For years, a European Union panel has given its thumbs up to using recycling processes to generate food-contact recycled plastics, but those opinions aren’t official government “approvals.” Some groups say the lack of official authorization from the European Commission has lead to damaging uncertainty for the industry.
PET depolymerization company Loop Industries has agreed to purchase a 150,000-square-foot site for its first manufacturing facility.
California lawmakers have revised the state’s definition of PET to exclude PETG, meaning products made from the glycol-modified plastic are barred from using resin code No. 1.
A plastics recycling giant in Alabama will likely be significantly increasing its output of recycled natural HDPE after receiving a letter of no objection (LNO) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
M&G, one of the world’s largest producers of virgin PET for packaging, has shut down production plants. Market repercussions from the move could mean higher prices for recycled material.
A survey of plastics converters in Europe shows many of them have trouble obtaining enough acceptable-quality recycled plastic feedstock.
A confluence of factors has led logistics experts to predict that American firms, including those in the recycling industry, will experience higher over-the-road shipping costs in the next six months.
A plastic packaging industry publication is criticizing the recycling industry’s shock and concern over China’s import restrictions, which the writer says are part of a measured and well-publicized effort that’s been in effect for more than a decade.
More than three months after China announced it will restrict recyclables imports, key details on logistics and timing of the new regulations remain unknown. But industry associations are piecing together some more concrete facts about the downstream and upstream ramifications of the actions.
The U.S. PET bottle recycling rate dropped from 30.1 percent to 28.4 percent in 2016, a number that is emblematic of several concerning trends hitting the sector.