Chinese officials have reiterated that some post-consumer plastics will be banned from import by the end of the month, and have elaborated on stringent future enforcement and regulatory plans. Even so, one exporter sees the potential for washed flake to be allowed in under the new restrictions.
Data from the sale of recyclable plastic bottles in early December suggest the value of recovered packaging will end the year in a slightly weak position.
Polystyrene producer INEOS Styrolution has recently partnered with a pair of companies that are developing emerging chemical PS recycling processes. An INEOS executive said the activity is the first step toward what partners hope will be a full-scale polystyrene recycling consortium.
A study commissioned by Closed Loop Partners identifies strategies to enhance the PET bottle recycling system, allowing RPET to better compete with virgin plastic.
A Canadian organization with a focus on marine debris is building a global effort to facilitate collection of plastics from impoverished countries and connect that material with end users.
Redemption center closures continue to plague California, leaving fewer convenient options for beverage container returns and contributing to a decrease in the state’s redemption rate.
Top manufacturers, recycling stakeholders and environmental organizations want to ban oxo-degradable plastic packaging because they don’t believe it actually prevents pollution.
Plastic bottle recycling was a difficult business to be in last year, with negative trends seen in collection, processing and pricing, according to an annual report on the industry sector.
California lawmakers have revised the state’s definition of PET to exclude PETG, meaning products made from the glycol-modified plastic are barred from using resin code No. 1.
A plastics recycling giant in Alabama will likely be significantly increasing its output of recycled natural HDPE after receiving a letter of no objection (LNO) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.