A London PET recycling company goes bankrupt, and a successful film collection program in New Zealand expands. U.K.: PET recycling company Ecotech London is bankrupt, and administrators have been appointed to manage the company. The company specializes in producing high-quality PET flakes for use in food packaging and other applications. India: Seminars aimed at boosting plastics recycling are being conducted...

A slice of paradise considers banning plastic bags and launching a deposit program, and a packaging publication explores the importance of standardized signage on recycling bins. Recycling industrial plastics: Kimberly-Clark Professional has expanded a recycling program to include non-hazardous plastics and rubber material from manufacturing and other industrial environments. The company extended its RightCycle by Kimberly-Clark Professional program to include...

  At a time when falling commodity prices are squeezing profit margins at many e-scrap recycling companies, Commonwealth Computer Recycling has managed to buck the trend. The company’s leader says the key has been diverting electronics away from the shredder so they can be reused. “We are a business that, despite falling commodity prices and increasing competition from smaller, traditionally...

A pair of bills in Massachusetts could have some impact on recovery. One mandates reductions in statewide per-capita waste generation and another requires state government offices to divert a host of materials. Both bills are currently in the state Senate. S.2308 sets a statewide limit of no more than 600 pounds of waste by person by July 1, 2018 and...

A revised guide released by the Association of Plastic Recyclers represents the industry's latest attempt to educate packaging designers on the realities of recyclability. "Many times, both recyclers and product manufacturers often do not realize the implications of new products, until they have been brought to market, made it through the collection process, and contaminate the recycling stream," Steve Alexander,...

After more than seven years in business, drop-off and densifying operation ReFoamIt has closed its doors. The company stated it was unable to find an affordable lease after learning that its Leominster, Mass. headquarters needed a costly new fire suppression system. Barbara Sherman, who ran the company with her husband, said the company was on the verge of turning into...

California-based Verdeco Recycling is preparing to open an operation in central Indiana that could annually produce up to 60 million pounds of rPET for food grade applications. The Terre Haute, Ind. plant will open June 20 and serve as Verdeco's Midwest hub. The company's South Gate, Calif. headquarters near Los Angeles has been operating since 2012. "The new facility will...

Europe could be in line for more plastics recovery, and China is reportedly weighing the pros and cons of banning imports of waste plastics. Europe: British Plastics & Rubber reports that the European plastics recycling sector could see growth going forward. According to the publication, the growth will likely be spearheaded by strong and growing demand for recycled plastics as...

New York City's recently passed fee on plastic bags could be in peril, and a beverage company ditches plastic for aluminum. Fee fight: The New York state legislature is considering a bill that would block New York City's law imposing a fee on plastic bags, according to Crain's New York. A state Assembly committee recently advanced the bill, which would...

According to an industry report, 54.5 percent of aluminum cans put on the U.S. market in 2015 were recovered. That's down from 56.7 percent in 2014. The rate was calculated by the Aluminum Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute and was laid out in an annual report from the two groups. The 54.5 percent figure is referred to by the groups...