Industry Announcements

September 2018

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) reported on arrests made over the summer in beverage container smuggling schemes.

Recycling equipment company Herbold Meckesheim USA reports a major fire broke out at its Meckesheim, Germany facility, but operations will continue with minimal disruptions.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) hired Scott Wiggins as its vice president of EH&S.

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) joined the Road to Zero Coalition, an effort led by the National Safety Council in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation to end road fatalities by 2050.

Nonprofit group Recycle Across America launched a national “Let’s recycle right!” advertising campaign featuring actors, athletes, musicians, CEOs, government officials and others.

Market research firm Smithers Pira released a report offering forecasts for recycling, recovery and reuse of packaging globally in the next five years.

Solid waste services company WCA Waste Corporation has expanded into the Houston market with its merger with Global Waste Services, which runs the largest independently owned MRF in the city.

Casella Waste Systems has acquired waste and recycling companies Youngblood Disposal and Silvarole Transfer, both of which are located in Rochester, N.Y.

The Institute of Local Self-Reliance published an article analyzing the current state of single-stream recycling programs and consolidation within the industry.

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) formed a committee to support development of markets for some troubled streams of recyclables, including mixed paper, glass and Nos. 3-7 plastics.

NRT has integrated the BHS Max-AI artificial intelligence technology with NRT’s optical sorting equipment.

The Recycling Partnership has released an online quiz to help program leaders gauge the strength of recycling efforts in their communities. The organization also, in partnership with Re-TRAC Connect, launched the first phase of the Municipal Measurement Program. A preliminary version of the program will be shown at the 2018 Resource Recycling Conference in October.

Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC) and the U.S. EPA Region 4 have released tools that help local governments in the Southeast analyze their recycling programs.

Rubicon Global has published the latest episode of its Town Haul podcast, featuring Kathryn Garcia, commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation.

TemperPack, which makes insulated shipping materials, announced its ClimaCell product has been qualified to use the How2Recycle label.

The Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration project announced that eight U.S. cities and a number of international urban areas pledged to cut waste sent to disposal by 50 percent, reduce per-capita generation by 15 percent and achieve 70 percent diversion rates by 2030.

Keep America Beautiful kicked off its eighth annual Recycle-Bowl, a four-week recycling competition for students around the country.

Equipment manufacturer McCloskey International acquired Lippmann-Milwaukee, a manufacturer of aggregate crushing equipment.

Mid America Paper Recycling hired Paul Pirkle as company president.

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) released the first report on their progress since they teamed up on a strategic action plan.

Recycle Across America will collaborate with a handful of recycling receptacle manufacturers to use standardized labels on their products, an effort to reduce confusion among the public.

Schupan & Sons hired Drew Kocsis and Ryan Limburg to its Chicago-based Materials Trading Division, which trades a multitude of recyclables.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) approved a technical policy that addresses recycling metrics and measurement.

August 2018

Armstrong Flooring has recycled more than 100 million pounds of post-consumer flooring materials.

The governments of Chile (link) and New Zealand (link) have announced plans to ban thin plastic bags.

The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF), in collaboration with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), released results of a study indicating the MRF needle injury rate is around 2.7 per 100 workers.

Keep America Beautiful announced that registration has opened for the 2018 America Recycles Day, which will be held Nov. 15 as well as during the weeks surrounding that date.

Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) has named Aric Henschen as its vice president of operations, a position LRS created in response to recent company growth.

Equipment manufacturer Meese, formerly known as MODRoto, has opened a plant in Jacksonville, Fla., marking its fifth location in the U.S..

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) is offering two student scholarships for attendance to The Future of MRFs, NERC’s fall conference. Those interested in applying should contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC’s executive director.

PepsiCo has published more than 250 free recycling-related resources as part of its Recycle Rally, a national school recycling rate competition.

Busch Systems has appointed Alec Cooley to serve in a consulting role as senior advisor. Cooley previously worked as director of recycling programs for Keep America Beautiful.

Californians Against Waste has honored state Sen. Bob Wieckowski and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi for supporting recycling legislation.

U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer hosted a roundtable discussion in Oregon to discuss the impact of China’s import restrictions on the region’s recycling industry.

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) has hired Kirk Sander as its vice president of safety and standards, a newly created position. Sander previously worked for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Safety Council.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to identify recycling improvements that could be made in New York to help alleviate the current market challenges.

The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) has signed a 10-year agreement to supply Canadian glass company 2M Ressources with recycled glass containers. 2M Ressources will process the recycled glass into fiberglass insulation and new glass cullet.

Michigan recycling companies Padnos and GLR Advanced Recycling have formed a business partnership, which company leaders say will allow them to serve more Michigan customers and also grow to neighboring markets. Together, the companies operate 24 locations statewide.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has released a report detailing all aspects of yard waste collection and offering tips for program improvement.

Sonoco has announced new recycling commitments, including increasing post-consumer recycled plastic usage in packaging from 19 percent to 25 percent.

Walmart has released its 2018 Global Responsibility Report, which touches on a number of the company’s recycling-related goals.

Scrap metal company Alter Trading Corporation will purchase Tenenbaum Recycling Group, which operates 10 scrap metal locations in Arkansas.

Closed Loop Partners CEO Ron Gonen penned an op-ed detailing the economic benefits of recycling.

The Colorado Association for Recycling (CAFR) will host a webinar on recycling metrics, data collection and measurement.

CP Group announced the groundbreaking of a project to install a MRF as the front-end system for Fiberight’s waste processing and refining facility in Hampden, Maine.

If Trash Could Talk, a book of poetry about waste and wastefulness, has been released by New York City author Jacquie Ottman.

The National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) have re-released a joint advisory on designing municipal recycling contracts. The guide offers tips for writing contracts that take into account the current recycling market strife.

Meridian Waste, a solid waste services company, has acquired three Virginia companies: Bob’s Refuse Service, New River Container and Resource Management Group.

Van Dyk Recycling Solutions announced plans to open an equipment testing center at its Norwalk, Conn. site. The center, which will allow interested buyers to test equipment, is slated to open in October.

Waste Management has provided a $100,000 donation to fund a recycling workshop offered by Keep America Beautiful and The Recycling Partnership at WasteCon 2018.

Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) announced major upgrades, including the addition of six robots, to the GreenWaste Recovery mixed-waste MRF in San Jose, Calif.

Gold Medal Group acquired Envirowaste and Commonwealth Commons, two companies that own and operate a solid waste management and resource recovery facility in South Philadelphia.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) reports greater use by law enforcement of the ScrapTheftAlert.com website.

The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) is accepting submissions for the Environmental Sustainability Leadership Award competition through Sept. 12.

Rubicon Global has acquired New Jersey garbage and recycling brokerage company RiverRoad Waste Solutions.

Waste Management co-founder Larry Beck has died at age 90.

July 2018

AMCS, a tech company specializing in software and vehicle technology for the waste and recycling industries, acquired DesertMicro.

The California Product Stewardship Council honored a handful of companies with the group’s 2018 Arrow Awards, which recognize leadership, innovation and partnerships in product stewardship and green design.

The Kraft Heinz Company announced its aim to make 100 percent of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

The National Recycling Coalition is accepting nominations for a variety of awards, which will be presented at the 2018 Resource Recycling Conference in St. Louis.

The Product Stewardship Institute published a blog post suggesting extended producer responsibility as a way to boost recycling programs that have suffered since China stopped buying recovered materials.

The Solid Waste Association of Central Ohio released a study detailing the economic impact of the recycling industry on central Ohio.

The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling adopted a new mission and structure.

Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and other food establishments, published its 2017 Sustainability Report.

Waste Harmonics hired Ryan Shannon as the company’s chief financial officer.

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has named Calaveras County the state’s 40th Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ). Additionally, CalRecycle awarded a $1.5 million RMDZ loan to American Tire Recycling to purchase equipment to produce crumb rubber for use in road paving.

Closed Loop Partners announced the launch of Circulate Capital, an investment management firm dedicated to financing companies, projects and infrastructure that prevent ocean plastics. Rob Kaplan will transition from his current role at Closed Loop Partners to a full-time role leading Circulate Capital.

GreenBlue announced that it has placed its first How2Recycle ad in New York City’s Times Square, at the corner of West 43rd Street and Broadway.

Keurig Green Mountain issued its 2017 sustainability report, which stated that the company has made progress in making K-Cup pods recyclable.

Orient Paper, a Chinese company that uses recovered fiber to make various paper products, will change its corporate name to IT Tech Packaging.

Rubicon Global announced that West Memphis, Ark. will use the RUBICONSmartCity platform, which includes a mobile app, plug-in device and desktop vendor software. Additionally, Rubicon Global announced that the platform is now available on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace.

Stand.earth released a statement applauding McDonald’s for joining Starbucks in the NextGen Cup Challenge but encouraged companies to immediately adopt already-existing paper cups made with less plastic.

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) released its 2017 Scrap Tire report, a bi-annual evaluation of how scrap tires are managed in the U.S.

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) and Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) have aligned their definitions of what they consider a “recyclable” plastic packaging.

Environmental Paper Network-North America has launched an improved web-based Paper Calculator, which is intended to drive innovation in paper use and purchasing.

A number of major industry groups have been meeting to discuss ways to advance the recycling industry, including the American Forest & Paper Association, AMERIPEN, Association of Plastic Recyclers, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Keep America Beautiful,  Northeast Recycling Council, National Recycling Coalition, National Waste & Recycling Association, Plastics Industry Association, The Recycling Partnership, Southeast Recycling Development Council, Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the Solid Waste Association of North America.

McDonald’s has joined the NextGen Cup Consortium and Challenge, an initiative convened by Closed Loop Partners to develop a recyclable or compostable cup for foodservice use. The initiative also counts Starbucks as a founding member.

The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) is accepting applications from St. Louis-area college students for scholarship funded by the Murray J. Fox Scholarship Fund. Submissions are due Aug. 30. Fox, a longtime NRC member, passed away in January at the age of 93.

The Recycling Partnership has released details on how to apply for its new Coastal Community Recycling Grant program.

TOMRA Sorting Recycling appointed Rick Fenton sales manager for the East Coast of North America.

Unifi, makers of Repreve brand of recycled polyester fiber, will provide grants to Pac-12 universities to support recycling, as part of Unifi’s new partnership with the Pac-12 conference.

Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin (AROW) announced the launch of Recycle Right Wisconsin, a program to provide recycling information to residents.

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) awarded $25 million in grants to organics composting and food recovery efforts, including a $3 million grant to Waste Management’s Oakland-area facility to separate food scraps from the garbage stream for composting.  

Closed Loop Partners released its 2017 progress report.

Covanta Environmental Solutions has opened a materials processing facility near its existing waste-to-energy plant in Indianapolis.

Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) released a statement hailing the closure of a waste-to-energy plant in Commerce, Calif.

Major grocery store chain ALDI has joined the How2Recycle program.

Kimberly-Clark issued an update on its sustainability efforts, noting it used 730,000 metric tons of recycled fiber last year, the same as the year before.

The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) has scheduled its second in a series of markets-focused events for July 31 near Atlanta.  

A group called Protect CRV has formed to advocate on behalf of California’s container redemption centers.

ZenRobotics has sold sorting robots that will be installed in a recycling facility in Sweden.