Two graduates of the University of Massachusetts Amherst created a robotics-based sorting trailer that recently was tested at the school. | Courtesy of rStream
The University of Massachusetts Amherst recently conducted a pilot project using a small-scale automated recycling system created by rStream, a robotics-based startup founded by two alumni. Continue Reading
Billions of small-format plastic items are produced each year but are lost to landfills or incinerators across the board. | Golden Shrimp/Shutterstock
Editor’s note: Learn more about plastic recycling trends and many other topics at the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference on March 24-26 in National Harbor, Maryland. Continue Reading
Findings from the surveys showed that Americans lack knowledge on consumer batteries and confidence in the end result for their recyclable plastics. | Kinek00/Shutterstock
Fewer than half of respondents in a new WM recycling survey knew which household products contain lithium-ion batteries — an especially significant finding since fire is a huge safety concern for MRFs and is often caused by batteries. Continue Reading
Glass package transparency is key to ensuring proper sortation in a MRF, according to a recent study from glass recycling and packaging stakeholders. | Pornpawit/Shutterstock
A major recycled glass processor teamed up with a cosmetics giant to identify how cosmetics packaging is sorted in MRFs and which attributes are impeding greater recycling. Their findings offer suggestions for material design. Continue Reading
Bloomberg’s latest Circular Economy Company Ranking reported on corporate sustainability pledges, finding a theme of costs outweighing target progress. | Aykut Erdogdu/Shutterstock
A new report from Bloomberg’s market research division provides further evidence of brand owners struggling to meet stated recycled content goals due to a lack of available material and cost pressure.
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