TerraCycle uses its colossal collection capabilities to funnel hard-to-recycle materials to recycling facilities, but the company hasn't focused strongly on the e-scrap stream. That may change in coming years. The New Jersey-headquartered company last fall acquired Air Cycle Corp., a Chicago-based company that manages collections and recycling of universal waste, including bulbs and batteries. The $3.3 million acquisition is a...

Envision Plastics has launched a bottle made completely from materials at risk of becoming marine debris. The reclaimer says its first 100 percent OceanBound plastic container is being used by Primal Group's Vita brand of personal care products. "Envision is proud of the work we are doing by collecting and recycling OceanBound Plastic, but we are excited that it was...

German and Paraguayan companies got the go-ahead to recycle PET into food packaging, and KW Plastics received a similar thumbs up for HDPE. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late last year issued letters of no objection (LNOs) for the three companies. The letters allow them to utilize specific technologies for recycled plastics in food and drink packaging. In...

A new manufacturer with ties to QRS Recycling will begin making recycled-plastic railroad ties in St. Louis. NICE Rail Products will create 82 jobs with its production facility in the city, according to a press release from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. It plans to begin hiring employees with experience in plastics extrusion, quality control and manufacturing this quarter....

An Arkansas-based plastics reclaimer and manufacturer is furthering its growth on the West Coast with the acquisition of two California companies. Delta Plastics, a significant player in agricultural plastics recycling, has acquired two related companies, Los Angeles-based Command Packaging and Salinas, Calif.-based Encore Recycling. Delta Plastics, of Little Rock, Ark., makes agricultural tubing and recycled-plastic can liners. Revolution Plastics, the...

Aluminum and magnesium recycling company Real Alloy will shutter its Wisconsin facility as part of continuing efforts to improve efficiencies. In November, Real Alloy and its parent holding company Real Industry filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company cited a lack of cash caused by difficulty borrowing and refinancing debt. According to a January press release offering an update on...

Amid market disruption from China's import restrictions, Republic Services continued to realize recycling revenue gains last year. The Phoenix-headquartered company brought in $539.2 million in revenue from the sale of recyclables in 2017, up 28 percent over 2016. The increase was primarily due to higher prices for some commodities. The total weight sold last year was 5 million tons, half...

A $2 million below-market loan from the Closed Loop Fund is helping a Nebraska company retrofit its MRF. The project is the latest such equipment improvement for First Star Recycling. The Closed Loop Fund announced in January that it has invested in the Omaha-based company, which runs a single-stream MRF in the city. In an interview, First Star Recycling CEO...

Credit: Maurizio Targhetta Market analysts say 2018 could be a golden year - or perhaps a silver and platinum one - for the prices of precious metals recovered from scrap electronics. A new report by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) captures 2018 price predictions for gold, silver, platinum and palladium from two dozen experts. The prices matter to electronics...

ATR's facility in Grand Rapids, Mich. Photo courtesy of ATR. An ITAD company's growth in Michigan shows how partnering with nonprofit social service groups can present solid business-building opportunities. Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR), an IT asset disposition (ITAD) company with nine facilities around the U.S., provides reverse logistics, data destruction, repair/refurbishment, resale, recycling and other services. Of the 20 million...