According to a recent report from the Argonne National Laboratory, LDPE and HDPE made with 5% pyrolysis oil emit a lower volume of greenhouse gases than their virgin counterparts. | Vikentiy Elizarov/Shutterstock
A life cycle analysis from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory suggested that chemically recycling plastics entails lower greenhouse gas emissions than virgin production. Continue Reading
Now that its medical waste recycling pilot has yielded “favorable results,” Casella Waste Systems is looking to broaden the project to include more healthcare facilities. | Courtesy of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)
As part of a pilot project to explore the recyclability of medical waste, Casella Waste Systems and medical company BD recycled 40,000 pounds of material, including syringes and needles. Continue Reading
Researchers in Japan found microplastics in clouds at the summit of Mount Fuji and other nearby mountains. | Martinho Smart/Shutterstock
One academic study from Iowa explored using residential PP scrap at different levels in new food bottles, and another in Japan discovered nine different polymer types as microplastics in clouds. Continue Reading
Study authors evaluated three categories of chemical recycling technology and found that the “purification” category yielded the highest PCR return. | Vitte Yevhen/Shutterstock
As with many emerging technologies, chemical recycling goes by a variety of names, including “advanced” and “molecular” recycling. A study from Closed Loop Partners dug into the differences. Continue Reading
The research team hopes that a better accounting of PP moving through materials recovery facilities will help build a circular economy for the material. | Pixel B/Shutterstock
Closed Loop Partners, NextGen Consortium and AI developer Greyparrot plan to study the composition of polypropylene in recycling streams using artificial intelligence. Continue Reading
Of the nine states for which data is available, only two showed meaningful increases in their container redemption rates. | Poring Studio/Shutterstock
Most states with deposit return systems saw static or reduced bottle redemption rates in 2022, according to a deposit advocacy organization. Continue Reading
Researchers at The Circulate Initiative identified several common challenges that cities face when dealing with plastic waste. | Mohamed Abdulraheem/Shutterstock
Research recently undertaken by several groups dug into how individual cities in ocean plastic hot spots are approaching materials management. Continue Reading
The Alliance to End Plastic Waste argues that consistent specifications for quality material will help drive investment in sorting and collection technology. | Fabrika Simf/Shutterstock
The Alliance to End Plastic Waste suggested the recycling industry in the European Union develop target specifications for processed materials to ease the transition to a circular economy. Continue Reading
Drainage pipes are a form of infrastructure that already typically include recycled plastic. | Courtesy of Advanced Drainage Systems
Not only should the U.S. try to expand and standardize plastics recycling, but it should also consider using the material in various public infrastructure projects, a report suggested. Continue Reading
The Container Recycling Institute and Reloop released a study showing that deposit return systems do not have a negative effect on beverage sales. | Zety Akhzar/Shutterstock
A study looking at two decades of beverage sale trends around the world found that there was no decrease in sales when deposit return systems went into effect or were expanded. Continue Reading