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Revised California EPR draft regulations released

Published: May 20, 2025
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California state building

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery released a revised informal draft of SB 54 regulations. | Michael Warwick/Shutterstock

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery released a revised draft of SB 54 regulations, two months after the governor rejected the first version of the extended producer responsibility for paper and packaging rules. 

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Clock runs out this year for bottle bill in Texas

Published: May 20, 2025
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Andrew Yahin/Shutterstock

Using data including state litter studies, the bill moved farther along than previous efforts, lending optimism to its potential to pass in 2027. | Andrew Yahin/Shutterstock

A bipartisan bill in Texas to introduce a bottle deposit return system ran out of time for a state House vote, but supporters see cause for optimism after a strong showing during the recently concluded biennial legislative session. 

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Battery dangers, solutions take center stage at ReMA

Published: May 20, 2025
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Eric Frederickson, vice president of operations at Call2Recycle, presented a battery burn demonstration alongside the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. | Colin Staub/E-Scrap News

After a year that recorded a notable increase in e-scrap facility battery fires, the growing hazard and ways of mitigating it received ample attention at the Recycled Materials Association’s annual conference in San Diego last week.

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A hot topic for recyclers: Battery-related fires

Published: May 13, 2025
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A recent webinar presented by the Northeast Recycling Council explored industry and federal efforts to improve consumer education and reduce fire risks. | Allyson-Kitts/Shutterstock

Many MRF operators cite batteries as their greatest challenge, and for good reason. Fires at waste management facilities have been steadily increasing in recent years, many traced back to improper disposal of household batteries. 

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Experts share safety tips after ‘disconcerting’ fatalities

Published: May 13, 2025
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Recycling collection worker taking bin to truck.

The safety-focused summit came after the latest federal data showed a backslide in waste and recycling industry safety. | M2020/Shutterstock

As recycling companies seek to improve workplace safety amid an industry-wide increase in on-the-job fatalities, experts at a recent industry summit advised managers to focus their attention on — and for top executives, even to attend — the regular pre-shift safety meetings.

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Haulers discuss weather, tariff impacts in Q1

Published: May 6, 2025
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truck

Winter weather and tariffs were top of mind for five of the largest publicly traded garbage and recycling companies in North America in the first quarter of the year. | Republic Services

Bad weather in parts of the country weighed on leading recycling companies’ first-quarter earnings, their leaders said, but overall they saw revenue increases. Continue Reading

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Packaging and recycling sectors connect in Seattle

Published: May 6, 2025
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Extended producer responsibility was a hot topic throughout the three-day event held in Seattle last week. | Photo Courtesy of GreenBlue Org

A common complaint among MRF operators is that they have little meaningful contact with the packaging industry, despite dealing with headaches from that industry’s products every single day.  Continue Reading

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Maine stakeholders debate draft recyclable materials list

Published: April 22, 2025
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Maine capitol building in Augusta.

The initial recyclable materials list classifies just under a dozen material types as readily recyclable under Maine’s EPR program, but state representatives emphasized it was a first draft. | KWJPHOTOART/Shutterstock

More than 100 people showed up in-person and virtually to an informal stakeholder meeting on Maine’s draft material types list for the state’s extended producer responsibility program for packaging.   Continue Reading

Seattle MRF rolls out robotic sorting and AI analytics

Published: April 29, 2025
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A Glacier robot positioned on the sorting line at Seattle’s King County MRF. | Photo by Colin Staub

A Seattle-area sorting facility operated by Recology has installed imaging and sorting equipment supplied by Glacier, adding another major MRF to the company’s two-dozen customers. Glacier also announced it has raised additional capital that CEO Rebecca Hu-Thrams said will help the company grow further and faster. Continue Reading

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