The report includes information from ten states: Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. | Vitaliy Kyrychuk/Shutterstock
Average commodity prices rose steadily in the first quarter of the year, buoyed by national and regional trends, according to the latest report from the Northeast Recycling Council. Continue Reading
A recent investment report gathered insights from WM, GFL and other haulers. | Create Jobs 51/Shutterstock
Regulations, customer demand and technology are driving corporate sustainability interest, which in turn will likely bring investment dollars into the sector, according to a recent investment report that interviewed major North American recycling firms. Continue Reading
RRS compiled initial data on the collection and recycling system in the state, and of the 121 categories of data the report sought, 43 were available, 27 were partially available and 51 were currently unknown or not currently available. | BestStockFoto/Shutterstock
While New York has several efforts underway to gather more recycling data, significant gaps still remain and could complicate passage of an extended producer responsibility bill for paper and packaging, a recent analysis found. Continue Reading
Plastic Odyssey has stopped in 20 countries over the last year and a half, working to connect local plastics recycling stakeholders and share recycling knowledge. | Photo courtesy Plastic Odyssey
It’s been nearly 18 months since a 128-foot vessel embarked on a global voyage to share knowledge and equipment with communities facing plastic pollution management challenges. A leader of the Plastic Odyssey project reported on the progress in an interview. Continue Reading
The study included over 23,000 units of certified food-contact compostable packaging in 10 large-scale industrial composting environments, tested over 18 months. | Yuriy Golub
Overall, compostable packaging breaks down successfully at composting facilities, an 18-month study from the Composting Consortium found. Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Energy on March 28 announced 17 projects that will receive a combined $62 million in government funding to improve consumer access to battery recycling and to improve the economics of battery processing. | Sergii Chernov/Shutterstock
Municipal collection events. Fire safety systems. Robotic sortation upgrades. These are a few of the numerous battery recycling efforts to receive a combined $62 million in government funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Continue Reading
The study, conducted in fall 2022 and spring 2023, sorted samples from residential households, New York City Public Schools, the New York City Housing Authority and on-street litter baskets into 96 main categories. | Helen89/Shutterstock
A waste characterization study in New York City found that recycling rates for metal, glass, plastic and paper declined from previous study years. It also found capture rates decreased and contamination rates increased. Continue Reading
In the latest edition of the annual survey, 58% of respondents were from the public sector, 12% were glass manufacturers, and 10% were MRFs. | Michael Warwick/Shutterstock
The vast majority of residents expect to be able to recycle glass, and concern about glass recycling programs has fallen sharply, the Glass Recycling Coalition’s 2023 Glass Recycling Survey found. Continue Reading
Researchers at the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences found that recycling rates were higher in countries with EPR systems in place. | Roman-Zaiets/Shutterstock
A team of researchers at Iowa State University reviewed extended producer responsibility laws in several countries and concluded that the programs overall strengthened recycling.
Researcher Reid Lifset sees a lack of good data as a major barrier to eco-modulation achieving its full potential. | Marko Rupena/Shutterstock
Reid Lifset, a longtime member of the faculty at the Yale School of the Environment, wrote the first peer-reviewed academic article on extended producer responsibility in 1993. He’s “been intrigued by it and studying it ever since.” In an interview with Resource Recycling, he talked about his latest research article on eco-modulation and his thoughts on best practices for using eco-modulation to drive eco-design in packaging.