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Recyclers request government mandates for recycled plastic content in bags

More than a dozen signatories are asking for recycled content legislation or procurement policies in Canada, amid initial estimates that 300,000 tons of plastic bags were disposed in North America last year.

Alabama city permitted to expand landfill after 5-year closure

Legal issues thwarted at least three attempts to expand the City of Dothan Sanitary Landfill, but plans now appear to be moving ahead on a 19-acre expansion.

Deep Dive

What recycling end market development looks like in 2019

What was once a public sector-driven effort has more private interest. Now, industry professionals say, there are more players on the field — and they're better at working together.

Opinion

Why recycling should be accessible to every American

Recyclops CEO Ryan Smith discusses how global commodity restrictions revealed inequities in the U.S. and what it will take to expand rural access.

Court: EPA must review landfill emissions plans after years of delay

A federal judge largely ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by multiple states, which had challenged the agency's inaction to implement 2016 rules governing methane emissions.

California city moves to terminate 'evergreen' Republic Services contract

The Huntington Beach City Council recently voted to terminate recurring extension provisions in a long-term deal with the company that still will not end until 2037 at the earliest.

UPDATED: May 8, 2019 at 11:39 p.m.

Deep Dive

Toxins in the ground: Inside America's most polluted coal ash site and industry's struggle with federal rules

A Texas family's legal battle with an electric cooperative over contaminated land is a microcosm of a larger national debate on how to handle the toxic byproduct of burning coal.

Republic's solution to the California 'organics challenge'

Spurred by a commercial food waste recycling mandate, Republic Services is eyeing infrastructure investments in the state. The company's national director of organics operations recently gave Waste Dive a tour of one new approach.

Study: Biodegradable bags survive soil and water for years

Research from the University of Plymouth that examined plastic-based products in UK environments found they remained usable long after expected.

Q&A

Off the Route: Documentarian Amy C. Elliott on the 'apex of consumerism'

Elliott spoke to Waste Dive about her documentary "Salvage" — starring one of the last publicly accessible town dumps in North America — and our relationship with waste and consumption.

End of Waste Foundation's new blockchain recycling concept starts with glass

This unique "distributed responsibility system" aims to more than double glass recycling rates by 2030 through an injection of new funding into the process. Momentum Recycling is the platform's first industry partner.

Column

Scrap Collector: Private Apple lobbying efforts postpone California repair bill

Plus: NYC Transit selling $375 trash can, and Canada is offering to repatriate 77 containers of illegal waste from the Philippines after Duterte's war threat.

Q&A

LA Sanitation director's plans to tackle organics and hit 'zero waste' targets

In the second part of a recent Waste Dive interview, Enrique Zaldivar discusses California's transformative SB 1383 regulations, a large curbside organics pilot and extended producer responsibility.

Casella recycling revenue rises, Boston negotiations ongoing

Despite commodity shifts, the company's recycling business is holding steady. Landfill pricing is also on the rise, and acquisition plans appear to be pacing ahead of annual goals.

Maine becomes first in the nation to enact statewide foam ban

Other states are in the process of approving or considering similar policies, following cities that have them in place.

Scrap metal theft bill gains new momentum in Kansas legislature

The measure would activate a scrap metals theft database that has been in limbo for years after a previous version went unfunded.

DC public works breaks down successful recycling education campaign

The agency recorded a 9.5% capture rate increase and an 8% decline in contamination after implementing its "Waste Less, Recycle More" campaign.

Washington state recycling market incubator bill signed into law

The law will establish a Recycling Development Center to incentivize new companies to process recyclable materials and develop more local end markets.

UPDATED: May 1, 2019 at 10:26 a.m.

Wheelabrator suing Baltimore over tightened emissions standards

The lawsuit — which has also been joined by Curtis Bay Energy, the Energy Recovery Council, the National Waste & Recycling Association and TMS Hauling — seeks to overturn Baltimore's "targeted attempt" to shut down two local incinerators.

Advanced Disposal reports two acquisitions, recycling decline

The Florida company has gone into an extended quiet period following news of a planned merger with Waste Management, but its recent quarterly report offers a snapshot of business before the news broke.

Federal appeals court rules against Waste Connections in driver discrimination suit

The ruling, which involves the firing of a South Carolina employee in 2015, reverses a prior judgment in the company's favor.

Kansas City Council wavers on deprivatizing waste collection

The city's solid waste manager is estimating about $20 million in savings over 10 years if municipal crews take over routes currently handled by a WCA subcontractor.

Omaha, Nebraska delays decision on 10-year collection contract

Mayor Jean Stothert supports a $226.9 million option proposed by FCC Environmental, but others have questioned why a local company's lower bid wasn't seriously considered.

UPDATED: April 30, 2019 at 9:53 a.m.

Covanta reports continued investments, 'early signs of interest' in new US capacity

Newly launched operations in New York, ongoing project development in the U.K. and increasingly favorable pricing trends in the U.S. delivered another positive quarter.

Philadelphia to send all recyclables to Waste Management under new contract

The city had sent about half of its recyclables to a Covanta incinerator for nearly six months after a prior Republic Services contract expired without resolution.