The returned containers held a total of 3.2 million pounds of material. | porjai kittawornrat/Shutterstock
More Southeast Asian nations are sending contaminated recyclables back to their originating country, as governments in the region continue to grapple with higher scrap plastic and paper import volumes.
Indonesia has become the fourth largest importer of U.S. recovered paper. | Naruedom Yaempongsa/Shutterstock
A top importer of U.S. recovered paper continues to develop new quality criteria for inbound shipments, despite previous signs the country had settled on specific contamination thresholds.
Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to implement a beverage container deposit/refund system, rolling out its program in 1972. Since then, the system has shown it can keep on a path of continuous improvement.
A legal dispute in California centers on the state’s change in how it collects disposal and diversion rate data. | Esin Deniz/Shutterstock
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries has won a court order temporarily shielding its scrap metal recycling members from having to relay their tonnage data to California regulators.
Lower prices have persisted for a number of key curbside recyclables, including fiber grades and aluminum cans.
