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Early adopters of reusable product systems identified simplicity, consistency and ample options as keys for scaling up. | OlegKovalevichh/Shutterstock
A study of 300 people who regularly use reusable packaging showed that reuse systems need minimal and streamlined technology, reminders to return packaging and more options to be successful. Continue Reading
The new year kicked off with good news for MRF operators, who saw OCC and mixed paper fetching higher prices and curbside plastic grades mostly holding steady. 
The national average price for corrugated containers (PS 11) is up again this month, from $80 in December to $87 per ton this month. This compares to $29 per ton this time last year. It’s the highest OCC prices have reached since falling sharply in September 2022.
Mixed paper (PS 54) is also up by $10 this month, and is now trading at $48 per ton. This compares to $0 per ton this time last year.
Sorted residential papers (PS 56) are up by $10, now trading at an average $61 per ton. This compares to $23 per ton one year ago.
Sorted office papers (PS 37) remain unchanged at $132 per ton. This compares to an average $221 per ton one year ago.
In the plastics space, grades had marginal or no movement in price.
The national average price of post-consumer PET beverage bottles and jars is up marginally this month, now averaging 11.47 cents per pound, compared to 11.02 cents per pound this time last month. Some regional contracts are still yielding 13 to 15 cents per pound. One year ago this grade was trading at 12.02 cents per pound.
Post-consumer natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) dropped marginally, now at an average 28.50 cents per pound. This compares to 29.50 cents last month and 61.59 cents this time last year.
Color HDPE remained unchanged this month, now at an average 18.81 cents per pound. It was 9 cents one year ago.
Post-consumer polypropylene (PP) also remains unchanged at 4.94 cents per pound. PP was 5.38 cents one year ago.
The national average price of Grade A film remains unchanged at 13.88 cents per pound. It traded at 15.63 cents one year ago.
Grade B film remains unchanged at 6.88 cents.
Grade C film remains at a nominal 0.13 cents per pound.
Aluminum cans remain steady, at 61 cents per pound. These used beverage cans (UBCs) traded for 65 cents per pound this time last year.
Sorted, baled steel cans remain constant at $212 per ton. The price was $156 per ton one year ago.
These prices are as reported on the Secondary Materials Pricing (SMP) Index. This pricing represents what is being paid for post-consumer recyclable materials in a sorted, baled format, picked up at most major recycling centers.
For a free trial to SMP’s Online Post-Consumer Pricing Index, visit the Recycling Markets website (http://www.recyclingmarkets.net). You can also contact Christina Boulanger-Bosley at [email protected] or call 330-956-8911.
A handful of states have modernized their bottle bills in recent years, and pressure to enact programs in non-bottle-bill states appears to be growing, according to panelists on a recent webinar. | Monticello/Shutterstock
Deposit return systems are poised to take center legislative stage in the coming years, with strong potential benefits for the environment and economy, the Container Recycling Institute noted in a recent analysis and webinar. Continue Reading
A local producer of 100% recycled PET water bottles is bringing in-state bottle processing capacity to Hawaii. | Courtesy of Waiākea Water
Waiākea Inc., a producer of 100% recycled PET bottles for water sourced from an active volcano, is installing bottle-to-bottle processing equipment at its Hilo, Hawaii facility with a planned capacity of 52 million pounds per year. Continue Reading
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery published drafts of its covered material list categories for the extended producer responsibility for packaging program, among other announcements. | Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock
California is moving ahead on implementation of its extended producer responsibility law. The state agency recently released a draft of the regulations and selected a producer responsibility organization. Continue Reading
An AI-powered sorting bin from MyMatR is deployed in a pilot program at a public library in High Point, N.C. | Photo courtesy MyMatR
Consumer education is a traditional way to reduce contamination, but the founder of startup MyMatR is combining it with AI to offer a “smart” self-sorting bin for public spaces. Continue Reading
The study suggests over half of the 110 million metric tons of overall fiber that entered the waste stream went to landfill in 2019. | Janossy Gergely/Shutterstock
New research quantifies in greater detail the amount of fiber entering U.S. landfills each year. A lead author of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study said the findings highlight a huge opportunity for additional material recovery. Continue Reading
There were seven deaths in U.S. MRFs in 2022, up from four in 2021, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers. | Jantsarik/Shutterstock
The number of worker fatalities in the recycling industry – both inside materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and in collection – increased in 2022, even as the rate of on-the-job collection worker deaths decreased. Continue Reading
The Elgin, Ill. recycled box facility carries an investment of more than $30 million. | Mark Agnor/Shutterstock
A corrugated box plant sourcing recycled paper from Canadian mill operator Atlantic Packaging Products has opened its doors near Chicago. Continue Reading