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QRS Re-Poly sold to settle debt from failed expansion

Published: January 27, 2021
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Re-Poly facility exterior.

QRS facilities had trouble in recent years as falling resin prices challenged the financial viability of models built around deeper sorts of the plastics recycling stream. | Photo from Ravinia Capital.

This story has been updated.

A well-known St. Louis plastics recycling operation has been auctioned off, and the processing company is now called Granite Peak Plastics.

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State lawmakers nationwide begin coordinated push for EPR

Published: February 3, 2021
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Oregon state capitol building.

Lawmakers in Oregon have joined those in eight other states for a coordinated effort around the country to advocate for EPR policies. | Nadia Yong/Shutterstock

Legislators in nine states spanning the U.S. will collaborate to push extended producer responsibility policies for plastic packaging. They said their joint actions will carry more weight than a single legislative effort.

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Eastman offers details on $250M depolymerization plant

Published: February 3, 2021
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Eastman Chemical facility in Kingsport, Tenn.

Eastman Chemical Co. announced it will invest $250 million over two years to build a methanolysis plant at its Kingsport, Tenn. facility. | William Griffith/Shutterstock

Eastman’s plastics sorting capabilities and complementary chemical recycling technologies will help it cost-effectively secure the ample feedstock supply needed for a huge methanolysis plant, the company’s CEO said.

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Canada Plastics Pact kicks off with 2025 goals

Published: February 3, 2021
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Bales of plastic for recycling.

The Canada Plastics Pact launched with more than 40 partner organizations. | Ulrich Mueller/Shutterstock

Reclaimers joined brand owners, industry groups and other stakeholders to launch the Canada Plastics Pact, which will work to incorporate Ellen MacArthur Foundation-led recycling targets into Canada’s plastics sector.

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How a pyrolysis firm handles EnergyBag plastics

Published: January 27, 2021
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Nexus truck and tanks.

The CEO of Nexus Fuels told Plastics Recycling Update how his company uses its pyrolysis technology to convert the mix of post-consumer plastics collected at the curb into chemical and wax products. | Nexus Fuels

For the past two years, difficult-to-recycle plastics have been collected in Cobb County, Ga. through the Hefty EnergyBag program. A downstream processor recently described what happens to that material.

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Reuters: Renew Oceans project shuts down

Published: January 20, 2021
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Plastic waste lines the banks of the Ganges river in Calcutta, India.

Unnamed sources told Reuters that Renew Oceans captured only one metric ton of plastic waste from the Ganges River, far short of publicly stated goals. | photo stock india/Shutterstock

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A touted initiative from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste ceased operations in India nearly a year ago, and it’s not expected to be revived.

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Tight trucking market will persist well into 2021

Published: January 20, 2021
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Many hauling trucks parked in a lot.

With fewer available drivers comes less available trucking supply, leading to higher prices and potential disruptions in trucking availability for those in the recycling industry. | Vitpho/Shutterstock

A driver shortage that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to create challenges for moving recyclables this year, analysts say.

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Basel plastic regulations cause ‘fight for feedstock’

Published: January 13, 2021
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Cargo ship with terminal in background.

Scrap plastic traders are facing challenges from increased freight rates and cancellations of bookings by shipping lines as Basel regulations are implemented. | Mariusz Bugno/Shutterstock

Industry experts say overseas buyers are struggling to source scrap plastic after new restrictions on the global trade of recovered plastic began taking effect.

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