Data shows that the U.S. PET bottle recycling rate in 2019 was 27.9%, down from 29.0% in 2018. | TeuNg-StyLe / Shutterstock
Slightly less scrap plastic from the U.S. was recycled in 2019 than the year prior. The data comes as brand owners signal greater demand for recycled resins.
Maine lawmakers advanced an EPR bill to the governor. | Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
Legislation creating an extended producer responsibility program for packaging has cleared both the Maine House of Representatives and Senate. It’s the first such bill in the U.S. to make it that far in the legislative process, and it now goes to the state’s governor for a signature.
Paper and packaging EPR is already firmly established as part of the Canadian and European waste management landscape. |
Coca-Cola, Unilever and Walmart are among the companies that have backed a statement from a global group in support of extended producer responsibility, the latest example of the seismic shift in corporate sentiments around the policy approach.
Prices for curbside recyclables have surged across the board, with OCC and mixed paper values increasing sharply and natural HDPE crossing the $1 threshold for the first time.
A substantial EPR bill is moving forward in the Oregon legislature. | Grindstone Media Group / Shutterstock
Bills establishing extended producer responsibility for packaging materials were introduced in a handful of states this year. Several have failed to gain traction, but at least two key proposals remain active.
More than 100 employees will be hired to work at Brightmark’s upcoming $680 million Georgia plant. | Frank Fiedler / Shutterstock
Brightmark recently announced it will build a second facility bringing in mixed plastics for chemical recycling. To be located in Georgia, the plant will have a processing capacity of 800 million pounds per year.
An expanded list of beverages will be covered in Connecticut’s bottle-deposit program under a new piece of legislation on the governor’s desk. | alexs333 / Shutterstock
Connecticut lawmakers passed legislation overhauling the state’s 41-year-old container deposit program, with one supporter calling the move the most significant U.S. bottle bill expansion in a decade.
Officials estimate shifting funding responsibility completely to producers will save municipalities an estimated 156 million Canadian dollars (about $129 million U.S.) per year. | Sunset Blue / Shutterstock
The Ontario government will make producers fully financially responsible for recycling their products, a major expansion of the province’s extended producer responsibility system. The changes will come into effect within the next four years.
A Maine committee vote of “ought to pass” for LD 1541 sets it up for possible votes by the full House and Senate chambers. | RawPixel.com / Shutterstock
A committee in Maine’s legislature advanced a bill that gives government officials direct control over how much money producers would be forced to pay to support the recycling of their packaging.
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Recovered fiber end users detailed the impacts of rising OCC prices in their quarterly reports. | BAO Images Bildaentur / Shutterstock
Major recovered paper end users anticipate paying more for feedstock as 2021 progresses, according to recent statements from company executives. Mill operators also shared updates on their recycled fiber capacity expansions.