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The end of the year has brought a little gift for MRFs, with pricing for OCC, papers and key plastics higher in December. Continue Reading
For several months, curbside plastic bale prices have been on a steady upward trend. The month of March is bringing much of the same.
Jared Paben outside of ORPET, a PET bottle recycling plant in St. Helens, Ore., in May 2023.
After nine years at Resource Recycling, I have decided to leave to seize life’s next adventure. Continue Reading
Strategic Materials cited rising feedstock prices and lower volumes, shifts in packaging away from glass, and other factors in its Chapter 11 filing. | Courtesy of the Glass Packaging Institute
A major U.S. downstream outlet for recovered glass from MRFs and bottle deposit programs filed for bankruptcy this month, citing $432 million in debts and interest. Strategic Materials says it plans to reorganize and continue operating normally without interruption. Continue Reading
Rising OCC prices led to a more expensive quarter for major fiber end users in the U.S. | Vitaliy Kyrychuk/Shutterstock
The third quarter of 2023 brought continued economic challenges that led another paper company to shut down a recycled fiber mill, joining a handful that did so early this year. But there were signs of positive fiber market changes coming. Continue Reading
A robot funded by the aluminum industry successfully picked an average of 1,565 UBCs per day, an analysis found. | EWY Media/Shutterstock
A recycling robot installed at a California MRF has recovered an average of 1,565 UBCs per day since it was installed this summer, according to a metal can industry group.
The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), which helped finance the installation of the EverestLabs robot at Caglia Environmental’s MRF, is now looking to deploy another unit at another MRF.
“CMI plans to use the learnings from this successful initiative to support additional UBC capture equipment at MRFs, further enhancing the recycling industry’s efficiency,” according to a case study that was published today (Dec. 12). “CMI and EverestLabs are now looking to expand their partnership and are exploring placing a robotic system in another MRF.”
The robot installed at Caglia’s MRF in Fresno, Calif. received financing assistance from CMI members Ardagh Metal Packaging and Crown Holdings. Those companies, which manufacture aluminum beverage cans, financed a two-year equipment lease for Caglia, which has agreed to share 50% of the revenue generated from the UBCs collected by the leased robot.
The system was deployed on the MRF’s last chance line, where its picking priority is UBCs, followed by other containers.
Fall is bringing a rise in recyclables pricing, with curbside fiber and plastics grades experiencing notable increases in November. Continue Reading
Iowa City, Iowa will use a $4 million grant from the U.S. EPA to expand its composting facility. | Courtesy of Iowa City
Recycling and reuse infrastructure has attracted the attention – and grant money – of the U.S. EPA, and communities across the U.S. are taking the opportunity to shape the funding to their specific visions. Continue Reading
North America’s five biggest waste and recycling haulers recently reported their financial numbers. | Philip Lange/Shutterstock
Recovered fiber prices have steadily increased throughout 2023, but for North America’s top five haulers, the recycling business still isn’t what it used to be. Continue Reading
The exterior of one of International Paper’s facilities. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock
A farewell message from the longtime editor of Resource Recycling made the list of highly read stories last month.
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Bob Nicholson (left) and AJ Orben (middle) speak at the 2023 E-Scrap and E-Reuse Conference in New Orleans, with Jared Paben (right) moderating the session. | Big Wave Productions/E-Scrap News
Now is the time for interested parties to enter the solar panel recycling sector, but experts say there are plenty of challenges to navigate as well. Continue Reading
A project underway in Europe is working on an app that will gather data on household waste disposal and help consumers make good recycling decisions. | Courtesy of AIMPLAS
A report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reveals that major brand owners and retailers increased their use of post-consumer resin (PCR) from 10.0% in 2021 to 11.7% in 2022. One of the largest, PepsiCo, increased from 6.3% PCR to 7.3%. | pixinoo/Shutterstock
The fifth report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that a few big-name brands’ increased use of virgin plastic has been offsetting the overall reduction achieved by the rest of the reporting companies. Continue Reading
Closed Loop Partners suggested that more MRFs explore collecting paper cups. | NatalyaBond/Shutterstock
A report from Closed Loop Partners found that only about 11% of U.S. communities accept paper cups in their recycling operations, despite paper mills’ more widespread acceptance of cups in bales. Continue Reading