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 five largest haulers in North America reported first-quarter 2023 financials, with some seeing prices recover from a slump. | L.O.N DSLR Camera/Shutterstock
Depressed commodity prices continued to batter the bottom lines of large publicly traded curbside recycling businesses during the first quarter, although some MRF operators are now seeing steadily increasing values.
Republic Services is one of several major haulers that benefitted from higher commodity prices in the first quarter of this year. | Iv-olga/Shutterstock
Higher commodity prices continue to drive revenues and profits for the largest waste and recycling haulers in North America.
The EPA recently published an estimate of U.S. food waste in the food retail/service and residential sectors. | KariDesign/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA released a plastics pollution plan that supports steps to reduce production of single-use and difficult-to-recycle plastics. Meanwhile, the agency released data showing the county is moving in the wrong direction on food waste. Continue Reading
The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) seeks to grow the UBC recycling rate to 90% by 2050. | Ji Jinn/Shutterstock
In endorsing a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases and limit global warming, aluminum producers say boosting UBC recycling rates will play a central role. Meanwhile, Novelis, the largest UBC recycling company in North America, provided updated details on its “green bond” spending. Continue Reading
Most beverage brands failed to meet CalRecycle’s requirements for post-consumer resin use or didn’t report to the regulator at all. | Noom CPK/Shutterstock
Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo and other big beverage brands achieved California’s mandate to use 15% post-consumer resin in their bottles last year, but the list of smaller brands that failed to hit the target – or even report data to the state – stretches over 500 companies long. Continue Reading
An increased bottle recycling rate was driven mainly by PET bottles. | Nixx Photography/Shutterstock
The U.S. plastic bottle recycling rate was 28.2% in 2021, up 1 percentage point from a year earlier, according to an industry report released April 11.
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Recycled fiber prices mean a lot to WestRock, which takes in about 8 million pounds of the material each year. | Luca Pbl/Shutterstock
WestRock consumes millions of tons of OCC and other recovered fiber each year, so the paper products giant would love to know as much as anybody else what the future has in store for bale pricing. Continue Reading
Waste Management is leaning on technology to reduce the company’s environmental impact. | Lunasee Studios/Shutterstock
Recycled-content mandates in a handful of states will have a “halo effect” that stimulates brand owner demand for recycled materials elsewhere. That’s one of the reasons WM feels confident investing $1 billion into its recycling business over four years, company executives said. Continue Reading
A rendering shows the entrance of the planned Columbus MRF. | Courtesy of Rumpke Waste & Recycling
A sprawling MRF under construction in Central Ohio will provide Rumpke Waste and Recycling with plenty of room to spread out – spread out recyclables on the belt, that is. That strategy can help automated sorting technologies work more effectively.
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New Hanover County, N.C. will send paper cups to Sonoco’s recently upgraded paper mill in Hartsville, S.C. | Courtesy of Sonoco
A packaging industry group, local governments and a paper mill operator are working together to bring curbside paper cup recycling to programs throughout the Carolinas. Continue Reading