Two recently released reports provide snapshots of film and non-bottle rigid plastics recycling. The material types have seen collection gains but processing challenges.
Colin Staub was a reporter and associate editor at Resource Recycling until August 2025.Two recently released reports provide snapshots of film and non-bottle rigid plastics recycling. The material types have seen collection gains but processing challenges.
A legislative effort to update Iowa’s bottle bill has failed, as state lawmakers declined to send it out of committee for further consideration.
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Chinese authorities have issued the first five rounds of recyclable-material import permits for 2018. Compared with 2017, the country has allowed substantially less recycled plastic to enter the country and approved permits for far fewer companies across all material types.
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Municipal programs are often short on funds, and it’s easy for recycling outreach to fall on the back burner amid budget constraints. East Hartford, Conn. recently took action on the issue by partnering with a plastics industry initiative.
Brent Bell, Waste Management
Leaders from Waste Management and two giant consumers of recovered fiber last week detailed the variety of ways their operations have been impacted by recent import shifts in Asia. They also laid out some ideas to help lift material quality.
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A recycled paper mill operator and packaging producer will be purchased by WestRock for $3.5 billion.
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Five brands recently made public commitments to produce recyclable packaging or increase their recycled content by 2025.
Two midsize jurisdictions are joining a program that collects plastics not currently accepted for recycling and sends them to energy recovery facilities. However, an environmental group is speaking out against the development.
The recycling industry has not escaped the fallout from a tight trucking market. Recent regulatory movement and a growing driver shortage have contributed to rising freight costs, just months after extreme weather impacted the shipping sector.
Recyclables exported out of the U.S. are moving to Southeast Asia, where reclaimers and mills are dramatically increasing purchases as China closes its doors to recovered materials. New figures illustrate that shift.