Major Vietnam shipping terminals will temporarily stop accepting imports of scrap plastic, citing an overload of the material that has caused backups and delays. The move is a significant development for the global recycled plastics industry, because Vietnam has accepted much more material since China cut off imports.
Clean PET flake may be allowed into China instead of being considered a waste prohibited from import, according to several sources with knowledge of the situation.
In May, a number of key curbside plastics have continued to increase in value.
California officials will slow their process of crafting mandatory recycling rules for plastic packaging, citing upheavals caused by China’s import restrictions.
China has ratcheted up inspection requirements for recyclables imported from the U.S., requiring every load to be opened for inspection and shutting down the only organization providing pre-shipment approval in the U.S.
Composite lumber manufacturer Trex says low feedstock prices continue to help it achieve boosted profits in the first quarter of the year.
Swedish apparel giant H&M last year saw a notable drop in its consumption of recovered PET for polyester applications. But the company did report progress on marine debris, depolymerization and other initiatives.
QRS Recycling has sold its large Kentucky materials recovery facility, leaving the company with one plastic recovery facility and a stake in a manufacturing operation.
The first Plastics Recycling Awards Europe honored people and products advancing plastics recycling.
Adding recovered plastics to biomass in a gasification process can increase the quality and volume of the end product, according to an industry-funded study.