The Latest

  • Aerial view of a collection truck picking up waste or recyclables in a residential area
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    RichLegg via Getty Images
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    Tracking the waste and recycling industry’s M&A activity

    All American Waste recently acquired a longtime Connecticut hauler; Nexwaste launched with three Texas C&D acquisitions; Casella acquired a New York hauler; Laurel Mountain Capital acquired a Colorado hauler.

    Updated 20 hours ago
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    Photo Illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    Tracker

    Tracking recycling laws by state

    An EPR for packaging law in Maryland awaits the governor’s signature. In Washington, an EPR for packaging bill passed the Senate and is on to the House.

    Updated April 11, 2025
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    Danielle Ternes / Waste Dive
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    Tracker

    Tracking the future of US recycling policy in Congress

    The House reintroduced the bipartisan Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, a bill that would offer grants to improve recycling access in underserved communities. 

    Updated April 11, 2025
  • Aerial view of an industrial facility showing three similar-looking receptacles that are several stories tall.
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    Permission granted by WIN Waste/Travis Satiritz
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    Maryland lawmakers vote to end renewable subsidy for incineration

    The move to repeal waste incineration from the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard was tucked into a broader energy package. It could cost operators like Win Waste millions in lost subsidies.

  • Firefighters in red, black and yellow protective gear spraying white aqueous film-forming foam to extinguish a fire.
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    Sviatlana Lazarenka for iStock via Getty Images
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    New Mexico governor signs 2 laws banning PFAS

    The newly signed laws ban PFAS in most products and designate PFAS-containing firefighting foam as a hazardous waste, a move to more tightly regulate PFAS cleanups in the state.

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    Mark Wilson via Getty Images
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    Maryland EPR for packaging bill heads to governor’s desk

    The bill calls for reimbursing key recycling collection, transportation and processing costs in the state, including for organics. Maryland would be the sixth state with packaging EPR if Gov. Wes Moore signs the bill. 

  • A facade of a portion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building
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    Douglas Rissing via Getty Images
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    USDA tells digester funding applicants to remove diversity, climate language

    The announcement means federal funding for anaerobic digesters on dairy farms could be unpaused for applicants willing to change project language.

  • The American Battery Technology Company facility in McCarran, Nevada, with a parking lot at the front, and a road next to the facility under the sun. Snow-covered mountains are in the background.
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    Courtesy of American Battery Technology Company.

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    American Battery reports production milestone, land sale

    American Battery said it has reached key recycling milestones and plans to sell 12 acres of property for $6.75 million to help fund the next phase of producing battery-grade critical minerals. 

  • A row of Coca-Coca soda bottles
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Shareholder advocacy targets flexible packaging, reusables and recycling labels

    Coca-Cola, Hyatt, Sealed Air, Starbucks and Wyndham recently reached agreements with shareholder advocates. Proposals remain pending at Amazon, Home Depot, Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz, PepsiCo and Wendy’s.

    Updated April 7, 2025
  • Rendering of an enclosed, generic two- to three-story large building with parking lot in front and lawn.
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    Permission granted by IRG
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    Large plastic and battery recycling projects hit by DOE loan pause, tariffs

    Li-Cycle, International Recycling Group and Redwood Materials all received commitments from the federal agency. But a changing financial landscape has led IRG to cancel its project while Li-Cycle struggles to access funds.

    Updated April 7, 2025
  • A trash truck on a residential street
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    Courtesy of McNeilus
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    Waste groups promote direct vision fleets on new safety council

    Together for Safer Roads has launched a leadership group meant to advocate for integrating direct vision trucks into fleets to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities. IWS, NWRA, McNeilus, Dennis Eagle and others are on board.

  • Aerial view of a large facility with sixteen massive tanks and other industrial buildings.
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    Courtesy of Sagepoint Energy
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    Ares launches Sagepoint RNG developer, plus news from Opal, EnVitec, Nexus

    Sagepoint’s CEO, a former leader of Kinetrex Energy and Kinder Morgan’s RNG unit, describes the new company’s growth path. Other biogas companies advanced projects and inked offtake agreements.

  • Overhead view of a landfill showing roads to the right and left of the facility
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    Retrieved from Sunshine Canyon Landfill Local Enforcement Agency.
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    Republic to up landfill odor measures in California; Seneca Meadows expansion debate

    Elsewhere, WM’s Florida expansion faces opposition, Republic is looking to expand a Colorado landfill and an Illinois landfill is set to close.

  • people sit on a stage in front of a screen
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    Megan Quinn/Waste Dive
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    Ideas for easing recycled content woes through policy, packaging

    Brand innovations, policy changes and better communication could help ease challenges associated with adding recycled content to packaging, said speakers at the Plastics Recycling Conference.

  • A dark gray plastic industrial crate.
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    Courtesy of Tetra Pak
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    Crate idea: Transport packaging made from recycled Tetra Pak cartons

    The polymer and aluminum material, polyAl, that gets separated from fiber during carton recycling is a key material for the new transport crates made by Schoeller Allibert. 

  • A construction worker drinks water on a jobsite.
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    CasarsaGuru via Getty Images
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    New Mexico advances heat safety rule

    If passed, the state would be the sixth to implement its own heat-related guidance, after a federal standard appears to have lost steam.

  • Headshot of a man wearing a suit and smiling
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    Permission granted by Quest
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    Quest CEO: ‘Next stage requires a change in culture’

    Perry Moss, appointed CEO last month, said in an interview that he would bring a new “process-oriented” perspective to the company that would resolve some of its mistakes last year.

  • four blue recycling carts stand next to each other
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    Thomas Demarczyk via Getty Images
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    Alberta launches EPR for packaging program

    The first phase of the program places responsibility on producers to fully fund packaging recycling, a move government officials say will raise recycling rates and decrease costs.

  • Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer stands at a podium in front of a room of seated people
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    Permission granted by Charles Tyler
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    MassRecycle urges faster waste reduction action amid climate change

    The group’s annual conference included perspective from Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, as well as an update on a possible universal organics disposal ban and efforts to advance EPR for batteries.

  • A person shops in a grocery store aisle
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Hitting a plateau: Circular packaging designers face flexibles hurdle

    Many companies have targets to make 100% of their packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Now, as they face the hardest categories to transform, some are weighing whether it’s feasible.

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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Data, transparency could shed light on curbside collection challenges

    To fight decreasing curbside collection volumes, speakers at the Plastics Recycling Conference emphasized embracing hard conversations with customers and investing in data collection.

  • A person in a white protective suit stands in the ruins of a home destroyed by fire
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    Permission granted by Marialyce Pedersen
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    After the fires: Managing piles of ash and lost homes in California

    The Los Angeles County fires destroyed thousands of properties. Local residents, including a National Recycling Coalition member, now face cleanup and rebuilding decisions.

  • A park with curving paths near a small river in the foreground with a skyline of tall buildings visible in the background.
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    The image by DerekAyala27 is licensed under CC BY 4.0
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    Fort Worth, Texas, ends Synagro’s biosolids contract early

    The city council voted to terminate their 10-year contract with Synagro early and will take over a biosolids drying facility. The decision comes amid questions over PFAS contamination and responsibility in the region.

  • Overhead view of several large trucks unloading waste onto the open face of a landfill.
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    Permission granted by OC Waste & Recycling
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    California poised to ramp up landfill emissions regulations

    The state just announced a new satellite monitoring program, and key officials are lining up in support of a new landfill methane rule. Advocates are eager for that process to start.

  • hands open a plastic beverage bottle with a tethered cap
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    Thomas Faull via Getty Images
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    US states renew push for tethered bottle caps to help recycling

    Since last July, companies selling single-use plastic beverage containers in the EU have had to tether caps or lids. California legislators advanced a similar regulation that beverage makers oppose.