Robotic gripper from AMP Robotics at work on a recycling line.

Details on advancements in robotic sortation for recycling facilities garnered attention last month. | Courtesy of AMP Robotics.

Articles covering extended producer responsibility policy, recycling and trucking markets, and technology installations drew our readers’ interest last month.

The list below shows our top stories published in January in terms of unique page views.

1 | AMERIPEN starts to shift on recycling policy
A packaging industry group that has traditionally opposed mandated producer funding of recycling may be ready to support that type of legislation, according to the organization’s leader.

2 | New year brings higher prices for recovered commodities
Prices for curbside recyclables are either up or flat this month, with some key materials seeing surging values. For example, OCC rose 14% during the past month.

3 | Plastics reclaimer puts $2 million into sort line
Indianapolis-based Plastic Recycling, Inc. has expanded with a project that underscores the opportunities and complexities in recycling plastics from scrap electronics.

4 | How the use of robotics is evolving at MRFs
A recycling facility operator and a robotics company say artificial intelligence is providing materials recovery firms with much-needed data to analyze changes in the recycling stream. That’s in addition to sortation improvements.

5 | Tight trucking market will persist well into 2021
A driver shortage that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to create challenges for moving recyclables this year, analysts say.

 

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