A viable end market is crucial to effective materials recovery, and in the plastics realm, those downstream uses are growing increasingly diverse. During Plastics Recycling 2017, four industry players discussed the ins and outs of their post-consumer resin usage during a panel session moderated by Tamsin Ettefagh, vice president of sales at Envision Plastics. The conference was held earlier this...

Demand for recovered commodities sent to China may further diminish as another round of import inspections threatens to slow or shutter Chinese processors. Up to 60 percent of scrap import permits could be revoked following inspections conducted this month, according to an update from the China Scrap Plastics Association (CSPA). As many as 1,700 personnel will, by the end of...

Demand for recovered commodities sent to China may further diminish as another round of import inspections threatens to slow or shutter Chinese processors. Up to 60 percent of scrap import permits could be revoked following inspections conducted this month, according to an update from the China Scrap Plastics Association (CSPA). As many as 1,700 personnel will, by the end of...

Funding for North Carolina's state recycling support program has been largely preserved in a compromise budget approved by both legislative chambers last month. The final budget reduces funding to the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS), an office within North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), by $500,000 and eliminates seven DEACS positions in regional offices, according to...

Separation equipment from SICON aims to facilitate increased recovery of valuable raw materials from mixed thermoplastic streams. The Polyfloat system provides yields with up to 99 percent purity, differentiating it from other equipment that produces a low-quality plastic concentrate, according to SICON. The system separates the plastics by density, employing a separation unit that minimizes the formation of air bubbles....

An automated LCD disassembly machine is gearing up to be presented to the public after several years in development. The Trumaster-ALR can process up to 80 LCD units per hour, separating the LCD shell, mercury-containing CCFL tubes and flat-panel display. LCDs have been a growing portion of the waste stream for the past few years, as more of the devices...

MBA Polymers' U.K. and China operations have been sold to a German equity fund, and the plastics reclaimer's Austrian branch has been bought out by its longtime co-owner. Founded by Mike Biddle in California 25 years ago, MBA Polymers has grown to operate worldwide and become an innovator in processing challenging plastics. It can process up to 175,000 tons per...

Experts shared a broad range of ideas linked by sustainability in the plastics industry during the Refocus Sustainability and Recycling Summit last week. The Plastics Industry Association-hosted conference followed two trajectories, “Sustainable Tech & Engineering” and “Sustainability in Manufacturing.” Here are some highlights from sessions at the 2017 event, which took place June 27-29 at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel...

Around 100,000 chopsticks are discarded in Vancouver, British Columbia every day, and that fact has led to a unique line of recycled products. Vancouver startup Chopvalue turns post-consumer chopsticks into home decor and furniture items. Chopvalue's use of recycled content in its products is particularly ambitious, since it first had to establish a collection system to backhaul the materials for...

Glass continues to draw sharp focus in municipal programs across the country, as market realities, transport logistics and contamination form a barrier to cost-effective recovery. In fact, one large county in Georgia recently announced it was removing the material from curbside collection. Communities facing these challenges and questioning the viability of glass recycling may find answers from the Glass Recycling...