A mix of stories about exports, collection strategies, recycling rates, paper investments and recyclables pricing drew readers’ attention last month.
The list below shows our top stories published in December in terms of unique page views.
1 | Signals point to all-out recycled fiber ban in China
Recent actions by the Chinese government indicate the country will likely ban imports of OCC and almost all other fiber grades in 2021. Such a move would come in the wake of industry-shaking mixed paper and plastic prohibitions already in place.
2 | County bolsters glass recycling – by pulling it from curbside
A local program in a populous area of northern Virginia is seeing positive results after shifting glass from curbside collection to drop-off. The effort has also set the stage for a hub-and-spoke system to serve the wider region.
3 | A closer look at container and packaging recycling rates
The overall U.S. recycling rate was 35.2% in 2017, but underneath that number is a more complicated picture of material-specific recovery.
4 | Companies plan to invest $300M in domestic paper recycling
A technology company and investment firm say they will develop two North American facilities processing more than 800,000 tons per year of mixed paper and OCC into recycled pulp and paper.
5 | MRFs enjoy higher prices for key recovered plastics
Prices for curbside natural high-density polyethylene have climbed even higher over the past month. Paper prices remain painfully low.
