The industry-supported bills would establish a grant program and mandate better reporting. | Orhan Cam/Shutterstock
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed two bills that would improve rural recycling and composting accessibility as well as boost data collection, sending the legislation to the House for a vote.
AF&PA data notes that in 2021 about 80% of U.S. paper mills used some recycled paper and about one-third used only recycled paper. | noomcpk/Shutterstock
The U.S. paper and OCC recycling rates for 2021 were 68.0% and 91.4%, higher than the previous year, the American Forest & Paper Association announced in a press conference May 24.
Broken down by scrap type, a study found that bottles, non-bottle rigid plastics and other plastics all saw declines individually in 2020. | TeuNg StyLe/Shutterstock
The U.S. is processing more of its scrap plastic domestically, but the overall weight of plastic recycled in 2020 dropped just under 6% from 2019, according to an annual industry report.
The Recycling Partnership’s “2020 State of Curbside” report delves into updated data on recycling in the U.S. | stephen rudolph/Shutterstock
To quickly grasp the struggles facing American curbside recycling programs, one can follow the money – or lack thereof. In July 2017, a ton of recyclables was worth over $90. In October 2019, it was worth $30. That’s according to new research from The Recycling Partnership.
Portland, Maine-based Ecomaine runs a 50,000-square-foot MRF, as well as a waste-to-energy site and landfill. | Photo courtesy of Ecomaine/Credit: Brian Fitzgerald
Many recycling facilities track throughput, materials composition, contamination and other data points. One operator in the Northeast is now bringing meticulous measurement to social distancing.
Republic Services’ recycling business brought in $68.6 million in revenue during the third quarter, down 10% year over year. | Resource Recycling file photo
Some of the largest publicly traded garbage and recycling companies got pinched by recycling markets during the third quarter. Others got flat-out hammered.
Thirty trash and recyclables collectors were killed on the job in 2017, roughly equal to the number who lost their lives the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A total of 28 waste and recycling workers died on the job in 2021, down from 52 deaths in 2020. | Somchai_Stock/Shutterstock
Solid waste and recycling worker fatalities dropped by nearly 50% in 2021, maintaining a downward trend that started in 2018.