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Coverage of the 2024 Plastics Recycling Conference, the latest U.S. plastics recovery data, a major reclaimer’s expansion and food-contact packaging movement drew readers’ attention in April.

The list below shows our top stories published in April in terms of unique page views.

1 | Scenes from the biggest event in plastics recycling

More than 2,500 plastics recycling leaders convened in Grapevine, Texas, last week for the 2024 Plastics Recycling Conference, featuring three days of networking and dialogue about the state of the industry. Our photographer captured scenes from the event.

2 | Less plastic recovered in 2022, but more stayed domestic

Just over 5 billion pounds of post-consumer plastic was recovered for recycling in 2022, an annual industry report found, marking a decrease from the prior year. One trade association pointed to macroeconomic factors like inflation as driving the lower recovery.

3 | KW Plastics gearing up to launch another wash line

There are plenty of reasons to be gloomy about recycled resin markets these days. But one of the largest plastics reclaimers in the U.S. is staying focused on a course of expansion, and it’s getting ready to start up an additional 100 million pounds per year of olefin recycling capacity.

4 | Merlin, Revolution and many more receive FDA letters

In the last half of 2023, numerous plastics recycling processes received the greenlight for use in food and drink packaging production.

5 | Panelists: AI has a bigger role to play in recycling

Artificial intelligence is a key element of increasing plastic recycling, panelists at the 2024 Plastics Recycling Conference in Grapevine, Texas, said last month.