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].
Eureka Recycling, which operates a MRF in Minneapolis, supported the packaging EPR bill. | Courtesy of Eureka Recycling
After months of collaboration and negotiation, stakeholders in Minnesota walked away with an extended producer responsibility bill for packaging that had elements both familiar and unique, and an overarching question: Is this the first state in a new wave of EPR or a continuation of early adopters?
The AMP ONE system, pictured here at a RDS facility in Virginia, sorts bagged material into mixed recyclables, organics and residue. | Courtesy of AMP
Recycling and Disposal Solutions of Virginia launched an AI-powered system from equipment supplier AMP that is sorting mixed recyclables and organic material from municipal solid waste at one of its facilities.
A May 28 webinar, “Coalition Building for Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging and Paper Products,” shared tips and tricks for passing EPR legislation with a strong group of supporters. | OnePhoto/Shutterstock
Getting extended producer responsibility legislation passed takes a strong coalition, targeted education and a lot of meetings, those involved with the process in several states said during a recent webinar.
Oregon residents generated about 6.1 million tons of material in 2022, with 3.7 million tons going to landfills and incinerators and 2.4 million tons recovered. | JPL Designs/Shutterstock
The amount of material Oregonians disposed of in 2022 dropped significantly from the year before, but that was largely due to fewer building-destroying wildfires, according to the latest state Material Recovery and Waste Generation Rates report. Continue Reading
In late May, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works committee held a hearing on improving reuse and recycling in the United States. | S-F/Shutterstock
Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works committee asked questions about grants, private funding, support for rural communities and diverting food scraps during a May 22 hearing on local efforts to improve reuse and recycling.
Machinex provided a co-collection organic material recovery system to Quebec City, Canada. | Courtesy of Machinex
Residents of Quebec City, Canada, are now served by the first commingled recyclables and organics collection system in North America, the system developer recently announced. Continue Reading
Minnesota sent an EPR bill to its governor in a budget bill. | Rawf8/Shutterstock
Minnesota is poised to be the fifth U.S. state to pass extended producer responsibility for packaging after adding the program language into the 2024 Environment and Natural Resources Budget, which is now on the governor’s desk. Continue Reading
Colgate-Palmolive said several challenges may require work beyond 2025, the target date for many of its sustainability goals. | Ungvar/Shutterstock
As the 2025 sustainability deadlines set by many brands get closer, another global heavyweight has announced that it will likely miss some of its target goals. Continue Reading
The equipment upgrades will allow the MRF to recycle more types of plastics, including polypropylene plastic bottles, jars, jugs and tubs. | Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
WM has finished $23 million in automation updates at its Pittsburgh MRF, increasing the facility’s capacity by 10 tons of material per hour. Continue Reading
RRS compiled initial data on the collection and recycling system in the state, and of the 121 categories of data the report sought, 43 were available, 27 were partially available and 51 were currently unknown or not currently available. | BestStockFoto/Shutterstock
While New York has several efforts underway to gather more recycling data, significant gaps still remain and could complicate passage of an extended producer responsibility bill for paper and packaging, a recent analysis found. Continue Reading