Although recent tariffs may exclude resin shipments, market players are seeing no shortage of confusion and consternation. | AlexKol Photography/Shutterstock
After many weeks of shifting narratives and uncertainty, participants in recycled polymer markets are working to navigate the new tariff environment, in which buyers and sellers as well as customs officials struggle to align federal mandates with on-the-ground implementation. Continue Reading
A proposed International Recycling Group facility in Pennsylvania, seen here in a 2021 rendering, has been canceled concurrent with the project’s loss of federal funding. | Courtesy of International Recycling Group
Dramatic federal funding cuts have affected at least two plastics recycling efforts, contributing to a major project being canceled in Pennsylvania and forcing an accelerated timeline for self-sufficiency at an Alaska composite lumber operation. Continue Reading
WM plans to spend about $3 billion on 39 recycling facilities and 20 renewable natural gas projects by 2026. | Photo Courtesy of WM
MRFs in Maryland, Texas, Minnesota and Canada re-opened after upgrades that included optical sorters, artificial intelligence and film vacuums.
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With its latest sustainability report, Walmart became the latest mega-brand to announce it was unlikely to meet its voluntary commitments for plastics. | Harun Ozmen/Shutterstock
With the arrival of the benchmark year of 2025, two industry giants announced challenges and progress in meeting the ambitious plastics-related goals set for this year. Continue Reading
Panelists at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference spoke about the current landscape for food-grade PP recycling, where it came from and what’s needed to improve recycling rates. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling, Inc.
The technology for sorting and recycling PP back into food-grade packaging already exists, and with more value chain alignment, it is poised to take off at scale, those involved at all levels of the process said during a session at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference. Continue Reading
Letters of no objection allow companies to begin marketing their recycled resin for food-contact uses. | Konektus/Shutterstock
Two dozen companies received the go-ahead from the Food and Drug Administration to use recycled plastic in food-contact packaging during the second half of 2024. The companies span North America, Africa, Europe and Asia, and their processes include mechanical and chemical recycling. Continue Reading
Photo Courtesy of Nova Chemicals
A canceled expansion and a bankruptcy in the chemical recycling sector drew reader interest last month, alongside coverage of EPR policy development, tariff fallout and a massive mechanical film recycling plant.
During the fiscal year, state employees recycled 12.9 million pounds of materials, generating $83,326 in revenue for Missouri’s recycling fund and avoiding $716,065 in landfill fees. | Roman Zaiets/Shutterstock
The Missouri state recycling program generated tens of thousands of dollars in revenue and saved the state hundreds of thousands in waste disposal fees, according to a recent report. Continue Reading
Circular Services’ MRF in North Texas will carry a $61 million investment and total 120,000 square feet. | Photo courtesy Circular Services
A southwest Alabama materials recovery facility that drew state and industry financial support has opened its doors, marking a significant step in localizing processing and lowering costs for area municipalities. Meanwhile, Circular Services broke ground on a single-stream MRF to serve a North Texas community. Continue Reading