California officials say they intercepted two semi-trucks carrying used beverage containers from Arizona to California, where they were going to be illegally redeemed. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) says a sting operation resulted in the arrest of two truck drivers and recovery of nearly 15,000 pounds of containers. The mid-March stings stopped two trucks crossing at...

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 run by local plastics reclaimers. "Today, I say that recycling is a clear solution out of poverty for our Central American countries...

A nationwide multi-family garbage and recycling collection company has been fined by a state for allegedly tossing recyclables in the trash. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on March 2 fined Valet Waste $13,500 for allegedly mixing source-separated recyclable materials and garbage at an apartment complex in Portland, Ore. Such a move is a violation of state law. Valet...

Ann Arbor, Mich. may be trucking its single-stream material to a materials recovery facility in Ohio for the foreseeable future. That's because it isn't ready to invest more than $2 million into its MRF, which is in need of repairs and upgrades. The Ann Arbor News reports the City of Ann Arbor estimates it may cost $2.2 million to repair and...

Oregon regulators have fined Total Reclaim more than $160,000 for allegedly violating hazardous waste laws, but the e-scrap processor denies the allegations and has appealed the penalty. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on April 3 issued a press release announcing the $164,400 civil penalty. In addition, DEQ revealed that Total Reclaim was cut off from receiving e-scrap through...

If one’s man’s trash is another man’s treasure, then Athens Services’ MRF is the other man. The mixed-waste processing facility has been known to profit off the discards from single-stream MRFs. “In several cases, we’ve taken the residue from recycling companies and recovered enormous value from their lack of processing effectiveness,” said Riel Johnson, general manager of Athens Services. “With...

A startup commercializing an innovative PET depolymerization technology has inked its first deal with a major brand owner. Loop Industries, which uses a heatless, pressureless technology to break down recovered PET into its component monomers, has signed a deal with PepsiCo. A publicly traded company, Loop was required to report the signing of the agreement to the U.S. Securities and...

One of the world's largest used beverage can recycling facilities has gotten even larger and is now capable of recovering 20 percent of all aluminum cans sold in the U.S. Aluminum company Constellium announced the installation of the additional recycling furnace at its Muscle Shoals, Ala. recycling and production facility. The furnace was installed in what the company's calls "Element...

The product stewardship group at the center of British Columbia's recently reshaped curbside program has taken on a new moniker. The extended producer responsibility group formerly known as MMBC manages the collection and recycling of printed paper and packaging throughout the western Canadian province, which has a population of 4.75 million. “It’s important that we have a clearly defined name so British Columbians...

A package of equipment from New Jersey-based Foam Cycle aims to help organizations, including municipalities, with their expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling efforts. The new company is offering what it calls the Foam Cycle container recycling system, a public collection bin, portable building and densifier. Its focus is to help local governments, schools, universities or businesses kickstart efficient EPS collections. The...