The bans on single-use items in British Columbia come as the Canadian federal government is pushing to enact similar legislation countrywide. | Courtesy of Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
The British Columbia government will institute bans and other restrictions on single-use bags and food service items. A food retailers group says it’s the first province to implement such a regulation. Continue Reading
A faulty floor drain at the Old Town, Maine pulping facility led to the discharge of over 1,000 gallons of 50% sodium hydroxide solution into the Penobscot river. | Satur/Shutterstock
A U.S. subsidiary of Nine Dragons has been ordered to pay just over $100,000 after its Maine paper mill leaked over 31,000 gallons of pulping chemicals into a river in 2020 and 2022. Continue Reading
Speakers on the “Frontline Communities” panel included (from left) Sandra Gonza, Jo Banner, Paulina Lopez and Joy Banner. | Dan Leif/Resource Recycling
As companies across the sector try to navigate concerns around environmental justice, leaders of activist groups have some advice: Stop and listen to the local community first. Continue Reading
Analysts speaking in a recent GAIA webinar said eco-modulated fees on packaging fail to incentivize reduction and reuse. | Photoeu/Shutterstock
As extended producer responsibility programs for packaging start to take hold in the U.S., many are looking to Europe for ideas. Several stakeholders in the decades-old French system shared some lessons they’ve learned, including that eco-modulated fees have not achieved their desired effect. Continue Reading
The commission voted 4-0 to publish a notice in the Federal Register to begin a 60-day public comment period. That notice is expected to be published in mid-January of 2023. | DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock
Companies making deceptive sustainability claims distort the market for environmentally friendly products and “hurt honest companies who are bearing the costs of green business practices,” the chair of the FTC said recently.
Some grease-resistant paper products are made with PFAS. | Dan Leif/Resource Recycling
A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate protects composting, recycling and garbage facilities from cleanup cost liability if a class of chemicals called PFAS contaminates the environment at their facilities.
Remarks from industry groups focused on such topics as uniformity of standards, using data to back policy and recognition of the ever-changing recycling landscape. | G0d4ather/Shutterstock
The Federal Trade Commission requested comments on its revisions to the Green Guides and got 850 responses, with many calling for a crackdown on deceptive claims and better definitions of key terms. Continue Reading
The EPA recently published an estimate of U.S. food waste in the food retail/service and residential sectors. | KariDesign/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA released a plastics pollution plan that supports steps to reduce production of single-use and difficult-to-recycle plastics. Meanwhile, the agency released data showing the county is moving in the wrong direction on food waste. Continue Reading
Most beverage brands failed to meet CalRecycle’s requirements for post-consumer resin use or didn’t report to the regulator at all. | Noom CPK/Shutterstock
Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo and other big beverage brands achieved California’s mandate to use 15% post-consumer resin in their bottles last year, but the list of smaller brands that failed to hit the target – or even report data to the state – stretches over 500 companies long. Continue Reading
Steve Alexander of APR and Monica Medina of the U.S. State Department at the 2023 Plastics Recycling Conference. | Big Wave Productions and Resource Recycling, Inc.
The Biden administration envisions a global plastics agreement that requires each country to take steps to boost demand for recycled resin, including through use of public procurement policies and packaging standardization. Continue Reading