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Author Archives: Colin Staub

About Colin Staub

Colin-StaubColin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Major European glass recycler to buy Strategic Materials

Published: April 29, 2024
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Glass bottles piled for recycling.

European glass recycler and mining company Sibelco entered the U.S. glass recycling market by acquiring Strategic Materials for an undisclosed amount. | Tory Chemistry/Shutterstock

Sibelco, a post-consumer glass recycling firm with two dozen processing plants across Europe, announced plans to buy U.S. glass recycling giant Strategic Materials, which recently reorganized through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Continue Reading

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Recycling sectors come together in Las Vegas

Published: April 23, 2024
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ISRI2024 brought together paper, plastics, electronics and metals recycling companies for four days of discussion on key industry topics, leading up to ISRI announcing its new name, ReMA. | Photo courtesy ReMA

Companies from across the materials recovery spectrum gathered at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas last week for the ISRI2024 conference, which culminated in the long-running trade association unveiling a new name. Continue Reading

Robotics firm estimates tons lost at the MRF level

Published: April 23, 2024
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Aluminum cans for recycling.

EverestLabs’s data suggests that 3.6 million tons of aluminum, PET, HDPE and PP are collected and sent to MRFs each year, but about 960,000 of those tons end up in the disposal stream. | Graham Corney/Shutterstock

Of the aluminum cans, PET, HDPE and PP that reach a MRF, 27% ends up still going to disposal, according to a recent report from Robotics supplier EverestLabs. Continue Reading

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KW Plastics close to launching another wash line

Published: April 16, 2024
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View of KW Plastics' new wash line for PP recycling

KW Plastics plans to bring an additional 100 million pounds per year of olefin recycling capacity online in the next few months. | Courtesy of KW Plastics

There are plenty of reasons to be gloomy about recycled resin markets these days. But one of the largest plastics reclaimers in the U.S. is staying focused on a course of expansion, and it’s getting ready to start up an additional 100 million pounds per year of olefin recycling capacity. Continue Reading

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Oregon deposit system estimates 90.5% return rate

Published: April 16, 2024
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Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative redeemed 2.09 billion containers in 2023, up from 2.05 billion containers in 2022. | Dan Leif/Resource Recycling

An Oregon beverage stewardship group that manages the oldest container deposit program in the country reported a preliminary 2023 redemption rate of 90.5%, the first time the program has topped 90% since 2019.

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US battery recycling receives a federal boost

Published: April 9, 2024
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The U.S. Department of Energy on March 28 announced 17 projects that will receive a combined $62 million in government funding to improve consumer access to battery recycling and to improve the economics of battery processing. | Sergii Chernov/Shutterstock

Municipal collection events. Fire safety systems. Robotic sortation upgrades. These are a few of the numerous battery recycling efforts to receive a combined $62 million in government funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Continue Reading

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Nonprofit director sentenced for recycling grant fraud

Published: April 9, 2024
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The nonprofit leader submitted false documents, including altered check images and fictitious invoices, to secure funds. | Proxima Studio/Shutterstock

The former head of a Nebraska nonprofit will serve four months in prison after she admitted to submitting fraudulent documents to secure public grant funds meant for electronics recycling collection events. Continue Reading

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US plastics recovery declined in 2022

Published: April 2, 2024
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Plastic waste pile

A drop in overall plastics collection contributed to a decline in the annual bottle recycling rate, which decreased to 27.8% in 2022. | Mohamed Abdulraheem/Shutterstock

Just over 5 billion pounds of post-consumer plastic was recovered for recycling in 2022, an annual industry report found, marking a decrease from the prior year. One trade association pointed to macroeconomic factors like inflation as driving the lower recovery. Continue Reading

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Federal funding boosts recycling operations

Published: April 2, 2024
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Aluminum can bale close up.

An aluminum sheet producer that uses recycled beverage cans is among the recipients of a recent round of federal funding. | Pim Pic/Shutterstock

Multiple glass recycling operations, a massive chemical recycling facility and a project to increase consumption of mixed grade recycled aluminum are among the materials recovery efforts to receive recent funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. Continue Reading

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