Ban exemption: A town near Sacramento, Calif. claims it is exempt from the statewide plastic bag ban. According to The Sacramento Bee, in August 2014, Lincoln passed a resolution stating businesses could choose whether or not to follow a statewide ban.
Global Plastics Alliance: Seven new groups have signed the Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter that was written in 2011. In total, the alliance, which has also changed its name, according to Plastics Today, has 69 members.
Jackpot: The recycler of the year in Emmet County, Mich. is the Odawa Casino Resort. In a press release, the county says “the casino stands out for the sheer volume of material they recycle, but also for the support their resource recovery programs receive from a wide range of staff.”
BottleDrop rise: Oregon grocery stores are getting rid of their bottle redemption machines now that more standalone centers are opening. So far, the state has 18 BottleDrop centers, according to KGW, with plans for a total of 45.
Bottle drop drop: In California, more beverage container redemption centers are closing because of low commodity prices. In an interview with KCRW, Susan Collins with the Container Recycling Institute says state subsidies need to increase to keep these centers alive. But the state says it has already increased payments and can’t do much more.
