Colin Staub was a reporter and associate editor at Resource Recycling until August 2025.
Suspended regulations led to immediate downturns in business for a number of plastic recycling firms. | patpitchaya/Shutterstock
A single-use plastic bag ban and reusable bag recycled-content mandate is back in force in California. The regulations had been temporarily lifted because of COVID-19.
Researchers found a number of challenges to the development of curbside flexible plastic packaging recovery. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.
A multi-stakeholder project was able to hit some goals separating flexible plastic packaging from other recyclables at a MRF. But backers also reported significant hurdles moving material downstream cost-effectively.
Shipping company MSC stopped accepting scrap cargo headed to China and Hong Kong as of June 1. | Fomin Roman/Shutterstock
A major shipping line will no longer accept recovered plastic and other scrap material shipments bound for Hong Kong, which remains a large market for U.S. exports.
Of the 190,00 metric tons of plastic Starbucks used from Oct. 1, 2017 through Sept. 30, 2018, 6% was recycled content. | ansoz/Shutterstock
Post-consumer resin makes up a small percentage of all plastic used by Coca-Cola, Starbucks and others, according to a new report that will be used to track company progress on increasing recycled plastic use.
In Connecticut, retail redemption volumes were down 95% during the suspension period. | Thiago Figueredo/Shutterstock
Container deposit programs are starting back up following their COVID-19 downtime. Equipment supplier Tomra offered a look at how the process is playing out in Connecticut.
Day one of the virtual APR meeting featured discussions on market trends and more. | Vitaliy Kyrychuk/Shutterstock
Although they can’t meet in person, plastics recycling stakeholders this week are still coming together for the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) members meeting, being held online for the first time.
Researchers collected and sorted through more than 38,000 pounds of mixed recyclables from 173 sample loads. | Rubens Alarcon/Shutterstock
Researchers have quantified contamination in the business recycling stream in the Portland, Ore. metropolitan area, providing data that can be used to make operational or outreach decisions.
Researchers identified recycling as a critical piece of the solution to reducing ocean pollutants.| BBbirdZ/Shutterstock
A policy paper from leading ocean plastic experts lays out a strategy for reducing plastic and other pollutants in the world’s waterways. Researcher Jenna Jambeck and others offered details on how materials recovery fits into the plan.
RePolyTex is gearing up to operate its Madison, N.C. facility at full scale, manufacturing a “plastic plywood” product from shredded e-plastics. | Courtesy of RePolyTex.
A U.S. plastics recycling and manufacturing facility is preparing to begin taking in plastics recovered from electronics. The plant will use that feedstock to produce construction materials.
Boise will send materials to a Utah cement manufacturer on a temporary basis until September. | Charles Knowles/Shutterstock
Boise, Idaho will send hard-to-recycle plastics to be used as fuel for a cement manufacturing operation in Utah, after being without a solid downstream market for more than a year.