London, Ontario has a goal of 60% waste diversion by the end of 2022. | Wei Seah/Shutterstock
London, Ontario approved a grant for a Hefty EnergyBag program, making it the first Canadian city to embrace the program for collecting hard-to-recycle plastics.
Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to implement a beverage container deposit/refund system, rolling out its program in 1972. Since then, the system has shown it can keep on a path of continuous improvement.
Waste and recycling collection deaths increased substantially in 2018, despite coordinated campaigns to reduce industry fatalities.
An initiative that collects hard-to-recycle packaging from the curb in several cities could be extended to another 100,000 households by the end of this year, a plastics executive said.
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.
Waste and recycling industry safety has received elevated attention in recent years as injuries and fatalities have risen. Despite collaboration and the heightened focus, the numbers show little improvement.
Canada’s capital tested whether wrapping receptacles with splashy graphics of recyclables can improve capture rates and reduce contamination. The move can be effective, but such a strategy also has limitations.
Resin and packaging giants this month committed $1 billion over the next five years to “end plastic waste.” While recycling and sustainability stakeholders say they are encouraged by the effort, they also want to ensure materials recovery remains part of the solution.
The weight of plastic bottles collected for recycling continued to decrease in the U.S. in 2017, contributing to the third straight year of a declining recycling rate.
