Polypropylene bale pricing has risen to levels not seen since August 2022, largely attributed to increasing demand for use in food-contact packaging. | Retan/Shutterstock
Post-consumer PP bale pricing has continued to rise in March, reflecting trends in recycled content adoption and potentially encouraging MRFs to sort for the polymer. Continue Reading
Major curbside plastic grades saw across-the-board price increases in March, including an 85% jump for color HDPE and a 42% jump for PP, according to the latest national average commodity values. Continue Reading
3R’s U.S. facility plans to offer a domestic processing option for portions of the e-scrap stream that are increasingly difficult to export. | Photo courtesy Basel Action Network
3R Technology California is getting ready to open up shop at its first U.S. location in the Southern California city of Riverbank. The company processes e-plastics into clean, separated flake to help keep e-plastics in the U.S. Continue Reading
The recycled-content plastic plywood material is billed as a stronger, waterproof option to replace traditional plywood. | Photo courtesy of Supersede
Phoenix, Arizona-based Supersede started up last fall with a goal to use recycled plastic to create a plywood-alternative board specifically for marine use. The company has started with post-industrial PP as a feedstock and is experimenting with post-consumer resin as it gears up for an expansion. Continue Reading
Traceability tools can act as a scorecard, providing proof that recycling works and helping counter an often one-sided narrative in consumer media outlets. | 9dream Studio/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: Learn more about traceability technology and many other topics at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference on March 24-26 in National Harbor, Maryland. Continue Reading
New metal tariffs on imports from all countries into the U.S. spurred quick retaliation from the European Union and Canada. | nattanan726/Shutterstock
The U.S. tariff whirlwind continues this month: Many imports from Canada and Mexico, including those of recycled materials, had their tariffs suspended two days after they took effect last week, while previously announced tariffs on aluminum and steel from all countries are set to take effect Wednesday. Continue Reading
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
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