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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].

Recycling and composting bills pass Senate

Published: August 1, 2022
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View of the U.S. capitol in Washington, D.C.

The industry-supported bills would establish a grant program and mandate better reporting. | Orhan Cam/Shutterstock

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed two bills that would improve rural recycling and composting accessibility as well as boost data collection, sending the legislation to the House for a vote.

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How new California law is ‘putting the industry on notice’

Published: July 6, 2022
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California state building

New legislation evokes varied reactions among industry and activists. | Michael Warwick/Shutterstock

Industry leaders mostly expressed support for California’s recently signed extended producer responsibility bill, though some said they still had concerns about its far reach. Continue Reading

How different diversion systems stack up on GHG emissions

Published: July 26, 2022
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Curbside recycling

Using 2014 data from the U.S. EPA, researchers examined GHG benefits of recycling. | Lawrence Glass/Shutterstock

A new life cycle assessment quantifies the impacts of different curbside collection scenarios, concluding that a typical single-stream recycling program reduces overall emissions by almost 40% when compared with simply landfilling the material.

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Steel Dynamics to build $2.2B aluminum recycling complex

Published: July 26, 2022
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Aluminum beverage cans for recycling.

A $2.2 billion investment will bring aluminum recycling facilities to the Southwestern and Southeastern United States and north-central Mexico. | Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock

A metals manufacturer is planning to build a massive aluminum flat rolled mill in North America to supply the automotive and packaging industries with recycled-content material.

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Michigan paper mill finds new solution for residuals

Published: July 19, 2022
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Great Lakes Tissue plant interior.

Great Lakes Tissue aims to eliminate material headed to landfill. | Courtesy of Great Lakes Tissue

Collaboration between an industry group and several Michigan organizations helped Great Lakes Tissue think outside the carton when it comes to its use of recycled material.

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CMI report suggests national bottle bill, improved sortation

Published: July 19, 2022
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Empty aluminum beverage cans arranged in rows.

The Can Manufacturer’s Institute has offered data on the benefits of a national bottle deposit system. | anmbph/Shutterstock

Can manufacturers are focusing on container deposit programs, expanded access and better sortation to improve aluminum beverage can recycling rates.

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Bottle cap effort highlights recycling as pollution solution

Published: July 11, 2022
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Students in Conn. with collected bottle caps.

Connecticut students collected nearly 4 tons of bottle caps for recycling through a collaborative effort. | Courtesy of SoundWaters

Connecticut middle school students, with help from processor UltraPoly and other entities, recently collected 2.5 million plastic caps and recycled them into end products as part of a lesson on microplastics.

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California recycling overhaul is now law

Published: June 30, 2022
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California capitol building in Sacramento.

Legislators have approved EPR for printed paper and packaging in California. | Kit Leong/Shutterstock

This story has been updated.

California’s printed paper and packaging extended producer responsibility bill passed the state Senate unanimously June 30 and was signed into law, just before the deadline to pull a plastic-tax measure from November’s state ballot.

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