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 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is proposing a year-long extension for three major grocery chains to recycle 11,000 metric tons of stockpiled soft plastics. | Taniascamera/Shutterstock
Grocery chains in Australia may get even more time to deal with a huge film and flexible plastic buildup. Continue Reading
Plastic Recycling, Inc. has invested a total of $17 million of dollars into extrusion lines and labs to create recycled ABS and PS compounds from e-plastics. | Courtesy of Plastic Recycling Inc.
Midwest-based Plastic Recycling, Inc. is looking to provide compounds for OEMs and automotive manufacturers that fit a wide range of specifications and just happen to be made from e-scrap. Continue Reading
PETCORE Europe supports ecomodulation and plastic reduction, according to chairman Antonello Ciotti. | DonPablo Lorez/Shutterstock
The basis for Europe’s 72% collection rate of PET comes down to regulation and collaboration, Antonello Ciotti, chairman of PETCORE Europe, said in a recent podcast. Continue Reading
Colorado’s extended producer responsibility for packaging program is slated to fully roll out in 2026. | AustralianCamera/Shutterstock
Circular Action Alliance submitted its initial extended producer responsibility plan to Colorado’s advisory board, taking another step on the state’s path to implementation. Continue Reading
The target audience for the short courses is those in plastics recycling and manufacturing, as well as early-career ocean professionals. | Wonderful Nature/Shutterstock
Hawaii Pacific University is offering plastics- and recycling-related short courses over the summer that are aimed at plastics professionals. Continue Reading
As part of a recent report, the U.S. EPA provided new recycling rate estimates, which hadn’t been updated since the agency released 2018 data. | Billion Photos/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA’s recent recycling infrastructure report was largely focused on the investments needed to improve the system but also included new recycling rate estimates for specific materials, some of the first data updates the agency has released since its last Facts and Figures report several years ago. Continue Reading
The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance includes members from both the PS and EPS industries, along with brands, converters and recyclers. | OlekStock/Shutterstock
In an effort to raise polystyrene recycling rates, the Plastics Industry Association has created a Polystyrene Recycling Alliance. Continue Reading
Research from RRS found that in 2021, only 9% of U.S. recycling programs used a search app or tool for outreach, but apps appear to be gaining in popularity. | zhu-difeng/Shutterstock
Smartphones are a ubiquitous tool for many Americans, and several states have recently started using apps, including Recycle Coach, to disseminate recycling information.
The U.S. EPA surveyed agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 11 U.S. territories in its latest report, the Recycling Needs Survey and Assessment. | Marina Onokhina/Shutterstock
A pair of reports from the U.S. EPA shines a light on just how fragmented data collection in the recycling industry is and the investment that would be needed to shore it up.
Despite progress, producers are largely still not ready for approaching EPR requirements, industry players predict. | Josep Curto/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: Learn more about policy trends and many other topics at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference on March 24-26 in National Harbor, Maryland.
With about six months to go until the first extended producer responsibility program for packaging in the U.S. goes live, producers are still largely unprepared but moving in the right direction, those monitoring the transition said.