WM is planning a new MRF in the Portland, Oregon, metro area. | Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
WM is planning a new $35 million MRF in the Portland, Oregon, area that will process up to 140,000 tons of residential materials annually and come on-line as early as December of this year. Continue Reading
Amazon largely focused on its efforts to reduce plastic use, such as substituting recycled paper for flexible fillers and making packaging suitable for curbside collection. | Skorzewiak/Shutterstock
In its 2023 sustainability report, global retail powerhouse Amazon highlighted its efforts to reduce packaging materials and to make its packaging suitable for curbside collection but provided few details on PCR usage. Continue Reading
Texas experienced its first major hurricane of the season in early July, with significant power outages, but peak storm season has yet to occur. | Andrea Quintero Olivas/Shutterstock
As the first major hurricane of the season hit Texas last week, MRFs and processors braced for disrupted services, flooding and power outages, which are familiar obstacles for Gulf Coast operators each June through November. Continue Reading
Amazon aims to replace 100% of plastic air pillows in delivery packaging with paper filler by the end of the year. | Sundry Photography/Shutterstock
Amazon will send 15 billion fewer plastic pillows into the waste stream after replacing 95% of its product protection system with paper in North America, the company recently announced. Continue Reading
Senate Bill 1053 revises California’s bag ban to state that reusable bags provided at point of sale cannot be made from plastic film. | jon nightingale/Shutterstock
A bill that expands California’s bag ban to prohibit all plastic bags – even the reusable recycled-content bags that are a major driver of post-consumer film resin sales – is working its way through the California legislative system.
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A May 28 webinar, “Coalition Building for Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging and Paper Products,” shared tips and tricks for passing EPR legislation with a strong group of supporters. | OnePhoto/Shutterstock
Getting extended producer responsibility legislation passed takes a strong coalition, targeted education and a lot of meetings, those involved with the process in several states said during a recent webinar.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, U.S. exports of recovered paper fell and plastic exports remained steady in the first quarter of 2024. | Joyseulay/Shutterstock
Exports of U.S. recovered paper dwindled to their lowest first-quarter volume since 2002, driven by substantial declines to major buyers in Thailand and India. Plastic shipments remained steady year over year. Continue Reading
From left: Dan Leif, Holli Alexander and Candace Rutherford. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
This story has been corrected.
Chemical recyclers are forging partnerships, eyeing underutilized material streams and getting creative to secure enough supply to feed their ambitious plans, according to leaders in the sector. Continue Reading
ISRI2024 brought together paper, plastics, electronics and metals recycling companies for four days of discussion on key industry topics, leading up to ISRI announcing its new name, ReMA. | Photo courtesy ReMA
Companies from across the materials recovery spectrum gathered at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas last week for the ISRI2024 conference, which culminated in the long-running trade association unveiling a new name. Continue Reading
Anja Brandon, associate director of U.S. plastics policy at the Ocean Conservancy, speaks during the “Plastic Tensions Within Extended Producer Responsibility” session at the 2023 Resource Recycling Conference in Orlando, Fla. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
Resource Recycling Conference attendees may have been expecting a boxing ring when stakeholders got on stage to talk about plastic and extended producer responsibility, but instead they got a message of hope, progress and civil disagreement on film, chemical recycling and labeling. Continue Reading