Under Maine’s EPR program, signed into law in 2021, producers directly reimburse municipalities for collection and recycling of materials. | Yurii Prohonnyi/Shutterstock
Maine approved rules for its extended producer responsibility law for packaging, three years after becoming the first state to pass packaging EPR. Continue Reading
Effects from proposed tariffs against Mexico and Canada could include market consolidation favoring larger firms that can absorb added costs. | Menzl_Guenter/Shutterstock
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series taking a closer look at the potential effects of threatened tariffs on recycled commodity markets. Read the previous installment here, on what trade flows are most likely to be affected. Continue Reading
The third iteration of Oregon’s program plan had more accurate cost estimates, after Circular Action Alliance carried out a costing survey over the summer. | Nadia Yong/Shutterstock
Oregon moved its rulemaking process ahead for its extended producer responsibility for packaging law set to roll out next summer, and Circular Action Alliance also released its third program plan draft. Continue Reading
The Coca‑Cola Company eliminated its goals around reusable packaging and virgin plastic reduction. | StudioPortoSabbia/Shutterstock
The Coca‑Cola Company has rolled back its voluntary sustainability goals, decreasing some and eliminating others, following the growing number of big brands announcing they will not meet often-ambitious 2025 or 2030 targets.
On Nov. 27, the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Plastics demanded the right to speak at plenary sessions, after being denied the usual time allotted for civil society members to share their views. | Kiara Worth/International Institute for Sustainable Development
Negotiations for a global, legally-binding treaty to address plastic pollution will spill over into another meeting, but participants noted the need for a seismic shift to reach the finish line after a fifth round of United Nations negotiations splintered along similar lines as the last four.
The study found flame retardants in some black plastic kitchen utensils that contained recycled resin. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling
A recent study has focused public attention on household products containing plastic that the authors suggest was recovered from electronics, raising safety concerns about chemicals contained within the recycled content.
The strategy is organized into six objectives that address plastic at all stages of its lifecycle. | g0d4ather/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA released its National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, and recycling industry stakeholders responded with support and a call to make sure industry experts are involved with implementation.
Delegates at the fifth U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting Busan, South Korea, consult informally between sessions. | Kiara Worth/The Earth Negotiations Bulletin
The fifth and final United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting started in a whirlwind in Busan, South Korea, on Nov. 25.
The addition of 350 million pounds of annual processing capacity comes as feedstock-preparation company Cyclyx, a joint venture involving ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell, announces FID on a second U.S. plant in Texas. | JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
Energy giant ExxonMobil is expanding its U.S. chemical recycling footprint, with 350 million additional pounds of capacity expected to start up in Texas in 2026.
The largest brand owners in the world together used an average of 14% post-consumer resin in their packaging last year, a 2 percentage point increase over 2022. | Photka/Shutterstock
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s 2023 report indicated a year-over-year decrease in both virgin and overall plastic use from signatory companies. That came from companies incorporating more post-consumer resin, combined with lower overall consumer demand due to economic challenges.