Recycling infrastructure – the equipment associated with the collection, conveyance, sorting, processing and reintroduction of recyclables feedstock into the manufacturing process – in the United States has not kept pace with the rapidly changing recyclables stream, and products are not designed with current infrastructure in mind. Access to recycling opportunities also varies, so access to the benefits of recycling subsequently varies among communities. Investment and innovation are necessary to increase collection opportunities, improve sorting materials, increase the efficiency of materials processing infrastructure, increase the collection of materials and create a more resilient recycling system.

The Recycling Partnership will address their efforts to improve communication and increase participation. And, AMP Robotics will discuss the growth of new infrastructure, particularly secondary sortation with AI enhancements and industry’s ongoing adoption of robotic sorting systems. The webinar starts at 11 am ET and will be moderated by SERDC Committee member Natalie Betts of Balcones Resources. Reserve your spot today

TFRC is a joint venture between Oregon-based Total Fiber Recovery, and Swedish company CellMark Inc. The project will be supplied by CellMark’s Recycled Fiber Division and all pulp produced will be marketed by CellMark’s Pulp Division.

TFR will begin operations in Q4, 2023 and annually process up to 300,000 tons of mixed paper and Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) from the region’s materials recovery facilities (MRFs). The company will increase the region’s capacity to process recycled fiber and produce a clean recycled pulp for consumption in paper mills around the world. With domestic and international offtake agreements in place, the pulp product created by TFR in Chesapeake will be transported to paper plants to become new products. Read More.

On Thursday June 30, ISRI Chief Lobbyist Billy Johnson delivered a simple yet powerful message before the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change: The U.S. recycling system isn’t broken. While residential recycling, the sector most people see, has its challenges, the industrial side of recycling runs like clockwork, he said.

Johnson’s testimony came during the “No Time to Waste: Solutions for America’s Broken Recycling System” session overseen by subcommittee Chair Paul Tonko, D-N.Y. Johnson was among six witnesses called to testify on four House bills: H.R. 8509, the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCAA); H.R. 8183, the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (RIAA); H.R. 1512, the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act; and H.R. 2238, the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. Read More.

Sonoco has announced it is accepting paper cups in bales of mixed paper to be used as furnish for its Hartsville, South Carolina, paperboard mill.

Previously, 10 other Sonoco paper mills in the U.S. validated their acceptance of rigid paper cans in bales of mixed paper coming from residential material recovery facilities (MRFs). This new announcement extends acceptance to paper cups at the Hartsville mill. Additional testing is underway with the aim of expanding cup recycling to all Sonoco mills that use residential mixed paper, the company says. Read More.

Open Date: June 15, 2022 - Close Date: August 23, 2022 EPA announces the release of its 2022-2023 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation to develop innovative technologies that protect human health and the environment: https://www.epa.gov/sbir/sbir-funding-opportunities. EPA is calling for small businesses to apply for Phase I awards up to $100,000 to demonstrate proof of concept in the following topic areas: clean and safe water, air quality & climate, homeland security, circular economy/ sustainable materials, safer chemicals and risk assessment.

TEC is looking for TN communities in need of greater access to recycling resources, where they will provide a one-day event for the community to drop off hard-to-recycle items such as tires, mattresses, certain appliances, scrap metal, textiles, batteries, electronics, and more. There is no cost to apply or to participate in this program. Applications are due by the end of the day, Friday, July 29th, 2022. Find more details and frequently asked questions at tectn.org/recyclingroundup.

Posted June 8, 2022 on plasticstoday.com The Recycling Partnership has launched the PET Recycling Coalition, an initiative informed by industry knowledge and expertise to improve polyethylene terephthalate (PET, plastic #1) circularity. Its work will focus on four key opportunities to increase PET recycling: