According to an industry report, 54.5 percent of aluminum cans put on the U.S. market in 2015 were recovered. That's down from 56.7 percent in 2014. The rate was calculated by the Aluminum Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute and was laid out in an annual report from the two groups. The 54.5 percent figure is referred to by the groups...

Two of North America's largest waste management companies have officially become one. The acquisition of Progressive Waste Solutions by Waste Connections was finalized June 1. The two sides announced plans to merge in January via a transaction valued at $2.67 billion. "We are pleased to announce the completion of this combination, which creates a leading North American solid waste services...

Instead of using a tipping trailer to empty containers full of resin, A-Ward makes a container unloader that can get the job done as quickly – or slowly – as necessary.

A recycled polyester fiber company backed by the leaders of reclaimer Custom Polymers announced plans to begin operating this summer. Custom Synthetic Fibers is based in an 80,000-square-foot facility in Rogersville, Ala. and will annually produce 40 million pounds of polyester staple fiber from recovered plastic. Staple fibers are spun together to create yarn that can be used in a...

Ontario has passed legislation ushering in full producer-paid recycling of packaging materials throughout the province of more than 13 million people. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario approved the Waste-Free Ontario Act, or Bill 151, on June 1. The law replaces the Waste Diversion Act of 2002, under which producers split the costs of recycling printed paper and packaging with municipalities. The...

Recycling facilities will likely encounter more PET water containers in the years ahead. A press release from the consulting and research firm Beverage Marketing Association and the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) states bottled water consumption is poised to overtake that of carbonated soft drinks in 2017, or possibly by the end of this year. Americans consumed nearly 8 percent more bottled...

South Africa recycled more total plastic in 2015 than the year before, but the country's plastics diversion rate dropped and plastics recycling companies struggled. "Analysts agree that 2015 was one of the toughest years for recyclers both locally and abroad in more than a generation, owing to historically low oil prices that led to lower polymer prices," Anton Hanekom, executive...

A comprehensive report prepared for the Closed Loop Foundation digs deep into the current recycling landscape for e-scrap and electrical appliances. It also notes the industry needs to equip itself to handle a shifting material stream. The study was drafted by Jason Linnell, executive director of the National Center for Electronics Recycling, and Carole Mars and Christopher Nafe of the...

A European Union panel has approved the use of Starlinger de-contamination technology to recycle post-consumer PET into 100 percent-recycled-content food and beverage packaging.

Metabolix, a Massachusetts company that developed a bio-based additive for recycled PVC, is scrambling financially and could be forced to scale back or shut down.