Connecticut will begin a phased-in deposit program resumption on May 20. | monticello/Shutterstock
Connecticut retailers will begin accepting deposit containers on a limited basis this week and will ramp up to full service early next month. COVID-19 disruptions to deposit programs continue in other states.
Despite challenges caused by the pandemic starting in March, the first quarter of 2020 showed strong sales for some businesses that use recycled plastic. | Chaosamran_Studio/Shutterstock
Three major recycled plastic consumers recently reported their business performance during the first few months of 2020. They touched on COVID-19, recycled material costs and their outlook for the future.
Natural HDPE inched up this month, but most other post-consumer plastic grades are trading for lower prices.
Campbell’s recently pledged to incorporate 25% recycled plastic in its PET bottles by 2030. | Katherine Welles/Shutterstock
Campbell’s Soup Company, which uses a variety of plastic packaging in addition to its signature steel soup cans, says its PET containers will hit a 25% recycled-content level within a decade.
Officials estimate that 20 projects receiving grants will collectively divert an additional 15,400 tons of post-industrial and post-consumer plastic from landfills each year. | ImagineStock/Shutterstock
North Carolina recently awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to help plastics recycling companies invest in new equipment.
Cement Lock can use scrap plastic to fuel its rotary kilns, which produce an additive used in cement production. | Courtesy of Cement Lock.
A Florida company is working to commercialize a process that uses low-value scrap plastic as fuel in cement production.
An industry analyst recently noted that low virgin resin pricing means challenges for ensuring end users choose to use recycled plastic. | batuhan taskinkaya/Shutterstock
The coronavirus pandemic has piled on top of existing plastics recycling market strife to cause pricing fluctuations and create uncertainty about how end users will meet their sustainability commitments.
California’s governor recently suspended the state’s single-use bag ban for 60 days. | Joanna Dorota/Shutterstock
California’s single-use bag ban has been suspended for two months, with the governor citing coronavirus safety concerns. One plastics reclaimer said the move led to an immediate drop in PCR sales.
The Richmond, Ind. plant will be DAK Americas’ second producing food-grade 100% RPET pellets. | Courtesy of DAK Americas
DAK Americas will spend $32 million on a project allowing it to produce food-grade 100% RPET pellets in North America for the first time.
Bloem is a mid-sized planter manufacturer producing about 25 million pots a year. | Courtesy of Bloem.
A polypropylene planter producer has begun molding with marine plastics, after the company and its suppliers overcame melt flow and color consistency challenges.
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