Winter weather and tariffs were top of mind for five of the largest publicly traded garbage and recycling companies in North America in the first quarter of the year. | Republic Services
Bad weather in parts of the country weighed on leading recycling companies’ first-quarter earnings, their leaders said, but overall they saw revenue increases. Continue Reading
Almost 200 employees will be affected by the closure in St. Paul, Minnesota. | LookerStudio/Shutterstock
Smurfit Westrock is closing plants in Minnesota and Texas and is in discussions to do the same at two others in Germany, affecting around 650 employees total. Continue Reading
Crystal Bayliss of the U.S. Plastics Pact emphasized that procurement involves far more than just haggling prices, a sentiment echoed by an Orbis executive. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
With post-consumer plastic resin requirements increasing rapidly, companies throughout plastics value chains face similar challenges in controlling feedstock supply, scaling up supply and managing capital costs. This sentiment was clear during a Plastics Recycling Conference session as well as a recent industry interview. Continue Reading
Smartphones and laptops are exempt from U.S. tariffs targeting Chinese imports, but other goods are currently subject to 145% in duties. | Metamorworks/Shutterstock
Country-specific reciprocal tariffs have been pushed out until July, but a universal base rate tariff rolled out last week, which covers all countries, and earlier metals tariffs remain in effect. Meanwhile, an all-out trade war between the U.S. and China is intensifying. Continue Reading
Regulations that can change from hour to hour are causing headaches for buyers and sellers but could present opportunities should they remain in place. | aapsky/Shutterstock
After many weeks of shifting narratives and uncertainty, participants in recycled commodity markets are working to navigate the new tariff environment, in which buyers and sellers as well as customs officials struggle to align federal mandates with on-the-ground implementation. Continue Reading
Recovered material imports, like the 1 million tons of recovered fiber the U.S. brought in from Canada last year, appear to be tariff-exempt under a new executive order. | Pjhpix/Shutterstock
The U.S. tariff whirlwind continues this month: Many imports from Canada and Mexico, including those of recycled materials, had their tariffs suspended two days after they took effect last week, while previously announced tariffs on aluminum and steel from all countries are set to take effect Wednesday. Continue Reading
Some companies, including major material haulers, are taking a tempered view of the tariffs, especially given the amount of macroeconomic turmoil that has accompanied the past five years. | chuyuss/Shutterstock
Update: Most of the new tariffs on imports from both Mexico and Canada were paused until April 2, following executive orders President Donald Trump signed on March 6.
The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential “severe” disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.’s largest trading partners took effect March 4, bringing higher costs to import nearly all goods, including recycled commodities.
Owned by Chinese paper giant Nine Dragons, ND Paper cited growing demand for its products. | Courtesy of ND Paper
Illinois-headquartered ND Paper plans to restart a recycled paper machine at its Biron mill in central Wisconsin in the second half of 2025, citing growing demand for its packaging products. Continue Reading
Haulers reported a year of numerous mergers and acquisitions, and higher commodity values. | Sepp Photography/Shutterstock
Buoyed by rising commodity prices, the five largest publicly traded recycling companies posted overall revenue increases in 2024. Continue Reading
If domestic aluminum demand rises, used beverage cans could see a jump in commodity value. | Graham Corney/Shutterstock
New tariff actions targeting aluminum and steel imports could have near-term benefits for MRF operators if the actions spur additional demand for domestic-sourced commodities. But it’s the longer-term effects that are more concerning. Continue Reading