Small plastic items such as travel shampoo bottles often cannot be processed at MRFs. | Kris Black/Shutterstock
Five brands have partnered with a nonprofit and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to find a way to keep small plastic items in the recycling stream.
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Digimarc Recycle works by using digital watermarks and a cloud-based dataset of product attributes such as brand, SKU, product variant, packaging composition and others, to improve optical sorting technologies. | Courtesy of Digimarc
Expanding on earlier trials, Digimarc plans to test its Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0 in France on a larger scale. Continue Reading
The Recycling Partnership’s first round of grants is intended to help PET recyclers boost their recovery in the short term and build capacity for the long term. | DonPablo/Shutterstock
Resin company DAK Americas, recycled-content thermoforms producer Direct Pack and MRF operator Recycle Source have become the first three recipients of grants from the PET Recycling Coalition.
Industry leaders oppose the European Commission’s proposed phase-out of plastics exports, arguing such a move would restrict trade. | European Parliament Multimedia Centre
A branch of the European Union wants to end all exports of recovered plastics within the next four years, a move that would undoubtedly disrupt trade with the U.S. One company leader suggested the impacts could hinge on what the EU decides to consider “waste.”
The study looked at mechanical recycling and solvent-based dissolution of PE, PET and PP, as well as enzymatic hydrolysis, glycolysis and vapor methanolysis of PET. | tezzstock/Shutterstock
A study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory evaluated various PET recycling methods from technical, economic and environmental standpoints to provide a big-picture overview of today’s options. Continue Reading
A plastics recycling technology company leader argues we should evaluate whether the outputs of molecular recycling technologies qualify as recycling, instead of applying labels to the processes themselves. | maciej nicgorski/Shutterstock
The project, run by Return-It and the American Chemistry Council (ACC), resulted in about 94% usable plastic. | Huguette Roe/Shutterstock
In five months, Washington state residents in the greater Seattle area turned in over 25 tons of film to independent grocery stores as part of a pilot project. Continue Reading
The revised lawsuit comes after an Illinois judge in September 2022 threw out many of plaintiff Devon Curtis’ claims. | Tiko Aramyan/Shutterstock
A Chicago resident has filed an amended lawsuit against 7-Eleven, arguing that some of the company’s “recyclable” labeling is deceptive because the products lack resin identification codes. Continue Reading
Recycling and waste-reduction advocates in Michigan were unable to stop passage of a bill that prohibits local ordinances limiting the use of plastic bags and plastic food-service items.
In Waste Management’s latest sustainability report, the hauling and recycling giant noted it will begin emphasizing the environmental impact of its materials diversion activities instead of metrics based on weight.