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Tag Archives: courts/lawsuits

California recycler to pay back $140 million in fraud case

Published: February 27, 2024
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Court gavel with books in background.

Fabricated bottle and can weights led to a $140.5 million bill for Recycling Services Alliance. | Zolnierek/Shutterstock

Recycling Services Alliance must pay $140.5 million under the state of California’s final decision in a yearslong bottle and can smuggling case.  Continue Reading

Strategic emerges from bankruptcy with reduced debt

Published: January 29, 2024
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Glass bottles piled for recycling.

Strategic Materials reduced its total debt by over $300 million and secured about $60 million in new capital to get itself out of bankruptcy. | Torychemistry/Shutterstock

Nearly two months after filing for bankruptcy, Strategic Materials has restructured itself, reduced its debt and secured more funding.  Continue Reading

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Behind Strategic’s bankruptcy, interest rates and market shifts

Published: December 8, 2023
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Glass bottles collected for recycling.

Strategic Materials cited rising feedstock prices and lower volumes, shifts in packaging away from glass, and other factors in its Chapter 11 filing. | Courtesy of the Glass Packaging Institute

A major U.S. downstream outlet for recovered glass from MRFs and bottle deposit programs filed for bankruptcy this month, citing $432 million in debts and interest. Strategic Materials says it plans to reorganize and continue operating normally without interruption. Continue Reading

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NY attorney general sues PepsiCo over river pollution

Published: November 27, 2023
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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

Reynolds settles suit over recycling collection bags

Published: October 2, 2023
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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

Arkansas Supreme Court overturns recycling fees ruling

Published: March 20, 2023
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Court gavel resting on books and wooden desk.

The higher court found that Fort Smith’s actions, though deceptive, did not rise to the level of an illegal exaction. | Rawf8/Shutterstock

The Arkansas Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling that citizens were entitled to restitution of recycling fees after a city was discovered to be dumping recyclables in the landfill.

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Judge: Wage law doesn’t apply to inmates working at MRFs

Published: June 20, 2023
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Court gavel at desk scene.

In her opinion, Maryland judge Stephanie A. Gallagher ruled that the prison work program was rehabilitative and the workers aren’t employees of the county, and therefore they are not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. | Aerial Mike/Shutterstock

Local governments don’t have to pay minimum wage or overtime to prison inmates who are sorting recyclables at MRFs, regardless of whether the recycling program financially benefits from the cheap labor, a federal judge ruled.  Continue Reading

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Minnesota sues Reynolds and Walmart over collection bags

Published: June 12, 2023
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Parking lot of a Walmart store on sunny day.

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

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Editor’s Take: The Green Guides matter (and don’t)

Published: May 22, 2023
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More honesty in recyclability labeling could save brands the trouble of going to court – without costing them much in sales. | Ivan Alex Burchak/Shutterstock

After Keurig Green Mountain reached a class-action settlement in a case concerning the company’s K-Cup recyclability claims, the plaintiffs anticipated the brand owner would end up paying consumers $1.25 million.

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Glad Products sued over its ‘recycling’ bags

Published: March 27, 2023
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Court gavel resting on a desk.

The California lawsuit alleges that because Glad’s bags are not recyclable and most collection programs don’t accept bagged recyclables, it is misleading to advertise them as recycling bags. | BCFC/Shutterstock

Another consumer products brand owner has been hauled into court over its marketing of plastic bags for use in recyclables collection.  Continue Reading