A presenter at NERC’s Spring Conference encouraged recruitment managers to implement specific practices to reduce bias in hiring decisions. | fizkes/Shutterstock
Diversity, equity and inclusion are no longer add-ons, but a necessary part of any serious company, panelists at the Northeast Recycling Council’s Spring 2022 Conference said.
A presenter at NERC’s Spring 2022 Conference noted wireless headphones among the many battery-containing devices that are challenging for recycling processors. | aperturesound/Shutterstock
The looming wave of lithium-ion batteries that will need to be recycled generated an engaged discussion at the Northeast Recycling Council’s Spring 2022 Conference.
Extended producer responsibility proposals have been discussed in several states in 2022. | EtiAmmos/Shutterstock
A Washington state zero waste group was engaging in “intense negotiations” on an extended producer responsibility bill this year, but the legislation stalled anyway. One advocate said she’s now looking at other states to help inspire next steps.
Research looking at Europe found EPR programs that set material-specific targets will likely increase recycling rates. | Evan Lorne/Shutterstock
Recently published research helps inform the producer responsibility debate in the U.S. by looking at past outcomes in Europe.
Eureka Recycling, which operates a MRF in Minneapolis, is a member of the Alliance of Mission-Based Recyclers, which criticized plastics-to-fuel processes. | Courtesy of Eureka Recycling
The Alliance of Mission-Based Recyclers called plastics-to-fuel processes “false solutions,” though the group of nonprofit recyclers says it is more open to technologies that are geared toward production of recycled resin.
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.
The PET Recycling Coalition will launch in the next few months and will provide grants to MRFs and other facilities to increase the capture of PET beyond bottles. | Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock
The Recycling Partnership will launch a PET recycling coalition, a representative of the nonprofit group announced at last week’s Plastics Recycling Conference.
The Recycling Inclusion Fund already has several projects underway, including foundational research and a multi-family recycling project in Orlando, Fla. | Thanatos Media/Shutterstock
The Recycling Partnership is working to close the equity gap in recycling access and address other racial issues with a Recycling Inclusion Fund.
According to AF&PA, in 2021, U.S. mills took in a total of nearly 33 million tons of recovered fiber, the largest amount in over a decade. | noomcpk/Shutterstock
About 94% of U.S. residents had either curbside or drop-off recycling service for at least one type of paper last year, indicating recycling programs largely retained the material despite pandemic pressures.
PS packaging made the list of problematic materials.| Minh Mi Goi/Shutterstock
The U.S. Plastics Pact says PS and PVC packaging and other materials should be phased out in coming years. A curbside recycling operator called the potential elimination of PVC and PS packaging “two really big steps in the right direction,” though several groups criticized the Pact’s work.
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