Plastic - If You Can Measure It, You Can Manage It
Published on 29 May 2014
Plastic has many great uses, due to its light weight, flexibility in molding, and durability – yet these are also its downfalls, particularly because it is difficult to create economies of scale for the many varieties of plastic that exist. In the US alone, estimates are that over US$8bn per year is ‘left on the table’ in the form of packaging waste alone, which does not get recycled.
Roughly 85% of the plastic used in products and packaging is not recycled, and this is a large, global opportunity – an opportunity for cleaning our country sides and waterways, while creating jobs and innovation.
VinylPlus raises the bar by registering over 440,000 tonnes of recycled PVC in Europe in 2013
Summary by Billy Chan
Published on 26 May 2014
VinyPlus successfully met its PVC recycling target in Europe in 2013
Dell Using Carbon Neutral and Closed-loop Recycled Plastics in Packaging, Parts
Michael Lauzon
Published on 22 May 2014
Dell touts AirCarbon as a carbon-negative material that sequesters more carbon than it produces to generate a net positive impact on the environment. Dell will pilot its use in the United States and eventually extend its use globally for packaging and other applications. The firm has been using bamboo and wheat straw that it claims cut 20 million pounds from its packaging needs.
Poly Recovery Installs Plastic Washing System
Published on 22 May 2014
“Not only does the wash facility open doors to more types of plastic waste streams we can divert from landfills, it will create more sustainable jobs in New England, reduce the carbon footprint of truck traffic leaving the region as well as provide local American manufacturers with the cleanest and most cost-effective recycled resin possible,” says John Pelech, founder and CEO of Poly Recovery.
Plastics Makers Work to Prevent Marine Debris, Support Phase Out of Microbeads in Personal Care Products
Published on 22 May 2014
“We support the efforts of personal care product companies to phase out the intentional addition of plastic microbeads as is consistent with widely supported legislation in Illinois.”
IBM Discovers New Materials to ‘Transform Manufacturing’
Summary by Robert Rath
Published on 20 May 2014
IBM scientists have discovered the first new class of polymer in decades – it’s strong, lightweight, self-healing, can be recycled down to its base materials and may change manufacturing.
June forum addresses environmental impacts of plastic
Summary by Robert Rath
Published on 18 May 2014
Recycling Today looks at the upcoming Plasticity Forum, which draws in representatives from business, education, government and investment in an effort to reduce plastics’ environmental impact while increasing profits.
Washing-up Liquid Bottle Made from Ocean Plastic Aims to Clean up Seas
Rebecca Smithers, The Guardian
Published on 17 May 2014
Ecover, a Belgian company, has been working with manufacturer Logoplaste to combine plastic trawled from the sea with a plastic made from sugarcane (which it calls Plant-astic) and recycled plastic, in what it is hailing as a world-first for packaging.
Why Dell, Coca-Cola and Carlsberg are Developing Greener Packaging
Maxine Perella, The Guardian
Published on 16 May 2014
Packaging is perceived by many as a major cause of waste, but one emerging innovation gaining traction is the use of more natural, biological waste-derived nutrients such as straw, crops, fruit peelings and bark. Dell’s goal to create waste-free packaging by 2020 has seen the IT manufacturer place emphasis on materials that can either be readily recycled or composted post-use.
UK recyclers hit by rising insurance bills
By Robert Rath
Published on 15 May 2014
Increasing insurance premiums hit the British recycling industry after a series of high-profile fires. Industry figures point to collective action as the best strategy to bring down costs.