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Urban Mining Co. operates a magnet recovery facility just south of Austin. | Courtesy of Urban Mining Co.
Urban Mining Co., which uses an innovative process to recycle rare earth magnets, has received financial backing as part of the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Interpol found that plastic waste fires, both accidental and deliberate, have increased since Chinese import restrictions took hold. | MOHAMED ABDULRAHEEM/Shutterstock
Improper management of scrap plastics in Southeast Asia and elsewhere has increased sharply in the wake of China’s National Sword policy, according to international law enforcement body Interpol.
News that Brightmark is seeking over 1,000,000 tons of difficult-to-recycle plastics for chemical recycling captured clicks in August. | hiv360/Shutterstock
Articles about a mixed-plastics outlet, paper markets and recycling legislation drew our readers’ attention last month.
Senate Bill 54 would have tasked state regulators with developing and adopting rules requiring all single-use packaging and “priority single-use products” sold in California to be recyclable or compostable by 2032. | SerPhoto/Shutterstock
For the second straight year, a California proposal that had broad recyclability goals did not make it through the legislature.
Federal funding has been announced for research looking into sorting scrap plastic and using enzymes to clean material, among other recycling-related efforts. | paul prescott/Shutterstock
The REMADE Institute announced it will provide $6 million to fund several recycling research projects. The same day, it declared it’ll provide up to $35 million for its next round of grants.
California Assembly Bill 793 requires that all plastic bottles covered by the state’s container redemption program average at least 15% post-consumer resin starting in 2022. | Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock
This story has been updated.
California lawmakers approved legislation requiring beverage companies to use recycled plastic. If signed, the bill will usher in the first recycled-content law of its kind for plastic bottles in the U.S.
Greater fiber tonnages are coming in through the residential stream, which typically includes higher numbers of small boxes. | Cari Rubin Photography/Shutterstock
OCC generation has shifted away from the commercial realm amid COVID-19, and tonnages might never go back. A paper association leader described that trend and what it means for the industry’s future.
An initial round of investments has been made toward a major plastics sortation facility, to be located in Erie, Pa. | create jobs 51/Shutterstock
Startup recycling firm International Recycling Group is moving forward with a $100 million plastics recovery facility in the Northeast.
In the U.S., dozens of brand owners, retailers, government agencies and nonprofit groups have joined the U.S. Plastics Pact. | Nagy-Bagoly Arpad/Shutterstock
A program called U.S. Plastics Pact, associated with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, will pursue strategies to eliminate unnecessary packaging, increase recyclability, and ensure packaging contains recycled plastic. It has more than 60 industry backers.
Three recycling program leaders from across the U.S. said that education and outreach efforts have seen budget cuts due to the pandemic. | Stephen Griffin/Shutterstock
Leaders from three municipal recycling programs of varying size, including the largest city in the U.S., say they are grappling with budget issues and making alterations to collection service as the coronavirus pandemic continues.