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A municipality’s lawsuit against major brand owners drew reader interest last month, alongside state policy development, a giant packaging merger, market pricing and an effort to incorporate AI into consumer recycling education.
The list below shows our top stories published in July in terms of unique page views.
1 | PepsiCo, Coca-Cola sued by Baltimore for cleanup costs
The City of Baltimore, Maryland, has filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and other major companies to recoup costs associated with cleaning up plastic pollution.
2 | CalRecycle updates EPR covered materials list
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery released an updated version of the list of materials covered under its extended producer responsibility program for packaging, making nearly 30 tweaks to the list.
3 | Smurfit Westrock merger creates latest packaging giant
With a long-in-the-works merger finally official, recycling collector and major fiber end user Westrock is now one with the European packaging firm Smurfit Kappa. The conglomerate will use an estimated 15 million tons per year of recycled fiber globally.
4 | Mixed trends in plastic pricing as fiber remains steady
July brought higher prices for bales of PET and natural HDPE containers, while color HDPE continued to slip downwards in value. On the fiber front, major grades maintained stable pricing after a long runup throughout the year.
5 | Google supports app providing recycling info globally
With the help of a Google program, Swedish recycling app Bower is expanding its AI-visioning model worldwide, aiming for a world without waste.