Associate Editor Jared Paben has worked for Resource Recycling since December 2014. Most of his earlier career was spent as a reporter for the daily newspaper in Bellingham, Wash., but he also has experience working for the Oregon volunteerism commission and for Oregon nonprofits serving low-income populations. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Recovered plastic end users Unifi and Greystone Logistics reported on increased profits recently. | Warut Chinsai/Shutterstock
Greystone Logistics is installing shredding and pelletizing equipment so it can purchase more lower-cost scrap polyethylene, as opposed to recycled resin. And Unifi is opportunistically buying PET bottle bales while it works to pass feedstock cost increases on to buyers of its recycled polyester.
Researchers found success with partial depolymerization of virgin PET and PET bottles recovered from the sea. | Rich Carey/Shutterstock
A chemical recycling research project concluded that a partial depolymerization technique can break down scrap PET in a relatively short time and under mild conditions with little energy use.
Researchers found that plastics can offer lower greenhouse gas emissions than substitutes in a number of use cases. | VanderWolf/Shutterstock
The severe impact of plastic ocean pollution has long been recognized, but research firm McKinsey wants to inject some of plastic’s climate benefits into the collective materials usage discussion.
PepsiCo will spend significant sums to procure recycled resin for use in consumer packaging. | PJiiiJane/Shutterstock
PepsiCo has borrowed another $1.25 billion through a “green bond,” generating more funds to buy large amounts of recycled PET for bottles.
Informa’s acquisition of Industry Dive means further consolidation of the waste and recycling news space. | fizkes/Shutterstock
Waste and recycling publications Waste Dive and Waste360 will share the same ownership following the completion of a recently announced acquisition deal.
An automated sorting system uses AI to continuously reprogram itself to remove different materials. | Courtesy of BHS
An autonomous system developed by Bulk Handling Systems is really more of a sorting loop than a sorting line.
Nexus is planning a facility near Chicago, and Braskem pledged to purchase the output. | Courtesy of Nexus Circular
Nexus Circular plans to build a pyrolysis plant in the Chicago area, and polyolefins producer Braskem has signed an agreement to buy the facility’s output. Continue Reading
Berry brand owner Driscoll’s has worked with its clamshell suppliers to boost the percentage of RPET derived from used thermoforms. | Courtesy of Driscoll’s
Clamshell containers used by berry brand Driscoll’s last year contained an average of 9% RPET sourced from used thermoforms. Continue Reading
King County, Wash. has launched a business incubator program called NextCycle Washington. | SCStock/Shutterstock
First there was Colorado NextCycle. Then there was NextCycle Michigan. Now, the next NextCycle has landed in Washington state.
A digital rendering of the planned Circularix facility | Courtesy of Circularix
The former head of bankrupt reclaimer CarbonLite is launching another company, betting that virgin and RPET pricing will continue to de-couple as brands search for recycled plastic. Continue Reading