Marissa 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].
A presenter at NERC’s Spring 2022 Conference noted wireless headphones among the many battery-containing devices that are challenging for recycling processors. | aperturesound/Shutterstock
The looming wave of lithium-ion batteries that will need to be recycled generated an engaged discussion at the Northeast Recycling Council’s Spring 2022 Conference.
The EPA plans to administer more grants and invest in domestic recycling and solid waste infrastructure, but the agency did not put a dollar amount on the goal. | Rob Crandall/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA released its final strategic plan on public health and climate change. Meanwhile, the White House proposed increasing the agency’s budget.
Extended producer responsibility proposals have been discussed in several states in 2022. | EtiAmmos/Shutterstock
A Washington state zero waste group was engaging in “intense negotiations” on an extended producer responsibility bill this year, but the legislation stalled anyway. One advocate said she’s now looking at other states to help inspire next steps.
Research looking at Europe found EPR programs that set material-specific targets will likely increase recycling rates. | Evan Lorne/Shutterstock
Recently published research helps inform the producer responsibility debate in the U.S. by looking at past outcomes in Europe.
Fiberglass insulation manufacturer Owens Corning increased its use of recycled materials in 2021. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
A bottle maker received money to help the company use more recycled glass, and a fiberglass insulation manufacturer increased its use of cullet last year. The following are recent headlines related to recovered glass end users.
A study found that modernizing bottle bills in five Northeast states could create up to $160 million in savings to local governments and add up to $1.4 billion to the region’s economy annually. | Pazargic Liviu/Shutterstock
By updating older deposit return systems, states can create jobs, increase municipal savings and boost recycling rates, according to research from nonprofit Reloop North America.
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A total of 28 waste and recycling workers died on the job in 2021, down from 52 deaths in 2020. | Somchai_Stock/Shutterstock
Solid waste and recycling worker fatalities dropped by nearly 50% in 2021, maintaining a downward trend that started in 2018.
A report from Google suggests that reaching a circular economy will require rethinking design, reducing resource consumption, recycling and other interventions. | Nevodka/Shutterstock
Google published its latest plastic circularity report, finding that both chemical and mechanical recycling will be needed to close the “plastics circularity gap” by 2040. The tech giant also pointed to taxing virgin plastics to help reduce waste.
EFS-plastics will open a second facility to expand recycling capacity while keeping the company’s carbon footprint as low as possible. | Courtesy of EFS-plastics
Driven by demand for polypropylene and polyethylene, plastics recycler EFS-plastics is opening a processing site in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Denver residents will have doorstep scrap electronics collection thanks to a pilot program from Retrievr, Google, Apple, Amazon, Dell Technologies and Microsoft. | Arina P Habich/Shutterstock
Some of the technology world’s big names are funding an electronics collection effort in Denver, trying to boost recycling rates.