Canada is a major buyer of U.S. scrap plastic, underscoring the significance of the recent agreement. | JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
New trade restrictions will make it more difficult to ship scrap plastic from the U.S. to most countries next year. But exports to Canada are unlikely to be affected by the policy.
Polywood uses HDPE, primarily milk jugs and detergent bottles, to produce various types of outdoor furniture. | vermontalm/Shutterstock
Polywood, a manufacturer of outdoor furniture made from recycled HDPE, will invest nearly $43 million to increase its Syracuse, Ind. production capacity.
Last year, 1.77 billion pounds of PET bottles were collected and sold to reclaimers. | Picsfive/Shutterstock
The U.S. PET bottle recycling rate declined by a percentage point to 27.9% in 2019, though the amount of RPET used to make new bottles increased.
An employment lawyer recently said there isn’t a clear answer yet on whether non-healthcare employers can force employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, but there are some indications they’ll be allowed to. | Rohane Hamilton/Shutterstock
As the country gets closer to coronavirus vaccine approvals and distribution, recycling business managers may soon face a thorny question: whether to force employees to take the vaccine.
Recently released data shows the U.S. plastics recycling rate held steady at 8.5% in 2018. | nelladel/Shutterstock
The U.S. recycling and composting rate declined significantly in 2018, but certain materials fared better than others, according to figures from the federal government. The drop was partially due to a change in how the rate was calculated.
Bales of plastic material for sortation at the Pacific Northwest demonstration facility. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.
Following a similar demonstration in the Pacific Northwest last year, industry stakeholders are launching an initiative to recover additional material from the municipal stream in New York and four other states.
The average price of natural HDPE bales have reached another record high this month. Continue Reading
A life-cycle analysis found that using recycled PET resin in place of virgin resin can lead to a 40% reduction in process and transportation energy. | GenViewFinder/Shutterstock
The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) says using recycled PET offers a 60% greenhouse gas reduction over virgin material, one of several recent findings the group added to its PET environmental impact resources.
The pact members are aiming to launch a roadmap document publicly in April 2021. | chainarong06/Shutterstock
The director of the U.S. Plastics Pact says the effort is marked by two key components: focusing on a target-based national strategy to tackle plastic waste and employing rigorous accountability through reporting to the public.
Using data from 2016, researchers found the U.S. could be the third largest generator of mismanaged plastic waste.| Rafeed Hussain/Ocean Conservancy
Despite having a robust plastics collection infrastructure, the U.S. is one of the largest contributors to ocean plastics worldwide, according to new findings from well-known plastic waste researchers.