Marissa Heffernan started working for Resource Recycling in January 2022 after spending several years as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Southwest Washington. After developing a special focus on recycling policy, they are also the editor of the monthly newsletter Policy Now. Heffernan can be contacted at [email protected].
The study included over 23,000 units of certified food-contact compostable packaging in 10 large-scale industrial composting environments, tested over 18 months. | Yuriy Golub
Overall, compostable packaging breaks down successfully at composting facilities, an 18-month study from the Composting Consortium found. Continue Reading
The fourth United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting will be held in Ottawa, Canada, April 21-30. | Nexus 7/Shutterstock
The penultimate meeting to draft a global plastic pollution treaty kicks off this week in Ottawa, Canada, and stakeholders say there’s a lot riding on this fourth meeting.
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This article appeared in the February 2024 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
This article appeared in the February 2024 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
There are a dozen bills relating to battery and e-scrap recycling in play across nine states in 2024. | Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock
With most legislative sessions reaching the halfway point, there are a dozen bills in play that would create or amend state electronics recycling programs or regulate battery disposal. Continue Reading
The study, conducted in fall 2022 and spring 2023, sorted samples from residential households, New York City Public Schools, the New York City Housing Authority and on-street litter baskets into 96 main categories. | Helen89/Shutterstock
A waste characterization study in New York City found that recycling rates for metal, glass, plastic and paper declined from previous study years. It also found capture rates decreased and contamination rates increased. Continue Reading
An initial extended producer responsibility for packaging plan in Oregon covers the years 2025 through 2027. | Yanqiang Dai/Shutterstock
The shape of Oregon’s extended producer responsibility for packaging plan is becoming clearer after the Circular Action Alliance released its initial program plan to the state. Continue Reading
Panelist Rebecca Hu said during the session that AI is moving beyond robotics and the technology is on track to provide data and create partnerships that could improve the whole value chain. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
Artificial intelligence is a key element of increasing plastic recycling, panelists at the 2024 Plastics Recycling Conference in Grapevine, Texas, said last month. Continue Reading
The first packaging data reporting deadlines for extended producer responsibility programs will hit in 2025, but gathering the needed data will take time and help from up and down the value chain. | A9-STUDIO/Shutterstock
In about a year, companies will be required to start reporting various data under four different extended producer responsibility laws as well as some recycled content and labeling laws. Many are still not ready, industry stakeholders cautioned.
In the latest edition of the annual survey, 58% of respondents were from the public sector, 12% were glass manufacturers, and 10% were MRFs. | Michael Warwick/Shutterstock
The vast majority of residents expect to be able to recycle glass, and concern about glass recycling programs has fallen sharply, the Glass Recycling Coalition’s 2023 Glass Recycling Survey found. Continue Reading