Stories touching on OCC markets, a mixed-plastic outlet, paper mill fire, hauler earnings and packaging stewardship drew readers’ attention last month.
Stories touching on OCC markets, a mixed-plastic outlet, paper mill fire, hauler earnings and packaging stewardship drew readers’ attention last month.
A Pacific Northwest paper mill will significantly increase its OCC consumption, and a 100 percent recycled fiber end user is building a new manufacturing facility for paper packaging products.
The world’s largest retailer has announced a handful of new plastics recycling and waste reduction commitments.
Clark County, Wash., and its seat, Vancouver, reflect a history of western exploration of the area.
This story has been corrected.
Some recycling stakeholders have argued for more source separation to bolster material quality. Now, a lawmaker in the country’s largest state is joining the call.
In late 2018, officials in the city of Walla Walla, Wash. (population 32,000) issued a report that showed the economics of the city’s single-stream curbside recycling program turned upside down over the course of 18 months.
As the graph below indicates, the city went from earning up to $30 per ton for recyclables in early 2017 to paying as much as $100 per ton a year later. Over the course of 2018, the city’s program lost a total of $130,000.
Walla Walla, which attributed the financial flip primarily to China’s National Sword import policy, has instituted a monthly recycling surcharge on resident bills to help get the program back on solid financial footing. The city’s program collects standard fiber items and plastics Nos. 1 and 2. It does not accept glass.
Data source: City of Walla Walla, Wash.
This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
Merlin Plastics and Peninsula Plastics Recycling are making substantial investments in mixed-plastics processing capacity, bringing positive news for a region hard hit by China’s ban.
Two government initiatives looking to energize the lithium-ion battery recycling sector have officially launched, offering prize money to recycling entrepreneurs and a dedicated laboratory to house research projects.
Casella Waste Systems and Advanced Disposal Services, two of the larger garbage and recycling companies in North America, experienced tumbling recycling revenues last year.
China’s scrap import restrictions and their rippling market effects pared recycling revenues for Waste Management and Waste Connections last year.