Another week down and suddenly April is almost over. It was a busy one, with international decisions that will certainly have ripple effects throughout the domestic industry and local stories that could have wider ramifications. There's a lot to catch up on (including some M&A and news from how China is affecting the U.S.), so let's get to it.

Stories that drove the week

The Chinese government announced it would ban the import of dozens of more materials in the near future.

• Some material, including types of motors, dismantled ships, steel slag and plastics will be banned by the end of 2018.
• Others, including wood waste, stainless steel, titanium, tungsten, magnesium and zirconium, will be banned by the end of 2019.

Outside of that basic information, there are few additional details about China's latest announcement. The Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries has projected this list will affect nearly $400 million in trade. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment reiterated that the country is working to "phase out imports of solid waste that can be replaced by domestic resources before the end of 2019." 

An analysis from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) reveals 2017 saw 132 industry fatalities in 2017.

• Those fatalities, most of which were in the U.S., included 38 workers and 94 members of the public.
• Of the members of the public, 57 were in vehicles, 23 were pedestrians, eight were on bicycles, four were on motorcycles and two were at disposal facilities. Of the workers, 23 died on collection routes, eight at landfills, two at material recovery facilities, two at transfer stations and three in other situations.

Because of the "disconcerting" trends and the "sheer number of these incidents," SWANA said it decided to release these numbers ahead of, and separately from, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual report on workplace fatalities. SWANA CEO David Biderman said "large companies, smaller haulers and local governments in both the U.S. and Canada need to be paying more attention to safety and risk."

Rutherford County, TN voted against expanding a landfill owned by Republic Services.

• Currently, the landfill is expected to reach capacity by 2027. One proposal would have added an additional 15 years.
• Additionally, the county commissioners voted in favor of a motion that would block the Middle Point Landfill from ever expanding — though that could be reversed in the future.

Some officials raised concerns about potentially uncovering hazardous waste that could shift the county's responsibilities from standard post-closure to a Superfund situation. The decades-old site brings in millions annually, but is also the source of community ire over odor concerns. A decision will be required at some point, with no sign that this challenge will get any simpler.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May announced £60 million ($87.8 million USD) in funding to combat ocean plastic.

• The funding is broken down into £25 million for research on marine plastic from a "scientific, technical, economic and social perspective" and £20 million for a Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution program targeted at developing countries. 
• The remaining funds are for local infrastructure, litter plans and debris management.

May has been on a bit of a plastics push, toying with the idea of eliminating necessary plastic from the country and proposing a "latte levy" on disposable coffee cups. While geographically small, the U.K. has a large global presence through the Commonwealth of Nations, and action that it takes in combating marine pollution could spur others to follow suit.

The latest in M&A

• WestRock acquired QRS Recycling, expanding its operations in Louisville, KY.

How are Chinese import policies playing out across the U.S.?

Market effects from China's import policies continued this week around the country. Reports from Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Hampshire indicate the usual challenges and adaptations.

Local governments in Oregon continue to adapt in a variety of ways to recycling changes, as do their residents. The Statesman Journal asked readers from Salem for their thoughts and the reactions were borderline emotional. Submissions ranged from frustrated to confused to skeptical about the entire recycling business model.

In Washington, additional reports emerged of temporary mixed paper disposal approval for Republic Services in the King County area. The King County Solid Waste Division has also announced the formation of a new task force — including state, county and local government officials, as well as industry — to start sorting out the future of local recycling.

Do you know more? Get in touch with us.

You can follow all of this information on our 50 state tracker page. Tips and feedback are highly appreciated.

Other stories from the week...

• Seattle approved big new contracts with Waste Management and Recology.
• Costa Coffee plans to recycle at least 500 million coffee cups with an interesting extended producer responsibility approach.
• The Environmental Protection Agency updated its list of Superfund sites that are being targeted for immediate and intense action.
• Online news organization Quartz took an in-depth look at cardboard.
• The European Union took a critical vote on creating a circular economy.
• In an accidental breakthrough, scientists discovered an enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles.