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].
Packaging companies are eligible for a new competition that would give access to decision-makers at the world’s largest retailer. | chainarong06/Shutterstock
The U.S. Plastics Pact has launched a competition with prizes potentially more valuable than one-time cash awards: namely, serious conversations with Walmart’s private label packaging leaders.
Greenpeace dropped its lawsuit against Walmart after a judge ruled that the activist group lacked standing to sue. | BrAt82/Shutterstock
Greenpeace’s lawsuit challenging Walmart’s recyclability labels for plastic packaging has ended – again.
The three XP45 DeDusters that Pelletron sold to rPlanet Earth each have a capacity of 2 metric tons per hour. | Courtesy of Pelletron
Specialized equipment is reducing the presence of gels in rPlanet Earth’s RPET sheets, allowing the Southern California-based reclaimer to sell them for higher prices.
Three new lawsuits target reusable bags in California. | The Last Beach Cleanup
If most community recycling programs don’t accept PE bags but some grocery stores do, are the bags legally considered recyclable?
Recycling technologies from Erema, NGR, Polymetrix, Starlinger and others were recently approved to produce RPET for 100% recycled-content food and drink packaging. | Ho Su A Bi/Shutterstock
A food-safety panel has approved applications from Indorama Ventures, Veolia, Coca-Cola Hellenic, NOVAPET and other plastic reclaimers to recycle PET in new food and drink packaging.
Over 260 million pounds of scrap plastics were exported from the U.S. in the first quarter of 2022. | nattanan726/Shutterstock
The U.S. continues to export less and less scrap plastic overseas, the latest trade figures show.
Milliken’s Blacksburg, S.C. plant will increase production capacity for the company’s Millad NX 8000 polypropylene clarifier, which is used in PP recycling. | Courtesy of Milliken
Global manufacturer Milliken & Company says its newest clarifier plant is coming on-line, boosting Milliken’s production capacity for its PP clarifier by over 50%.
In the company’s annual report, ADS showed gross profit was over $800 million, up 16% from the previous year. | Leonid Sorokin/Shutterstock
Advanced Drainage Systems, now the largest plastics reclaimer in North America, increased its product sales by nearly 40% last year.
Aquafil’s Woodland, Calif. facility will be closed after a short period of operation. | Courtesy of Aquafil
Shortly after opening its Northern California carpet recycling plant, Aquafil is working to close the facility and consolidate processing equipment elsewhere.
The report discusses investments that would need to occur in terms of scrap plastic collection and sorting, existing impediments to scaling up chemical recycling and more. | David Gyung/Shutterstock
If $40 billion were invested in chemical recycling technologies and certain constraints were resolved, chemical recycling processes could satisfy 4-8% of total polymer demand by 2030, according to a new analysis.