Recovered fiber prices have crumbled this month, with OCC values cut in half and mixed paper dropping into negative territory for the first time in over two years.
Recovered fiber prices have crumbled this month, with OCC values cut in half and mixed paper dropping into negative territory for the first time in over two years.
This story has been corrected.
The commodities market downturn continues to punish MRFs, with plummeting prices for OCC, mixed paper, PET and HDPE this month.
An editorial analysis examines whether OCC prices may foretell broader recession in the U.S. economy. | adison pangchai/Shutterstock
Eric Hartz (center) spoke on a panel with Kate Bailey (right) at the 2022 Resource Recycling Conference. The session was moderated by Sarah Edwards (left). | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling, Inc.
Recent years have seen a steady stream of announcements from chemical recycling operators touting technological breakthroughs. But two industry insiders recently issued a stern reminder to the market: Don’t forget about economics.
The “Rethinking MRF Contracts” session at this year’s Resource Recycling Conference featured (l to r) moderator Keysha Burton of The Recycling Partnership and speakers Natalie Betts of Balcones Resources and Stephanie Sidler of GFL. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling Inc.
Volatile markets, changing material compositions and aging infrastructure can all be addressed with the right municipal MRF contract. Industry experts discussed how to achieve such arrangements at the Resource Recycling Conference.
Waste Management and other North American waste and recycling haulers saw rising revenues in the most recent quarter. | Dan Leif/Resource Recycling, Inc.
North America’s largest haulers all reported substantial year-over-year recycling boosts during the second quarter, although revenue numbers cooled somewhat from earlier in the year.
A recent survey of Northeast MRFs found the blended average value of a ton of recyclables was nearly $170 during the second quarter. | SocoXbreed/Shutterstock
The value of curbside recyclables increased in the second quarter of 2022, according to a bale study conducted by the Northeast Recycling Council.
August has brought increasingly gloomy recyclables markets, with major drops in the pricing of PET, mixed paper, color HDPE and polypropylene.
