Category: News

Resource Recycling keeps you on top of critical industry trends and brings unparalleled analysis of the evolving materials stream, market turbulence, policy trends and more.

Our top stories from 2020

Published: January 4, 2021
Updated: January 4, 2021
by Editorial Staff

Sorted plastics at a recycling facility.

Readers last year were drawn to news that Brightmark is seeking over 1,000,000 tons of difficult-to-recycle plastics for chemical recycling. | hiv360/Shutterstock

Economic uncertainty and operational changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic affected virtually every business sector in 2020, and the recycling industry certainly felt the impacts. But materials recovery professionals were also navigating ongoing volatility in commodities markets, heightened awareness of plastics management problems, and much more.

Posted in Top stories |

Collector deaths decreased in 2019

Published: December 22, 2020
Updated: December 22, 2020
by Jared Paben

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows 43 workers suffered fatal injuries on the job in 2019. | Sepp photography/Shutterstock

Forty-three garbage and recycling collection workers were killed on the job in 2019, fewer than the prior year but still more than the average over the past several years.

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged data, industry groups |

Judge: Connecticut MRF to remain open during legal appeal

Published: December 22, 2020
Updated: December 22, 2020
by Jared Paben

Court gavel resting on a book on a desk.

The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) insisted chaos would ensue if Republic Services shut down the MRF, which sorts and markets hundreds of tons of recyclables each day. | Tiko Aramyan/Shutterstock

A Connecticut court has ruled that Republic Services can’t terminate a contract and shut down a MRF while the company’s dispute with a recycling authority is appealed.

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged courts/lawsuits, local programs |

Details on Circulate Capital’s Indian plastics investments

Published: December 22, 2020
Updated: December 22, 2020
by Jared Paben

Circulate Capital invested in Dalmia Polypro Industries, a plastic bottle recycling company based in Mumbai, India. | Courtesy of Circulate Capital.

The U.S. and Europe have had formal recycling infrastructure in place for decades. That’s not the case in India, where Circulate Capital just invested millions of dollars to boost infrastructure and reduce ocean plastics generation.

Posted in News | Tagged Asia, brand owners, plastics |

Mapping out the recycling firms that received PPP loans

Published: December 15, 2020
Updated: December 17, 2020
by Jared Paben

A Resource Recycling analysis shows that 1,116 companies identified as “materials recovery facilities” and 4,300 companies identified as “recyclable material merchant wholesalers” received Paycheck Protection Program funds this year. | NIKCOA/Shutterstock

Over $850 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds flowed to MRF operators and recyclables trading companies this year, according to data released following a court order.

Posted in Top stories | Tagged data |

Lawsuit takes aim at Walmart’s plastic recycling labels

Published: December 15, 2020
Updated: December 15, 2020
by Colin Staub

Greenpeace sign on a brick building exterior.

A lawsuit from Greenpeace seeks to force Walmart to change its labeling and conduct a “corrective” advertising campaign. | nitpicker/Shutterstock

Environmental activist group Greenpeace this week accused Walmart of falsely labeling items as recyclable and asked a California court to compel the retailer to stop making the claims.

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged courts/lawsuits |

Scrap paper, plastic and metal prices all rise in December

Published: December 15, 2020
Updated: December 15, 2020
by RecyclingMarkets.net Staff

As the year comes to a close, MRFs are largely seeing good news across the board, fetching higher prices for OCC, mixed paper, aluminum, natural HDPE and other materials.

Posted in Top stories | Tagged markets |

Groups question US-Canada Basel arrangement

Published: December 15, 2020
Updated: December 15, 2020
by Colin Staub

Because the U.S. is not a party to the Basel Convention, exports to the 180-plus countries that are parties to the convention will be more complicated, or may even be prohibited by local laws. | AnkaFed/Shutterstock

The U.S. government has made public an agreement with Canada to continue scrap plastic shipments despite global regulations tightening next year. Environmental advocates are troubled by the deal.

Posted in News | Tagged Canada, exports, plastics |

Reusable packaging platform draws millions

Published: December 15, 2020
Updated: December 15, 2020
by Colin Staub

Since its launch in May 2019, Loop has attracted more than 100 brands, and its durable packaging is used in some 400 products. | Courtesy of Loop.

Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and other investors have put $25 million behind Loop, a packaging reuse model that launched last year.

Posted in News | Tagged brand owners |

Spat continues between Republic and Connecticut officials

Published: December 8, 2020
Updated: December 8, 2020
by Jared Paben

A judge has ruled that the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) must pay $1.1 million in damages to a subsidiary of Republic Services. | BCFC/Shutterstock

A Connecticut judge last month ordered a public authority to pay Republic Services damages in a MRF operations contract dispute. Soon after, the saga took another turn, with Republic indicating it’s set to bow out of the agreement altogether.

Posted in Top stories | Tagged contamination, courts/lawsuits, local programs |