Plastics recovery declined by 36 percent in the Lone Star State from 2013 to 2015, according to a new report.
Colin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].Plastics recovery declined by 36 percent in the Lone Star State from 2013 to 2015, according to a new report.
Redemption center closures continue to plague California, leaving fewer convenient options for beverage container returns and contributing to a decrease in the state’s redemption rate.
Top manufacturers, recycling stakeholders and environmental organizations want to ban oxo-degradable plastic packaging because they don’t believe it actually prevents pollution.
Plastic bottle recycling was a difficult business to be in last year, with negative trends seen in collection, processing and pricing, according to an annual report on the industry sector.
California lawmakers have revised the state’s definition of PET to exclude PETG, meaning products made from the glycol-modified plastic are barred from using resin code No. 1.
A plastic packaging industry publication is criticizing the recycling industry’s shock and concern over China’s import restrictions, which the writer says are part of a measured and well-publicized effort that’s been in effect for more than a decade.
More than three months after China announced it will restrict recyclables imports, key details on logistics and timing of the new regulations remain unknown. But industry associations are piecing together some more concrete facts about the downstream and upstream ramifications of the actions.
The U.S. PET bottle recycling rate dropped from 30.1 percent to 28.4 percent in 2016, a number that is emblematic of several concerning trends hitting the sector.
Roche Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington.
Municipal programs in the Pacific Northwest continue to feel the impacts of China’s import restrictions, and multiple local programs are halting acceptance of plastics and other materials in response.
Great potential exists for increased film recovery in North America, where the residential film recovery rate sits at about 4 percent. Experts have identified key sectors that would be effective targets for coordinated investment.