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CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES CIRCULARITY PROJECTS FOCUSED ON REPAIR AND REUSE OF TEXTILES
The California Product Stewardship Council is facilitating four publicly funded textile projects focused on repair and reuse.
San Francisco has launched a garment repair pilot with Goodwill to train staff in separating salvageable materials into categories, from clothes that just need to be ironed, to those in such disrepair that only scraps can be recovered for upcycling. The materials will be processed by vendors, then the refurbished goods will be returned to Goodwill to sell.
In Los Angeles City and County, the projects focus on the discards of brands and retailers, as well as materials from hotels, hospitals, and detention centres. These materials are then taken to subcontracted processors, such as universities that will incorporate the materials into student projects.
In Alameda County, the work entails updating and expanding textile/recovery and repair vendor listings in a searchable database that helps residents learn what they can do with belongings they no longer want, from household appliances, to furniture, to food for donation.
The project will add about 60 more vendors in the textile reuse and repair category, all of which are direct-to-consumer services.
ZENWTR RECEIVES PLASTIC NEGATIVE CERTIFICATION
ZenWTR has become the first beverage brand to receive the Plastic Negative Brand Certification from the Plastic Credit Exchange for its bottles made from 100 percent recycled, ocean-bound plastic from at-risk coastal environments. ZenWTR has committed to making its entire portfolio plastic negative and is supporting programs that recover and recycle at least 200 percent of its annual plastic footprint.
CALL2RECYCLE COLLECTED OVER EIGHT MILLION POUNDS OF BATTERIES IN 2021
Call2Recycle’s annual battery collection data shows that more than 8.1 million pounds of consumer batteries were collected in the United States for recycling throughout 2021. Despite continued challenges from COVID-19, total 2021 battery collections were just 3.2 percent lower than in 2020, attributable to a drop in single-use batteries. The data also shows a 12.3 percent increase in lithium-ion battery collection, which drove a 5 percent increase in total rechargeable collection.
“Batteries used to fit in the palm of your hand, but the rise of e-mobility has supersized an already formidable recycling challenge. We’re expanding and collaborating closely with our nationwide network of partners to help minimize the complexities associated with collecting, transporting, and recycling batteries of all sizes to enable an electrified world – safely, responsibly, and sustainably,” said Call2Recycle CEO Leo Raudys. “With batteries holding the key to modern life and a healthy climate, it’s imperative that we expand not just the types and sizes of batteries we collect, but the reach of our recycling programs to communities that haven’t had access in the past.”
Coca-Cola has committed to selling 25 percent of beverages in refillable containers by 2030, up from a current 16 percent. The pledge was in response to a pending shareholder proposal asking the company to set stronger refillable container goals.
Nearly half of the company’s packaging consists of single-use PET plastic bottles which are more likely to be improperly disposed of. Refillable containers will provide significant opportunities for faster, larger cuts in single-use plastic since they don’t need to be remanufactured each time they are used and can be reused between 20 and 40 times.
NEW APR CATALOGUE OUTLINES PLASTIC PACKAGING RECYCLABILITY GUIDELINES WORLDWIDE
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has launched the APR Global Design Catalog, a resource to access the most current plastic packaging recyclability guidelines for countries and regions around the world. The catalogue covers recyclability evaluations for rigid PET, rigid HDPE, rigid PP, and flexible PE film packaging.
Different countries and regions operate a variety of recycling collection and processing systems. Many of them oversee complex extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs that hold manufacturers and suppliers accountable for the end-oflife fate of packaging materials. EPR programs in virtually all jurisdictions reference some design for recyclability index to encourage companies to design more sustainable packaging.
The catalogue includes guidance from Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
FERROUS MARKETS REBALANCING AFTER BLOCKBUSTER 2021
Steelmakers and ferrous metal recyclers experienced unprecedented market conditions in 2021 as U.S. steel prices set all-time records, steel production capacity expanded, and scrap processing volumes rose. However, the impacts of the pandemic on public health, supply chains, and transportation networks have also caused significant market disruptions.
For more on this story, turn to page 16.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TO ALLOCATE $3 BILLION TO SUPPORT EV BATTERY RECYCLING
President Biden and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have issued multiple notices of intent to allocate $2.91 billion in support of electric vehicle battery manufacturing as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. By bringing EV battery manufacturing stateside, the U.S. hopes to increase economic competitiveness in the global EV market and gain energy independence from the battery monopoly China curNO PRESORT rently operates. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will also allow the DOE to help fund new, retrofitted, and expanded U.S. facilities for the entire life cycle of an
THE FUTURE OF MECHANICAL SCREENING EV battery – from processing materials A true non-wrapping or jamming screen placed after the infeed and producing cells and packs, to recycling batteries. The funding will also conveyor that doesn’t require a presort. Rotating series of support research, development, and cantilevered steel augers fractionate inbound material and demonstration of second-life applicaproduce a clean OCC end-product. tions for batteries. The OCC Auger Screen reduces demand on sorters. This decreases the amount of sorters required, while increasing their productivity and the overall system performance.
Patented non-round auger shape causes material agitation to create clean OCC product.
THE FUTURE IS HERE. INTRODUCING THE PATENTED OCC AUGER SCREEN
• Reduce headcount • No discs, no wrapping • Increase system performance • Minimal cleaning • Improve system uptime • Improve worker safety
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Learn more at cpgrp.com/OCC-Auger-Screen MACK LAUNCHES VEHICLE-AS-ASERVICE PROGRAM FOR BATTERYELECTRIC VEHICLES
Mack Trucks has launched an all-inclusive Vehicle-as-a-Service (VaaS) program to help customers better manage the expenses associated with acquiring the Mack LR
Electric refuse model.
VaaS includes the vehicle chassis, the refuse body, applicable taxes, and a comprehensive vehicle protection plan.
Qualified customers also have the option to bundle a charger and associated installation costs into a single invoice.
VaaS is offered as a five-year lease with single monthly payments and the option to renew.
REPUBLIC SERVICES TO ACQUIRE US ECOLOGY
Republic Services will acquire US Ecology for approximately $2.2 billion, including a net debt of approximately $0.7 billion.
US Ecology is a provider of environmental solutions offering treatment, recycling, and disposal of hazardous, non-hazardous, and specialty waste. The acquisition of US Ecology will add nine specialty waste landfills with five hazardous waste landfills, 16 RCRA permitted TSDFs, seven wastewater treatment facilities, and over 80 environmental services field locations including treatment and recycling centres to Republic Services’ portfolio.
TOTALENERGIES TO PURCHASE AND CONVERT HONEYWELL’S RECYCLED POLYMER FEEDSTOCK
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As part of a new agreement, Honeywell will supply TotalEnergies with recycled polymer feedstock using Honeywell’s UpCycle Process Technology. TotalEnergies will purchase and convert this raw material into virgin-quality polymers which are suitable for a wide range of applications including flexible and rigid food-grade packaging containers.
This first planned project represents the start of the collaboration between Honeywell and TotalEnergies in the field of advanced recycling.
As part of a new agreement, Honeywell will supply TotalEnergies with recycled polymer feedstock using Honeywell’s UpCycle Process Technology. TotalEnergies will purchase and convert this raw material into virgin-quality polymers which are suitable for a wide range of applications including flexible and rigid food-grade packaging containers.
This first planned project represents the start of the collaboration between Honeywell and TotalEnergies in the field of advanced recycling.
“Plastics demand will continue to grow, so it’s critical to create a linkage between waste management and plastics production to strengthen a circular flow of plastics,” says Ben Owens, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. “The relationship with TotalEnergies will provide a strong recycled polymer feedstock offtake partner and coupled with our recently announced advanced recycling plant with Sacyr, Honeywell is leading the drive toward a more circular plastics economy.” customized options available!
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