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Category: Top stories

Editor’s farewell: So long, but not goodbye

Published: July 2, 2025
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Marissa Heffernan moderates a panel at the 2024 Plastics Recycling Conference. | Big Wave Photography / Resource Recycling.

When I started working for Resource Recycling, I thought I knew quite a bit about recycling. After all, I grew up in a bottle bill state, turning in cans for candy money, and was the child checking neighbors’ recycling bins to make sure they were using it right. Continue Reading

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RIT researchers develop AI-based textile recycling system

Published: July 2, 2025
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An AI-powered recycling system at the Rochester Institute of Technology can identify non-recyclable components of clothing and can detect the fiber composition of the whole item. | Kostikova Natalia/Shutterstock

Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology are developing a high-speed automated system to disassemble and recycle clothing. Continue Reading

Malaysia’s import ban ‘very much up in the air’

Published: July 2, 2025
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Although a total ban on U.S. scrap plastic took hold July 1, a sell-side source said Malaysian stakeholders are working to provide nuance so the new regulations tighten the focus to more problematic e-plastics. | Robert Harding/Shutterstock

On July 1, Malaysia implemented new regulations that include an apparent ban on U.S.-sourced imports of scrap plastic, causing confusion and consternation both domestically and in Southeast Asia. And although commodity brokers indicated that the changes were disrupting supply chains ahead of implementation, they added that relief could be seen soon. Continue Reading

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Q&A: With EPR incoming, end markets are crucial

Published: June 25, 2025
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Although extended producer responsibility is poised to capture substantially more material, The Recycling Partnership’s CEO says it’s important to ensure that material has an end market. | New Africa/Shutterstock

Backed by major brands, The Recycling Partnership has become well-known in the materials recovery sector over the past decade for boosting access to recycling, in particular by helping municipalities roll out recycling carts, improve outreach and reduce contamination. Continue Reading

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Bottle cap design: No need to ‘reinvent the wheel’

Published: June 25, 2025
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State-level initiatives have suggested PET closures and tethered caps, but these designs may introduce complications while attempting to provide a solution. | FotoDax/Shutterstock

Mono-material design often is the goal for packaging, but due to color and sortation nuances it may not be the best approach for beverage containers, according to a packaging design expert during a recent webinar.  Continue Reading

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Researchers: Effective plastic treaty requires production cuts

Published: June 25, 2025
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Scientists from nine universities worked together on a paper, focused on the need to reduce plastic production. | Poring Studio/Shutterstock

Scientists from universities in several countries released a paper that concluded production cuts must be part of the legally binding treaty to manage global plastic pollution if it’s to achieve its goals.  Continue Reading

Major plastic initiative sets sights on system change

Published: June 18, 2025
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Holding a PET bottle for recycling

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste announced a shift in focus from small projects to wide-scale efforts to improve recycling on a national scale. | spwidoff/Shutterstock

Five years after its billion-dollar founding, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste is taking what it learned from one-off projects and shifting its attention to country-scale change.  Continue Reading

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Coke bottler’s switch to clear PET provides lessons learned

Published: June 18, 2025
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Sprite bottles in store.

A case study from the Northeast Recycling Council details a regional bottler’s journey from green PET to clear. | Adnan Zain Kautsar/Shutterstock

A recent case study from the Northeast Recycling Council offers insights on transitioning packaging materials, gleaned from a regional Coca-Cola bottler that switched from green PET to clear for several of its products. Continue Reading

How MRFs develop their accepted material lists

Published: June 11, 2025
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Material acceptance at MRFs varies widely by locality, but several stakeholders explained the factors behind such wide-reaching decisions. | StoyanYotov/Shutterstock

Several MRF operators recently provided insight into how their facilities decide what materials to accept, during a discussion on bridging the disconnect between brand owners and MRFs. Continue Reading

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