Study by German research firm Ceresana finds legislated bans are not enough to deter global demand for plastic films and packaging.
Category: RMDZ
Recyclers, plastic industry groups and environmentalists agree that plastic pollution must end, but UN talks in Paris show groups still disagree on the path to get there. A draft agreement won’t be ready until November.
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ISRI creates ESG guide for smaller recyclers
ISRI creates ESG guide for smaller recyclers
Small- and medium-sized recycling businesses that are interested in setting up environmental, social and governance plans will soon have a new toolkit to help them.
The post ISRI creates ESG guide for smaller recyclers appeared first on Resource Recycling News.
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US scrap paper and plastic exports fall
US scrap paper and plastic exports fall
U.S. companies exported 8% less recovered fiber and 10% less scrap plastic during the first quarter of 2023 than they did a year earlier, and there were some dramatic changes in where material was flowing.
The post US scrap paper and plastic exports fall appeared first on Resource Recycling News.
Research shows how much, how often, and how well consumers recycle depends on their trust in the recycling system. Most of them – 78 percent –turn to labels to try and determine if a material will actually be recycled. Yet nearly two-thirds of them say they are confused by the label, found a survey of 1,300-plus participants conducted by The Recycling Partnership.
California is enticing recycling and remanufacturing businesses to locate and expand across regions through a program that’s decades old but is ramping up and transforming. Run and funded by CalRecycle, the Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) program has divvied out 219 low-interest loans totaling $206M since 1994, allocating $41.2M of it in the past three years alone as the circular economy push grows stronger.
Source: California’s Recycling Market Development Program Pays Businesses | Waste360
What materials will make the cut under EPR? It’s complicated
States with extended producer responsibility programs are starting to grapple with a tricky question: How do we establish a list of materials covered by the system?
The post What materials will make the cut under EPR? It’s complicated appeared first on Resource Recycling News.
California’s AB 660, which is aiming to mandate specific terminology around date labels on food packaging, took another step forward May 18, 2023 as it passed through the House Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Source: California’s Food Label Legislation Sees More Movement
EPA opts to maintain existing pyrolysis air rules
Ample time and staff resources are needed to study and gain a technical and regulatory understanding of the air quality impacts of pyrolysis. In the meantime, the process should remain subject to more stringent regulatory requirements, the U.S. EPA decided.
The post EPA opts to maintain existing pyrolysis air rules appeared first on Plastics Recycling Update.
Google recently launched the Single-Use Plastics Challenge to help the company reduce plastic waste.
The Challenge calls on “visionary companies” with reusable and sustainable packaging options that will replace single-use plastics, according to a video from Google.
Finalists will have the chance to pitch their products to Google and leading global food operators. The goal is to bring innovative solutions to Google U.S.-based kitchens and cafes to help the company reduce, and ultimately eliminate, single-use plastics from on-site food operations.
Google prefers candidates working with reusable serviceware or packaging, but will also consider bulk packaging or dispensing options, edible packaging, post-consumer recycled materials, or unlined serviceware and packaging. While glass and aluminum are acceptable, the company will not consider single-use plastics, or packaging that is bio-based, compostable, multi-layer, or PFAS-lined.
The deadline for applications is May 30, 2023. To learn more about the Challenge and for additional details on how to apply, click here.
In 2021 alone, the world generated 139 million metric tons of single-use plastic waste, according to the Plastic Waste Makers Index. And research published in Science Advances estimates that more than 90 percent of discarded plastic is never recycled.
“To realize a more sustainable world, we must accelerate the transition to a circular economy — one that keeps materials, products and services in circulation for as long as possible,” write Mike Werner, Head of Circular Economy for Google’s Global Sustainability Team, and Matt Hood, Senior Director of the Google Food Program. “The progress we’ve seen continues to motivate us to do our part and build a more sustainable future for all, and we hope others will join us to take on this challenge.”
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Photo Courtesy of Nick Fewings, Unsplash
The post Google Seeks Sustainable Packaging Options to Eliminate Single-Use Plastics appeared first on Food Tank.