Colin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].
In October, India’s imports of U.S. scrap plastics dropped to their lowest single-month volume since at least 2002. | November Studio/Shutterstock
Export figures continue to show the power of recycled plastic import restrictions in Southeast Asia. Countries that were previously the largest overseas markets have seen massive decreases in U.S. plastic imports since mid-2018.
The task force will include elected officials at the federal, state and local level, as well as recycling industry representatives. | Orhan Cam/Shutterstock
Four members of Congress this week unveiled a workgroup to boost plastics recycling through technology investments and more. It’s the latest of several recent moves at the national level to address plastics recovery.
Post-consumer plastic makes up about 0.5% of Indorama’s resin offerings. | Joyce Blessthink/Shutterstock
Virgin resin producers Borealis and Indorama have made ambitious recycled plastic commitments, but post-consumer plastic still makes up a tiny fraction of what they sell.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.