The PET recycling industry is seeing record-high recycling rates and increased demand for recycled PET (rPET), driven by corporate commitments and legislative mandates, but meeting future goals will require significant investments in collection and processing infrastructure. Companies like Republic Services are pioneering integrated recycling projects, while the industry pushes for better collection systems and advancements in PET recycling technology to support a more circular economy.
Category: Waste 360
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In this Waste360 Q&A, Bridget Croke, managing director at Closed Loop Partners, names some of the industries leading the charge and highlights ideas they are testing along their journey.
Dr. Volker Rehrmann of TOMRA Recycling highlights advancements in decarbonizing aluminum recycling and emerging solutions for lesser-known material streams, including textiles and wood.
Governments and industries are grappling with the dual challenge of managing global waste responsibly while keeping costs manageable as landfill space diminishes and disposal expenses increase. The push for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, already established in Europe and gaining traction in the U.S., underscores a shift towards holding manufacturers accountable for managing their products’ end-of-life disposal, particularly single-use packaging, amidst inadequate recycling infrastructure.
Proponents say mass balance negates the need to duplicate billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure to keep recycled and virgin materials separate throughout the value chain, thus enabling scale up. Opponents say making recycled claims on what can’t be physically traced is misleading.
Research shows confusion over date labels accounts for 8 percent of consumer food waste in the U.S., costing around $30 billion a year. In this Q&A Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, updates us on the status of the Food Date Labeling Act, introduced to the legislature for the third time.
Recycled content is leading the pack today, though material makers and designers in quest of a piece of the market are chasing all types of innovations. They are working on packaging made from agricultural waste and captured carbon emissions, among other unconventional sources.