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].
A view inside T3’s PET recycling facility, which produces hot washed flakes, in Athi River, Kenya. | Courtesy of T3 Limited
When it comes to PET bottle recycling in Kenya, a lot will sound familiar to North American audiences: demand for food-grade RPET outpaces supply, collection remains a challenge, and companies want to shorten supply chains. Continue Reading
An increased bottle recycling rate was driven mainly by PET bottles. | Nixx Photography/Shutterstock
The U.S. plastic bottle recycling rate was 28.2% in 2021, up 1 percentage point from a year earlier, according to an industry report released April 11.
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Private equity firm Mill Point Capital has purchased Nursery Supplies, Inc. from Lincolnshire Management. | Zoran Milosavljevic/Shutterstock
Nursery Supplies, Inc., which recycles tens of millions of pounds of plastic per year into plant pots and trays, has been sold by one private equity firm to another. Continue Reading
Increasingly, companies and industry groups are focusing their efforts on recycling carpet. | Optimarc/Shutterstock
The California carpet recycling rate rose by about 5 percentage points last year, reaching a record high of 33%. Meanwhile, carpet manufacturer Shaw reached a deal to recycle about 2 million pounds of production scrap a year. Continue Reading
Berry Global is setting a lofty target: disconnect plastics from fossil fuels entirely. | ViewImage/Shutterstock
Berry Global increased its purchase of PCR by 28% in 2022, and now 3.4% of the packaging giant’s total resin purchases are post-consumer plastic. Continue Reading
The new $2.5 million plastics recycling laboratory at PRI’s Indianapolis compounding facility. | Courtesy of Plastic Recycling Inc. (PRI)
Plastic Recycling Inc. is set to build out a fully outfitted laboratory and install extrusion lines that will boost recycling capacity by 60 million pounds per year. It’s also expanding its e-plastic sorting capabilities. Continue Reading
The nonprofit business watchdog took issue with the American Beverage ad’s characterization of its members’ recycled PET use. | Photobeps/Shutterstock
This article has been corrected.
BBB National Programs says a national TV ad from beverage producers overstated the prevalence of PET-bottle-to-bottle recycling and its resulting waste-reduction benefits, but the group affirmed that other ad claims related to bottle recyclability rested on solid footing.
Amid lower PET bale prices, CalRecycle aims to offset costs for plastics recyclers. | Nixx Photography/Shutterstock
California regulators will double the subsidy paid to PET recycling companies, citing the lower prices that bottle bales are fetching on the market.
Pedro José Cabrera Haché hopes the line will give his company, Cilpen Global, a greater presence in the Dominican Republic. | Hyoto Graphics/Shutterstock
The installation of the first PET wash line in the Dominican Republic will allow a local reclaimer to process a sizable percentage of all bottle scrap generated in the country into food-grade flake. Continue Reading
A ribbon-cutting ceremony last week at the Agilyx plant in Oregon drew a mix of business and government representatives, including one major PS producer who said the technology could help stem consumer backlash against foam plastics.