Regulators say 1.6 million pounds of computers and monitors were recycled through the Oklahoma state program last year, the lowest weight in six years. A steep drop from 2.7 million pounds a year earlier was likely due to declines in manufacturer-sponsored collections, as well as an evolving stream of lighter end-of-life devices, according to the 2016 program report. The document...

A Samsung Galaxy phone is repurposed through the Galaxy Upcycling project. The world's largest handset producer has launched a reuse program that will allow consumers to repurpose their old mobile devices. As described by Motherboard, the OEM plans to release a tool that lets consumers unlock old phones running obsolete software, and replace the outdated programs with new systems allowing...

A tissue and packaging maker will invest millions of dollars into expanding its ability to use recycled PET and foam PS in its products. Cascades will spend $16.3 million (about $21 million Canadian dollars) to acquire equipment allowing it to increase recycled-content food packaging, primarily for the fresh food market. The company received a $4.7 million loan from the government...

M&G, one of the world's largest producers of virgin PET for packaging, has shut down production plants. Market repercussions from the move could mean higher prices for recycled material. Italian chemicals company Mossi Ghisolfi (M&G) has stopped production at its West Virginia and Mexico facilities, which are capable of producing 250,000 metric tons and 560,000 metric tons of PET per...

A survey of plastics converters in Europe shows many of them have trouble obtaining enough acceptable-quality recycled plastic feedstock. Industry group European Plastics Converters Association (EuPC) commissioned consulting and research firm Polymer Comply Europe (PCE) to conduct the online survey, which polled 485 participants from 28 countries earlier this year. The goal was to provide a snapshot of the current...

Fire crews have extinguished a blaze at a recycled plastics facility in West Virginia that burned for more than a week, shutting down businesses, government offices and schools. The massive fire occurred at an Intercontinental Export-Import (IEI-Plastics) facility in Parkersburg, W. Va. It sent a plume of smoke over the city, forcing residents to stay inside due to air-quality concerns,...

When it began facing constricted fiber exports to China, Waste Management adapted by selling into alternative markets. As a result, it has been able to avoid stockpiling or landfilling recyclables, company CEO Jim Fish said. Waste Management and Waste Connections, the first and third largest publicly traded disposal and recycling companies in North America, reported their third-quarter financial results on...

This article originally appeared in the August 2017 issue of Plastics Recycling Update. Subscribe today for access to all print content.   Together, they provide museum tours, child health and education centers and adult financial literacy classes. Thousands of impoverished people rely on them for survival. But they’re not charities or social welfare programs – these Latin American programs are...

Construction is underway on a massive Los Angeles-area plastics recycling facility that will take in bales of PET bottles from curbside collection and other channels. The rPlanet Earth facility will produce recycled-content products used to make bottles and food packaging. The 302,000-square-foot facility in Vernon, Calif. is unique for its scale and vertical integration, producing bottle preforms, sheet and thermoform...

This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.   Some of the most critical recovered commodities generated by materials recovery facilities have been fetching high prices lately, including aluminum and fibers. But China’s recently announced plans for import restrictions have introduced unsettling uncertainties into the market. That was...