A national processing company develops a collection bin for e-scrap, and researchers at the University of Houston push forward in rare-earth recovery. Fresno, Calif.-based Electronic Recyclers International was awarded Patent No. 9,365,227 for a bin made specifically for public collection of scrap electronics.A scrap material shredding and compressing system is the subject of Patent No. 9,375,721, awarded to Calabash, N.C.-based...

A report detailing the closure of one of North America's largest plastics reclaimers, and an update on India's scrap imports ban are among the headlines that captured the attention of Plastics Recycling Update readers last month. The list below shows the five Plastics Recycling Update online articles with the most unique page views during the month of July. 1 |...

A drugstore chain in British Columbia is ramping up its plastic film recycling efforts, and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries alters some recovered plastics specifications. Plastic film recycling program: London Drugs, a pharmacy chain in Vancouver, British Columbia, is now offering plastic bag, plastic wrap and foam packaging recycling at 11 of its locations. The one-year pilot project with...

Fewer plastic bags are being used in the U.K., and a German beverage producer continues to take recycling into its own hands. Europe: The European Commission has proposed a uniform way to measure recycling rates across all member states, and it is supported by the trade group Plastics Recyclers Europe. The proposed system would measure recovered material at the last...

The Constitution State offers up a plan to cut waste, and a city in Iowa is getting rid of curbside glass collection. UBC price fluctuations: Modest seasonality affects the value of used aluminum beverage cans. Resource Recycling's market charts show that UBC prices generally fare better in the first and third quarters of the year. About 60 percent of the...

People in Scotland can drink beer and feel good about it environmentally, and a group of European companies is exploring turning diapers into new plastics. Scotland: Organizers of a beer festival in Scotland announced their event is the first to tie into a regional zero-waste campaign. The movement is an effort to support the government's zero waste plan. Europe: A...

Resource Recycling readers were drawn last month to a MRF operator's perspective on current recycling struggles and to a story about a slain recycling leader in Colorado. The list below shows the five Resource Recycling online articles with the most unique page views during the month of July. 1 | MRF operator details life amid 'the perfect storm' A ReCommunity...

Malaysia is slated to usher in technology for e-scrap and white goods recycling, and an island nation explores the possibility of a consumer fee to fund electronics recovery. Malaysia: The Southeast Asian country of 30 million people is slated to receive an automated processing system for e-scrap and white goods recycling, according to The New Straits Times. Local company Shan...

The end has officially come for the VCR, and the upcoming iPhone may not necessarily be an improvement when it comes to durability. Repair concerns about iPhone 7: There is speculation that Apple will remove the headphone jack on the upcoming iPhone, combining the jack with the Lightning port. If that’s true, the website iFixit predicts weaker durability and more...

Instead of separating fiber and PE, two British companies are producing a mixed PE-fiber recycled resin, and the growing potential for rPET in nonwoven fabrics is explored. Plastics recycling in space: Firmamentum, a Bothell, Wash.-based company, has built a 3-D printer capable of recycling plastic items back into filament, which is used by the same machine to create new objects,...