Post-consumer plastic makes up about 0.5% of Indorama’s resin offerings. | Joyce Blessthink/Shutterstock
Virgin resin producers Borealis and Indorama have made ambitious recycled plastic commitments, but post-consumer plastic still makes up a tiny fraction of what they sell.
In 2017, the U.S. recycled 3 million tons of plastic, down 5.1% from 2015, according to the EPA.
The U.S. plastics recycling rate fell to its lowest level in half a decade, recently released figures show.
ABA President and CEO Katherine Lugar presented a major recycling funding initiative alongside leaders from beverage companies. | Photo credit: YouTube
Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo have pledged to put their money behind boosting processing technology and increasing curbside collection access. They’ll also introduce a uniform recycling message on their bottles next year.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation released an update on organizations’ progress toward their global plastic packaging commitments. | Aykut Erdogdu/Shutterstock
The Coca-Cola Co. uses considerably more recycled plastic than many of its global packaging peers. But, like others, it still has a long way to go to hit its ambitious goals for post-consumer resin. Continue Reading
The price of recovered natural HDPE bales has climbed again, in some areas breaking recent records. Continue Reading
Scrap plastic exports fell to their lowest level in recent history, but domestic markets continue to be hungry for recycled resin, particularly natural HDPE. | BEST BACKGROUNDS/Shutterstock
Overseas appetite for post-consumer scrap plastic dwindled in the third quarter. But on the domestic side, the value of recovered natural HDPE has skyrocketed and RPET demand remains strong. Continue Reading
California reclaimer Circular Polymers will ship densified polyester carpet fiber to Eastman for chemical recycling. | Courtesy of Circular Polymers
Densified PET fiber from post-consumer carpet will ride railcars from California to Tennessee, where chemical giant Eastman will feed it into a gasification process. Continue Reading
Recology CEO Michael Sangiacomo told an audience at the 2019 Resource Recycling Conference and Trade Show his company would help bankroll a California initiative taking aim at plastic waste. | Brian Adams Photography
The CEO of West Coast hauler Recology teamed up with environmentalists to this week submit a proposed California ballot initiative taking aim at single-use plastics. Continue Reading
About 300 sample bottles were produced from material collected on beach cleanups and from the Mediterranean Sea. | Courtesy of Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Co. released a container made partially from ocean plastic, making it the latest company to pursue a food-contact application for the low-grade material.
The Recycling Partnership has identified three key initiatives to improve the current recycling system.
PET collection is lagging behind recycled resin demand by more than 1 billion pounds per year, according to a study, and investment of $500 million is needed to improve the situation.