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Category: Top stories

Revamped pre-wash system drives efficiency for reclaimer

Published: November 21, 2019
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Clear Path Recycling facility

Clear Path Recycling installed a new wash trommel to remove contamination, including sleeve labels, from PET bottles. | Courtesy of Clear Path Recycling.

A $1 million-plus equipment investment is helping North Carolina-based Clear Path Recycling boost PET throughput while using less water and energy.

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Project quantifies potential of secondary sortation

Published: December 11, 2019
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A close-up view shows the wide variety of materials in the mixed-plastic bales. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.

A demonstration project found that by routing mixed bales and MRF residue to a central sorting location, more than 17,000 tons of additional plastics could be captured in the Pacific Northwest each year.

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Nestlé wants to build markets by creating demand

Published: January 22, 2020
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Nestlé pledged to buy up to 2 million metric tons of food-grade recycled plastics over the next five years. | Formatoriginal/Shutterstock

Nestlé says it will buy a huge quantity of food-grade recycled resin over the next five years. A company leader explained why the brand owner is committing to use recycled plastic despite its higher cost.

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Financial filing shows PET reclaimer’s income losses

Published: January 15, 2020
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Phoenix Technologies was one of a handful of U.S. reclaimers to be acquired by virgin plastics companies in 2019. | Leonid Sorokin/Shutterstock

Since virgin plastics company Far Eastern New Century acquired Phoenix Technologies last June, the U.S. PET reclaimer has lost substantial amounts of money.

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Avangard to supply Dow with PCR pellets

Published: January 15, 2020
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Dow is aiming to have a significant supply of post-consumer resin products. | StanislauV/Shutterstock

Dow signed a deal to buy recycled polyethylene pellets from Avangard Innovative, allowing the petrochemical giant to provide recycled-content plastic to North American customers for the first time.

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How a new domestic end market for HDPE emerged

Published: December 11, 2019
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Michael Pluimer of Crossroad Engineering Services gathers data on the performance of recycled-HDPE corrugated pipe in southeastern Pennsylvania. | Courtesy of Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS).

This article has been corrected.

A group’s green light to use recycled HDPE in road drainage pipes opens a potentially massive market for recovered plastic. Officials recently explained the work that drove the decision.

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Brand owner trials film-on-the-side curbside recycling

Published: January 8, 2020
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Curbside film recycling in N.J.

Through the Bradley Beach, N.J. partnership, SC Johnson is providing financial support to assist with infrastructure costs. | Courtesy of SC Johnson

SC Johnson recently launched a pilot curbside film collection program in a small New Jersey community. Rather than mix film into existing single-stream recycling, the program has residents use a dedicated container.

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Report explores keys to boosting plastics recovery

Published: January 8, 2020
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The research firm McKinsey & Co. identified a number of challenges and opportunities to increasing plastics recovery in the U.S. | Uroš Medved/Shutterstock

As opposed to reducing and reusing, recycling has the greatest potential to cut down on plastic waste, according to McKinsey & Co. But processing solutions don’t lie solely with mechanical recycling. 

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