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 groups behind the database have already compiled a dataset that includes about 1,000 plastic reduction laws in the U.S. | DC Studio/Shutterstock
In order to tamp down on plastic pollution, several environmental groups have worked together to launch a global database for tracking plastic-related laws. It even covers the upcoming United Nations plastics agreement. Continue Reading
Now that its medical waste recycling pilot has yielded “favorable results,” Casella Waste Systems is looking to broaden the project to include more healthcare facilities. | Courtesy of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)
As part of a pilot project to explore the recyclability of medical waste, Casella Waste Systems and medical company BD recycled 40,000 pounds of material, including syringes and needles. Continue Reading
A study from packaging research group AMERIPEN found that recycling market centers generated nearly 260,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the past 33 years. | Virrage Images/Shutterstock
Recently published research from AMERIPEN dug into the past three decades of state recycling marketing development, finding that creating recycling market centers can boost jobs, economic growth and the industry. Continue Reading
The Recycling Program Solutions Hub is intended to provide up-to-date information on local recycling programs. | Johnny Habell/Shutterstock
Circularity-focused NGO The Recycling Partnership has launched a free resource to help local recycling center staff improve their operations. Continue Reading
This article appeared in the September 2023 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
Companies such as Prairie Robotics and AMCS Group are leveraging AI to craft more robust analytics, all the way down to the individual household level. | 9dream Studio/Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence is now well established in MRFs as a tool for sorting material and dramatically reducing contamination. Now, multiple companies are taking AI to an earlier stage of the recycling process by mounting cameras on collection trucks. Continue Reading
On top of its significant PCR use in 2023, ADS also broke ground on its Energy and Technology Center. | ADS
Advanced Drainage Systems continues to be a heavyweight in the recycled plastic arena, buying 540 million pounds of recycled material in 2023 and consuming a quarter of the pigmented HDPE bottles recovered in the United States. Continue Reading
Murphy Road Recycling’s All American MRF recently completed $40 million in upgrades that focused on improved worker safety and fiber recovery. | Courtesy of Van Dyk
The consumer recyclables stream has changed a lot in the last two decades, and a Connecticut MRF recently invested $40 million in an upgrade focused on more granular fiber recovery and worker safety. Continue Reading
Amy Lestition Burke will take over the SWANA CEO role previously held by David Biderman, who left in March 2023. | Redpixel.Pl/Shutterstock
Following a six-month search, Amy Lestition Burke will take over as head of the Solid Waste Association of North America in November. Continue Reading
