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Scrap plastic from Canada, Mexico subject to tariffs

Published: March 5, 2025
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In 2024, the U.S. imported 393 million pounds of scrap plastic, primarily PET and mixed plastics, from Canada. | Vacancylizm/Shutterstock

Update: Most of the new tariffs on imports from both Mexico and Canada were paused until April 2, following executive orders President Donald Trump signed on March 6.

The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential “severe” disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.’s largest trading partners took effect March 4, bringing higher costs to import nearly all goods, including recycled commodities. Continue Reading

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Nova commissioning first US film recycling plant

Published: March 5, 2025
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Partners Novolex and Nova Chemicals are proactively working to increase feedstock supply for the new Indiana facility, which can process 140 million pounds a year of LLDPE film. | Antoinette Smith/Resource Recycling

Editor’s note: Learn more about accelerating film recycling and many other topics at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference on March 24-26 in National Harbor, Maryland.  Continue Reading

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Ethics complaint filed in SB 54 back-and-forth

Published: March 5, 2025
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Baled plastics for recycling.

An anonymous complaint asked California’s Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate Rachel Wagoner for a violation of a ban that prevents former regulators from receiving compensation to work against the state on matters that were under their purview. | Zlikovec/Shutterstock

A formal ethics complaint has been lodged against Rachel Wagoner, formerly the director of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery who is now with producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance. The complaint alleges that she is lobbying her former agency in violation of a state “switching sides” ban. Continue Reading

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Our top stories from February 2025

Published: March 5, 2025
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The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced it approved a program plan on Feb. 21. | Yanqiang Dai/Shutterstock

A major milestone in Oregon EPR policy development caught readers’ attention last month, as did stories covering a chemical company’s chemical recycling outlook, small-format packaging recycling, plastic markets and tariffs.

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Authors address error in black plastic additive study

Published: March 5, 2025
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A highly publicized study on the presence of flame retardants in black plastic household products contained a calculator error, the authors announced. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling

Last year, a study suggested that household products containing plastic possibly recovered from electronics had high levels of flame retardants – but the authors issued a correction to the work after finding a miscalculation. Continue Reading

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INC-5.2 for global plastic treaty to be held in August

Published: March 5, 2025
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Having left South Korea without a treaty, delegates from around the world will reconvene in Switzerland in August to keep working to address global plastic pollution. | Nexus 7/Shutterstock

Several months after wrapping what was intended to be the final negotiations on a global plastic pollution management treaty, the United Nations Environment Programme has announced the dates for extended talks.  Continue Reading

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Planned EPA cuts could hit grants, staffing

Published: March 5, 2025
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The EPA administrator pointed to staffing, office space and grants as areas to cut agency spending. | John Hanson Pye/Shutterstock

Details are scarce on U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s plans to cut his agency’s spending by 65% or more, but some of its 15,000 full-time-equivalent positions and grants to recycling programs across the country could be on the chopping block.  Continue Reading

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PureCycle maintains price expectations for its R-PP resin

Published: March 5, 2025
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Closeup of plastic resins of various colors.

The company’s flagship plant in Ironton, Ohio, is experiencing fewer and less serious issues, amid rapidly growing interest in the chemically recycled resin. | XXL Photo/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. 

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Women in Circularity: Katie Drews

Published: February 26, 2025
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Editor’s note: Women in Circularity is a long-running series in Resource Recycling News, sister publication to Plastics Recycling Update. Series author MaryEllen Etienne will host a Women in Circularity session during the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference next month, and in the run-up to the conference, we’re introducing the series to Plastics Recycling Update readers as well. Katie Drews, featured in this month’s installment, will join MaryEllen during the conference session.

A warm welcome back to “Women in Circularity,” where we shine a light on women moving us toward a circular economy. This month, I was pleased to connect with an expert in the delivery of community based recycling services: Katie Drews. Katie is the co-president and CEO of Eureka Recycling, a nonprofit zero-waste organization and social enterprise recycler based in Minneapolis. Katie has nearly two decades of experience in marketing and business strategy and has a track record of driving change and innovation in corporate, higher education and nonprofit sectors.

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