The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced it approved a program plan on Feb. 21. | Yanqiang Dai/Shutterstock
After several years of work, Oregon has approved an extended producer responsibility plan, laying out how packaging producers are expected to fulfill the requirements of the law. Continue Reading
Three companies announced funding and other progress toward building chemical recycling capacity. | Menzl Guenter/Shutterstock
Several companies recently announced progress toward chemical recycling capacity, including a developing method to recycle PET that could require much less energy. Continue Reading
The price spread between the two grades of HDPE bales stood at 85.07 cents per pound for February, according to RecyclingMarkets.net data, the highest level the index has tracked in seven years. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling
The price spread between natural and color HDPE reached a record high in February, as natural bales pricing increased while mixed-color bales remained near historic lows. Continue Reading
Scrap PET imports rose faster than overall scrap plastic imports did last year, continuing what has been an emerging challenge for the domestic plastics recycling industry. | S Oleg/Shutterstock
Domestic RPET market participants have struggled to compete with inexpensive imported material for nearly two years. But the lack of a specific Harmonized Tariff System code obscures the scale of the issue even as PET’s share of scrap imports surpassed 50%. Continue Reading
Billions of small-format plastic items are produced each year but are lost to landfills or incinerators across the board. | Golden Shrimp/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: Learn more about plastic recycling trends and many other topics at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference on March 24-26 in National Harbor, Maryland. Continue Reading
Both buyers and sellers quoted prices as high as 17 cents per pound in mid-February, citing capacity additions and competition with virgin resin for the runup. | CalypsoArt/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: Learn more about food-grade recycled PP and many other topics at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference on March 24-26 in National Harbor, Maryland. Continue Reading
Two key curbside plastic grades rose significantly in value this month, while other grades held steady from January. Continue Reading
Scrap plastic exports fell in 2024 while recycled plastics imports rose, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. | Druid007/Shutterstock
Scrap plastic exports fell by about 2% in 2024, according to new trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile, recycled plastic imports reached record levels, making the U.S. a net importer of the material. Continue Reading
PETCORE Europe supports ecomodulation and plastic reduction, according to chairman Antonello Ciotti. | DonPablo Lorez/Shutterstock
The basis for Europe’s 72% collection rate of PET comes down to regulation and collaboration, Antonello Ciotti, chairman of PETCORE Europe, said in a recent podcast. Continue Reading
The U.S. EPA carries out a variety of recycling industry-supportive work through its Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. | Tada Images/Shutterstock
There are few indications how incoming U.S. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin might shift the agency’s solid waste and recycling work, but he won the support of multiple recycling industry associations, and stakeholders say he likely brings an understanding of local solid waste management challenges. Continue Reading