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].
An analysis of federal data shows recycling firms received over a billion dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans. | NIKCOA/Shutterstock
U.S. recycling companies received about $1.19 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans, including nearly $318 million received after Congress allowed certain companies to take a second bite at the PPP apple.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued its first Global Plastics Outlook report. | 360b/Shutterstock
A global body estimates production of recycled plastics has quadrupled over the past two-plus decades, but recycled resins still make up only 6% of total plastic production.
Using an FDA-approved additive, ReCon^2 has developed a method for verifying recycled content claims. | Courtesy of ReCon^2
Rising prices for post-consumer resin also bring a greater incentive for shady suppliers to cheat. A U.K. nonprofit is commercializing a technology that will detect lies about recycled plastic use.
An extended producer responsibility (EPR) bill in Maryland would give more control to packaging producers than either Maine or Oregon’s legislation. | Nicole Glass Photography/Shutterstock
A bill introduced in Maryland’s legislature would establish an extended producer responsibility system for packaging that could give producers more control and flexibility than laws in Oregon and Maine.
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Volatile pricing in resin markets has presented challenges for Advanced Drainage Systems over the past year. | Chris Tennant/Shutterstock
Using recycled plastic is good business for Advanced Drainage Systems, but recent reports and interviews make clear that it’s not always painless.
Overall, the government of Canada plans to require 50% recycled content in plastic packaging by 2030. | Nextcreative/Shutterstock
Canada’s federal government will mandate recycled plastic be used in bottles, foam protective packaging, films and other products. But first, officials are asking for public input on important details.
The researchers will complete lab-scale testing in the coming months and hope to kick off a commercial demonstration project in 2023. | Alex Traksel/Shutterstock
A Johns Hopkins University team has developed a catalytic hydrocracking process that converts mixed plastics into the chemicals benzene, toluene and xylene.
Every 1,000 square feet of Everboard prevents about 1 ton of mixed paper-plastic from going to landfill. | Courtesy of Continuus
Within three years, Waste Management could be sending 150,000 tons of mixed paper and plastic each year to a factory that will recycle the otherwise-landfill-bound material into a high-quality roofing board.
The details of what’s being called the “Houston Recycling Collaboration” have yet to be worked out, but an agreement has set the process in motion to divert residential plastic scrap for chemical recycling. | Roschetzky Photography/Shutterstock
LyondellBasell and ExxonMobil were among the companies that signed an agreement to advance chemical recycling for household plastic scrap in Houston.
Avangard Innovative’s Waller, Texas facility will be home to the first U.S. deployment of Honeywell’s chemical recycling technology. | Courtesy of Avangard
Avangard Innovative has become one of the first examples of a large mechanical recycling company embracing chemical recycling technologies.