their component monomers and then employing bacteria to rebuild them into a PHA bioplastic. Scientists are using an enzyme to break down PET and PU into their component monomers and then employing bacteria to rebuild them into a PHA bioplastic. The European Union-funded project seeks to find ways...

One expert says changes to the extended producer responsibility system in the U.K. are beneficial, and a Middle Eastern kingdom works to teach students about e-scrap recycling. U.K.: The former head of the largest producer stewardship group in the U.K. writes about changes to the EPR system. In MRW, Dr. Philip Morton says the changes make the system fair for...

A Chicago suburb makes changes to its e-scrap recycling program, and federal prison funding is affecting electronics recycling in New Mexico. E-scrap recycling returns: After a suspension of the program, residents of Naperville, Ill., a Chicago suburb, can once again drop off old TVs and computer monitors for recycling at the City's collection center, says the Naperville Sun. But, it...

The PET recycling rate is increasing in South Africa, and a PVC recycling program in the U.K. gets kudos. Austria: Next Generation Group, a company known for making mechanical recycling equipment, has started a pilot project that breaks down plastic into fuel. Plastics News says the technology could be installed at plastic recycling facilities, allowing processors to make the most...

Projects to recover health-care plastics are highlighted, and greater volumes of packaging for ready-to-eat foods are likely to enter the recycling stream. Plastics recycling innovation: The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council recently held its fall meeting and the theme was innovative ways to recycle plastics found in the healthcare industry. As an example of one effort, Goodwill of Southern California stepped...

Lower recovered metals prices hurt revenue at a waste-to-energy company, and a group urges a major magazine to use recycled paper. There's an app for that: Residents in Burlington County, N.J. now have an app to help them with their recycling needs. Recycle Coach reminds users of pickup times, scheduled events and acceptable materials, among other things. Business crackdown: In Calgary,...

A state-of-the art electronics recycling facility opens in Sweden, and a retailer in Sri Lanka offers e-scrap drop-off. Sri Lanka:The Daily Mirror applauds the actions of Singer, an appliance and electronics store, for its promotion of responsible electronics recycling. Singer allows consumers to drop off their e-scrap at stores and service centers nationwide.Sweden: Stena Recycling has opened a new facility...

A podcast discusses data destruction, and residents near Chicago now have free e-scrap recycling. Exploding phones: Californians Against Waste have weighed in on the issues with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. The group says the recall of the phone is creating a massive amount of waste.Wipe or destroy?: A new podcast from ITADTech discusses the differences between wiping a...

A Gaza plastics company survives polyethylene import restrictions by recycling local scrap, and efforts are afoot to create a worldwide recycling day. United Arab Emirates: A 9-year-old boy in Dubai not only created and distributed a flier encouraging recycling – he also collected 1,160 pounds of paper for recycling. The Khaleej Times reports on how Yug Shah's long-standing commitment to...

ExxonMobil is part of a project developing a type of flexible film that could be more easily integrated into the PE collection stream, and a detergent bottle maker focuses on recycled HDPE. Flexible film progress: ExxonMobil and Thanh Phu, a Vietnam-based maker of flexible packaging, have collaborated to create a 100 percent PE laminated packaging. The flexible film, which can...