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CarbonLite operates recycling facilities that bring in PET bales from deposit and curbside sources.
PET recycling firm CarbonLite and a subsidiary this week filed for bankruptcy, indicating the company plans to reorganize and continue operating. A company leader said market strife and COVID-19 impacts led to the decision.
A number of environmental groups wrote to shipping lines urging them to stop carrying scrap plastics. | Jordi Prats/Shutterstock
Activists have contacted the world’s largest shipping lines, asking them to stop carrying loads that violate new Basel Convention regulations covering the global scrap plastic trade.
Readers last month were drawn to an insider’s analysis of recycled fiber markets. | Quang Ho/Shutterstock
Readers last month were drawn to articles covering recovered material markets and movement, racial diversity in the recycling sector, the effects of industry consolidation and more.
Inland Empire Paper Company operates a 110-year-old paper mill that uses recycled fiber near Spokane, Wash. | Courtesy of Inland Empire Paper Company
A Pacific Northwest paper mill has begun producing new grades of paper made from recovered fiber, a response to changing end markets and growing customer interest in recycled content.
Several companies forecast that fiber costs will continue to rise throughout 2021. | sylv1rob1/Shutterstock
Paper mill operators anticipate strong demand for corrugated packaging will continue to drive up prices for recovered fiber, according to recent earnings calls.
Aqua Metals, a lead-acid battery recycling technology company, is moving into the lithium-ion battery recycling business. | showcake/Shutterstock
A battery recycling company goes public, North American collection numbers are released, and a lead-acid battery recycling technology company moves into the lithium-ion realm. Those announcements were made around National Battery Day last Thursday.
Despite last year’s drop in landfill tip fees, the five-year average is still trending upward. | Janossy Gergely/Shutterstock
Average landfill tip fees across the country dropped in 2020, although the eastern U.S. continued to see rising disposal costs.
Massachusetts is the latest state to propose extended producer responsibility for packaging, the largest component of the residential recycling stream. | Thanatos Media/Shutterstock
An expansive packaging stewardship proposal was recently introduced in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, a bill providing state assistance to bolster recycling markets has cleared both legislative chambers in Maryland.
The past month has been marked by value boosts for recovered PET, HDPE and PP. Fiber grades recovered in curbside programs, however, have been flat or slightly down.