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UN treaty talks extended after usual roadblocks

Published: December 3, 2024
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On Nov. 27, the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Plastics demanded the right to speak at plenary sessions, after being denied the usual time allotted for civil society members to share their views. | Kiara Worth/International Institute for Sustainable Development

Negotiations for a global, legally-binding treaty to address plastic pollution will spill over into another meeting, but participants noted the need for a seismic shift to reach the finish line after a fifth round of United Nations negotiations splintered along similar lines as the last four. 

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Glass collection options shift in Pacific Northwest

Published: December 3, 2024
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Glass bottle and cullet

Ridwell recently added glass to its collection list in Tacoma and Olympia, supplying the material to O-I’s Portland facility and to Strategic Materials. | pjhpix/Shutterstock

Glass is well known in the industry as both easy and challenging to recycling – easy from a technical sense and challenging logistically. That was recently highlighted by multiple developments in western Washington.

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How MRFs and brands are adding materials to the bin

Published: December 3, 2024
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Amy Uong, second from right, speaks during ‘Saying Yes in the Land of No,’ a session held during the Resource Recycling Conference in Kentucky last month. | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling, Inc.

Faced with challenges moving recycled materials in recent years, MRFs and curbside recycling programs have occasionally opted to stop accepting certain materials, particularly experimental or harder-to-market packaging types.

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Panel: End markets can be found or built from scratch

Published: November 26, 2024
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Speakers from Michigan, Minnesota and Oregon shared lessons from their work to grow end markets for recyclable materials at the 2024 Resource Recycling Conference. | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling

Finding end markets for recyclable materials requires both building connections with existing businesses and community organizations and helping new ideas take root, several recycling officials said during a 2024 Resource Recycling Conference panel.   Continue Reading

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Groups push for federal action ahead of new Congress

Published: November 26, 2024
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Compost, recycling and garbage carts set outside of the home on the curb for residential garbage and recycling pickup.

A group of 67 recycling, manufacturing and environmental organizations sent a letter urging Congress to pass two recycling-related bills before the year ends. | Michael Vi/Shutterstock

Trade associations are rallying behind two pieces of stalled federal legislation that would improve rural recycling and composting access, boost data collection and more. The push comes before the 119th Congress convenes in January. Continue Reading

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Haulers: Easing commodity prices present headwind

Published: November 13, 2024
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WM truck on a city street.

Although third quarter revenues reached record levels for some of the nation’s top five haulers, plummeting OCC pricing in October was an indicator for commodity values heading into 2025. | 2p2play/Shutterstock

Third-quarter commodity prices contributed to record quarterly revenues and margins for several of North America’s largest publicly traded garbage and recycling companies, according to recent financial disclosures. But that has changed moving into the final stretch of the year.

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Fiber exports slip in third quarter, plastics flat from 2023

Published: November 19, 2024
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Exports of key recovered materials continued recent trends from July through September of this year, with paper exports declining modestly and plastic exports flat. | apiguide/Shutterstock

Recovered fiber exports have continued a multi-year decline in 2024, both in the third quarter and in the first nine months of the year as a whole. Plastic exports, however, have stayed steady and even slightly increased throughout the year. Continue Reading

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Recycling leaders converge in Kentucky

Published: November 13, 2024
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The annual Resource Recycling Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, drew more than 300 registered attendees to sessions including “Connecting Innovation and Grassroots Efforts to Curtail Contamination.” | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling, Inc.

The 2024 Resource Recycling Conference kicked off Wednesday, bringing hundreds of recycling program managers, advocates and other experts to share successes and lessons from across the country. 

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2024 Resource Recycling Conference in photos

Published: November 19, 2024
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The 2024 Resource Recycling Conference brought hundreds of municipal leaders together in Louisville, Kentucky, from Nov. 13-15 to connect with colleagues, explore industry best practices and celebrate America Recycles Day.

(Click a photo to bring up a lightbox viewer that allows you to advance through the sequence. Photos by Dan Holtmeyer, Resource Recycling, Inc.)

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