Regulatory changes, and an overall sense of uncertainty, are playing into difficulty moving scrap materials abroad. | 28 November Studio/Shutterstock
Overseas markets for recovered plastic, including Malaysia and India, are experiencing disruption as governments enact widespread restrictions and close ports in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In communities around the country, recycling programs are limiting the materials they collect, altering service hours or shutting down altogether. | Oksana Shturo/Shutterstock
Recycling programs nationwide have curtailed service due to the coronavirus pandemic, potentially hampering the supply of scrap plastics moving to reclaimers in the weeks to come.
Tangent Technologies announced that it acquired Bedford Technology in late February. | YP photographer/Shutterstock
A company that recycles HDPE into composite lumber has acquired another manufacturer in the same space.
An ongoing battle between OPEC and Russia is flooding the market with cheap barrels of oil, threatening downward pressure on virgin plastics prices. | Rebekah Zemansky/Shutterstock
Construction has been delayed on two large U.S. prime plastics plants – one because of high costs and the other due to coronavirus. At the same time, an oil price war put downward pressure on virgin plastic prices.
North American plastics recycling companies are working to prevent the spread of coronavirus within their operations. | joshimerbin/Shutterstock
The global escalation of COVID-19 is leading reclaimers to enact new safety regulations, while on a wider scale it impacts some collection programs, reduces Asian scrap plastics demand, constrains global shipping, dents stock prices and threatens an economic recession.
Business challenges related to the wider market are likely to pop up again and again in the coming months. | Poring Studio/Shutterstock
The price of natural high-density polyethylene continues to fall from the high it hit in January. Meanwhile, PET ticked upward over the past month.
After riding high since last fall – even hitting an all-time record – the price of natural HDPE bales decreased 8% this month.
The new NERC report includes 15 new and 10 expanding facilities processing recycled plastics in North America. | Warut Chinsai/Shutterstock
The North American plastics recycling sector is poised to add over 1 billion pounds of annual capacity, according to a group charting processing growth.
Greg Janson of plastics reclaimer QRS Recycling knows all too well what happens when material suppliers aren’t informed about load quality.