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Tariff chaos bobs, weaves throughout recycled polymers market

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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.

Shipping vessel from above

Federal funding uncertainty hits recycling projects

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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.

International Recycling Group plant rendering.

Blue Polymers, Polyfit, many others receive FDA letters

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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.

Thermoform plastic packaging.

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FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Five trends for plastic recycling in 2025

by Steve Alexander

State policy moves, competition from virgin resin and other trends are likely to define the year ahead.

The Design Guide turns 30

by Dan Holtmeyer

APR’s guide to designing for recyclability marks three decades of improvement and change.

shutterstock_1883264749_v2

Breaking down chemical recycling

by Marissa Heffernan

Purification and depolymerization and conversion, oh, my! We look into these technologies and their role in plastics recovery.

The new age of textile recycling

by Colin Staub

As plastic dominates textile production, recycling sectors are merging and new methods are taking hold.

Textile recycling: Where do we stand?

by Marisa Adler

In the past decade, we’ve seen a wave of textile recyclers emerge, seeking to fill a gap in textile recycling to meet soaring demand for recycled fibers.

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FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

A new approach to sorting PET and more at MRFs

by Jared Paben

An autonomous system developed by Bulk Handling Systems is really more of a sorting loop than a sorting line.

BHS container sorting loop rendering.

PP grant brings robot to a facility’s sorting line

by Jared Paben

With a little help from The Recycling Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, a Fresno-based MRF has entered the world of robotics.

AMP Robotics installation team.

How a de-dusting system cleaned up RPET sheets

by Jared Paben

Specialized equipment is reducing the presence of gels in rPlanet Earth’s RPET sheets, allowing the Southern California-based reclaimer to sell them for higher prices.

Pelletron De-Duster installed on site.

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