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Author Archives: Marissa Heffernan

About Marissa Heffernan

Marissa HeffernanMarissa Heffernan started working for Resource Recycling in January 2022 after spending several years as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Southwest Washington. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Composters build facilities, eye policy changes

Published: September 12, 2023
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Divert is building an Integrated Diversion and Energy facility in Longview, Wash. that will have the capacity to process 100,000 tons of food scraps into natural gas annually. | Courtesy of Divert

Compost facility projects are heating up as Divert and Bioenergy Devco commence construction on new spaces. Meanwhile, there’s also been some policy movement around compostable packaging. Continue Reading

UN rolls out initial draft of global plastics treaty

Published: September 11, 2023
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Stakeholders and involved parties will continue to debate the precise language of the agreement. | Nexus 7/Shutterstock

The first working draft of the United Nations’ global plastics agreement lays out the broad strokes of what is intended to be a legally binding way to manage plastic pollution on land and in the oceans. Continue Reading

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Refillable wine bottles coming to Oregon

Published: September 11, 2023
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The CEO of Revino, a manufacturer of reusable wine bottles, aims to close a gap in The Beaver State’s reusable bottle program. | haveseen/Shutterstock

A partnership between the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative and reusable wine bottle company Revino is hoping to bring more refill infrastructure to the state. Continue Reading

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Report finds generally stagnant bottle return rates

Published: September 5, 2023
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Of the nine states for which data is available, only two showed meaningful increases in their container redemption rates. | Poring Studio/Shutterstock

Most states with deposit return systems saw static or reduced bottle redemption rates in 2022, according to a deposit advocacy organization. Continue Reading

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Study explores cleanliness of food packaging in bins

Published: July 31, 2023
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Researchers found that molded fiber food service packaging showed the highest levels of food residue among the items studied. | J.chizhe/Shutterstock

In a follow-up to previous research, the Foodservice Packaging Institute performed an audit of food residue on residential recyclables, finding little difference between food service and food contact items.  Continue Reading

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Oregon again fines glass giant O-I for air pollution

Published: August 28, 2023
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The $213,600 fine marks the 10th time O-I Glass has faced emissions penalties since 2004. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined O-I Glass for its air emissions, just a few years after the cullet end user agreed to install more pollution control equipment in a deal with the state over similar violations. Continue Reading

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Study: Urban circularity requires tailored solutions

Published: August 28, 2023
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Plastic waste pile

Researchers at The Circulate Initiative identified several common challenges that cities face when dealing with plastic waste. | Mohamed Abdulraheem/Shutterstock

Research recently undertaken by several groups dug into how individual cities in ocean plastic hot spots are approaching materials management. Continue Reading

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