Every 1,000 square feet of Everboard prevents about 1 ton of mixed paper-plastic from going to landfill. | Courtesy of Continuus
Within three years, Waste Management could be sending 150,000 tons of mixed paper and plastic each year to a factory that will recycle the otherwise-landfill-bound material into a high-quality roofing board.
According to AF&PA, in 2021, U.S. mills took in a total of nearly 33 million tons of recovered fiber, the largest amount in over a decade. | noomcpk/Shutterstock
About 94% of U.S. residents had either curbside or drop-off recycling service for at least one type of paper last year, indicating recycling programs largely retained the material despite pandemic pressures.
Glass Half Full founders Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz, with the team Mascot, Miss Tchoupitoulas. | Courtesy of Glass Half Full
PS packaging made the list of problematic materials.| Minh Mi Goi/Shutterstock
The U.S. Plastics Pact says PS and PVC packaging and other materials should be phased out in coming years. A curbside recycling operator called the potential elimination of PVC and PS packaging “two really big steps in the right direction,” though several groups criticized the Pact’s work.
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A recent webinar brought together experts to cover the benefits and complications of recycled-content mandates.| Monticello/Shutterstock
Recycled-content laws are a tool for driving post-consumer resin demand. But what if producers are given too many outs, feedstock is in short supply, or the mandates actually result in greater environmental harm?
Clackamas County, Ore. was one of a number of case studies used to illustrate the data in SWANA’s report. | Clackamas Sustainability & Solid Waste Program/SWANA Report
Leaving “oops” tags on contaminated recycling carts and providing positive feedback to those with clean carts is one of the most effective ways to reduce contamination, though it can be pricey, according to a new report.
Celadon’s 335,000-square-foot Chesapeake, Va. facility is anticipated to be up and running by 2024. | Tudoran Andrei/Shutterstock
Celadon Development Corporation announced plans to expand its North American footprint with a recycling and production facility in Virginia to export recycled pulp to China.
MRFs are enjoying notably higher prices for used beverage cans and PET containers this month, with bale values rising by 14% and 10%, respectively.
CalRecycle’s annual report found that residents and businesses in 2020 generated 77.4 million tons of municipal solid waste, of which 42% was recycled/composted. | 20B.20Banke/Shutterstock
California’s combined recycling/composting rate increased by 5 percentage points in 2020, but the number fell far short of the state’s goal.
Waste Management says it is on the hunt for more “sustainable solutions” for recovering materials. | Courtesy of Waste Management
A joint venture between Waste Management and an investment firm will recycle plastic and paper scrap into a construction material.