The annual Resource Recycling Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, drew more than 300 registered attendees to sessions including “Connecting Innovation and Grassroots Efforts to Curtail Contamination.” | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling, Inc.
The 2024 Resource Recycling Conference kicked off Wednesday, bringing hundreds of recycling program managers, advocates and other experts to share successes and lessons from across the country.
The 2024 Resource Recycling Conference brought hundreds of municipal leaders together in Louisville, Kentucky, from Nov. 13-15 to connect with colleagues, explore industry best practices and celebrate America Recycles Day.
(Click a photo to bring up a lightbox viewer that allows you to advance through the sequence. Photos by Dan Holtmeyer, Resource Recycling, Inc.)
The Cans for Cash program launched in Blytheville, Arkansas, and will soon expand to Florida, Illinois and Mississippi. | Courtesy of Replenysh/Cash for Cans
In an effort to return more aluminum beverage cans to the recycling system, Every Can Counts U.S. and Replenysh started a community-driven recycling program in states without deposit return systems or strong curbside collection programs. Continue Reading
Findings from the surveys showed that Americans lack knowledge on consumer batteries and confidence in the end result for their recyclable plastics. | Kinek00/Shutterstock
Fewer than half of respondents in a new WM recycling survey knew which household products contain lithium-ion batteries — an especially significant finding since fire is a huge safety concern for MRFs and is often caused by batteries. Continue Reading
The new MRF is expected to open in early 2026 near Denver and will be the first such facility for AMP. | Jantsarik/Shutterstock
AI-driven sortation systems provider AMP and hauler Waste Connections are partnering to build a new MRF in Colorado, slated to open in early 2026. Continue Reading
The industry group’s recycling rate now considers additional international trade data, allowing it to better capture imported material that ends up in the recycling stream. | Kyna Studio/Shutterstock
The American Forest & Paper Association has overhauled its methodology for calculating fiber recycling rates, bringing a significantly lower OCC recovery figure than the industry previously reported. Continue Reading
North American fiber end markets saw stronger demand and expect declining costs in the near term. | DenisNata/Shutterstock
Major North American recovered fiber end users saw stronger containerboard demand during the third quarter of the year, according to recent earnings calls. Most are also projecting declining recovered fiber costs through the end of the year. Continue Reading
The first Trump administration brought proposed EPA budget cuts, large tax cuts, withdrawal from international environmental agreements and more, all of which touched the recycling sector. | Orhan Cam/Shutterstock
The clear ballot-box victory of Republicans across the branches of U.S. government could affect the municipal recycling world in a number of ways. It’s early, but some signs from the past – and some recent analysis from industry observers – offer a glimpse of what’s to come.
In more evidence of a market shift, OCC and mixed paper are both fetching lower prices than they were last month, reversing the upward trend of the past couple years. But both fiber grades are still trading at or above their values a year ago.
