Plastics producer Braskem is involved with three plastics recycling R&D projects to receive funding from the REMADE Institute. | T. Schneider/Shutterstock
A federally backed research institute has awarded nearly $10 million to various R&D projects, with nearly half going to work that supports plastics recycling. Continue Reading
Aeternal Upcycling’s hydrogenolysis technology originates from work that co-founder Ryan Hackler conducted at the Argonne National Laboratory. | Courtesy of Aeternal Upcycling
When Ryan Hackler was 8 years old, the Olympic Pipeline exploded in a park not far from where he lived in Bellingham, Wash., killing three young people and devastating about 26 acres near the heart of the city. Continue Reading
The groups behind the database have already compiled a dataset that includes about 1,000 plastic reduction laws in the U.S. | DC Studio/Shutterstock
In order to tamp down on plastic pollution, several environmental groups have worked together to launch a global database for tracking plastic-related laws. It even covers the upcoming United Nations plastics agreement. Continue Reading
St. Joseph Plastics’ grinding facility in St. Joseph, Mo. | Courtesy of St. Joseph Plastics
Two plastics reclaimers have merged to form one company with nine facilities and about 300 employees across the Midwest and South. Continue Reading
LyondellBasell’s MoReTec equipment. | Courtesy of LyondellBasell
LyondellBasell says its chemical recycling technology presents environmental benefits over competing pyrolysis processes, particularly because the company can use both the liquid and gas outputs as feedstock for new plastics. Continue Reading
Digimarc’s digital watermark system allows consumers to scan containers to find information on where to recycle them. | Showcake/Shutterstock
After several years of testing, the “Holy Grail 2.0” project announced it will move forward with a countrywide pilot of Digimarc’s digital recycling technology in France in 2024. Continue Reading
Companies such as Prairie Robotics and AMCS Group are leveraging AI to craft more robust analytics, all the way down to the individual household level. | 9dream Studio/Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence is now well established in MRFs as a tool for sorting material and dramatically reducing contamination. Now, multiple companies are taking AI to an earlier stage of the recycling process by mounting cameras on collection trucks. Continue Reading
According to a recent report from the Argonne National Laboratory, LDPE and HDPE made with 5% pyrolysis oil emit a lower volume of greenhouse gases than their virgin counterparts. | Vikentiy Elizarov/Shutterstock
A life cycle analysis from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory suggested that chemically recycling plastics entails lower greenhouse gas emissions than virgin production. Continue Reading
Topics at a recent discussion of EPR programs included collection, efficiency and harmony across jurisdictions. | mi_viri/Shutterstock
Producer responsibility organizations can help drive efficiency and harmonization in extended producer responsibility programs, stakeholders suggested at a recent conference. Continue Reading