Companies Need to Be More Forthright About How They Will Achieve Their Goals
Coca-Cola's press releases and goals have interesting similarities. Goals are usually set for 2025 and 2030 and are usually 25 or 50 or even 100 percent. They also lack specificity. Even more important is what they don’t say.
Report advises transition to RNG in waste and recycling fleets
A study of greenhouse gases emitted in 2019 reveals that the transportation sector accounted for the largest portion (29%) of total US GHG emissions, according to EPA. A recently published report by the New York-based NGO Energy Vision digs deeper into the specifics of the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions; the report, titled The Refuse Revolution, states the following: “Waste and recycling collection trucks and other heavy duty truck and bus fleets are a vital focus. While they make up just 4% of the US vehicle population, they consume a whopping 20% of all vehicle fuel and emit nearly 25% of our transportation greenhouse gases.”
Heavy trucks like those in waste and recycling…
SWANA Probes Effectiveness of Recycling Education
The trade association focuses on education in its companion report to Reducing Contamination in Curbside Recycling.
Understanding avoided disposal fees (and the benefits and limitations thereof)
Today's guest blog is authored by Roger Gukowski. The original post can be read here.
Landfill fees are an important driver of recycling and composting collection programs from a micro economic perspective. I was able to develop many parts of my recycling and composting collection programs over many years in part through avoided landfill fees. By starting a recycling or composting program that first targeted items that were a large component of the waste stream, I was able to avoid the cost of disposing of those items. That avoided disposal savings gave me a pocket of money within my budget that I could reinvest into additional recycling or composting infrastructure. That additional infrastructure led to additional diversion which created additional opportunities for reinvestment. That cycle of continued incremental process improvement allowed programs to grow with little or no additional ongoing funding.
But the key phrase in that prior paragraph is “in part.” …
APR Supports US Plastics Pact’s List of Problematic and Unnecessary Packaging
Today's guest blog is authored by Kara Pochiro of NERC Advisory Member Association of Plastics Recycling (APR). The original post can be read here.
The US Plastics Pact’s list identifying problematic and unnecessary materials is the result of more than 18 months of expansive discussion, research and debate among the more than 100 companies and organizations that are Pact Activators, some who have also voluntarily signed on to meet the goals of the Global Plastic Commitment outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The five criteria used to determine the list are similar to those developed by other US organizations and across the globe.
As the Voice of Plastic Recycling®, and one of the founding Activators and Advisory Council members of the Pact, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is particularly pleased that the Pact has endorsed the APR Design® Guide for Plastics…
Recycling’s New Crisis: Demand is Fine, but Where is Supply?
Today's guest blog is authored by NERC board member Chaz Miller. The original post can be read here.
For the last three years recycling has been plagued by a demand crisis. Prices for recyclables set record lows as supply greatly exceeded demand. The press had a field day telling stories of the woes facing curbside programs.
Our demand crisis began easing early this year as scrap prices began to rebound. Now demand exceeds supply. The gap was so great that most curbside recyclables saw record-setting high prices. They still remain strong even as they are undergoing a normal seasonal decline.
Stepped up demand for recyclables, driven by growth in domestic manufacturing capacity to use recycled paper and plastic, launched the surge in prices. Those new facilities need additional supplies of raw materials. Barring the unexpected, recycling demand will outpace supply for a while.
A supply crisis differs fundamentally from a demand crisis.…
2021 & 2022: Looking Backward and Forward
Today's guest blog is authored by NERC board member Chaz Miller. The original posting can be found here.
2021 was a most unusual year for recycling. Markets were hot, recycling did well and legislators stepped up their game. What happened last year, what did we learn and what can we expect in this new year?
Let’s start with markets. Prices for cardboard boxes, mixed paper, steel cans, natural and colored HDPE containers and polypropylene containers reached or came close to all time highs. Then they fell. Falling prices for recyclables are normal in the last month or two of the year. Demand for recycled paper softens because manufacturing slows down as finished products meet holiday shoppers. Demand for used containers also softens as soft drink, beer, and bottled water sales fall with the arrival of cold weather.
As always, recycling prices are a function of demand and supply. Recycled paper prices benefited from increased retail demand for new boxes, increased domestic capacity…
Apple shifts direction on right to repair
Today's guest blog is authored by Lauren Phipps of the GreenBiz Group. The original post can be read here.
It’s that time of year again: December’s punctuation between the year past and the one to come annually induces a state of collective reflection. As many of us find ourselves in contemplative stupors fueled by nostalgia, end-of-year deadlines or holiday libations, these weeks of transition offer a welcome opportunity to take stock and then take aim at what’s ahead.
Next week we’ll take a look back at the biggest circular economy trends of 2021. After a holiday hiatus, we’ll return to your inbox Jan. 7 with some predictions on what 2022 might hold for circularity. For today, I thought I might take a few celebratory moments to reflect on one of my industry highlights of the year.
Last month, an announcement from Apple made my mask-covered jaw drop. Reversing years of restrictive repair…
Cardboard is Living its Best Life Right Now (and it can, 6 more times)
Today's guest blog is from the MassDEP’s Recycle Smart MA Initiative. The original post can be read here.
You know the drill. You order something online and wait (patiently) for it to arrive. When it does, you can’t help your excitement. You cut that box open and grab your order like a greedy bear cub. Finally, the thing you spent money on is in your hands! But now you’ve got that old box to get rid of; the cleanup after the opening frenzy. You probably don’t care much about that box any more, but what if we told you the cardboard box has almost as much value as what you bought? Your used cardboard boxes are essential to our country’s supply chain and are in
Alaska Airlines Eliminates Plastic Water Bottles: But is alternative better?
Improving a Company’s Environmental Impact is Not about Switching to What is Perceived to be Better —It’s About Committing to What is Best.