Plastics recycling is drawing mainstream media attention in the wake of recent data showing low and declining recycling rates in the U.S. | lary_bird/Shutterstock
A recent report on plastic recycling rates from The Last Beach Clean Up and Beyond Plastics has attracted the attention of several large news outlets and the mainstream public, but industry leaders said the data is misleading and counter-productive.
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.
Cascades has invested over 30 million Canadian dollars into developing 100% RPET packaging. | Courtesy of Cascades
A couple of converters have rolled out notable recycled-plastic packaging innovations: an RPET food tray and a label-less RPET bottle.
Recycling equipment manufacturer Machinex provided improved sorting technologies for two Pratt single-stream MRFs. | Courtesy of Machinex
Pratt Industries may be primarily focused on recycling fiber into cardboard boxes, but with higher scrap plastics prices, the company also saw a business opportunity in boosting PET and HDPE bottle sorting.
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) on April 14 released 2021 data on virgin and recycled plastic usage in beverage containers covered by the state’s deposit law. | Pazargic Liviu/Shutterstock
This story has been corrected.
Numbers for 2021 show some big beverage brands were ahead of the game when it comes to complying with California’s recycled-content law, including BlueTriton Brands, Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo. Others remained far short of the targets set by the state.
To meet California’s 15% PCR rate by 2022, U.S. reclaimers need an aggregate additional output of 800,000 tons of food-grade post-consumer PET and PE. | monticello/Shutterstock
A report from Independent Commodity Intelligence Services found that there’s not enough post-consumer resin in the U.S. market to meet California’s mandates, and there are more state mandates coming on-line soon.
In a session moderated by Roxanne Spiekerman (left), resin markets experts Marcelo Wasem (center) and Joel Morales (right) presented their analysis to attendees at the 2022 Plastics Recycling Conference. | Brian Adams Photo/Resource Recycling, Inc.
Post-consumer HDPE and PP prices have been hot lately, and they’re likely to stay that way given consistently strong demand and relatively slow supply increases, according to one market expert.
Over the next several years Indorama will invest over $8 billion in chemical recycling and bio-derived plastics. | CAHYADI SUGI/Shutterstock
Chasing its sustainability goals, global PET producer Indorama is going to spend $8 billion over the next eight years to help scale up chemically recycled and bio-based plastics.
Greg Johnson, Evergreen’s general manager of resin and recycling, presents at the Plastics Recycling Conference last week. | Brian Adams Photography
When private equity fund The Sterling Group acquired Evergreen, staff at the PET reclaimer were nervous, Greg Johnson included.
The PET Recycling Coalition will launch in the next few months and will provide grants to MRFs and other facilities to increase the capture of PET beyond bottles. | Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock
The Recycling Partnership will launch a PET Recycling Coalition to find solutions for common recycling challenges, a representative of the nonprofit group announced at last week’s Plastics Recycling Conference.