Colin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].
A Glacier robot positioned on the sorting line at Seattle’s King County MRF. | Photo by Colin Staub
A Seattle-area sorting facility operated by Recology has installed imaging and sorting equipment supplied by Glacier, adding another major MRF to the company’s two-dozen customers. Glacier also announced it has raised additional capital that CEO Rebecca Hu-Thrams said will help the company grow further and faster. Continue Reading
A county collection program servicing 223,000 single-family households is rolling out on-demand curbside electronics and battery collection accepting virtually all types of e-scrap. | Photo courtesy Montgomery County Department of Environment Protection
By creatively utilizing existing collection infrastructure, a county government in Maryland is rolling out curbside electronics and battery collection for all electronics at no additional cost. Continue Reading
California began requiring beverage manufacturers to report their annual virgin and recycled resin use beginning in 2018. | DonPablo Lorez/Shutterstock
Newly released data shows many major bottlers increased their post-consumer PET use in beverage containers sold into California last year, surpassing the state’s 15% minimum recycled content mandate for that year and putting them on track to hit the expanded mandate for 2025. Continue Reading
Smartphones and laptops are exempt from U.S. tariffs targeting Chinese imports, but other goods are currently subject to 145% in duties. | Metamorworks/Shutterstock
Country-specific reciprocal tariffs have been pushed out until July, but a universal base rate tariff rolled out last week, which covers all countries, and earlier metals tariffs remain in effect. Meanwhile, an all-out trade war between the U.S. and China is intensifying. Continue Reading
The data gleaned from AI imaging systems can help improve MRF operations on a wider scale. | Photo courtesy EverestLabs
Equipment supplier EverestLabs recently highlighted a handful of examples of how artificial intelligence-equipped data analytics can help MRF operators modify equipment settings to improve commodity recovery. Continue Reading
Circular Services’ MRF in North Texas will carry a $61 million investment and total 120,000 square feet. | Photo courtesy Circular Services
A southwest Alabama MRF that drew state and industry financial support has opened its doors, marking a significant step in localizing processing and lowering costs for area municipalities. Meanwhile, Circular Services broke ground on a single-stream MRF to serve a North Texas community. Continue Reading
Across all waste and recycling facility categories, publicly reported fires in the U.S. and Canada jumped 15% from 373 in 2023 to 430 in 2024. | Mino Surkala/Shutterstock
Publicly reported fires at MRFs and transfer stations increased by 20% in 2024 over the prior year, according to an annual review by fire detection equipment supplier Fire Rover. It’s the highest yearly figure since the company began tracking fire statistics. Continue Reading
Recovered material imports, like the 1 million tons of recovered fiber the U.S. brought in from Canada last year, appear to be tariff-exempt under a new executive order. | Pjhpix/Shutterstock
The U.S. tariff whirlwind continues this month: Many imports from Canada and Mexico, including those of recycled materials, had their tariffs suspended two days after they took effect last week, while previously announced tariffs on aluminum and steel from all countries are set to take effect Wednesday. Continue Reading
Some companies, including major material haulers, are taking a tempered view of the tariffs, especially given the amount of macroeconomic turmoil that has accompanied the past five years. | chuyuss/Shutterstock
Update: Most of the new tariffs on imports from both Mexico and Canada were paused until April 2, following executive orders President Donald Trump signed on March 6.
The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential “severe” disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.’s largest trading partners took effect March 4, bringing higher costs to import nearly all goods, including recycled commodities.
Cascade Asset Management, which operates facilities in Wisconsin and Florida, says the combination with Sage provides logistical advantages for winning clients. | Courtesy of Cascade Asset Management
Longtime electronics recycling processor Cascade Asset Management has been acquired by Sage Sustainable Electronics, bringing it into the Closed Loop Partners portfolio of companies. Company leaders said a shared vision and long experience in the industry make the move complementary to each firm. Continue Reading