Marissa Heffernan started working for Resource Recycling in January 2022 after spending several years as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Southwest Washington. After developing a special focus on recycling policy, they are also the editor of the monthly newsletter Policy Now. Heffernan can be contacted at [email protected].
The week of negotiations had moments of both hope and frustration for delegates, who are racing against the clock to create a final treaty. | Photo courtesy of IISD/ENB Kiara Worth
The fourth meeting to draft a global plastic pollution treaty ended just after 3 a.m. on April 30 with general agreement on the need for global rules and mandates on product design, composition, performance and extended producer responsibility.
SB 1013 brought more container types into the California Redemption Value system but also removed an option for retailers to choose to pay a $100 daily fee instead of accepting returned containers. | Andrii Koval/Shutterstock
Formal rulemaking for changes to California’s deposit system is about to begin, and draft rules shed more light on new requirements for beverage dealers and retailers. Continue Reading
After a 2022 program overhaul allowed most retailers to opt out of deposit system container collection, a report from Cleaner Iowa found that there are 29 counties without a redemption center. | Veja/Shutterstock
Overhauls to Iowa’s bottle bill in 2022 that allowed retailers to opt out of collection are reducing access, as industry players warned when the bill passed. But redemption centers are stepping up to help solve the problem – including by launching a new bag drop program. Continue Reading
Delegates made opening remarks at the first day of the fourth United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting in Canada. | Photo Courtesy of Earth Negotiations Bulletin
The first day of the fourth meeting to draft a global plastic pollution treaty started off with speed as delegates acknowledged the time crunch to get treaty text prepared. Continue Reading
Select Tim Hortons locations in Ottawa and Gatineau will test the fiber lids for up to six weeks to see if they can replace plastic lids. CNW Group/Tim Hortons
Some Canadian Tim Hortons customers will test fiber hot beverage lids in the coming weeks, an attempt by the coffee giant to replace plastic lids with something that will fit into the recycling stream. Continue Reading
The fourth United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting will be held in Ottawa, Canada, April 21-30. | Nexus 7/Shutterstock
The penultimate meeting to draft a global plastic pollution treaty will kick off next week in Ottawa, Canada, and stakeholders say there’s a lot riding on this fourth meeting. Continue Reading
LyondellBasell produced and marketed 123,000 metric tons of recycled and renewable-based polymers in 2023. Its goal is to produce and market 2 million metric tons by 2023. | JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
LyondellBasell worked to expand its line of recycled polymers and reduced the amount of plastic pellets lost into the environment slightly in 2023, its latest sustainability report noted. Continue Reading
An initial extended producer responsibility for packaging plan in Oregon covers the years 2025 through 2027. | Yanqiang Dai/Shutterstock
The shape of Oregon’s extended producer responsibility for packaging plan is becoming clearer after the Circular Action Alliance released its initial program plan to the state. Continue Reading
In its 2023 Sustainability Report, Berry Global noted that it increased its post-consumer recycled resin purchases to 3.6% of all resin purchases, compared to 3.4% in 2022. | Artemis Diana/Shutterstock
Global packaging producer Berry Global used slightly more post-consumer resin in its products in 2023 and increased the amount of post-industrial resin and bioplastic it uses, reaching for 2025 and 2030 goalposts. Continue Reading
Panelist Rebecca Hu said during the session that AI is moving beyond robotics and the technology is on track to provide data and create partnerships that could improve the whole value chain. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
Artificial intelligence is a key element of increasing plastic recycling, panelists at the 2024 Plastics Recycling Conference in Grapevine, Texas, said last month. Continue Reading