Although recent tariffs may exclude resin shipments, market players are seeing no shortage of confusion and consternation. | AlexKol Photography/Shutterstock
After many weeks of shifting narratives and uncertainty, participants in recycled polymer markets are working to navigate the new tariff environment, in which buyers and sellers as well as customs officials struggle to align federal mandates with on-the-ground implementation. Continue Reading
A proposed International Recycling Group facility in Pennsylvania, seen here in a 2021 rendering, has been canceled concurrent with the project’s loss of federal funding. | Courtesy of International Recycling Group
Dramatic federal funding cuts have affected at least two plastics recycling efforts, contributing to a major project being canceled in Pennsylvania and forcing an accelerated timeline for self-sufficiency at an Alaska composite lumber operation. Continue Reading
With its latest sustainability report, Walmart became the latest mega-brand to announce it was unlikely to meet its voluntary commitments for plastics. | Harun Ozmen/Shutterstock
With the arrival of the benchmark year of 2025, two industry giants announced challenges and progress in meeting the ambitious plastics-related goals set for this year. Continue Reading
During the fiscal year, state employees recycled 12.9 million pounds of materials, generating $83,326 in revenue for Missouri’s recycling fund and avoiding $716,065 in landfill fees. | Roman Zaiets/Shutterstock
The Missouri state recycling program generated tens of thousands of dollars in revenue and saved the state hundreds of thousands in waste disposal fees, according to a recent report. Continue Reading
A March 27 webinar featured tips and best practices from recycling experts Chaz Miller and Gretchen Carey. | One Photo/Shutterstock
In recent years, the recycling industry has seen negative media coverage that has not only perpetuated myths but also contributed to public mistrust of collection and recycling – and ultimately could be contributing to lower collection rates. Continue Reading
Andrea Bassetti, recycled plastics analytics lead at market intelligence firm ICIS, lays out factors driving recycled resin markets at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference. | Photo Credit: Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling, Inc.
Analysts from market intelligence firms emphasized the lack of solid footing and stiff competition from virgin resin and imports as key challenges for the plastics recycling market, during sessions at the recent Plastics Recycling Conference. Continue Reading
Although color bales rose on the month, the key construction sector continued to struggle and waste import bans in Indonesia and Thailand took effect. | Lipik Stock Media/Shutterstock
March prices for HDPE natural bales rose by 10% on the month to a more than three-year high, further widening the price spread with color bales amid bearish end-use sectors and new waste import bans in Southeast Asia. Continue Reading
When Canadian polyethylene producer Nova decided to focus on mechanical recycling, less than two years after announcing it was looking at developing a major chemical recycling plant, it joined a growing list of sidelined projects. | Photo Courtesy of Nova Chemicals
The past few years have seen no shortage of ambitious announcements relating to chemical recycling, from small startups to major oil and chemical companies, as recycled content requirements increase and polymer producers struggle to harness future market direction. Continue Reading
The hauler has been pre-buying post-consumer bales from across the Midwest for several months for the complex, which features a Polymer Center and the Blue Polymers resin production plant. | Photo courtesy Republic Services
Republic Services officially opened its Indianapolis plastics recycling complex this week, marking the hauler’s entry into the recycled plastic resin market and continuing its expansion from supplying bales to processing and converting the plastics reclaimed within. Continue Reading
Polypropylene bale pricing has risen to levels not seen since August 2022, largely attributed to increasing demand for use in food-contact packaging. | Retan/Shutterstock
Post-consumer PP bale pricing has continued to rise in March, reflecting trends in recycled content adoption and potentially encouraging MRFs to sort for the polymer. Continue Reading