Colin Staub has been a staff writer at Resource Recycling since January 2017. Before that he worked as a reporter at the weekly newspaper in Newberg, Oregon, and has been a freelance writer at other publications in Portland. He can be contacted at [email protected]
PreZero Polymers’ Jurupa Valley, Calif. campus, which is set to open early next year, will process post-consumer film. | Image courtesy of PreZero US
A joint venture is set to launch two U.S. processing plants for hard-to-recycle plastics in 2020, bringing new outlets for lower-grade materials. Investments in the projects will total at least $90 million. Continue Reading
Packaging company HLP Klearfold released a 100% RPET folding carton. | Courtesy of HLP Klearfold
A handful of manufacturers have made investments that will improve their consumption of recovered plastics. Continue Reading
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging is already in place in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Quebec. | One Photo / Shutterstock
New Brunswick will require that manufacturers pay for the end-of-life collection and processing of the packaging materials they produce.
Scrap plastic exports fell to their lowest level in recent history, but domestic markets continue to be hungry for recycled resin, particularly natural HDPE. | BEST BACKGROUNDS/Shutterstock
Overseas appetite for post-consumer scrap plastic dwindled in the third quarter. But on the domestic side, the value of recovered natural HDPE has skyrocketed and RPET demand remains strong. Continue Reading
Plastrac developed the ColorStream, which blends additives into resin at ground level, in response to a customer request. | Photo courtesy of Plastrac
Equipment supplier Plastrac recently released the ColorStream, a system that blends additives with pelletized base resins used in injection molding and extrusion processes. Continue Reading
CarbonLite’s Reading, Pa. plant will produce recycled PET for use in water bottles, thermoforms and other products. | Rendering courtesy of CarbonLite
PET processor CarbonLite is nearing the opening of its third facility, which will produce 85 million pounds of post-consumer resin per year. Continue Reading
ABA President and CEO Katherine Lugar presented a major recycling funding initiative alongside leaders from beverage companies. | Photo credit: YouTube
Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo have pledged to put their money behind boosting processing technology and increasing curbside collection access. They’ll also introduce a uniform recycling message on their bottles next year.
U.S. electronics recycling companies and brokers say they’re currently able to move e-plastics. | Alexey Lesik/Shutterstock
Asia remains the destination for many plastics recovered from electronics. But as buyers relocate from China to other countries, prices are down and quality and volume are increasingly critical factors.
Acquired firm Pak-Sher, which produces the SeaWave bag made with plastic at risk of entering the sea, will be incorporated into Revolution’s Command Packaging brand. | Courtesy of Revolution Plastics.
Plastics recycling company Revolution has acquired a producer of bags, foodservice film and other products. Revolution anticipates incorporating more recycled resin into the manufacturer’s offerings.
The Recycling Partnership has identified three key initiatives to improve the current recycling system.
PET collection is lagging behind recycled resin demand by more than 1 billion pounds per year, according to a study, and investment of $500 million is needed to improve the situation.