In an article last updated on May 22, 2019, news provider Waste Dive has tracked and compiled the ongoing changes to recycling schemes across each of the 50 states in the U.S. The site began tracking recycling changes in each state in November 2017, and since then a number of international developments have taken place affecting U.S. recycling efforts such as China’s refusal to accept any further waste imports (FPF reported) and the recent addition of mixed plastic waste to the Basel Convention (FPF reported). The article reports that overall “many service providers have taken this as an opportunity to reset pricing conditions and local governments are struggling to adapt to this new reality” and that “small and mid-sized municipalities are particularly vulnerable to price increases and program changes.”
Recent calls have been made in the U.S. congress and by the Grocery Manufacturers Association to upgrade the recycling system in the country (FPF reported). Waste Dive writes that many stakeholders “are working to help stabilize and improve this system. . . but a clear path forward has yet to materialize.” Turbulence within the recycling systems in the U.S. are expected to continue.
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Waste Dive (May 22, 2019). “How recycling is changing in all 50 states.”
