The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything, including Americans’ waste disposal habits.

That was one of the big takeaways from two new Pacific Northwest garbage and recycling studies that were released recently. Both showed a serious uptick in the amount of trash people are generating and, in some cases, disposing of improperly.

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North Pacific Paper Company is pushing further into the recycled paper market, adding a new drum pulper that will support an existing 400 mill jobs and produce recycled packaging papers from waste material previously sent to China. “We’re excited to reach a big milestone in our work to achieve our vision of opening new markets, providing low-carbon, recycled packaging papers and retaining our talented, innovative workforce,” NORPAC CEO Craig Anneberg said in a prepared statement.

A new paint recycling program beginning in the state of Washington allows households and businesses to recycle leftover paint, stain, and varnish conveniently and sustainably. The program is operated by PaintCare, a nonprofit organization created by the paint industry through the American Coatings Association (ACA) to manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint stewardship laws. PaintCare will provide more than 200 drop-off sites across Washington, which include paint retail stores and locally managed government facilities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) from eligible entities to improve community health, resilience, and/or sustainability through pollution prevention and/or sustainable materials management implementation. 

The Washington Senate approved legislation March 2 that would require increased recycled content in plastic beverage containers, trash bags and bottles for household products; ban expanded polystyrene food ware, recreational coolers and packing peanuts; and require that utensils, straws, cup lids and condiments only be provided to customers on request.

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What is Community Based Social Marketing?  
To date, most programs to promote behavior change have relied upon disseminating information. Research demonstrates, however, that simply providing information has little or no effect on what individuals or businesses do. But if not ads, brochures or booklets, then what? Community-based social marketing has emerged as an effective alternative for fostering behaviors that protect the environment and promote health and safety. 

A Pacific Northwest paper mill has begun producing new grades of paper made from recovered fiber, a response to changing end markets and growing customer interest in recycled content.

Inland Empire Paper Company recently announced the new packaging sheet made from 100% recycled fiber and lightweight bagstock paper made from at least 30% recycled fiber.

The products will lead to an uptick in recovered material consumption at the Spokane, Wash.-area pulp and paper mill, which has long used recovered fiber but has used less over the years due to quality concerns.

Congratulations to AOR member Alando Simpson, CEO and owner of City of Roses Disposal & Recycling (COR), who was named a "Building Diversity Honoree" by the Daily Journal of Commerce. COR is a certified B-Corp with a diverse workforce and is the first waste company in the United States fully owned by African-Americans. The Building Diversity Awards honor disadvantaged, minority-owned, women-owned, emerging small businesses, and combat-disabled veteran-owned firms as well as the public agencies, organizations, and large private companies that support them.

North Pacific Paper Co. (NORPAC), Longview, Washington, is expanding its Longview operations to transform recovered paper into 100 percent recycled papers for boxes, displays, bags and a variety of other packaging products.

According to a news release from NORPAC, the expansion will help solve a difficult environmental challenge resulting from changes in the state’s ability to export recovered paper for recycling, which has sent tons of valuable material to landfills instead. Converting that material to new paper will also safeguard about 400 jobs at the mill.

Secretly Exposed Foreign Workers to Mercury Waste to Increase Corporate Profits and Enrich Themselves