California and Oregon recently reported lower statewide diversion rates, a trend that’s been ongoing for multiple years in both states.

Given the latest results, California will fall short of its 75% recycling rate goal for 2020, state officials acknowledged in their recent report.

In 2018, the Beaver State notched a 40.8% recovery rate, down from 41.6% in 2017, according to an April report from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

The Department of Environmental Quality recently released an analysis of waste recovery in Oregon for 2018, the most recent year for which numbers are available.

Lane County recycled and composted 53.8% of its trash in 2018.

In 2017, Waste Management (WM) began conceptualizing a materials recovery facility (MRF) that would help the company address two major ongoing market issues: high labor turnover rates and processing the highest quality materials for end markets.

Recycling and engineering teams at WM sat down and began designing a highly automated facility, known as Waste Management’s MRF of the Future, that would make high-quality material with the lowest labor possible.

Republic Services, Rogue Disposal & Recycling, and Southern Oregon Sanitation announced today that the will begin recycling number one and two plastic bottles and jugs.

The three local waste management companies will now be accepting the items in curbside recycling carts and at local recycle depots.

Continue Reading at KTLV.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) and More Recycling (MORE) announce a new website to accelerate end market development for plastics. The Recycling Market Development Platform will help connect stakeholders, accelerate the continued growth of plastics recycling and provide guidance on how to better support plastics’ circularity. This free, open-source digital platform was developed by MORE with ACC as a founding partner.

May 31 is Latest Extension to the Halt of Enforcement of Redemption Requirements

April 23, 2020

The History Channel explores how recycling got it start in America. It wasn't intentional, but born out of necessity and instinct. 

Read more on the History Channel

Europe’s ambition to be less wasteful just ran into a coronavirus crisis reality check.

One month after the European Commission launched an ambitious package to move from a throwaway culture to a more circular economy, the pandemic is creating mountains of plastic litter and tons of rotting food.

Stay-at-home orders are hitting container deposit systems hard, leading to significant declines in the volumes of high-quality recyclables moving to material processors.

Eight out of the 10 states with container redemption systems have enacted temporary measures limiting deposit returns in some way. The fallout for recycled material processors has been expansive.

With less material coming in, companies are shouldering higher costs as they scramble to supply their customers and adapt to the fast-changing landscape. In other cases, they’re curtailing operations temporarily.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) urges the public to take necessary steps to protect sanitation workers from coming into contact with potentially contaminated items. Solid waste collection is a critical and essential job as part of the response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The men and women working in the waste and recycling industry are on the frontlines protecting human health and the environment.