MRFs are enjoying notably higher prices for used beverage cans and PET containers this month, with bale values rising by 14% and 10%, respectively.
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.

Keurig Canada said the company is continuing to work with municipalities and the recycling industry to increase K-Cup pod recycling acceptance. | ZikG/Shutterstock
Keurig Canada will pay millions of dollars in penalties and alter its coffee pod recyclability claims, as part of a legal settlement with Canadian regulators.

New Jersey is the latest state to look anew at recycled-content mandates as a way to force demand pull for recycled materials. | Real Window Creative/Shutterstock
New Jersey’s legislature will send the governor a bill requiring post-consumer content in plastic containers and bags as well as glass bottles and paper bags.

Rendering of Pratt Industries’ 650,000-square-foot 100% recycled paper mill in Henderson, Ky. | Courtesy of Pratt Industries
Pratt Industries recently broke ground on its sixth 100% recycled paper mill, and Graphic Packaging is close to opening its massive recycled paperboard machine.

A number of market pricing updates made the list of our most-read stories from 2021. | BEST BACKGROUNDS/Shutterstock
As the municipal recycling industry plunges into 2022, it can be useful to set the stage with a look at the biggest trends and developments of the past 12 months.

Starting in 2022, California law will require that every municipality across the state provide organics collection service, among other mandates. | Thomas Holt/Shutterstock
In January, California municipalities must begin meeting requirements of what some stakeholders are calling the most significant waste reduction legislation in decades.

A number of major recycled fiber consumers have stated their willingness to accept plastic-lined paper cups in mixed-paper or carton bales. | BublikHaus/Shutterstock
Pratt, Georgia-Pacific, Graphic Packaging International and other paper mill owners have signed a statement affirming that they want plastic-coated paper cups in their feedstock.

Data from 2020 places refuse and recyclables collection as sixth most dangerous profession in the U.S. | YES Market Media/Shutterstock
The number of on-the-job deaths at MRFs increased slightly in 2020, but those killed in garbage and recyclables collection dropped notably.
