Extended producer responsibility rose to the forefront of debate in Connecticut as a strategy to reduce packaging waste in line with state mandates. A committee tasked with advising lawmakers during the coming legislative session recently split on the strategy, but the majority advised against it.
This year’s Plastics Recycling Conference drew a record number of attendees – more than 1,900 – for three days of discussions, networking and deal-making. Our on-site photographer captured the action.
Two recently released reports provide snapshots of film and non-bottle rigid plastics recycling. The material types have seen collection gains but processing challenges.
During a plenary session at the Plastics Recycling Conference last week, major exporters opened up about alternative markets, quality improvements, and operational and contractual changes they’ve made in response to China’s import restrictions.
Members of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) convened last week in conjunction with Plastics Recycling 2018 to talk about key issues affecting polymer recovery.
Nebraska doles out grants for recycling market development and other materials recovery initiatives. Colorado, meanwhile, is accepting applications for waste-diversion efforts.
The SPI Resin Identification Code (RIC), now the property of ASTM, an international standards organization, was created in 1988 to help recycling stakeholders know which plastic was being used for containers. Required on certain containers in 39 states in the U.S., the RIC names six resins without defining them and provides a seventh number for all others.
Following the price hikes in March and April, the market in China for recovered plastic material has declined since the second half of May both in pricing and demand.
In mid-July, a landmark pilot effort sorted out plastic bottles and other recyclables from waste generated by attendees of a string of classic rock concerts held at Boston’s beloved Fenway Park.
This story originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of Plastics Recycling Update.
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