Colorado’s extended producer responsibility for packaging program is slated to fully roll out in 2026. | AustralianCamera/Shutterstock
Circular Action Alliance submitted its initial extended producer responsibility plan to Colorado’s advisory board, taking another step on the state’s path to implementation. Continue Reading
A report from the Container Recycling Institute explored deposit return systems at various levels, aluminum can design and markets and material loss over the recycling process. | Mikkel H. Petersen/Shutterstock
A national deposit return system would raise the U.S. UBC recycling rate to 85%, an analysis from the Container Recycling Institute found. Continue Reading
Consultants with Resource Recycling Systems gave tips on developing effective messaging to reach residents. | Michael Vi/Shutterstock
Effective recycling programs rely heavily on human behavior, which can be very hard to change. But developing a targeted strategy to educate residents – whether in a small rural area or a bustling metropolis – is an integral part of this process. Continue Reading
The guide directs users to various retail and other collection sites around the U.S. that accept film for drop-off recycling. | Ivanova Tetyana/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: Learn more about film recycling trends and many other topics at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference on March 24-26 in National Harbor, Maryland. Continue Reading
The U.S. EPA surveyed agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 11 U.S. territories in its latest report, the Recycling Needs Survey and Assessment. | New Africa/Shutterstock
A pair of reports from the U.S. EPA shines a light on just how fragmented data collection in the recycling industry is and the investment that would be needed to shore it up.
Colorado’s Circular Economy Development Center’s Circular Transportation Network is using a “milk run” model to allow small communities access to recycling end markets. | Milos Muller/Shutterstock
A project to give rural Colorado communities access to recycling is ready to begin running truck routes later this month. Continue Reading
While overall workplace fatalities decreased in the U.S. in 2023, the waste and recycling industry was a troubling outlier. | Wave Break Media/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
Nine workers died in U.S. materials recovery facilities in 2023 and the death rate for refuse and recyclable material collectors jumped more than 80%, according to the latest annual numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue Reading
Under Maine’s EPR program, signed into law in 2021, producers directly reimburse municipalities for collection and recycling of materials. | Yurii Prohonnyi/Shutterstock
Maine approved rules for its extended producer responsibility law for packaging, three years after becoming the first state to pass packaging EPR. Continue Reading
The third iteration of Oregon’s program plan had more accurate cost estimates, after Circular Action Alliance carried out a survey over the summer. | Nadia Yong/Shutterstock
Oregon moved its rulemaking process ahead for its extended producer responsibility for packaging law set to roll out next summer, and Circular Action Alliance also released its third program plan draft. Continue Reading
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.