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Author Archives: Colin Staub

About Colin Staub

Colin-StaubColin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].

IHS: Recycled PET demand will outpace supply

Published: July 31, 2019
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PET bottles for recycling.

A market analyst projects that PET collection rates in the U.S. would need to double to provide enough supply for consumer goods companies to meet their goals. | Myibean/Shutterstock

Market analysts say PET collection rates are insufficient to reach the amount of material brand owners will need to hit their recycled-content objectives.

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Plastics recycling garners federal attention amid rising pressure

Published: July 31, 2019
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U.S. Capitol building with reflection.

Legislation introduced last week establishes a framework to enable recycling-related investments. | LWPhotography/Shutterstock

Recycling issues have hit the national stage with unprecedented fervor in recent weeks. Citing recycling market challenges and growing plastic pollution, lawmakers are advancing legislation and pressuring government agencies to take action.

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PCR demand plays into ag plastics acquisition

Published: July 24, 2019
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Private equity company Arsenal now has a controlling interest in a firm that collects polyethylene film from farms. | Courtesy of Revolution Plastics

An ag plastics collector, processor and end user will be acquired by a private equity firm, which took note of the company’s unique business model and plans for growth.

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Cambodia rejects 3.2 million pounds of scrap plastic

Published: July 24, 2019
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84 containers will be returned to countries of origin. | porjai kittawornrat/Shutterstock

More Southeast Asian nations are sending contaminated recyclables back to their originating country, as governments in the region continue to grapple with higher scrap plastic and paper import volumes.

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Plastics recycling elevated to national stage

Published: July 24, 2019
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Proposed legislation would include measures to reduce plastic pollution and remove certain single-use products from use. | LLoughran/Shutterstock

Lawmakers are bringing plastics recycling to the federal level with a legislative proposal that includes a national bottle bill and extended producer responsibility.

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US asks developed nations to omit Basel plastic rules

Published: July 17, 2019
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Stacked containers at a shipping port.

Regulatory changes could prevent the U.S. from exporting mixed plastics to a number of countries. | rawf8/Shutterstock

Federal regulators are asking countries that are major buyers of U.S. recyclables to refrain from implementing new trade restrictions laid out in the Basel Convention, a treaty covering global scrap material shipments.

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Optimistic outlook for the plastics recycling market

Published: July 10, 2019
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The average blended value for recyclables at U.S. MRFs was recently calculated at around $35 per ton. | hiv360/Shutterstock

With overseas import restrictions, tariff impacts and domestic market volatility, an erratic business environment has become the norm for recycling operators around North America.

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Export hurdles create trouble for rigids and film recovery

Published: July 10, 2019
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Bales of plastic films for recycling.

2017 brought the lowest volume of film recovered and sold since 2010. | taniascamera/Shutterstock

Non-bottle mixed plastics and film recycling have experienced their first major drops in a decade, two studies indicate. But amid the challenges, domestic use of both streams increased.

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