Colin Staub was a reporter and associate editor at Resource Recycling until August 2025.
Recology’s newest MRF in California has seven optical sorters, an eddy current separator, drum magnet and 109 conveyor belts. | Courtesy of Recology
A $35 million materials recovery facility that opened this week in Sonoma County promises to more than double the processing capacity of the sorting center it is replacing. Continue Reading
Experts noted that lower OCC generation and higher demand is driving up recycled fiber prices. | Trainman111/Shutterstock
Containerboard, cartonboard and tissue markets appear primed for growth in the years ahead, experts say. That spells good news for recycled paper prices, which have been on a slow climb over the last half year. Continue Reading
Three separate but connected companies – Sustana Fiber, Rolland Paper and Hanna Paper – rebranded as Sustana in mid-January. | Courtesy of Sustana
Sustana, a 100% recycled fiber mill operator and end user of recovered office paper and cartons, has consolidated its three business segments into the same entity. The move comes shortly after an acquisition that brought the Wisconsin-headquartered company into the fiber collection sector. Continue Reading
Pointing to rising energy costs, Vermont-based Putney Paper shut down Jan. 16. | Max Barnum/Shutterstock
Putney Paper, a Northeast U.S. mill that took in post-consumer recovered fiber and converted it into recycled tissue, napkins and towels, closed its doors last week, with company leadership citing rising energy costs contributing to the closure. Continue Reading
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery altered its current California Refund Value deposit system rules to make space for reusable glass containers in the program. | Ratchat/Shutterstock
Regulators are finalizing rules allowing reusable glass bottles to be included in California’s container redemption program, carrying out plans lawmakers approved in 2021. Continue Reading
A local producer of 100% recycled PET water bottles is bringing in-state bottle processing capacity to Hawaii. | Courtesy of Waiākea Water
Waiākea Inc., a producer of 100% recycled PET bottles for water sourced from an active volcano, is installing bottle-to-bottle processing equipment at its Hilo, Hawaii facility with a planned capacity of 52 million pounds per year. Continue Reading
The study suggests over half of the 110 million metric tons of overall fiber that entered the waste stream went to landfill in 2019. | Janossy Gergely/Shutterstock
New research quantifies in greater detail the amount of fiber entering U.S. landfills each year. A lead author of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study said the findings highlight a huge opportunity for additional material recovery. Continue Reading
There were seven deaths in U.S. MRFs in 2022, up from four in 2021, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers. | Jantsarik/Shutterstock
The number of worker fatalities in the recycling industry – both inside materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and in collection – increased in 2022, even as the rate of on-the-job collection worker deaths decreased. Continue Reading
The Elgin, Ill. recycled box facility carries an investment of more than $30 million. | Mark Agnor/Shutterstock
A corrugated box plant sourcing recycled paper from Canadian mill operator Atlantic Packaging Products has opened its doors near Chicago. Continue Reading
Strategic Materials cited rising feedstock prices and lower volumes, shifts in packaging away from glass, and other factors in its Chapter 11 filing. | Courtesy of the Glass Packaging Institute
A major U.S. downstream outlet for recovered glass from MRFs and bottle deposit programs filed for bankruptcy this month, citing $432 million in debts and interest. Strategic Materials says it plans to reorganize and continue operating normally without interruption. Continue Reading