Marissa Heffernan worked at Resource Recycling from January 2022 through June 2025, first as staff reporter and then as associate editor. 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 were also the editor of the monthly newsletter Policy Now.
A total of $1.17 million for recycling companies came as part of a larger $3.2 million round of funding in the latest installment of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants. | Tada Images/Shutterstock
An AI-powered robotic sortation system, a glass-to-cement company and a zero waste software maker all received small business grants from the U.S. EPA.
Years of work, capped by several frenzied months, went into the passage of California’s SB 54, one of the biggest recycling laws in U.S. history. | Jonathan Lenz/Shutterstock
California has added wine and liquor bottles to the state’s beverage container redemption program. | Kieferpix/Shutterstock
California is adding wine and distilled spirits to its container redemption program, among other changes, after the governor signed the program expansion bill into law.
Balcones Resources’ upcoming San Antonio facility will sort residential and commercial recycling streams using equipment supplied by CP Group. | Dmitrijs Kaminskis/Shutterstock
After winning the recycling contract for San Antonio, Balcones Resources decided to partner with CP Group to equip its upcoming facility.
PureCycle met community resistance to the company’s desired site near Winter Garden, Fla. | Noah Densmore/Shutterstock
Americans are united in their desire for better plastic recycling, but the question of where to locate facilities is running into familiar not-in-my-backyard resistance, complicated further by concerns about racial and social justice.
Source-separated collection and treatment of organics could significantly reduce methane emissions from landfills, as highlighted in a report from GAIA. | Gargonia/Shutterstock
A report from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives targeted organics diversion, increased recycling and reduced plastic use as key elements in keeping planetary warming below a critical threshold.
Sonoco and Novelis are both looking to the future, the former by installing a URB line and the latter by increasing its aluminum capacity. | Pepe Baeza/Shutterstock
Two major end users of recycled materials – one in paper, one in aluminum – recently announced milestones in their upgrade efforts.
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In a session moderated by Dan Leif (left), speakers Brion Oaks (middle) and Ken Snipes (right) spoke about how the city of Austin has taken specific steps to combat historical racial disparities. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling, Inc.
Most Americans see racism as a collection of individual actions, but it’s really an institutional problem that needs to be addressed at every level, speakers on a recent equity panel advised.
