Back to Top

Category: Top stories

US recovered fiber and plastic exports drop

Published: September 7, 2022
Updated:

by
Loading and unloading at shipping port in Long Beach, Calif.

U.S. companies exported 8.7 million short tons of recovered paper and OCC during the first half of 2022. | Richard H Grant/Shutterstock

U.S. exports of fiber bales came down slightly during the first half of this year, trade data shows. At the same time, overseas shipments of scrap plastics took a tumble.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , , |

Plaintiff drops case over Hefty Recycling bag marketing

Published: September 7, 2022
Updated:

by
Front of Hefty Recycling Bag box in question in court.

An Oakland, Calif. resident dropped her lawsuit against Reynolds Consumer Product regarding the company’s recycling bags, but in Connecticut a similar case continues.

Reynolds Consumer Products has staved off one of the recent legal challenges to its Hefty Recycling bag marketing claims. 

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , |

Analysts: US OCC recycling rate may be below 70%

Published: August 29, 2022
Updated:

by
Ryan Fox and Myles Cohen on stage at the 2022 Resource Recycling Conference.

Fiber insiders Ryan Fox (left) and Myles Cohen on stage at the 2022 Resource Recycling Conference. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling, Inc.

This story has been updated

Two corrugated industry experts have crunched the numbers and concluded that the OCC recycling rate is likely much lower than estimates published by the paper manufacturing sector.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , , , |

Recycle BC reports jump in recovery rates

Published: August 1, 2022
Updated:

by
Blue recycling bins lined up against a brick background.

For the second year in a row, Recycle BC observed “significant growth” in collected metric tons, with a 17% increase over the past two years. | Lightspring/Shutterstock

British Columbia’s paper and plastic packaging collection rates have rebounded after pandemic-related challenges, reaching a record-high recovery rate of just over 94%.

Continue Reading

A last-minute twist in effort to expand California bottle bill

Published: August 29, 2022
Updated:

by
Empty glass bottles for recycling.

Some glass recycling advocates have withdrawn their support for proposed California bottle bill legislation in the wake of last-minute amendments. | Fotosr52/Shutterstock

Just days before the end of the legislative session, lengthy amendments were tacked on to California bottle bill expansion legislation, greatly increasing the cost of the program. In response, some previous backers rescinded their support.

Continue Reading

Niagara Bottling victorious in PET recycling lawsuit

Published: August 29, 2022
Updated:

by
Niagara Bottling sign at company bottling plant.

A judge determined the key issue was the availability of recycling programs, not whether bottles are made into new items. | Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

If a bottled water label and cap are effectively unrecyclable, and if statistics show a majority of PET bottles are ultimately wasted, can the containers still be labeled as “100% recyclable”? A federal judge recently said yes.

Continue Reading

Collaboration sits at heart of the best MRF contracts

Published: August 23, 2022
Updated:

by
Resource Recycling Conference session.

The “Rethinking MRF Contracts” session at this year’s Resource Recycling Conference featured (l to r) moderator Keysha Burton of The Recycling Partnership and speakers Natalie Betts of Balcones Resources and Stephanie Sidler of GFL. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling Inc.

Volatile markets, changing material compositions and aging infrastructure can all be addressed with the right municipal MRF contract. Industry experts discussed how to achieve such arrangements at the Resource Recycling Conference.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , , |

Industry group launches project to gather data, share solutions

Published: August 23, 2022
Updated:

by
Putting bottle into recycling bin.

A new effort from industry group The Recycling Partnership aims to assess and change behavior. | Air Images/Shutterstock

Recycling doesn’t work unless people can put material into the stream, so The Recycling Partnership is expanding its efforts to both understand and change consumer behavior at the bin.
Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , , |

Municipal recycling leaders connect in Austin

Published: August 15, 2022
Updated:

by
View of a Resource Recycling Conference session.

More than 600 recycling stakeholders are in Austin, Texas for the 2022 Resource Recycling Conference. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling, Inc.

A sold-out Resource Recycling Conference kicked off this week with in-depth explorations of how public policy and technology advancements are set to transform the recycling industry.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged |

Haulers continued to enjoy markets in second quarter

Published: August 15, 2022
Updated:

by
Waste Management truck

Waste Management and other North American waste and recycling haulers saw rising revenues in the most recent quarter. | Dan Leif/Resource Recycling, Inc.

North America’s largest haulers all reported substantial year-over-year recycling boosts during the second quarter, although revenue numbers cooled somewhat from earlier in the year.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged |