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.
Despite the upcoming ban, the Chinese government continues to approve permits for more recovered paper to enter the country. | hxdbzxy/Shutterstock
Another major container ship operator says it’s ending scrap shipments to China as that country prepares to widen its prohibition on imports of recovered material. Meanwhile, insurance providers recently analyzed the Chinese policy and its ramifications for shipping lines.
Sen. Tom Udall and Rep. Alan Lowenthal recently outlined how components of their national recycling act might be adapted to fit different states. | DeawSS/Shutterstock
Two members of Congress who have pushed for EPR, a national deposit system and more are now encouraging state and municipal lawmakers to introduce their own versions of the legislation.
Several categories of curbside paper have risen in price this month, and the value of natural HDPE bales has jumped by 22%.
The U.S. exported 7.35 million short tons of recovered fiber during the first half of 2020, down 25% year over year. | Halawi/Shutterstock
New trade figures show lower U.S. exports of both recovered paper and plastic from January to June, compared with the same period last year. The decline was largely driven by less material going to China and India.
Higher OCC prices during the second quarter helped boost recycling revenues for the largest waste and recycling haulers in North America. | Scott Beck/Resource Recycling, Inc.
For many of the largest garbage and recycling companies in the U.S., recycling proved a bright spot during an otherwise dismal second quarter.
A company spokesperson told Resource Recycling that upon conversion the mill will use about 660,000 tons per year of OCC and mixed paper as feedstock. | SocoXbreed/Shutterstock
Paper giant Domtar will convert a printing and writing paper mill to produce recycled packaging using OCC and mixed paper.
Numerous domestic recycled paper mill investments have been announced in the past two years, suggesting a much stronger domestic market for recycled paper in the years to come. | noomcpk/Shutterstock
Recycled paper mill leaders recently weighed in on the factors behind market shifts, how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting generation and demand, and where markets are headed in the future.