The EPA administrator pointed to staffing, office space and grants as areas to cut agency spending. | Tada Images
Details are scarce on U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s plans to cut his agency’s spending by 65% or more, but some of its 15,000 full-time-equivalent positions and grants to recycling programs across the country could be on the chopping block. Continue Reading
A government-wide pause on federal assistance could affect recycling projects across the country. | Rix Pix Photography/Shutterstock
This story has been updated.
After a day of confusion and legal challenges across the country, the Trump administration cancelled a memo freezing federal grants, loans and other assistance, according to reporting from various news outlets.
A federal judge on Tuesday had temporarily halted the change shortly before it was set to go into effect.
The pause had been intended to ensure that federal spending aligns with the Trump administration’s priorities and would include previously greenlit projects, according to a White House memo released Monday and related documents. Hundreds of millions of dollars for new recycling facilities and other industry initiatives were at risk of being put on hold.
Consultants with Resource Recycling Systems gave tips on developing effective messaging to reach residents. | Michael Vi/Shutterstock
Effective recycling programs rely heavily on human behavior, which can be very hard to change. But developing a targeted strategy to educate residents – whether in a small rural area or a bustling metropolis – is an integral part of this process. Continue Reading
Recycle Utah is working to bring a diverse array of shareholders together on a $25 million MRF project. | Photo courtesy Recycle Utah
Summit County, Utah, boasts one of the largest ski resorts in the U.S., bringing tourists from around the world to experience the majestic slopes in Park City. The region has even been selected as the site of the 2034 Winter Olympics.
The U.S. EPA surveyed agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 11 U.S. territories in its latest report, the Recycling Needs Survey and Assessment. | New Africa/Shutterstock
A pair of reports from the U.S. EPA shines a light on just how fragmented data collection in the recycling industry is and the investment that would be needed to shore it up.
Colorado’s Circular Economy Development Center’s Circular Transportation Network is using a “milk run” model to allow small communities access to recycling end markets. | Milos Muller/Shutterstock
A project to give rural Colorado communities access to recycling is ready to begin running truck routes later this month. Continue Reading
Ridwell recently added glass to its collection list in Tacoma and Olympia, supplying the material to O-I’s Portland facility and to Strategic Materials. | pjhpix/Shutterstock
Glass is well known in the industry as both easy and challenging to recycling – easy from a technical sense and challenging logistically. That was recently highlighted by multiple developments in western Washington.
Speakers from Michigan, Minnesota and Oregon shared lessons from their work to grow end markets for recyclable materials at the 2024 Resource Recycling Conference. | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling
Finding end markets for recyclable materials requires both building connections with existing businesses and community organizations and helping new ideas take root, several recycling officials said during a 2024 Resource Recycling Conference panel. Continue Reading
The annual Resource Recycling Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, drew more than 300 registered attendees to sessions including “Connecting Innovation and Grassroots Efforts to Curtail Contamination.” | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling, Inc.
The 2024 Resource Recycling Conference kicked off Wednesday, bringing hundreds of recycling program managers, advocates and other experts to share successes and lessons from across the country.
The Cans for Cash program launched in Blytheville, Arkansas, and will soon expand to Florida, Illinois and Mississippi. | Courtesy of Replenysh/Cash for Cans
In an effort to return more aluminum beverage cans to the recycling system, Every Can Counts U.S. and Replenysh started a community-driven recycling program in states without deposit return systems or strong curbside collection programs. Continue Reading