Industry exports last year saw decreases in both tonnage and average price when compared with 2015 totals. U.S. export data for December 2016 recently became available, offering the opportunity for full-year analysis. In 2016, 4.27 billion pounds of scrap plastics were sent to foreign markets. That was a drop of 5.4 percent from the 2015 total. Meanwhile, at 17.08 cents...

This story originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content. In September 2015, organics recovery in the United States experienced a watershed moment. The U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture together issued a national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by the year 2030....

This story originally appeared in the December 2016 issue of E-Scrap News. Subscribe today for access to all print content.   In May of this year, the nonprofit Basel Action Network released the first of several reports detailing an extensive project in which GPS tracking devices were inserted into low-value electronics that were then dropped off at e-scrap collection points around...

The ERI facility in Lincoln Park, N.J. While many e-scrap companies have begun avoiding the CRT-heavy streams that define local government collections, the leader of one major processor says cities continue to be valuable partners for his firm. ERI last week announced the opening of an e-scrap consolidation facility in Lincoln Park, N.J., replacing a smaller consolidation site the company...

Numbers on exported scrap totals continue to show 2016 lagging 2015 in terms of volume and value. With 3.54 billion pounds of scrap plastics exported through the first 10 months of 2016, the year-to-date (YTD) volume was down 8.1 percent from the YTD figure this time last year. At 17.22 cents per pound, the average weighted price for exported scrap...

Recycling and waste-reduction advocates in Michigan were unable to stop passage of a bill that prohibits local ordinances limiting the use of plastic bags and plastic food-service items. On Dec. 30, Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed the legislation into law (the lieutenant governor signed the bill because Gov. Rick Snyder was out of the state). Michigan joins Arizona, Florida,...

This story originally appeared in the December 2016 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content. When it comes to U.S. paper recycling, Pratt Industries is typically at the center of the conversation. The Conyers, Ga.-based company now operates four 100 percent recycled paper mills and touts itself as the nation’s fifth-largest manufacturer of corrugated packaging....

Recycling and waste-reduction advocates in Michigan were unable to stop passage of a bill that prohibits local ordinances limiting the use of plastic bags and plastic food-service items. On Dec. 30, Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed the legislation into law (the lieutenant governor signed the bill because Gov. Rick Snyder was out of the state). Michigan joins Arizona, Florida,...

Volume and price levels for scrap material sent out of the U.S. recently experienced month-to-month increases. However, cumulative export totals for 2016 continued to lag those of 2015. In October 2016, the most recent month for which figures are available, scrap plastics exports totaled 365.65 million pounds, a boost of 3.1 percent from September 2016 export levels. However, when matched...

Not surprisingly, the great glass debate is continuing into 2017. Four municipalities from different corners of the country recently made moves or began discussions to try to recover glass in a more cost-effective manner. Leaders in the Big Easy are making it a bit more difficult to recycle glass in downtown and the French Quarter. New Orleans will end its...