Google’s report noted headwinds to plastics recovery including unfavorable economics for recycled resins compared with virgin resins. | maciej nicgorski / Shutterstock
A report from Google lays out how mechanical and chemical recycling, a virgin plastic production tax, consumer incentives and more can increase plastics recovery over the next two decades.
Pratt Industries’ facility in Albany, Ga. | Courtesy of Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission
Two major producers of containerboard made from recycled fiber are growing their presence in the U.S. Pratt Industries will add on to a Georgia box plant, and Atlantic Packaging is working on a major facility in Illinois.
The strong global containerboard demand suggests the U.S. recovered fiber market will continue to export OCC. | ja images / Shutterstock
Paper mills that use a lot of recovered fiber were forced to pay substantially more for OCC over the past few months, reflecting the global strength in corrugated packaging demand.
Nonprofit MRF operator Eureka Recycling is one industry stakeholder implementing creative strategies to find and keep employees.
At the end of the day, after all of the equipment and policies and market investments, recycling still relies on people doing the work. But those employees have been harder to come by lately.
Recovered fiber exports jumped from 7.4 million short tons in the first half of 2020 to 9.0 million short tons this year. | Sreytoch Lann / Shutterstock
Recovered fiber exports increased significantly during the first six months of 2021 compared with the same period last year, with a spike in material moving to India and Thailand. Plastic exports were steady year over year.
Oregon will establish a producer responsibility program for packaging, printing and writing paper, and food serviceware. | Jacquie Klose / Shutterstock
Oregon will overhaul components of its recycling system and will make packaging producers partially responsible for funding recycling of their products. It’s the second U.S. state to approve such a law.
During the second quarter, Waste Connections’ recycling business brought in $41.5 million in revenue, up by 105% year over year. | Ralf Geithe / Shutterstock
Waste Connections recycling revenues more than doubled in the second quarter, driven by higher recovered material prices and volumes.
Pratt has announced plans for a 450,000-square-foot paper mill and a 700,000-square-foot adjacent corrugating plant. | Mark Agnor / Shutterstock
Pratt Industries and Kentucky state officials on July 29 announced the company will build its sixth 100% recycled paper mill in the U.S. The project will break ground next year and is slated to start up in fall 2023.
GFL is one of several major waste and recycling haulers that recently reported quarterly results.| Advantage Photography / Shutterstock
Markedly higher commodity prices continue to provide big year-over-year boosts in revenue for the largest publicly traded haulers in North America.
Traditional coatings on coffee cups add contamination to the recycling process, but Smart Planet Technologies has developed a solution. | Andy Shell / Shutterstock
Leaders at Smart Planet Technologies, which produces a coating that minimizes contamination during the fiber milling process, say they have seen adoption in several global regions. But several factors have limited U.S. growth.