U.S. states with container deposit programs have the highest recycling rates in the country, according to new research. | Aleks333/Shutterstock
A report from Eunomia Research and Consulting found that nine of the 10 states with the highest recycling rates have deposit return systems, and that bottle bill states also contribute a higher percentage of packaging that is recycled in the U.S. Continue Reading
A lawsuit from New York State Attorney General Letitia James makes a number of allegations against PepsiCo, including failure to warn the public about the environmental impact of its products. | Pixinoo/Shutterstock
New York State’s attorney general is the latest to launch a lawsuit against a major brand over plastic, this time focused on pollution. Continue Reading
A report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reveals that major brand owners and retailers increased their use of post-consumer resin (PCR) from 10.0% in 2021 to 11.7% in 2022. One of the largest, PepsiCo, increased from 6.3% PCR to 7.3%. | pixinoo/Shutterstock
The fifth report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that a few big-name brands’ increased use of virgin plastic has been offsetting the overall reduction achieved by the rest of the reporting companies. Continue Reading
An image of Reynolds’ Hefty Recycling bag box from a lawsuit challenging the recycling-related claims. Reynolds Consumer Products says it has since made wording changes to the packaging. | Screen copy from court filings
Reynolds Consumer Products has agreed to change advertising language and pay up to $4 million to settle one of multiple lawsuits alleging its marketing of recycling collection bags is illegal. Continue Reading
Truth in Advertising argues that although Colgate-Palmolive’s 100% HDPE tubes are technically recyclable, in practice they end up in landfills. | George W. Bailey/Shutterstock
The 100% HDPE toothpaste tubes used by some brands and marketed as recyclable are under fire from a consumer watchdog group, with brands denying allegations of deceptive marketing. Continue Reading
From left: Keefe Harrison, Jennifer Russell and Matt Seaholm. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
A range of industry experts recently discussed steps to move forward on plastics sustainability, with transparency, public trust and standardization emerging as key themes. Continue Reading
Two container companies saw progress on their recycled content goals. Meanwhile, consumer advocates urged San Francisco to reinstate a retailer collection obligation. | Pjhpix/Shutterstock
Crown Holdings and O-I Glass recently released sustainability reports, and a bottle deposit pilot in California racked up more expenses than deposits, according to a watchdog report. Continue Reading
This latest suit marks at least the third time Reynolds has found itself in legal hot water over its Hefty recycling bags. | Anton Gvozdikov/Shutterstock
Reynolds Consumer Products faces yet another lawsuit over its recyclables collection bags, this time from Minnesota’s top legal officer. Continue Reading
WWF found that 34% of members’ plastic footprint was recycled, 9% incinerated, 43% landfilled and 15% mismanaged. | Kraft74/Shutterstock
In 2021, major brands increased their use of recycled material and cut back on “problematic plastics,” but the amount of plastic they put on the market grew by over 5%, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
A worker seals a recyclable fiber package at a Walmart shipping facility. | Courtesy of Walmart
An e-commerce packaging change by Walmart may mean fewer plastic mailers and more recyclable fiber ones coming into U.S. MRFs. Continue Reading