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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A recent webinar brought together experts to cover the benefits and complications of recycled-content mandates.| Monticello/Shutterstock
Recycled-content laws are a tool for driving post-consumer resin demand. But what if producers are given too many outs, feedstock is in short supply, or the mandates actually result in greater environmental harm?
Backers of bottle bill updates in Massachusetts and Vermont were able to progress legislative proposals that they say could be primed to pass in 2022. | PJiiiJane/Shutterstock
Over the past year, the recycling policy discussion nationwide has focused mainly on proposals that force producers to pay for packaging recovery. But significant activity around container deposits is also taking place, particularly in the Northeast.
A number of major recycled fiber consumers have stated their willingness to accept plastic-lined paper cups in mixed-paper or carton bales. | BublikHaus/Shutterstock
Pratt, Georgia-Pacific, Graphic Packaging International and other paper mill owners have signed a statement affirming that they want plastic-coated paper cups in their feedstock.