Nina Bellucci Butler speaks at the Resource Recycling Conference.
U.S. and Canadian end users could consume more of the recovered plastics generated domestically if prices and specifications meet their needs. But a handful of converging market trends are standing in the way of significant growth.
California lawmakers have approved a bill mandating that carpet stewards achieve a 24 percent recycling rate and discouraging the use of incineration. The legislation will now head to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.
Ontario has passed legislation ushering in full producer-paid recycling of packaging materials throughout the province of more than 13 million people.
Rhode Island legislators have introduced a bill that requires brand owners to nearly double the recycling rate for packaging over the course of two years.
Manufacturers will voluntarily subsidize post-consumer carpet sortation for an additional year.
California regulators are threatening to bring the hammer down on a carpet stewardship group, saying it has failed for years to grow carpet recycling.
A government auditor in British Columbia has released a report on the Canadian province’s EPR (extended producer responsibility) program for printed paper and plastic packaging. Overall, the auditor is pleased with the program but does identify areas for improvement.
The extended producer responsibility program for packaging in Portugal has seen improving recovery volumes in recent years.
In its first full year of operation, British Columbia’s printed paper and packaging recycling program notched a 77 percent recovery rate, beating the target set by the government.
The Circular Economy Package adopted by the European Commission in March is receiving considerable attention among European plastics reclaimers.