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Tag Archives: research

ExxonMobil, others roll out chemical recycling updates

Published: April 26, 2022
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Exxon Mobil corporate sign and landscaping.

Packaging companies recently announced they will purchase recycled resin produced through ExxonMobil’s chemical recycling technology. | Katherine Welles/Shutterstock

Multiple companies announced they will be increasing their use of chemically recycled plastics in pursuit of their recycled-content goals, and a consumer goods group said it supports chemical recycling.

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Recycling startup tackles laboratory plastics

Published: April 13, 2022
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GreenLabs Recycling collection boxes.

GreenLabs Recycling recently hit 100,000 pounds of plastic recycled since it began collecting material in 2019. | Courtesy of GreenLabs Recycling

More than 20 million plastic pipette tip boxes are shipped to the greater Boston area each year, and the vast majority are not recycled. GreenLabs Recycling is working to change that.

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Researchers emphasize need to reduce flexible packaging

Published: April 13, 2022
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Plastic packaging closeup.

Overall, worldwide recycling rates for both single-polymer and multi-material plastic flexible packaging is negligible. | pedphoto36p/Shutterstock

Single-use flexible plastic packaging has been the fastest-growing packaging type. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation says the opposite should be happening.

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Study: Modernized bottle bills boost redemption, save money

Published: March 23, 2022
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Bottle return at a reverse vending machine.

A study found that modernizing bottle bills in five Northeast states could create up to $160 million in savings to local governments and add up to $1.4 billion to the region’s economy annually. | Pazargic Liviu/Shutterstock

By updating older deposit return systems, states can create jobs, increase municipal savings and boost recycling rates, according to research from nonprofit Reloop North America.
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Google identifies ‘interventions’ to boost plastics recovery

Published: March 23, 2022
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Various plastic items arranged on a pink background.

A report from Google suggests that reaching a circular economy will require rethinking design, reducing resource consumption, recycling and other interventions. | Nevodka/Shutterstock

A report from one of the world’s biggest tech companies finds that both chemical and mechanical recycling will be needed to close the plastics loop by 2040. The company also discusses taxes on virgin plastics.

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How private equity has boosted various links in value chain

Published: March 16, 2022
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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.

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The Recycling Partnership rolls out grant program for PET

Published: March 16, 2022
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PET bottles for recycling.

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.

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Federal program pumped nearly $1.2B into recycling companies

Published: March 2, 2022
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Signing business paychecks.

An analysis of federal data shows recycling firms received over a billion dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans. | NIKCOA/Shutterstock

U.S. recycling companies received about $1.19 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans, including nearly $318 million received after Congress allowed certain companies to take a second bite at the PPP apple.

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OECD: Global support for plastics recycling needed

Published: February 23, 2022
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OECD logo on building exterior.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued its first Global Plastics Outlook report. | 360b/Shutterstock

A global body estimates production of recycled plastics has quadrupled over the past two-plus decades, but recycled resins still make up only 6% of total plastic production.

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