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Author Archives: Jared Paben

About Jared Paben

Jared Paben 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].

Report compares recycled-content certification programs

Published: October 20, 2021
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PET bottles for recycling.

The report comes as governments around the world move toward requiring the use of recycled plastic in certain products. | Picsfive / Shutterstock

Over a dozen different recycled-content standards and certifications are used around the world. A new report commissioned by Canadian leaders compares and contrasts them.

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Chemical recycling firms see growth, feds examine sector

Published: October 13, 2021
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Exxon Mobil corporate sign and landscaping.

ExxonMobil plans to open a scrap plastics processing facility in Baytown, Texas by the end of 2022. | Katherine Welles/Shutterstock

ExxonMobil will build a scrap plastic processing facility on the Gulf Coast, and the Government Accountability Office weighs in on chemical recycling technologies. These are a couple recent developments in chemical recycling, sometimes called “advanced recycling.” Continue Reading

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Move sets up growth for recycling test lab

Published: October 6, 2021
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Plastics testing equipment at PFE's new facility in Merrimack, N.H.

Plastics testing equipment at PFE’s new facility in Merrimack, N.H. | Courtesy of PFE

Plastics Forming Enterprises may have only moved about seven miles away, but the larger new space enables significant growth in service capabilities and capacity, company leaders said in an interview.

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Feds eye industry partners for sorting tech

Published: October 6, 2021
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Battery recycling equipment- Argonne National Labratory

A materials separation module used for demonstrations at Argonne National Laboratory, located outside of Chicago. | Courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory

Scientists at a U.S. Department of Energy lab have developed unique tools that can be used to clean up shredded plastics from electronics, and they want to demonstrate them to processors.

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California data shows PCR backsliding among major brands

Published: September 29, 2021
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PET water bottle necks.

Data from California shows some major beverage producers used lower percentages of post-consumer resin in 2020 than they did in 2019. | tezzstock / Shutterstock

The clock is ticking on California’s law mandating recycled plastic in drink bottles, and some beverage producers still have a long way to go, newly released data reveals.

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Group reports 21% carpet recycling rate in California

Published: September 22, 2021
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Old carpet pieces rolled up for recycling.

CARE’s annual report notes that a total of 52.6 million pounds of materials were recycled from post-consumer carpet in California in 2020, down 10% from the year before. | ND700/Shutterstock

A stewardship group fell short of California’s carpet recycling mandate last year, despite a notable year-over-year jump in the recycling rate.

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Nonprofit: Recyclables a small portion of marine litter

Published: September 22, 2021
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Volunteers clean the beach during the 2021 International Coastal Cleanup on September 18, 2021 in Santa Monica, California. | Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Ocean Conservancy

Information gathered through decades of coastal cleanups shows the majority of plastic litter recovered was never recyclable through curbside systems in the first place, according to Ocean Conservancy.

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