The City of San Antonio began accepting plastic bags in curbside single-stream carts two years ago. In its first year, 550 tons were recovered through the program, but that number fell by more than two-thirds in the second year.
Associate Editor Jared Paben has worked for Resource Recycling since December 2014. Most of his earlier career was spent as a reporter for the daily newspaper in Bellingham, Wash., but he also has experience working for the Oregon volunteerism commission and for Oregon nonprofits serving low-income populations. He can be contacted at [email protected].The City of San Antonio began accepting plastic bags in curbside single-stream carts two years ago. In its first year, 550 tons were recovered through the program, but that number fell by more than two-thirds in the second year.
China’s imports of some categories of non-ferrous metals, including copper, have gone down because of import quotas. | Andrew b Stowe/Shutterstock
Reports from the Bureau of International Recycling shine a light on non-ferrous scrap metal markets as we enter the new year, particularly in China.
In its regulations, CalRecycle put the regulatory burden on local officials, who must ensure homes and businesses are provided with – and actively use – food scraps and yard debris collection services. | SaskiaAcht/Shutterstock
Local governments in California must ensure residents and businesses have organics collection service, under rules finalized by state regulators recently.
A man was sentenced to five years in prison for a bottle redemption fraud scheme that bilked California out of millions of dollars, according to state authorities.
By tweaking existing equipment, materials recovery facilities could reduce the amount of flexible film packaging landing in their fiber bales, an industry study concluded.
A campaign aimed at curbing criminal activity could cause headaches for those legally sending recyclable materials across the Pacific Ocean.
A rebound in commodity values meant substantial recycling-related revenue boosts for North America’s two largest residential haulers.
The National Recycling Coalition gave 10 organizational and individual awards this year, including one to a woman who played an instrumental role in reinvigorating the organization. The coalition has also elected a new slate of board members.
A variety of businesses in Oregon were recently awarded grants to boost materials recovery. | bleakstar/Shutterstock
An Oregon agency has awarded $5.6 million in grants to bolster recycling and composting infrastructure serving the Portland area.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Jan. 8 issued the penalty against Hydro Extrusion USA. | naughtynut/Shutterstock
Oregon regulators issued a $1.3 million penalty against an aluminum recycling firm, accusing the processor of violating its air quality permit by melting dirty feedstock.