For 2020, SWANA reported 36 collection/transportation worker deaths, the same number as 2019. | Eric Buermeyer/Shutterstock
The number North American MRF workers killed on the job last year decreased, but the total number of garbage and recycling sector deaths remained flat, according to industry data.
Despite last year’s drop in landfill tip fees, the five-year average is still trending upward. | Janossy Gergely/Shutterstock
Average landfill tip fees across the country dropped in 2020, although the eastern U.S. continued to see rising disposal costs.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows 43 workers suffered fatal injuries on the job in 2019. | Sepp photography/Shutterstock
Forty-three garbage and recycling collection workers were killed on the job in 2019, fewer than the prior year but still more than the average over the past several years.
A Resource Recycling analysis shows that 1,116 companies identified as “materials recovery facilities” and 4,300 companies identified as “recyclable material merchant wholesalers” received Paycheck Protection Program funds this year. | NIKCOA/Shutterstock
Over $850 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds flowed to MRF operators and recyclables trading companies this year, according to data released following a court order.
Recently released data shows that a major increase in MSW generation outpaced modest recycling progress. | Colleen Michaels/Shutterstock
The U.S. recycling and composting rate took a significant dive in 2018, falling from 35% to 32%, according to new figures from the federal government. The drop was partially due to a change in how the rate was calculated.
Recycled-content commitments by consumer packaged goods companies and fashion brands have driven demand for recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) to a level that exceeds available supply.
The Continuous Improvement Fund wrote that China’s National Sword campaign increased sorting costs and drove down commodity sales revenues in Ontario. | joi54/Shutterstock
China’s National Sword and the evolving packaging stream have pushed up net recycling costs by nearly 13% in Canada’s largest province.