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Tag Archives: courts/lawsuits

Recycling manager pleads guilty to fraud

Published: September 4, 2024
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A former Mars Wrigley environmental manager admitted to stealing more than $500,000 from recycled commodity sales during his time at a Mars factory in Flowery Branch, Georgia. | Proxima Studio/Shutterstock

A recycling program manager at a Mars Wrigley factory in Georgia has pleaded guilty to fraud, admitting he took money generated from selling the factory’s recyclables and spent it on hunting trips, church donations and other personal expenditures. Continue Reading

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Minnesota AG, Reynolds, Walmart settle recycling bags suit

Published: August 6, 2024
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Front of Hefty Recycling Bag box in question in court.

The two companies will stop selling products in Minnesota for two and a half years, can re-enter the market only if bags are clearly marked as non-recyclable, and will pay more than $200,000.

Walmart and Reynolds Consumer Products have reached settlements with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office in a lawsuit over marketing language for bags labeled as “recycling bags.”   Continue Reading

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Firms team up against reusable plastic bag ban

Published: July 9, 2024
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The Responsible Recycling Alliance is urging lawmakers to include reusable bags made from 40% post-consumer resin in the emerging extended producer responsibility for packaging program, SB 54. | Huguette Roe/Shutterstock

Seeking to quash a regulatory change that would remove over 100 million pounds of North American post-consumer resin demand per year, EFS-Plastics, Merlin Plastics and PreZero US have joined together to advocate for retaining recycled-content reusable plastic bags in California’s bag regulations. Continue Reading

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Myplas settles eviction lawsuit as facility remains closed

Published: May 20, 2024
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By mid-2023, the Myplas facility had drawn a total investment of $24 million, but it shut down shortly after it opened. | Photo via MBOLD on YouTube

Minnesota-based film recycling company Myplas USA closed its doors just weeks after opening, and was quickly served with an eviction lawsuit. The legal action has been settled out of court, but the facility’s future remains uncertain.
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Nonprofit director sentenced for recycling grant fraud

Published: April 9, 2024
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The nonprofit leader submitted false documents, including altered check images and fictitious invoices, to secure funds. | Proxima Studio/Shutterstock

The former head of a Nebraska nonprofit will serve four months in prison after she admitted to submitting fraudulent documents to secure public grant funds meant for electronics recycling collection events. Continue Reading

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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

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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

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