A new report indicates that local recycling budgets have tightened over the past 10 years amid changes in collection volumes, flat grant amounts and volatile commodity pricing. | Digital Reflections/Shutterstock
The portion of recycling costs covered by state aid has decreased, while costs have edged higher and OCC recycling has more than doubled, according to a new report from a state policy research group.
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While overall workplace fatalities decreased in the U.S. in 2023, the waste and recycling industry was a troubling outlier. | Wave Break Media/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
Nine workers died in U.S. materials recovery facilities in 2023 and the death rate for refuse and recyclable material collectors jumped more than 80%, according to the latest annual numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue Reading
Minnesota lawmakers approved an EPR bill during the 2024 legislative session, and the governor signed it into law in May. | Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Stakeholders behind Minnesota’s successful extended producer responsibility push said it was clear that radical change was needed in the state’s recycling system, during a recent webinar. Continue Reading
Tennessee State Sen. Heidi Campbell is re-introducing a packaging EPR bill crafted to gain Republican and business support. | RebeccaDLev/Shutterstock
A Tennessee lawmaker is reintroducing an extended producer responsibility bill for packaging – with some twists, in an attempt to get it through the Republican-controlled Legislature. Continue Reading
A recent study in California found that in 2023, 2.9 million tons of plastic were used in single-use packaging and food-related items, made up of 171.4 billion plastic components. | Marina Onokhina/Shutterstock
The recyclability and compostability of materials covered under California’s extended producer responsibility law for packaging got an update recently, as did the baseline for single-use plastic reduction. Continue Reading
In the third quarter of 2024, the Northeast Recycling Council reported the blended value of a ton, not counting the negative impact of residuals, was $121.21, up 3% from the second quarter of the year. | Nickpeps/Shutterstock
Average commodity prices rose slightly in the third quarter of the year due to national and regional trends, though the growth appears to be cooling off, according to the latest report from the Northeast Recycling Council. Continue Reading
Proposed tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China could have effects that reverberate from consumer goods to paper packaging. | Chuyuss/Shutterstock
As the January inauguration approaches – and with it the prospect of hefty tariffs on Mexico and Canada – market participants and industry analysts said any potential effects on recycled paper and containerboard markets would largely be indirect. Continue Reading
Prices for most major curbside recyclables dropped this month, but a couple outliers were natural HDPE and aluminum beverage cans, both of which saw double-digit percentage increases in value. Continue Reading
AMP, which started off offering sortation robots that could be added into existing recycling facilities, recently shifted its focus to include full facilities. | Courtesy of AMP Robotics
AMP recently raised $91 million in a financing round and plans to use the funds to accelerate the deployment of its AMP ONE sortation system. Continue Reading
The consumer recycling rate rose from the preceding three years, but industry association executives warned that the U.S. still has much work to be done to compete on a global level. | Ji Jinn/Shutterstock
Only 43% of aluminum cans shipped in the U.S. in 2023 were ultimately recycled, well below the 30-year average but slightly higher than in the previous three years, according to the most recent industry report. Continue Reading