Colin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].
The bill passed the state Senate 21-13 on Feb. 6 entirely on party lines, the House 76-56 on Feb. 15, and was chaptered into law on March 5. | Yurii-Prohonnyi/Shutterstock
Although there are no chemical recycling facilities currently operating in the Pine Tree State, any starting up in the future will be considered “chemical plastic processing” operations subject to solid waste facility permitting, and their process will not be considered “recycling,” lawmakers recently voted.
Pregis is using ExxonMobil’s Exxtend resin from its Baytown, Texas, facility in foam packaging. | Courtesy of Pregis
U.S. packaging supplier Pregis North America has begun producing a polyethylene foam that incorporates resin sourced from ExxonMobil’s chemical recycling operations. Continue Reading
Trex reported $1.1 billion in consolidated sales in 2023 and year-over-year residential sales increased by $35 million in 2023. | Vojtaz/Shutterstock
Trex, one of the largest polyethylene film recycling companies in the U.S., recorded higher sales in 2023, particularly towards the end of the year. Company leaders anticipate the sales growth will continue into 2024, translating to strong end market demand for recovered film. Continue Reading
Intertape Polymer Group released ExlFilmPlus PCR polyolefin shrink film, which contains at least 10% post-consumer resin and at least 25% post-industrial resin. | Courtesy of IPG
A Florida-headquartered global packaging company this month began selling a shrink film product made from 35% post-consumer resin and accepted in film drop-off collection programs. Continue Reading
Advanced Drainage Systems reported sales of $662.4 million in its third fiscal quarter, up 1.1% year over year. | Thapana Studio/Shutterstock
Advanced Drainage Systems, the largest plastics recycling company in North America, increased sales at the end of 2023 as it experienced rising demand for its water management products. Continue Reading
After launching in 2020, Sostenplas grew to one of the top five e-plastics processors in Europe. | Courtesy of Sostenplas
Driven by regulations that abruptly restricted global trade in plastics recovered from electronics, Spanish plastics processor Sostenplas has rapidly emerged as a major downstream for those polymers in Europe. The company’s CEO recently shared lessons the company has learned, with an eye toward helping U.S. companies seize a similar opportunity in North America. Continue Reading
Recovered plastic exports out of the U.S. have dropped dramatically in recent years, hitting a new low in 2023. | EG/Shutterstock
Recovered plastic exports out of the U.S. dropped slightly in 2023, bringing a record low for the fourth consecutive year. Continue Reading
An AMP One fully automated AI sorting system operating at the company’s Cleveland, Ohio secondary sortation facility. | Courtesy of AMP
After 10 years helping materials recovery facilities retrofit with innovative robotics equipment, AMP Robotics has dropped the latter part of its name, reflecting an emerging focus on building recycling centers from scratch with AI-equipped sorting systems.
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The $150 million price tag on the new Lane County, Oregon, facility will be footed by Bulk Handling Systems and the county. | Courtesy of Bulk Handling Systems
An upcoming facility in Lane County, Oregon, will process mixed waste, commingled recyclables and organics and is projected to boost the county’s diversion rate by as much as 20 percentage points. Continue Reading
Innocycle shreds and washes used PET cages at its California reclamation plant. | Photo courtesy Innocycle.
Innovive, a U.S. manufacturer of single-use plastic cages for mice and rats in laboratories, has scaled up its recycling operations in recent years, nearly doubling its annual processing capacity since 2020 and building an in-house reclamation center in Sacramento, California. Continue Reading