Recycling Program of the Year Submissions

Resource Recycling is excited to announce our third annual “Program of the Year” awards!

The Program of the Year Awards, sponsored by Re-TRAC, highlight cities and counties that are taking innovative steps to recover more material, engage with residents on sustainability, demonstrate excellence in program measurement, and make critical progress in other ways.

The Awards are granted to communities in two size categories: 150,000 residents or more, and fewer than 150,000 residents.

Please complete the application form by Tuesday, May 23 for your community’s chance to be recognized for outstanding recycling work!

Questions? Email Dan Leif at [email protected].

Want more info before applying?

Read about the forward-thinking 2022 winners, Fayetteville, Ark. (winner in Small City category) and Washington, D.C. (Large City category). Or, watch the Awards Webinar.

And, read about the 2021 winners, Grand Rapids, Mich. and Olympia, Wash.

The latest recycling industry news

AMP raises $91 million to push AMP ONE ahead
AMP recently raised $91 million in a financing round and plans to use the funds to accelerate the deployment of its AMP ONE sortation system.
Aluminum can recycling remains below 30-year average
Only 43% of aluminum cans shipped in the U.S. in 2023 were ultimately recycled, well below the 30-year average but slightly higher than in the previous three years, according to the most recent industry report.
Price increases help end user offset higher OCC
Paper packaging giant Greif is the latest containerboard producer to announce a price hike for the recycled fiber end product at the beginning of 2025, employing a tool the company has used throughout this year to offset higher OCC feedstock costs and account for other cost growth.
Details scant on Continuus Materials shutdown
A growing end market for mixed paper, plastic and cartons abruptly closed this fall.
Coca-Cola rolls back sustainability goals, timelines
The Coca‑Cola Company has rolled back its voluntary sustainability goals, decreasing some and eliminating others, following the growing number of big brands announcing they will not meet often-ambitious 2025 or 2030 targets.
UN treaty talks extended after usual roadblocks
Negotiations for a global, legally-binding treaty to address plastic pollution will spill over into another meeting, but participants noted the need for a seismic shift to reach the finish line after a fifth round of United Nations negotiations splintered along similar lines as the last four.
Glass collection options shift in Pacific Northwest
Recent simultaneous end market challenges and new collection endeavors in Washington state illustrate the nuances of glass recycling.

Want more info before applying?

Topic in focus: Fiber

Price increases help end user offset higher OCC

Details scant on Continuus Materials shutdown

Fiber exports slip in third quarter, plastics flat from 2023

Revised formula gives lower OCC recycling rate

Topic in focus: MRFs

AMP raises $91 million to push AMP ONE ahead

How MRFs and brands are adding materials to the bin

New tech identifies batteries and more with X-rays

AMP, Waste Connections partner on Colorado MRF

Topic in focus: Legislation

Groups push for federal action ahead of new Congress

Recycling leaders converge in Kentucky

Penultimate UN treaty draft worries environmental groups

Policy updates from the E-Scrap Conference