A judge determined the key issue was the availability of recycling programs, not whether bottles are made into new items. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
If a bottled water label and cap are effectively unrecyclable, and if statistics show a majority of PET bottles are ultimately wasted, can the containers still be labeled as “100% recyclable”? A federal judge recently said yes.
A lawsuit takes aim at product marketing claims made by Reynolds Consumer Products around recycling and recyclability. | rawf8/Shutterstock
Connecticut’s attorney general sued Reynolds Consumer Products over the marketing of its Hefty trash bags as recyclable, bringing truth-in-labeling lawsuits to another state.
Greenpeace dropped its lawsuit against Walmart after a judge ruled that the activist group lacked standing to sue. | BrAt82/Shutterstock
Greenpeace’s lawsuit challenging Walmart’s recyclability labels for plastic packaging has ended – again.
Three new lawsuits target reusable bags in California. | The Last Beach Cleanup
If most community recycling programs don’t accept PE bags but some grocery stores do, are the bags legally considered recyclable?
An SEC fact-finding investigation into PP recycling startup PureCycle recently concluded without further action. | AevanStock/Shutterstock
PET recycling startup Loop Industries agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle a lawsuit from investors, and regulators have ended their investigation of PP recycling startup PureCycle Technologies without taking further action.
As part of the settlement, Keurig cannot label, market, advertise or otherwise represent the cups as recyclable without a qualifying statement that the materials are not recycled in many communities. | zimmytws/Shutterstock
Keurig Green Mountain reached a class-action settlement with a consumer who sued over coffee pod recyclability claims, agreeing to pay $10 million and add language indicating the plastic cups are “not recycled in many communities.”
Earlier this month, PreZero opened a plant in the German municipality of Eitting, near Munich, that will sort up to 120,000 metric tons of lightweight packaging a year. | Courtesy of PreZero
More plastic recycling is coming to Europe with Biffa and PreZero announcing expansion projects, while a U.K. advertising regulator is targeting big brands for their bottle recycling claims.
The Greenpeace lawsuit focuses on Walmart’s use of the How2Recycle label on certain of the company’s private label plastic packaging. | QualityHD/Shutterstock
A lawsuit alleging Walmart deceives customers about recyclability of its packaging has been reopened. Attorneys for Greenpeace expect their complaint, which was previously dismissed by a federal judge, will be allowed to move forward in its amended form.
Keurig has tentatively settled a class-action suit regarding the company’s recyclability claims. | John Mantell/Shutterstock
Keurig Green Mountain has reached a tentative class-action settlement with a consumer who is suing the company over its coffee pod recyclability claims.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating PureCycle’s statements related to its recycling technology, financial projections, key supply agreements and management. | DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock
Even as it signs offtake agreements with major companies, PP recycling startup PureCycle Technologies continues to be dogged by legal and regulatory troubles.