Maine lawmakers approved the first statewide prohibition on polystyrene foodservice packaging last week. The plastics industry quickly criticized the move.
Colin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].Maine lawmakers approved the first statewide prohibition on polystyrene foodservice packaging last week. The plastics industry quickly criticized the move.
Federal legislation proposed in Canada requires consumer packaging to be made from a short list of recyclable materials. The guidelines include only two plastic resins.
Geneva, Switzerland
The scrap plastic trade will receive focus this week in Switzerland, where countries are meeting to discuss and consider amending global waste regulations.
As international leaders consider action in response to plastic pollution, environmental activists are arguing that turmoil around scrap exports is exacerbating the problem.
Scrap plastic shipments from the U.S. declined from 122 million pounds in January to 120 million pounds in February. That February volume was the lowest single month of plastic exports since December 2003.
A bill that would require 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic to be used in beverage containers by 2035 is gaining traction in America’s most populous state.
Scrap plastic traders continue to circumvent import restrictions in one Southeast Asian country by labeling recovered plastic as another type of commodity.
Last year, 45 producers reported selling plastic beverage containers to California consumers. Of those businesses, 13 said their bottles incorporated some amount of recycled plastic.
The Vietnamese government has reiterated its plan to phase out scrap plastic imports altogether, noting all scrap plastic will be barred beginning in 2025.
The U.S. exported 121.5 million pounds of scrap plastic in January, marking the lowest single-month volume since January 2005, trade records show.