The Latest

  • An illustration of the U.S. Capitol with recycling containers
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    Danielle Ternes/Waste Dive
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    Tracker

    Tracking the future of US recycling policy in Congress

    The Banning Toxics from Plastic Bottles Act calls for prohibiting the sale of beverage containers with added PFAS or other substances. An EPA grant would fund waste management facilities for cleanup efforts.

    Updated Sept. 28, 2026
  • United States map with recycling arrows superimposed on top
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    Photo Illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    Tracker

    Tracking recycling laws by state

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a range of bills updating the battery EPR law to add medium-format batteries and making changes to the bottle bill’s glass recycling and redemption location rules.

    Updated Sept. 28, 2026
  • four blue recycling carts stand next to each other
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    Getty Images
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    Kanopy integrates recycling monitoring and AI tools under new parent company

    Recycle Coach and Re-Trac will become brands of Kanopy to streamline information and data services. It will launch a new waste information app, Curb Coach. Prairie Robotics will become a strategic partner.

  • A no trespassing sign in a desert landscape
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    David McNew via Getty Images
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    DOE nuclear ‘innovation campuses’ could bring waste industry opportunities

    The Trump administration is considering multiple states to host nuclear fuel and waste sites. Demand for nuclear energy may be increasing after years of deadlock.

  • Re:Dish operations
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    Permission granted by Circular Services/Photo by Visko Hatfield

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    Circular Services acquisition bets on integrating reuse with recycling

    The Closed Loop Partners offshoot acquired Re:Dish. The long-term vision is that “we are offering reuse services everywhere that we provide recycling or food waste services today,” said Circular Services’ Jessica Long.

  • Pickup trucks are lined up within a factory to be assembled.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Hazardous waste volumes may grow 4M tons by 2033 due to manufacturing

    A Veolia-backed report outlined the need to ensure capacity keeps up with the sector. The company said ongoing investments in semiconductors, autos and biotech are spurring new demand for treatment and disposal capacity.

  • Server racks with blinking blue lights showing cloud computing infrastructure
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    Getty Images
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    Potential increase of AI-driven e-scrap higher than previously estimated

    A Basel Action Network report sought to include the entire universe of electronics used in AI applications, including servers and power supplies. Data sovereignty laws and upgrades could also increase tons generated. 

  • A grey box sits on top of a sorting line with mixed recyclables in a materials recovery facility.
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    Permission granted by Greyparrot
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    Greyparrot, Circular Services, pilot AI technology at New York MRF

    Greyparrot says 89% of aluminum at Circular Services’ Sunset Park MRF is recoverable. The two companies plan to collaborate on projects at the site this fall. 

  • Illustration of heavy equipment at a landfill
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    Danielle Ternes/Waste Dive
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    Tracker

    Tracking GHG emissions of US waste management companies

    Casella reported it reduced its fuel consumption by almost 10% and made progress on its goal to recycle 2 million tons of material a year by 2030.

    Updated Sept. 24, 2026
  • Side of a large refuse collection truck with Republic Services branding and the words "We're On A Power Trip (The Good Kind). This is our 250th electric truck." printed on the side.
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    Permission granted by Republic Services
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    Q&A

    The road to 300: Republic Services details electric fleet strategy

    Vice President of Operations Technology Brett Rogers discussed the company’s infrastructure strategy for electric collection vehicles and how it’s navigating a shifting regulatory landscape.

  • Outdoor industrial scene showing large mounds of brown, red, and dark mulch or organic material in a dirt and gravel lot. A white dump truck is partially visible behind the piles, with trees and telephone poles in the background under a cloudy sky. The ground in the foreground is muddy with scattered puddles.
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    Alamy
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    Vaulted Deep gets $35M debt deal to expand injection well technology

    The financing was secured on the backs of its long-term purchase commitments — including those with Frontier Climate buyers like Google and Stripe — to expand its carbon removal solution nationwide.

  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event
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    Heather Diehl via Getty Images
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    California governor signs battery recycling, landfill temperature laws

    Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest moves update the state’s battery EPR law, as well as aspects of its bottle bill program. He also gave CalRecycle more authority following a high-profile issue at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.

    Updated Sept. 22, 2026
  • Aerial view of a food waste processing facility
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    Courtesy of Vanguard Renewables
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    Vanguard Renewables to acquire Generate Upcycle’s US, Canada digesters

    BlackRock-backed Vanguard will now have 19 facilities, with 10 more in development. The transaction, plus a separate one in the U.K., marks Generate Capital’s exit from organics investments.

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

    Circular Services acquired reuse provider Re:Dish. Previously, Ecowaste Solutions acquired a Georgia hauler, Collective Waste Solutions acquired a fellow Alberta hauler and Waste Universe acquired Massachusetts assets.

    Updated Sept. 22, 2026
  • Workers Discuss Waste Management
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    Getty Images
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    Packaging has changed. Recycling systems haven’t kept up, report says.

    U.S. households’ generation of cartons surged from 2020 to 2026, while mixed paper dropped notably. The Recycling Partnership released data intended to inform simultaneous evolutions of the packaging and recycling sectors.

  • An environment engineer's blue gloved hand collects wastewater samples from industrial canals in a test tube in the morning with trees in the background blurred.
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    Getty Images
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    EPA pulls guidance to address PFAS in wastewater permits

    Environmental groups warn this could have a “chilling effect” on PFAS restriction language in permits for sites like landfills and manufacturing facilities.

  • The NASA logo is displayed at a booth.
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    Ethan Miller via Getty Images
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    Google, NASA launch AI model to map methane emissions from space

    The MAPL-EMIT model, which the tech giant and space agency introduced in a scientific journal, was tested on 25 landfills. It was able to detect 50% more methane leaks than human experts.

  • A small green bucket that says "Garbage to Garden" sits in the forefront of a street, with a large black bin and cars in the background.
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    Cole Rosengren/Waste Dive
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    Massachusetts issues $2.8M in waste reduction grants in last month

    The two funding rounds address a range of materials, including food waste, textiles and plastics. More than two dozen companies, including Casella and Black Earth Compost, received grants.

  • The United States Capitol surrounded by trees
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    Megan Quinn/Waste Dive
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    House passes trio of waste bills, including lithium-ion battery updates

    Other bills focused on recovering critical materials at contaminated waste sites and updating the Solid Waste Disposal Act. They are all moving to the Senate for consideration and involve new work led by the U.S. EPA.

  • A worker rolls a trash cart to a trash truck on the street
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    Megan Quinn/Waste Dive
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    Teamsters tout contract wins with WM, California Waste Solutions

    The union won a vote to represent WM workers in Sacramento and secured a new contract for California Waste Solutions in San Jose. The developments come as a deadline nears for negotiations in southern California.

  • Conveyor belt with plastic film, within warehouse
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    Courtesy of WM
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    800K tons of film, flex end markets to accelerate PCR demand: report

    A report from Eunomia and Delterra outlines the challenges and possibilities for scaling the market. It coincided with the launch of a demand accelerator project involving Amcor and Kraft Heinz.

  • Four different colored tubes of Colgate toothpaste with the message "Recycle Me!" printed on the tubes.
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    Courtesy of Colgate-Palmolive
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    Judge sets date for Colgate toothpaste tube recyclability trial

    Attorneys now indicate they plan to subpoena MRFs and waste management companies, including WM and Republic Services, for additional information.

  • Image of a large mound covered in grass taken from a road.
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    The image by Dwight Burdette is licensed under CC BY 3.0
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    Louisiana approves its largest landfill; GFL presents Michigan expansion

    GFL Environmental is hoping to add new capacity to its Arbor Hills Landfill, but must get local approval. Elsewhere, landfill expansions continue and closures advance in California and Maine.

  • Atlantic Packaging
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    Permission granted by Atlantic Packaging
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    Passing the sniff test: Overcoming PCR’s odor and color challenges

    Sensory issues related to scent and tint pose unique hurdles for brands looking to incorporate more recycled plastic in consumer goods packaging. It’s spurring more creative applications for PCR.

  • Several truck trailers and pallets sit on a concrete lot. Behind them, the mound of a landfill rises, with two 18-wheelers driving on a road along its slope.
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    The image by CzarJobKhaya is licensed under CC BY 4.0
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    Landfill operators push back on New York state leachate proposal

    Regulators want to set a 99.9% removal requirement for a wide range of contaminants, inlcuding PFAS. But operators such as WM and Casella say the proposal is unworkable as currently written.