Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) has reported its first known instance of an e-scrap processor creating a fraudulent R2 certificate. According to SERI, which administers the R2 electronics recycling standard, Secure Recycling presented a doctored R2 certificate in an attempt to win a contract from a school district. The document was apparently a real certificate that had the facility name,...

Three optical sorters and a variety of screening technologies form the upgraded backbone of a recently re-opened California MRF. Mid Valley Disposal, a family-owned recycling and hauling company, started up the new sortation system in Fresno in April. The system, designed and manufactured by San Diego-based CP Group, can process up to 35 tons per hour of residential and commercial...

This story originally appeared in the May 2017 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.   With rising prices for recovered commodities, a growing sense of optimism has emerged in the recycling industry – and a sense of relief, since the recent downturn was so prolonged. That’s according to Robin Wiener, president of the Institute of...

Unilever thinks the key to tackling multi-material flexible packaging waste may be to dissolve, separate and precipitate its PE content so it can be recycled. The giant brand owner plans to test the approach at a facility in East Java, Indonesia. In May, Plastics Recycling Update first wrote about Unilever's announcement that it will test the long-term commercial-scale viability of...

When added to recycled plastic melt streams, a specially designed particle can break up and scatter contaminants, boost throughputs and help disperse other additives, according to the product's developer. Ecopuro has created an engineered structural particle it calls "Boundary Breaker." The company, which performs its technical operations in Grand Rapids, Mich. and has its headquarters in Denver, recently provided Plastics...

European groups are backing an initiative to recycle polystyrene materials containing a banned flame retardant. They recently reported key progress in their effort. The Dutch nonprofit group PolyStyrene Loop is working to build a demonstration plant in the Dutch city of Terneuzen. The group, formed by companies representing the PS foam value chain, was recently awarded a European Union grant of 2.7...

When densifying certain materials, gravity can fall short of what's needed to feed low-density bulk plastics into the equipment. That's why Herbold Meckesheim USA has developed a force-feed mechanism for its line of HV Plastcompactor Densifiers. "While traditional gravity feeding is appropriate in some cases, it is not ideal for materials like carpet fiber, film or polystyrene," according to a...

A company creating plastics processing aids from recycled plastics has announced a new line of PP waxes. Brantford, Ontario-based GreenMantra Technologies has made its Ceranovus brand waxes available in PP. It already produces and sells PE ones. The waxes can be used to boost extruder throughputs, reduce extruder energy usage and increase dispersion of additives within a plastic, according to...

When it was founded around the turn of the millennium, Sunnking saw device refurbishment as king. Today, the upstate New York company still resells used electronics, but it has also embraced commodities recovery as an end-of-life option for lower-value devices. “We are excited about our new machines because us accomplish our mission to provide superior asset management and recovery services,”...

Brands can't use patent law to block the resale of their products, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, a decision that has implications for the electronics reuse industry. An electronics repair advocate hailed the May 30 decision. "This cements your ability to resell or repurpose products without being beholden to the original patent holder," said Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, in...