The Latest

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

    Ara Partners invested $500 million in Sedron Technologies. Energy Capital Partners acquired a radiological material recycler and hauler. Red Rock Recycling acquired a Dallas-area dumpster provider.

    Updated April 9, 2026
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    Photo Illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    Tracker

    Tracking recycling laws by state

    Virginia’s governor vetoed a mattress stewardship bill. Governors in Kentucky, Wisconsin and Oregon signed stewardship laws for certain batteries.

    Updated 5 hours ago
  • Workers hold large scissors to cut a ribbon inside a recycling facility. Bales of recycled plastics can be seen in the background.
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    Courtesy of Republic Services
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    MRF upgrades from Republic, WM and Athens target efficiency in fast-growing regions

    As state and local diversion laws get stricter, companies continue centering building plans on newer, faster automation meant to help process larger volumes and get cleaner end products.

  • An aerial photograph of the Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill in Roane County, Tenn.
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    Retrieved from Tennessee Valley Authority/Wikimedia Commons.
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    EPA proposes weakening power plant coal ash protections

    EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed the proposal as “commonsense changes” but environmental advocates say it could permit coal plant owners to minimize, delay or avoid cleanup.

  • Bales of crushed plastic bottles, most of them green in hue.
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    Q&A

    NH Recycles looks to continue recycling work with fresh leadership

    NH Recycles, the oldest organization of its kind, is designed for the long game, said Reagan Bissonnette, the outgoing executive director, and Andrea Folsom, who will take on the role in May.

  • four blue recycling carts stand next to each other
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    Oregon packaging EPR funds its first recycling improvements with cart program

    Circular Action Alliance projects spending up to $123 million from producer funding for recycling projects through 2027, including money for new recycling carts, collection trucks and facility upgrades.

  • The facade of the Oregon Capitol Building.
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    Getty Images
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    AF&PA can’t join NAW’s Oregon EPR lawsuit, judge rules

    The American Forest & Paper Association, which has noted higher-than-anticipated fees, “remains fully committed to pursuing all available legal and strategic options” to protect members.

  • A hand brushes organic materials like vegetable scraps off a plate and into a bin
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    Getty Images
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    Food waste began to decline 4 years after the pandemic, Refed finds

    An analysis of surplus food generated in 2024 looked across the supply chain, from production to consumers. The residential sector made the most headway in reducing waste, and investment has increased.

  • One person stands at a podium, with three seated, in front of a crowd of attendes at a MassRecycle event.
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    Permission granted by Charles Tyler
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    What’s next for Massachusetts waste reduction funding, EPR and organics

    MassRecycle’s annual conference included updates about industry-backed efforts to pass a battery EPR law. MassDEP also recently previewed its policy, program and funding plans to help achieve a 2030 waste reduction goal.

  • A damaged lithium-ion battery is displayed on a table.
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    Courtesy of City of Seattle
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    Oregon Gov. Kotek signs battery EPR bill

    The law will establish a producer responsibility program for certain batteries and products by 2029. It had backing from many of the state’s major haulers and recyclers due to fire safety concerns.

    Updated April 8, 2026
  • A Maas Energy Works anaerobic digestion lagoon
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    Courtesy of Maas Energy Works
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    USDA extends anaerobic digester funding pause as review continues

    The federal agency's pause on loan guarantees for new on-farm projects will extend past the 90-day deadline and will now go through the end of the year.

  • stacks of used hard drives
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    Courtesy of HyProMag
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    Rare earth magnet recycler plans US facility openings with new separation tech

    HyProMagUSA aims to open a recycling facility in Texas in 2027, with locations in Nevada and South Carolina to follow. It aims to make a name for itself with robotics-assisted separation tech.

  • A close-up of several round metal discs ringed by bolts, most of which are hooked up to a tube, at an industrial facility.
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    Permission granted by Anaergia
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    Biogas companies report strong 2025, plus RNG news from Waga, Nopetro

    In their fourth quarter and full-year 2025 earnings releases, the companies reported expanding infrastructure amid continued demand and support for RNG.

  • President Donald Trump
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Trump’s 2027 budget again aims to halve EPA spending

    The president envisions steep cuts to environmental programming and waste-related activities in an echo of his proposal last year. The final tally will likely change following negotiations with Congress.

  • A line of speakers sit side by side underneath a decorative map
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    Megan Quinn/Waste Dive
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    EPA proposes adding microplastics to list of drinking water contaminants

    At an EPA event on Thursday, Administrator Lee Zeldin called the proposal a “major step forward” for providing regulators with better research into microplastics’ health impacts.

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    Getty Images
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    Global waste generation could rise 50% by 2050: World Bank

    Inequities in waste collection and funding are a major global issue, according to an updated report. Upfront investments today will mitigate future expenses that impact climate change and global health, the report states.

  • Red garbage truck in parking lot with Boston Carting Services logo
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    Permission granted by Boston Carting Services
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    Casella acquires Boston-area Star Waste Systems

    The purchase of private equity-backed Star is worth an estimated $100 million in annualized revenue. The company comes with multiple municipal hauling contracts and hauling locations, plus a C&D facility.

    Updated April 6, 2026
  • Paint cans sit on shelves
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    Courtesy of PaintCare
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    Maryland rolls out new paint stewardship program

    The state plans to collect 350,000 gallons in the first year. The program comes a few months after Illinois launched its own PaintCare system and New Hampshire vetoed a plan for a similar program.

  • Several people stand in front of a dirt pile wearing hard hats and holding shovels. Behind them, a banner includes the Dem-Con and Kanadevia Inova logos, amid several others. It reads "Groundbreaking Ceremony, DCHZI Anaerobic Digester Facility."
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    Courtesy of Kanadevia Inova
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    Overlapping regulations help boost a Minnesota food waste digester

    The forthcoming plant in the Twin Cities area is backed by a family company with ties to composters that believes anaerobic digestion can complement the region’s organic waste toolkit.

  • The cabin of a waste truck is featured prominently. It sits on a white gravel road with brush behind it.
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    Permission granted by Frontier Waste Solutions
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    GFL buys large Texas hauler Frontier Waste from private equity firms

    The transaction includes nearly 650 trucks, 24 locations and a landfill. It significantly expands GFL’s footprint in the state, which is built on prior purchases from WCA and Sprint Waste.

    Updated April 1, 2026
  • Noble Environmental trucks in Pennsylvania
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    Permission granted by Noble Environmental
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    Federal regulators scrutinize Noble rail plans; Juniper Ridge gets key approval

    Noble Environmental is attempting a new waste-to-rail plan, but the Surface Transportation Board is requesting additional information. Meanwhile, the Casella-operated Juniper Ridge Landfill gets another approval from Maine.

  • EU Visa Mastercard card networks Europe
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    New EU guidance on PPWR released less than 5 months from start date

    Europen said the guidance “still falls short of providing the legal certainty and operational clarity businesses urgently require” ahead of Aug. 12. Implementing acts are still in the works.

  • an overhead view of boxes of used vapes awaiting recycling
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    Permission granted by Raymond Tucker
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    Q&A

    The one-man collection service advocating for vape recycling in Wisconsin

    EcoVape Recovery offers small-scale collection services for vape waste. Raymond Tucker, a parks service worker and firefighter, also advocates for recycling outlets, infrastructure support and formal vape management rules.

  • Recycling Partnership CEO Keefe Harrison stands behind a podium on a small stage in front of a crowd of seated people
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    Cole Rosengren/Waste Dive
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    Q&A

    Recycling Partnership CEO on navigating ‘really tough’ moment for recycling

    Keefe Harrison shared how the nonprofit is thinking about the PET market crash, supply chain resilience, a loss in federal grants and the divergent funding needs of states with and without EPR laws at a MassRecycle event.

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    Retrieved from Clean Energy press release.
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    EPA finalizes update to the Renewable Fuel Standard with more favorable biogas terms

    The agency announced it has locked in requirements for the Renewable Fuel Standard through 2027. It tweaked its proposal released last summer, but kept in aspects like a penalty for foreign fuels.