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Vinyl industry reports flat recycling figures

Published: December 11, 2024
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The Vinyl Sustainability Council reported an annual estimated North American PVC recycling figure of 1.1 billion pounds, which includes both post-industrial and post-consumer. | Warin Keawchookul/Shutterstock

Plastics recycling firms continue to process about 958 million pounds of post-industrial PVC and 142 million pounds of post-consumer, non-packaging PVC each year, together accounting for an estimated 27% of annual North American PVC waste generation, the Vinyl Sustainability Council said this week. Continue Reading

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Industry views are mixed as tariff threat looms

Published: December 11, 2024
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PET bales stacked for recycling.

Effects from proposed tariffs against Mexico and Canada could include market consolidation favoring larger firms that can absorb added costs. | Menzl_Guenter/Shutterstock

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series taking a closer look at the potential effects of threatened tariffs on recycled commodity markets. Read the previous installment here, on what trade flows are most likely to be affected. Continue Reading

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Oregon finalizes EPR rulemaking, PRO submits plan

Published: December 11, 2024
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Oregon state capitol building.

The third iteration of Oregon’s program plan had more accurate cost estimates, after Circular Action Alliance carried out a costing survey over the summer. | Nadia Yong/Shutterstock

Oregon moved its rulemaking process ahead for its extended producer responsibility for packaging law set to roll out next summer, and Circular Action Alliance also released its third program plan draft.  Continue Reading

Coca-Cola ‘evolves’ sustainability goals, timelines

Published: December 4, 2024
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Coca Cola bottles wrapped in plastic at a wholesale market.

The Coca‑Cola Company eliminated its goals around reusable packaging and virgin plastic reduction. | StudioPortoSabbia/Shutterstock

The Coca‑Cola Company has rolled back its voluntary sustainability goals, decreasing some and eliminating others, following the growing number of big brands announcing they will not meet often-ambitious 2025 or 2030 targets. 

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Global treaty talks extended after hitting typical roadblocks

Published: December 4, 2024
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On Nov. 27, the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Plastics demanded the right to speak at plenary sessions, after being denied the usual time allotted for civil society members to share their views. | Kiara Worth/International Institute for Sustainable Development

Negotiations for a global, legally-binding treaty to address plastic pollution will spill over into another meeting, but participants noted the need for a seismic shift to reach the finish line after a fifth round of United Nations negotiations splintered along similar lines as the last four. 

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Strategies MRFs, brands use to add materials to the bin

Published: December 4, 2024
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Amy Uong, second from right, speaks during ‘Saying Yes in the Land of No,’ a session held during the Resource Recycling Conference in Kentucky last month. | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling, Inc.

Faced with challenges moving recycled materials in recent years, MRFs and curbside recycling programs have occasionally opted to stop accepting certain materials, particularly experimental or harder-to-market packaging types.

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Study: E-plastics additives present in home goods

Published: December 4, 2024
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E-plastics / Jared Paben

The study found flame retardants in some black plastic kitchen utensils that contained recycled resin. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling

A recent study has focused public attention on household products containing plastic that the authors suggest was recovered from electronics, raising safety concerns about chemicals contained within the recycled content.

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Import, export trends highlight risks of tariffs

Published: December 4, 2024
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If threatened tariffs against Mexico and Canada are implemented, trade volumes of U.S. plastic scrap could be impacted. | HuguetteRoe/Shutterstock

Although the potential effects – or even the likelihood – of threatened U.S. tariffs on Mexico and Canada are yet unknown, they’ve focused attention on the trade dynamics among the North American neighbors, including in post-consumer plastics.

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