Colin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].
The group will promote MRF upgrades and product design changes to facilitate higher capture of small packaging items, like metal bottle caps. | xpixel/Shutterstock
Led by the Glass Packaging Institute, a new initiative seeks to improve MRF sortation of smaller packaging materials that often get missorted and end up in the glass stream. Continue Reading
Glass sourced from Seattle and the surrounding areas saw temporary disruptions due to the loss of a major end user. | Photo courtesy Seattle Public Utilities
Several months after the primary end user for Seattle-area curbside glass pulled out of the area and disrupted regional glass collection, logistics upgrades have enabled programs to resume moving material as usual. Continue Reading
The Basel Convention regulated plastic scrap in 2021, but each party country must adopt domestic laws to enforce those rules. | hanohiki/Shutterstock
The Malaysian government recently published regulations indicating the country will stop all U.S.-sourced imports of scrap plastic on July 1, and reports from traders indicate the flow already has slowed. Continue Reading
Although extended producer responsibility is poised to capture substantially more material, The Recycling Partnership’s CEO says it’s important to ensure that material has an end market. | New Africa/Shutterstock
Backed by major brands, The Recycling Partnership has become well-known in the materials recovery sector over the past decade for boosting access to recycling, in particular by helping municipalities roll out recycling carts, improve outreach and reduce contamination. Continue Reading
Major fiber end user Smurfit Westrock anticipates some, but not substantial, demand recovery for containerboard and consumer fiber packaging this year. | trainman111/Shutterstock
Price increases helped recover fiber end users’ bottom lines over the past quarter, even as questions about corrugated packaging demand swirled in the wake of multiple high-profile U.S. mill closures. Continue Reading
Grant funds that were made available by the Inflation Reduction Act have been subject to reconsideration under the Trump Administration. | Michael Warwick/Shutterstock
Cullet end users Gallo Glass and O-I were among the Department of Energy grant funding recipients who had their awards canceled last month, including one for a project that would directly expand recycled glass capacity. An industry group criticized the funding cuts. Continue Reading
Oregon’s bottle bill, the oldest in the nation, could see some changes. | Veja/Shutterstock
Oregon state lawmakers recently approved a bill that allows the state to designate new redemption centers in Portland tailored toward canners — people who redeem containers on a daily or near-daily basis — and to allow retailers operating nearby to provide fewer redemption services. Continue Reading
PepsiCo will now shoot for 40% global recycled plastic use by 2035, instead of 50% by 2030. | FotograFFF/Shutterstock
Citing factors outside the company’s control, brand giant PepsiCo has softened its global post-consumer recycled content target and given itself more time to achieve the goal. Continue Reading
A judge favored Brightmark’s parent company over a slightly higher bid, preferring Brightmark’s plan to keep the facility operating over the competing bid’s liquidation plan. | Photo courtesy of Brightmark
Brightmark’s bankrupt Indiana pyrolysis facility has been sold to parent company Brightmark for $14.3 million in a move that will keep the facility operating and retain most or all of its more than 100 employees, a judge ruled this month. The latest development came after a competitive auction process with plenty of twists and turns.
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A technology-focused panel at ReMA’s 2025 conference featured Blake Gordon of Georgia-Pacific Recycling, Lisa Kagan of Buddy and Geoff Aardsma of AMCS, and was moderated by Jennifer Betts of Magnar Metals. | Photo by Colin Staub / Resource Recycling
For Blake Gordon, general manager of digital trading at Georgia-Pacific Recycling, defining next-generation technology can be boiled down to a simple question: Does it simplify something that is unnecessarily complex? If so, it’s next-gen. Continue Reading