Recently, a Senate committee spent two hours hearing about the challenges facing U.S. recycling. | Alexandru Smut Calin/Shutterstock
Across the U.S., recycling conversations among elected officials are gaining momentum, suggesting 2020 could still be marked by laws related to materials recovery.
A research project in Ontario compared single-family and multi-family streams in medium-sized urban cities with single-family streams in rural programs. | Diana Parkhouse/Shutterstock
Officials in one area of Ontario dove deep into recycling stream composition data, producing results that informed a municipality’s new recycling contract. Continue Reading
The TotalRecycle MRF saw a 70% contamination reduction in its mixed paper and old newsprint bales from installing the flexible packaging sortation equipment. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.
A multi-stakeholder project was able to hit some goals separating flexible plastic packaging from other recyclables at a MRF. But backers also reported significant hurdles moving material downstream cost-effectively.
The Des Moines, Iowa Metro Waste Authority recently approved a loan agreement to finance construction of a new MRF, which officials say could cost about $24 million. | cnetten/Shutterstock
Plans to build a new publicly funded MRF in the Des Moines, Iowa area have drawn criticism from the region’s current recycling contractor.
After climbing for four straight months, the price of OCC has fallen sharply this month. But the average value of mixed paper remains in double-digit positive numbers. Continue Reading
A number of recycling industry groups have spoken out against racism in recent weeks. | Pix_Arena/Shutterstock
Recycling organizations, environmental advocacy groups and municipal programs are joining the call to oppose racism and work for systemic change.
Shipping company MSC stopped accepting scrap cargo headed to China as of June 1. | Fomin Roman/Shutterstock
A major shipping line will no longer accept recovered fiber and other scrap material exports bound for China, in anticipation of the country completely closing the door to those commodities.
Greif CEO Peter Watson noted that closure plans for the company’s Mobile, Ala. facility date back to before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. | hxdyl/Shutterstock
Three paper companies recently closed facilities that use recycled material. Two framed the shutdowns as part of longer-term “optimization” plans, and the third said it is a direct response to the COVID-19 impact on demand.
Jim Fish of Waste Management is one of several recycling industry players to have issued statements in the wake of national protests over racism and police brutality.
As protests continue across the country over police killings of black citizens, large U.S. recycling companies have issued statements condemning racism and reaffirming their commitments to diversity and inclusion.
Keefe Harrison, who leads The Recycling Partnership. | Brian Adams Photography/Resource Recycling Conference
The Recycling Partnership is bringing together three dozen individuals from across the recycling value chain for some frank discussion about how to get more types of material consistently collected and moved to end markets.