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Author Archives: Colin Staub

About Colin Staub

Colin-StaubColin Staub was a reporter and associate editor at Resource Recycling until August 2025.

Experts emphasize safety after ‘disconcerting’ fatalities

Published: May 14, 2025
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The safety-focused summit came after the latest federal data showed a backslide in waste and recycling industry safety. | Sirisak baokaew/Shutterstock

As recycling companies seek to improve workplace safety amid an industry-wide increase in on-the-job fatalities, experts at a recent industry summit advised managers to focus their attention on — and for top executives, even to attend — the regular pre-shift safety meetings.

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California will fund mixed plastics facility, other projects

Published: May 14, 2025
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Stacked bales of mixed plastics.

A secondary sorting facility pulling deposit containers out of mixed plastic bales was awarded funding from the state of California. | Hiv360/Shutterstock

California’s state recycling agency will provide $10 million toward a facility sorting plastics with resin codes 2-7, additional multimillion dollar grants for several major MRF retrofits, and a handful of smaller awards for localities to install recycling collection containers. Continue Reading

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Packaging, recycling sectors connect on curbside in Seattle

Published: May 7, 2025
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Extended producer responsibility was a hot topic throughout the three-day event held in Seattle last week. | Photo Courtesy of GreenBlue Org

A common complaint among MRF operators is that they have little meaningful contact with the packaging industry, despite dealing with headaches from that industry’s products every single day.  Continue Reading

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Resin producer, environmental group lawsuits heat up

Published: April 30, 2025
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Several lawsuits centering on ExxonMobil’s role in plastic recycling and plastic pollution are slowly moving through the legal process. | Kirkam/Shutterstock

Three connected lawsuits between resin supplier ExxonMobil, a handful of nonprofit organizations and California’s attorney general are working their way through the courts. Recently, a Texas city that’s home to an ExxonMobil pyrolysis plant has joined the fray to support the company. Continue Reading

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Most major bottlers upped PCR use in California last year

Published: April 23, 2025
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California began requiring beverage manufacturers to report their annual virgin and recycled resin use beginning in 2018. | DonPablo Lorez/Shutterstock

Newly released data shows many major bottlers increased their post-consumer PET use in beverage containers sold into California last year, surpassing the state’s 15% minimum recycled content mandate for that year and putting them on track to hit the expanded mandate for 2025. Continue Reading

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Delays, retaliation mark latest tariff developments

Published: April 16, 2025
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Smartphones and laptops are exempt from U.S. tariffs targeting Chinese imports, but other goods are currently subject to 145% in duties. | Metamorworks/Shutterstock

Country-specific “reciprocal” tariffs have been pushed out until July, but a universal base rate tariff rolled out last week, which covers all countries, and earlier metals tariffs remain in effect. Meanwhile, an all-out trade war between the U.S. and China is intensifying. Continue Reading

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MRFs, reclaimers finding added value from AI

Published: April 16, 2025
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The data gleaned from AI imaging systems can help improve MRF operations on a wider scale. | Photo courtesy EverestLabs

Equipment supplier EverestLabs recently highlighted a handful of examples of how artificial intelligence-equipped data analytics can help MRF operators modify equipment settings to improve commodity recovery. Continue Reading

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Brightmark Indiana auction advances post-bankruptcy

Published: April 16, 2025
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Mixed plastics / serthayos_sansuwansri, Shutterstock

Brightmark says it is engaged in a “robust” sale process involving numerous interested parties, in response to allegations from a key creditor. | Serthayos Sansuwansri/Shutterstock

As of early this month, two dozen interested parties had signed non-disclosure agreements expressing interest in bidding on Brightmark’s Indiana chemical recycling facility, which filed for bankruptcy last month. A sale process is set to take place over the next few weeks, culminating May 9. Continue Reading

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Blue Polymers, Polyfit, many others receive FDA letters

Published: April 9, 2025
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Thermoform plastic packaging.

Letters of no objection allow companies to begin marketing their recycled resin for food-contact uses. | Konektus/Shutterstock

Two dozen companies received the go-ahead from the Food and Drug Administration to use recycled plastic in food-contact packaging during the second half of 2024. The companies span North America, Africa, Europe and Asia, and their processes include mechanical and chemical recycling. Continue Reading

Sorting facilities progress in Texas, Alabama

Published: April 2, 2025
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Circular Services’ MRF in North Texas will carry a $61 million investment and total 120,000 square feet. | Photo courtesy Circular Services

A southwest Alabama materials recovery facility that drew state and industry financial support has opened its doors, marking a significant step in localizing processing and lowering costs for area municipalities. Meanwhile, Circular Services broke ground on a single-stream MRF to serve a North Texas community. Continue Reading

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