With fewer available drivers comes less available trucking supply, leading to higher prices and potential disruptions in trucking availability for those in the recycling industry. | Vitpho/Shutterstock
A driver shortage that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to create challenges for moving recyclables this year, analysts say.
AMERIPEN says it can support the EPR concept if programs are set up in specific ways.
A packaging industry group that has traditionally opposed mandated producer funding of recycling may be ready to support that type of legislation, according to the organization’s leader.
Globally, O-I packaging contains an average of 38% recycled content. | DimaSid/Shutterstock
Glass bottle manufacturer Owens-Illinois has fired up a formerly idled furnace at its Waco, Texas plant, citing increased demand for alcoholic-beverage bottles as a result of the pandemic.
By shifting the collection method to 96-gallon carts, it is estimated Omaha will generate 10,000 tons of additional recyclables per year. | Lightspring/Shutterstock
The city of Omaha, Neb. will receive $825,000 from The Recycling Partnership to significantly expand local collection infrastructure.
Readers last year were drawn to news that Brightmark is seeking over 1,000,000 tons of difficult-to-recycle plastics for chemical recycling. | hiv360/Shutterstock
Economic uncertainty and operational changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic affected virtually every business sector in 2020, and the recycling industry certainly felt the impacts. But materials recovery professionals were also navigating ongoing volatility in commodities markets, heightened awareness of plastics management problems, and much more.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows 43 workers suffered fatal injuries on the job in 2019. | Sepp photography/Shutterstock
Forty-three garbage and recycling collection workers were killed on the job in 2019, fewer than the prior year but still more than the average over the past several years.
The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) insisted chaos would ensue if Republic Services shut down the MRF, which sorts and markets hundreds of tons of recyclables each day. | Tiko Aramyan/Shutterstock
A Connecticut court has ruled that Republic Services can’t terminate a contract and shut down a MRF while the company’s dispute with a recycling authority is appealed.
A Resource Recycling analysis shows that 1,116 companies identified as “materials recovery facilities” and 4,300 companies identified as “recyclable material merchant wholesalers” received Paycheck Protection Program funds this year. | NIKCOA/Shutterstock
Over $850 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds flowed to MRF operators and recyclables trading companies this year, according to data released following a court order.
A lawsuit from Greenpeace seeks to force Walmart to change its labeling and conduct a “corrective” advertising campaign. | nitpicker/Shutterstock
Environmental activist group Greenpeace this week accused Walmart of falsely labeling items as recyclable and asked a California court to compel the retailer to stop making the claims.
As the year comes to a close, MRFs are largely seeing good news across the board, fetching higher prices for OCC, mixed paper, aluminum, natural HDPE and other materials.