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Closed Loop study breaks down chemical recycling terms

Published: September 26, 2023
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Study authors evaluated three categories of chemical recycling technology and found that the “purification” category yielded the highest PCR return. | Vitte Yevhen/Shutterstock

As with many emerging technologies, chemical recycling goes by a variety of names, including “advanced” and “molecular” recycling. A study from Closed Loop Partners dug into the differences.  Continue Reading

Texas e-scrap company installs e-plastics system

Published: September 26, 2023
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Leaders at CompuCycle say the recently installed e-plastics line will help the company sell to the domestic market. | Courtesy of CompuCycle

Houston-based electronics recycling company CompuCycle is putting the finishing touches on an e-plastics sorting line, the latest domestic investment in processing capacity for plastics from electronics.
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AI-powered study will examine PP recycling streams

Published: September 12, 2023
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The research team hopes that a better accounting of PP moving through materials recovery facilities will help build a circular economy for the material. | Pixel B/Shutterstock

Closed Loop Partners, NextGen Consortium and AI developer Greyparrot plan to study the composition of polypropylene in recycling streams using artificial intelligence.  Continue Reading

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First draft of global plastics agreement released

Published: September 6, 2023
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Stakeholders and involved parties will continue to debate the precise language of the agreement. | Nexus 7/Shutterstock

The first working draft of the United Nations’ global plastics agreement lays out the broad strokes of what is intended to be a legally binding way to manage plastic pollution on land and in the oceans. Continue Reading

Panelists: Tensions between EPR and plastics waning

Published: September 6, 2023
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Anja Brandon, associate director of U.S. plastics policy at the Ocean Conservancy, speaks during the “Plastic Tensions Within Extended Producer Responsibility” session at the 2023 Resource Recycling Conference in Orlando, Fla. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling

Resource Recycling Conference attendees may have been expecting a boxing ring when stakeholders got on stage to talk about plastic and extended producer responsibility, but instead they got a message of hope, progress and civil disagreement on film, chemical recycling and labeling. Continue Reading

How ‘rock bottom’ pricing is jostling plastics recycling

Published: August 22, 2023
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Although depressed plastics prices have caused some companies to revise their earnings projections, many in the sector are optimistic about an upcoming rebound. | Golden Dayz/Shutterstock

This story has been updated.

Recycled plastics prices are at their lowest levels in some time, putting significant strain on material processors. Meanwhile, some resin buyers are abandoning PCR to purchase virgin plastic instead.  Continue Reading

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Data shows largely stagnant bottle return rates

Published: August 29, 2023
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Of the nine states for which data is available, only two showed meaningful increases in their container redemption rates. | Poring Studio/Shutterstock

Most states with deposit return systems saw static or reduced bottle redemption rates in 2022, according to a deposit advocacy organization. Continue Reading