Since being introduced to the market, single-use beverage containers have caused much debate – both in the beverage industry and among politicians and the public. A simple question sits at the center of the arguing: What’s the most efficient way to collect beverage containers for high-quality recycling?
A California bill aims to stem the tide of beverage container redemption center closures in the Golden State. But it also threatens the entire container-recycling industry in the state if lawmakers fail to make reforms by next April.
Several workers were killed in an accident at a U.K. metals recycling operation, and Hong Kong beachgoers can’t find the sand through the trash.
People in Scotland can drink beer and feel good about it environmentally, and a group of European companies is exploring turning diapers into new plastics.
Following the recent shuttering of nearly 200 container redemption centers in California, the state says it is exploring ways to prevent further closures as it grapples with its own funding questions.
A committee in the New Jersey General Assembly voted to advance the “Smart Container Act,” which would place a 10-cent deposit on containers of less than 24 ounces and a 20-cent deposit on larger ones.
Oregon, the first state to launch a beverage container deposit program, will also be the first in the U.S. to increase its deposit amount.
An Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin task force has released a report with recommendations on how to operate a successful glass recycling program within the state.
California has under-subsidized its container redemption centers to the tune of $43 million in recent years, leading a significant number of them to close, according to the Container Recycling Institute.