The Ocean Conservancy has withdrawn its support for incineration as a way to combat plastic pollution. | Molishka/Shutterstock
A top environmental watchdog has rescinded its influential 2015 report, which pointed the finger at Asia for ocean-bound plastic generation and included incineration and waste-to-energy as solutions to pollution.
Connecticut students collected nearly 4 tons of bottle caps for recycling through a collaborative effort. | Courtesy of SoundWaters
Connecticut middle school students, with help from processor UltraPoly and other entities, recently collected 2.5 million plastic caps and recycled them into end products as part of a lesson on microplastics.
European company Fortum developed a post-consumer plastic chair to showcase how recycled plastic compounds can be used for more technical and challenging products. | Courtesy of Fortum
Several companies have announced progress toward recycled-content goals and new products made from recycled plastics. Here’s a roundup of recent developments.
Shipping company CMA CGM didn’t specify exactly which categories of plastic scrap or waste the prohibition would apply to. | EQRoy/Shutterstock
CMA CGM Group, the third-largest ocean shipping company in the world, announced it will no longer carry post-use plastics on its ships as of June 1.
Ocean Legacy performs its own cleanup efforts and also serves as a collection hub for all shoreline cleanups in British Columbia. | Courtesy of Ocean Legacy
Canadian company Ocean Legacy is working to expand production of its 100% recycled ocean pellet and is eyeing U.S. markets.
The expansion will add up to 50 jobs to Padnos’ Wyoming, Mich. plastics recycling plant. | SevenMaps/Shutterstock
More ocean-bound plastics will be recycled in Michigan after Padnos decided to expand its plastics recycling plant, a $6.6 million project.
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A factory team working on the sorting process conveyor in Polindo’s aggregation center. | Courtesy of Circulate Capital
A partnership involving Circulate Capital, Bantam Materials and an Indonesian processor will help to recover PET from remote areas of the Asian nation and deliver it to grocery store shelves in Europe and America.
Volunteers clean the beach during the 2021 International Coastal Cleanup on September 18, 2021 in Santa Monica, California. | Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Ocean Conservancy
Information gathered through decades of coastal cleanups shows the majority of plastic litter recovered was never recyclable through curbside systems in the first place, according to Ocean Conservancy.
Unnamed sources told Reuters that Renew Oceans captured only one metric ton of plastic waste from the Ganges River, far short of publicly stated goals. | photo stock india/Shutterstock
This article has been updated.
A touted initiative from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste ceased operations in India nearly a year ago, and it’s not expected to be revived.
Circulate Capital invested in Dalmia Polypro Industries, a plastic bottle recycling company based in Mumbai, India. | Courtesy of Circulate Capital.
The U.S. and Europe have had formal recycling infrastructure in place for decades. That’s not the case in India, where Circulate Capital just invested millions of dollars to boost infrastructure and reduce ocean plastics generation.