A New Zealand teen has a plan to pull plastic from the ocean, and a Colombian firm is turning used plastic into shelter. New Zealand: A teenager has mixed magnetite, a mineral found in black-sand beaches, with polystyrene beads to form a magnetic plastic. Liam Henderson's goal, according to the website Stuff, is to make shopping bags out of the...

A plastic bag ban in Texas gets overturned, and local officials in New York weigh the pros and cons of agricultural plastic. Bag ban banned: A Texas Appeal Court has ruled a ban on plastic bags in the City of Laredo, Texas is illegal, citing a state law regulating solid waste. Applications due: The City of Austin is accepting applications...

Ratepayers are seeing an increase for garbage and recycling in the Pacific Northwest's largest city, and an appliance recycling company sees a stark revenue drop. Rate increase: Seattle residents and businesses are soon going to be paying more for garbage, recycling and organics collection. The Seattle City Council approved yearly rate increases for the next three years, according to the...

A group in India isn't happy with the government's lack of e-scrap laws, and an Australian telecom company touts its e-scrap recycling rate.India: A committee in India's Parliament is pushing government leaders to adopt strict e-scrap laws, says Shanghai Metals Market. The committee says the country's current rules do not cover proper disposal techniques, which could be causing harm to...

A petition opposing e-scrap exports grabs more backers, and a North Dakota municipality joins with a nonprofit group to boost electronics recovery.Gathering signatures: The Basel Action Network is close to getting 1,000 signatures on its change.org petition asking President Obama to stop the export of e-scrap. BAN is hoping the president will sign an executive order before he leaves office.E-scrap...

A report details a positive outlook for the plastic decking market, and the Olympic rings showcase more than just sportsmanship. Composite decking on the rise: The plastic decking market is expected to grow by more than 10 percent in the next five years, according to ReportLinker. The market will reach $4.69 billion by 2021, analysts predict. Plastic bag recycling: Just...

A county in North Carolina scrambles to find a way to continue curbside recycling services, and West Virginia jurisdiction axes drop-off collection. Forsyth County, N.C.: County leaders are exploring ways to continue curbside recycling after the current provider, Waste Industries, announced it didn't want to renew the contract, according to the Winston Salem-Journal. Waste Industries cited low participation in the...

Waste pickers in Rio de Janeiro are playing a key role in recycling during the Olympics, and India is set to receive its first integrated vehicle recycling facility. India: Two Indian states are on the list to receive the country's first integrated end-of-life vehicle shredding and recycling facility, notes Waste Management World. The plant is scheduled to open in 2018...

Some California beverage redemption centers report more difficulties, and we look at the presidential candidates' recycling bon mots and bonafides. Recycling notes from presidential candidates: This weekend, NPR ran a story on the source of wealth for both major party candidates for president, and the reported noted a bit of recycling exists in Republican nominee Donald Trump's backstory. "My father...

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