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Tag Archives: research

Sort project will target plastics missed by MRFs in Northeast

Published: November 11, 2020
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Baled plastics for soration.

Bales of plastic material for sortation at the Pacific Northwest demonstration facility. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.

Following a similar demonstration in the Pacific Northwest last year, industry stakeholders are launching an initiative to recover additional material from the municipal stream in New York and four other states.

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Study: US a major generator of plastics pollution

Published: November 4, 2020
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Santa Monica, Calif. beach with plastic waste.

Using data from 2016, researchers found the U.S. could be the third largest generator of mismanaged plastic waste.| Rafeed Hussain/Ocean Conservancy

Despite having a robust plastics collection infrastructure, the U.S. is one of the largest contributors to ocean plastics worldwide, according to new findings from well-known plastic waste researchers.

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Institute announces plastics research grant and issues RFP

Published: August 26, 2020
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Mixed plastics baled for recycling.

Federal funding has been announced for research looking into sorting scrap plastic and using enzymes to clean material, among other recycling-related efforts. | paul prescott/Shutterstock

Research focused on improving scrap plastics sortation received funding from the REMADE Institute. Meanwhile, the organization will provide up to $35 million for its next round of grants, with priority placed on plastics.

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Here are the latest film and non-bottle rigid recycling stats

Published: August 19, 2020
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Plastic bags for recycling.

Just over 1 billion pounds of post-consumer bag and film plastics were recovered in 2018. | Pavel Kubarkov/Shutterstock

The amount of U.S. film and non-bottle rigids collected for recycling decreased in 2018, but domestic processors took in more of the material, according to More Recycling.

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Study finds benefits to using recycled film in asphalt

Published: July 6, 2020
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Asphalt paving scene.

Based on the lab-scale research, the Plastics Industry Association is now working with several companies to use a recycled-PE binder in asphalt on privately funded roadways and parking lots. | Marcel Derweduwen/Shutterstock

Research shows post-consumer PE film could improve the stiffness and resistance of polymer-modified asphalt at less cost than the co-polymers that are typically used.

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Study explores southeast state’s contamination rate

Published: July 1, 2020
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Recycling bins on a Florida street.

Researchers in Florida have noticed a gradual increase in contamination rates in recent years. | Blueee77/Shutterstock

Materials recovery facilities in Florida have historically landfilled about one-quarter of the weight that comes in the door, according to a study commissioned by the Florida Recycling Partnership Foundation.

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Group blasts brand owners over plastic pollution

Published: June 17, 2020
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Heinz ketchup and mustard packaging.

In terms of a variety of recycling-related metrics, As You Sow said Kraft Heinz was among the worst-ranked large-revenue companies. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

Environmental advocacy group As You Sow says the largest consumer-facing companies are falling short in the area of plastic pollution reduction. It calls for them to support recycling, among other steps.

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Study explores the use of PCR in packaging

Published: June 10, 2020
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Plastic bottle manufacturing.

Cascadia Consulting Group, Full Circle Environmental and More Recycling conducted research on behalf of state officials in strategies to boost the use of post-consumer plastic in packaging. | MOLPIX/Shutterstock

A report for the state of Washington explores impediments to the use of post-consumer resin in packaging, and it identifies a number of potential solutions.

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Contamination in one region’s commercial stream is 14%

Published: June 3, 2020
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Researchers collected and sorted through more than 38,000 pounds of mixed recyclables from 173 sample loads. | Rubens Alarcon/Shutterstock

Researchers have quantified contamination in the business recycling stream in the Portland, Ore. metropolitan area, providing data that can be used to make operational or outreach decisions.

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A look at recycling’s role in preventing ocean pollution

Published: May 28, 2020
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Researchers identified recycling as a critical piece of the solution to reducing ocean pollutants.| BBbirdZ/Shutterstock

A policy paper from leading ocean plastic experts lays out a strategy for reducing plastic and other pollutants in the world’s waterways. Researcher Jenna Jambeck and others offered details on how materials recovery fits into the plan.

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