Colin Staub was a reporter at Resource Recycling from January 2017 to December 2021.
An industry-backed demonstration project is taking place at a former Far West Recycling facility in Portland, Ore. | Jared Paben / Resource Recycling, Inc.
Aug. 1 kicked off public demonstrations of an effort to sort a variety of resins from loads of material otherwise bound for disposal. The goal is to develop a pool of data that can help guide future industry investments.
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A fire at Tulsa’s MRF is the latest example of the industry trend of fires caused by improperly disposed batteries and electronics. | BlurAZ/Shutterstock
The city of Tulsa, Okla. was forced to redirect its residential recycling stream to a waste-to-energy plant after an improperly discarded battery sparked a blaze at a local MRF.
Industry leaders detailed how recycling operations have adapted a year into the pandemic.
During a recent virtual panel, the Northeast Resource Recovery Association reported that many recycling facilities are operating at 100% again, after pandemic disruptions. Additionally, a disease expert offered current guidance on preventing spread in facilities.
Eureka Recycling, one of the founding members of AMBR, operates a MRF in Minneapolis. | Photo credit: Mark Kegans
Four organizations that run recycling operations recently created the Alliance of Mission-Based Recyclers to advocate for recycling and zero waste policies during a period of “systemic changes.”
Oregon legislators have sent an EPR bill to Democratic Gov. Kate Brown for a final signature. | Noah Strycker / Shutterstock
The Oregon House and Senate last week approved a bill establishing extended producer responsibility for packaging and adding other elements to the state’s recycling system, including new requirements for MRFs and an evaluation program for product labels. Continue Reading
With the planned upgrade, sorted and processed plastics will be converted into a plastic lumber inside Firstar’s facility. | jantsarik / Shutterstock
Firstar Fiber is receiving a loan from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste that will help the processor convert hard-to-recycle plastics into building materials, all within the confines of the MRF.
EverestLabs High Recovery Robot Cells performed 104 picks per minute compared to 70 on the company’s Delta system. | Courtesy of EverestLabs
EverestLabs released a new robotic sorting system that the company says can perform more picks and fit in a wider range of MRF settings compared with previous robotic equipment.
A new EPA research report runs through how a typical MRF might encounter and handle lithium-ion batteries, and how fires can be sparked. | silabob / Shutterstock
Lithium-ion battery fires are affecting all types of waste management and recycling facilities. But the U.S. EPA recently concluded that the municipal recycling sector has it worse than others.
MRF operators shared their insights in a session at this year’s Resource Recycling Conference, held virtually in August.
Running a successful MRF means adapting to a changing stream, investing to upgrade equipment and navigating end market uncertainty. Three prominent MRF leaders recently shared how they’re approaching these challenges.
Waste Management’s overall recycling collection dropped slightly from 2019 to 2020. | Courtesy of Waste Management
A report from Waste Management describes how the pandemic shifted the composition of the curbside stream from paper to plastic last year. The document also provides insights into the company’s domestic market expectations and recycling investments.