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Tag Archives: Europe

Different PRO structures can achieve same result

Published: May 3, 2023
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Bales of recycled paper products.

Experts from Italy and Canada offered advice on effective EPR, drawing from their experience with PROs in those countries. | Ole Photo/Shutterstock

When building a producer responsibility organization, fees should be transparent, the industry should be in control and the system needs to be fair. That’s what participants in a recent webinar said, noting there are different ways to achieve those ends. Continue Reading

Textile recycling is at a pivotal moment, experts say

Published: February 13, 2024
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Textiles collected for recycling

Methods for recycling clothing and other textiles exist but must be scaled up to meet the problem, several experts said during a recent panel discussion hosted by TOMRA. | Chatham172/Shutterstock

Textile production is among the world’s least sustainable industries, but that could change if brands, governments and investors supercharge and interweave recycling systems that already exist in isolation, experts said during a recent webinar from Europe. Continue Reading

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Brands make sustainability moves, but use more plastic

Published: January 9, 2023
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McDonald's drink cups and straws discarded on concrete.

WWF found that 34% of members’ plastic footprint was recycled, 9% incinerated, 43% landfilled and 15% mismanaged. | Kraft74/Shutterstock

In 2021, major brands increased their use of recycled material and cut back on “problematic plastics,” but the amount of plastic they put on the market grew by over 5%, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

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Lessons from France: Eco-modulated fees not used effectively

Published: May 30, 2023
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Analysts speaking in a recent GAIA webinar said eco-modulated fees on packaging fail to incentivize reduction and reuse. | Photoeu/Shutterstock

As extended producer responsibility programs for packaging start to take hold in the U.S., many are looking to Europe for ideas. Several stakeholders in the decades-old French system shared some lessons they’ve learned, including that eco-modulated fees have not achieved their desired effect.   Continue Reading

EU-to-US scrap plastics trade under threat

Published: January 23, 2023
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Industry leaders oppose the European Commission’s proposed phase-out of plastics exports, arguing such a move would restrict trade. | European Parliament Multimedia Centre

A branch of the European Union wants to end all exports of recovered plastics within the next four years, a move that would undoubtedly disrupt trade with the U.S. One company leader suggested the impacts could hinge on what the EU decides to consider “waste.”

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Industry group: Help us find the plastic bale volumes we need

Published: June 21, 2022
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Bales of plastics for recycling.

A European analysis shows 9 million metric tons of discarded plastic was collected for sorting, out of 30 million produced in 2021. | Muhammad Azman/Shutterstock

European plastic recyclers are struggling to get enough material, even as exports of plastics decline and values rise.

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The latest MRF builds and retrofits across the globe

Published: March 2, 2021
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Baled OCC in the recycling facility.

A recycling facility in West Babylon, N.Y. installed a large optical sorter that has increased OCC throughput and quality. | Courtesy of Van Dyk

Several materials recovery facilities across North America and the U.K. recently announced upgrades or other major projects. The initiatives include optical sorter installations targeting fiber and plastic, advanced artificial intelligence plans and more.

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