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As global virgin plastic production outpaces demand and utilization rate percentages linger in the low 70s, the next four years are expected to see downward pressure on the price of virgin plastics. Added to this, tariffs on U.S. plastics trade flows are likely to disrupt domestic supply chains, further complicating an already volatile market. Continue Reading
Editor’s note: Women in Circularity is a long-running series in Resource Recycling News, sister publication to Plastics Recycling Update. Series author MaryEllen Etienne will host a Women in Circularity session during the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference next week, and in the run-up to the conference, we’re introducing the series to Plastics Recycling Update readers as well. Beth Forsberg, featured in this month’s installment, will join MaryEllen during the conference session.
A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with a leader in textile reuse and recycling operations: Beth Forsberg. Beth is the senior vice president and chief sustainability officer at Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, with oversight of sustainability operations in the nonprofit’s San Francisco and Monocacy Valley, Maryland, regions. Goodwill is dedicated to ending poverty through workforce development and is supported by a network of popular thrift shops. Beth has 30 years of experience in the nonprofit thrift sector where oversight has included donated goods revenue, collections, retail, e-commerce, recycling and salvage. Continue Reading
Major curbside plastic grades saw across-the-board price increases in March, including an 85% jump for color HDPE and a 42% jump for PP, according to the latest national average commodity values. Continue Reading
Editor’s note: Women in Circularity is a long-running series in Resource Recycling News, sister publication to Plastics Recycling Update. Series author MaryEllen Etienne will host a Women in Circularity session during the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference next month, and in the run-up to the conference, we’re introducing the series to Plastics Recycling Update readers as well. Katie Drews, featured in this month’s installment, will join MaryEllen during the conference session.
A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with an expert in the delivery of community based recycling services: Katie Drews. Katie is the co-president and CEO of Eureka Recycling, a nonprofit zero-waste organization and social enterprise recycler based in Minneapolis. Katie has nearly two decades of experience in marketing and business strategy and has a track record of driving change and innovation in corporate, higher education and nonprofit sectors.
Two key curbside plastic grades rose significantly in value this month, while other grades held steady from January. Continue Reading
Curbside plastic grades either jumped up significantly in price or remained steady at the beginning of 2025.
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Natural HDPE notched a double-digit percentage increase in value this month, but it was an outlier: All other major curbside plastic grades either fell or were unchanged in value.
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A policy analyst from EPR Group Consulting explains the producer fees and deadlines that are coming in each state. | martina_l/Shutterstock
The extended producer responsibility programs for packaging that are currently unfolding in several states impose two primary obligations on producers of covered materials: reporting data and paying fees to a producer responsibility organization.
Prices for curbside plastics bales saw varying trends for October, with PP and natural HDPE rising 33% and 11%, respectively, but PET and color HDPE saw modest declines.
Prices for color HDPE have leveled out after a significant drop in price over the summer, inching up slightly in September. Other resins saw slight increases as well this month. Continue Reading