Five publicly traded North American waste haulers decreased expectations for full-year commodity pricing, and gave insights into new and upgraded capacity. | Photo Courtesy of Republic Services
The sustainability report for the nation’s largest hauler shows WM has increased recovered materials tonnage by only 5% since 2021, but has a 2025 goal of a 25% increase. | Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
Hauler WM appears unlikely to reach its 2025 interim goal for materials recovered for recycling, despite an increase from the baseline level, according to data from its latest sustainability report. Continue Reading
During an investor presentation, WM leaders outlined investments in recycling and automation. | 2p2play/Shutterstock
Leaders at hauling giant WM discussed expansions in the company’s recycling infrastructure and automation at a recent investor day, expressing optimism for WM’s future as landfill closures increase demand for collection and recycling. Continue Reading
The group will promote MRF upgrades and product design changes to facilitate higher capture of small packaging items, like metal bottle caps. | xpixel/Shutterstock
Led by the Glass Packaging Institute, a new initiative seeks to improve MRF sortation of smaller packaging materials that often get missorted and end up in the glass stream. Continue Reading
Material acceptance at MRFs varies widely by locality, but several stakeholders explained the factors behind such wide-reaching decisions. | StoyanYotov/Shutterstock
Several MRF operators recently provided insight into how their facilities decide what materials to accept, during a discussion on bridging the disconnect between brand owners and MRFs. Continue Reading
A MRF in Windham, Connecticut, received upgrades to be more efficient and sustainable. | Courtesy of Casella
Casella Waste Services has reopened its Willimantic MRF in Windham, Connecticut, after renovations to increase capacity and provide more energy-efficient recycling processing. Continue Reading
Eric Frederickson, vice president of operations at Call2Recycle, presented a battery burn demonstration alongside the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. | Colin Staub/E-Scrap News
After a year that recorded a notable increase in e-scrap facility battery fires, the growing hazard and ways of mitigating it received ample attention at the Recycled Materials Association’s annual conference in San Diego last week.
WM, Republic and a city in Virginia announced upgrades and plans for new MRFs. | Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
The mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia, announced a new MRF with artificial intelligence-powered sorting. Meanwhile, Republic Services announced a new facility near St. Louis, Missouri, and WM completed improvements to an MRF in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
A secondary sorting facility pulling deposit containers out of mixed plastic bales was awarded funding from the state of California. | Hiv360/Shutterstock
California’s state recycling agency will provide $10 million toward a facility sorting plastics with resin codes 2-7, additional multimillion dollar grants for several major MRF retrofits, and a handful of smaller awards for localities to install recycling collection containers. Continue Reading
Extended producer responsibility was a hot topic throughout the three-day event held in Seattle last week. | Photo Courtesy of GreenBlue Org
A common complaint among MRF operators is that they have little meaningful contact with the packaging industry, despite dealing with headaches from that industry’s products every single day. Continue Reading