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Resource Recycling | Plastics Recycling Update | E-Scrap News
From Resource Recycling
Feb. 26
John Busterud, head of the main waste office for the US EPA, will retire in March to focus on a health condition.
Feb. 24
CalRecycle published a summary of the overall findings of the statewide needs assessment, as well as reports on achieving source reduction and on collection, processing and end markets.
Oregon opened public comment on Circular Action Alliance’s second draft program plan amendment for the state’s EPR program, updating its approach to meet its obligation to deliver materials collected for recycling to responsible end markets, through March 27.
Feb. 20
Iowa-based Vermeer acquired 186 acres of land near Des Moines and plans to build a new 300,000 square foot facility for manufacturing industrial parts and equipment.
Feb. 19
The Northeast Recycling Council published its 2026 professional development course schedule.
Ann E. Gravatt’s appointment to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission was confirmed and her term will begin Feb. 20.
Feb. 18
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the January 2026 Packaging Papers Monthly report, showing that shipments declined by 1% on the year, while the total operating rate was higher on the month and the year, at 80.7%.
CalRecycle opened an online nomination process through April 2, for eight Packaging Producer Responsibility Advisory Board positions whose terms are expiring June 30, 2026.
The Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) is hosting its 30th Annual Recycling Update on March 25 at San Francisco State University.
Feb. 13
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will hold a public advisory board meeting for packaging EPR Feb. 18, with a comment period to follow.
PRO Recycle BC debuted curbside collection for flexible plastics and non-deposit glass in Vancouver this week, and will begin in the Central Okanagan district in May.
France-based textile recycler Reju, owned by Technip Energies, selected Lacq, in southwest France, and Rochester, New York, as new sites for industrial-size polyester depolymerization plants.
Hauler Republic Services appointed Ian Craig, CEO of Coca-Cola FEMSA, to its board of directors.
Feb. 10
The Glass Packaging Institute is accepting submissions on a rolling basis for the 2027 Clear Choice Awards, which honor outstanding glass packaging design in North America, through Dec. 18, 2026.
The Northeast Recycling Council Organics Management Committee extended the deadline for state and local governments, institutions, businesses and nonprofits to submit short case studies or project summaries describing real-world examples of organics waste mitigation to 5pm Eastern on Feb. 13, for publication in the Organics Management Guide.
Feb. 9
The Can Manufacturers Institute has appointed Roxanne Sharif as director of sustainability.
Cascades is discontinuing its honeycomb paperboard and partition packaging product divisions, closing three plants in Pennsylvania and Quebec.
The Coast Waste Management Association in British Columbia surpassed its funding campaign goal of $15,000 and will now build a centralized industry resource hub with comprehensive information, useful comparisons, and key data metrics.
The Maryland Recycling Network is holding a free webinar Feb. 11 on “Driving Change: How Baltimore County’s Buy Recycled Policy Can Inspire Your Jurisdiction.”
The Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) announced that its chapters awarded a record $210,500 of scholarships in 2025.
The US EPA awarded $12 million in Brownfields Job Training Grants to 25 applicants in communities across the United States, to help recruit, train and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at Brownfield sites.
Feb. 3
The UK’s Deposit Management Organisation (DMO), operator of the new beverage container deposit return scheme, has branded itself as Exchange for Change.
Monster Organics announced its expansion into North Carolina.
NERC is accepting case studies for its Organics Management Guide through Feb. 9.
Feb. 2
eBay Circular Fashion Fund is accepting applications through March 8 from businesses and startups developing solutions to extend the life of clothing and reduce textile waste, for eight $50,000 grants and one additional $300,000 award.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is accepting applications through April 28 for $12.5 million in grant funding to projects that help avoid wasted food in the state, and will hold an online information session Feb. 12 to help applicants through the process.
Recycle BC will begin May 1 to accept flexible plastics and non-deposit glass bottles and jars in the Central Okanagan region of British Columbia, as the PRO transitions to managing local curbside recycling services.
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) is accepting applications for academic scholarships for graduating high school seniors planning to study environmental science, sustainability, engineering and waste management through March 31.
From Plastics Recycling Update
Feb. 26
The European Commission exempted pallet wrappings and straps from new 100% reuse targets set forth in the Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR).
The European Union finalized rules for mandatory recycled content for vehicles, as well as on the mass balance approach to calculating recycled content, following a member-state vote.
Feb. 25
The nonprofit Ocean Legacy Foundation in British Columbia expanded its plastics testing and production support services for recyclers, manufacturers, compounders, product designers and DIYers across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Feb. 23
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have discovered a way to turn plastic waste into acetic acid, the main ingredient of vinegar, using sunlight.
Feb. 20
Engineers at MIT are using recycled plastic to 3D print construction-grade beams and other structural elements as potential alternatives to wood-based framing.
Feb. 18
Amcor published a study on how PCR use influences consumers’ brand trust, quality perception and purchasing decisions, as well as what shoppers expect from labeling and certification.
Commodity analysis firm Argus published “Europe’s Circular Plastics at a Turning Point,” a white paper exploring the factors influencing supply, competitiveness and policy direction along the path to 2030 targets.
Feb. 13
A federal judge rejected California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s bid to dismiss an ExxonMobil lawsuit accusing him of defamation in criticizing the oil giant’s chemical recycling efforts.
Sony, Formosa, Neste, Mitsui, SK Geo Centric are part of a 14-company global supply chain for producing renewable plastics to be used in Sony’s audiovisual products.
Feb. 12
Chemical recycling venture Aduro is starting up its pilot plant in London, Ontario.
Nickolas Asset Management acquired a resin processing and materials facility from Material Difference Technologies, a Florida-based supplier and processor of plastic resins for industrial and consumer manufacturing markets.
STA Coated Technologies is now part of Inteplast‘s BOPP films business unit, following an acquisition.
Feb. 10
PlasCred Circular Innovations has secured up to Canadian $2.35 million in non-dilutive funding under the Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), administered by the National Research Council of Canada, to advance its first commercial-scale chemical recycling facility, Neos, in Calgary, Alberta.
Feb. 9
Netherlands-based BlueAlp, Renewi, Shell and the University of Utrecht were awarded a €1.5 million ($1.79m) subsidy for project CLEAN, to develop its chemical recycling process.
Chemical company Invista and technology firm Epoch Biodesign signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at developing a chemical recycling process for post-consumer nylon 6,6.
The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance is collaborating with R3vira, a Mexico City-based organization committed to community-driven polystyrene recovery.
Feb. 3
Abundia Global Impact has appointed Burns & McDonnell as its lead engineer to deliver the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) package for its first waste-plastics-to-renewable products recycling facility in Baytown, Texas.
Global packaging giant Amcor will participate in a city-scale packaging reuse project in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that launches in third-quarter 2026.
Orbis has acquired thermoformer Robinson Industries, which will be folded into the Orbis brand.
Industry group Plastics Recyclers Europe published its first report on EU recycling technologies, including a data-driven overview of the state of plastics recycling in the region.
Feb. 2
Chemical recycler Aduro selected the Chemelot site in the Netherlands for its demonstration plant.
Market intelligence firm Argus launched a recycled plastics pricing forecast.
The Flexible Film Recycling Alliance released its first report on efforts to expand collection of film and flexible packaging across the US.
How2Recycle from GreenBlue upgraded the recyclability status of PP cups to “widely recyclable,” following work by Closed Loop Partners’ NextGen Consortium, The Recycling Partnership, Starbucks and WM.
From E-Scrap News
Feb. 25
The Westly Foundation awarded $40,000 in funding to GreenSight Technologies, an AI-powered platform modernizing electronic waste recovery and ITAD, to scale its work improving traceability, increasing material recovery and reducing the climate footprint of discarded electronics.
Feb. 19
Philippines-based recycler One and One Green Technologies reached its first supply agreement in Europe, with Recuperaciones Hermanos Huang in Madrid to source high-quality e-waste from Spain.
Feb. 17
German traceability software firm Minespider launched the MVP Battery and Battery Materials Marketplace Recircle.market, to connect EU companies across the value chain for EV batteries.
Feb. 13
Sony, Mitsubishi and 12 other companies established the first global supply chain for producing renewable plastics for use in Sony’s audiovisual products.
Feb. 12
Erik Flesch is the new E-Cycle Wisconsin program coordinator, taking over from Sarah Murray, who is now the recycling and solid waste section manager for the Waste and Materials Management Program.
Kentucky’s Metals Innovation Initiative (MI2) team named industry veteran Laura Haury as the organization’s sustainability project coordinator.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comment through Feb. 26 on its draft economic impact analysis of the state’s proposed electronics recycling rule.
Feb. 9
Traceability software firm Circularise is now a cooperating partner in “Project for Enhancing the Distribution of Carbon Footprint Data in the Battery Traceability Sector,” selected by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and promoted by the Automotive and Battery Traceability Center Association.
Luxembourg’s R3 Robotics (formerly Circu Li-ion) raised €20 million ($23.65m) to industrialize the automated disassembly of EV systems at scale.
Singapore-headquartered SK tes inaugurated its new ITAD and data center in Shannon, Ireland, expanding local access to secure data destruction, asset disposition, and lifecycle technology services.
Feb. 3
Aqua Metals and American Battery Factory will evaluate the co-location of a commercial Aqua Metals lithium-ion battery recycling facility adjacent to ABF’s planned battery cell manufacturing operations in Tucson, Arizona.
Data erasure and diagnostics software firm BitRaser launched Microsoft Autopilot and Apple Mobile Device Management (MDM) detection capabilities to help users identify devices still enrolled in IT asset management platforms before decommissioning.
Netherlands-based Circularise and the Dutch FAIR PV industry consortium published a case study on providing transparency for solar panel circularity.
Electra Battery Materials has awarded a US$6.1 million (C$8.3 million) contract to EXP Services to provide engineering, project management and construction management services during the construction phase of Electra’s Ontario battery materials refinery project.
