The majority of UN member countries used the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, to bring awareness to the approaching treaty negotiations. | Mario De Moya F/Shutterstock
More than 90 countries called for a renewed focus on a global plastics treaty during a recent United Nations Ocean Conference, as the clock runs down toward the next round of treaty negotiations. Continue Reading
Two dozen plastics producers were penalized for failing to use the minimum recycled content required in Washington state. | Emilija Miljkovic/Shutterstock
Plastics producers who failed to meet Washington state’s minimum post-consumer resin threshold were recently hit with fines ranging from a couple hundred dollars up to $55,000. Continue Reading
The report touches on five main topics: recyclability of covered materials, compostability of covered materials, reuse and refill and other source reduction systems, cost coverage for local jurisdictions, and plastic leakage into the environment. | Ratchat/Shutterstock
Members of the California extended producer responsibility for packaging advisory board have identified dozens of barriers to implementation and offered up possible solutions in a recent report.
StanislauV/Shutterstock
The uncertain fate of the Food and Drug Administration’s food-contact packaging assessment program drew reader attention last month, as did stories covering a new film recycling plant in Texas, a chemical recycling project losing federal funding, one recycled plastic end user’s take on EPR, and the latest bale pricing.
An annual report from Cleanfarms shows improving rates of agricultural plastic recycling in Canada. | AgriRECUP/Shutterstock
Cleanfarms, a Canadian agricultural recycling stewardship group, recovered and recycled over 22 million pounds of agricultural plastics in 2024, according to a recently released annual report outlining the organization’s achievements in the last year. Continue Reading
The $375 million grant represented about one-third of the required funding for the company’s second U.S. chemical recycling plant. The operational Kingsport, Tennessee facility is pictured. | Photo Courtesy of Eastman
Tennessee-based Eastman has lost its $375 million federal grant, which previously had spurred the company to make a final investment decision on its second U.S. methanolysis plant, located in Texas.
Health care workers can earn rewards for recycling IV bags, and redeem them for a pair of Vida sneakers made using recycled PVC | Photo Courtesy of Orbia
PVC and medical waste are both areas often considered to be non-starters for plastics recyclers. But global vinyl producer Orbia is expanding its program that incorporates both, as well as helping improve the standard of living for some of the most vulnerable people in the recycling system. Continue Reading
Industry groups are working to define their position on the complex technologies included in the broad and ill-defined sector of chemical recycling. | Extarz/Shutterstock
In recent weeks, two U.S. recycling organizations have released policy positions on chemical recycling. But questions remain for the often controversial recycling methods included in the umbrella term of chemical recycling, also known as molecular or advanced recycling. Continue Reading
The Fayetteville site is the company’s second U.S. PET plant to close in less than two years. | Aykut Erdogdu/Shutterstock
Major PET producer Alpek is closing a North Carolina plant that includes both virgin and RPET production, with operations to cease by July 31.