Waste Management (WM) has committed to investing more than $800 million to enhance recycling infrastructure, including $56 million to upgrade three Pacific Northwest materials recovery facilities (MRFs). | Pavel Kubarkov/Shutterstock
Dow and Waste Management are partnering on a pilot program that will give some Chicago residents the option of recycling plastic films curbside.
Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company views secondary sortation facilities and high prices for PCR as potential avenues for preventing non-bottle plastics from going to landfill. | TY Lim/Shutterstock
Plastics producers rolling out chemical recycling technologies can access new feedstock streams by helping to finance secondary sortation facilities, according to a McKinsey study.
The aims of the study were to document consumer access to recycling for LDPE film and flexible packaging within California, including store and municipal drop-off and MRF collection, and determine film quantity and quality. | artgray/Shutterstock
Recent research found that the average Californian has to drive for 6.2 minutes to reach their nearest PE film recycling location, and that store drop-off programs collect over 8,700 tons of the material each year.
The five finalists are Netherlands-based Blue Plastics, Austrian GAW Technologies and U.K. companies Impact Recycling, Mura Technology and Nextek. | Tiffy Studio/Shutterstock
Circular Solutions for Flexibles announced the five finalists in the running for its $3 million Alliance Prize for film recycling.
Based outside of Houston, Avangard recycles PE films used in the commercial sector. | Mega Pixel/Shutterstock
Reclaimer and equipment technology company Avangard Innovative plans to open a recycling facility in Indiana, slated to come on-line in 2024. Continue Reading
For NOVA Chemicals’ latest recycled resin product, PE is sourced from distribution center flexible film, a blend of back-of-store stretch and front-of-store consumer drop-off. | Courtesy of NOVA Chemicals
NOVA Chemicals launched a 100% mechanically recycled PE resin for use in films such as shrink, e-commerce, heavy-duty sacks and protective packaging.
Encore Wrap, a stretch film made with 10% PCR, is intended for use in warehousing, transportation and other commercial applications. | Courtesy of Revolution
Plastics reclaimer and film manufacturer Revolution has released a stretch film made with 10% post-consumer resin.
7-Eleven faces a lawsuit challenging recyclability claims on the company’s “24/7” brand foam plates, cups and freezer bags. | Sorbis/Shuttertstock
Brand owners can label plastic products as recyclable even if local residential recycling programs don’t want them, because reasonable consumers wouldn’t assume the word “recyclable” means there are local facilities that accept the material, a federal judge decided.
Scrap plastics being recycled at PreZero’s Westminster, S.C. facility, which is slated to be closed over the next two months. | Courtesy of PreZero
PreZero US will shutter its South Carolina plastics recycling facility and will instead refocus on expanding its recycling capabilities in California.
Novolex’s new mechanical recycling equipment will produce up to 28 million pounds of recycled content per year. | Courtesy of Novolex
Novolex is investing $10 million at its North Vernon, Ind. facility to increase its recycling capacity for plastic bags and other PE film.