Republic working 'tirelessly' to catch up on collection delays in Massachusetts

Officials in some municipalities are saying that service interruptions could threaten contract renewals with Republic Services.

By Cody Boteler • Jan. 23, 2018

11 groups ask NYC to halt franchising process, re-open for public debate

A letter, submitted ahead of an advisory meeting, drew a response from the city that promised "several" opportunities for public discussion in the coming years.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 22, 2018

Franchising debate already changing NYC commercial waste industry

Heightened attention to safety, new recycling rules, environmental justice politics and ongoing stories from Los Angeles have brought added complexity to an already contentious reform debate.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 22, 2018

Los Angeles franchise opponents launch ballot initiative on steps of city hall

With their legal efforts stymied, a group of business owners and property managers is attempting to get a repeal question on the November ballot.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 19, 2018

Report: At least 289 North American facilities suffered fires in 2017

New analysis from Fire Rover outlines China's scrap import ban, climate change and the uptick in lithium ion batteries as future risk factors.

By Cody Boteler • Jan. 17, 2018

Data show Malaysia, Vietnam, India increasing plastic scrap imports

As China tightens imports, other countries in Southeast Asia and around the globe are beginning to import more scrap plastic than before.

By Cody Boteler • Jan. 17, 2018

Time running out to address mounting Los Angeles franchise complaints

The seven recycLA haulers are doing whatever it takes to catch up — even bringing in staff from around the country — with financial penalties kicking in and elected officials losing patience.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 12, 2018

Rubicon goes futuristic with patent for fully autonomous collection

The recently approved patent, along with multiple others, show a growing focus on residential collection for the technology company.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 5, 2018

Chicago recycling pilot yields 32% contamination decrease

The city is optimistic after this initial pilot with The Recycling Partnership and is offering new educational tools to all residents in an ongoing effort to fix a broken recycling system.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 4, 2018

UPDATE: Houston recycling contract vote further delayed, but resistance wavers

The $36.8 million contract will now come up for yet another vote at the city council's Jan. 10 meeting.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 4, 2018

Maxed out Massachusetts MRFs prompt recycling disposal waivers

While markets have tightened, the main issue is a lack of available processing capacity now that MRFs are slowing down lines and often double-sorting material.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 4, 2018

Wilkes-Barre, PA considers privatizing collection, only gets 1 bid

Waste Management submitted $15.9 million proposal for three years. Another company said this was all a city tactic in ongoing labor negotiations.

By Cole Rosengren • Jan. 3, 2018

Report: New York collected nearly $103M in unclaimed bottle deposits last year

An audit from the state comptroller's office is calling for tighter regulation of the existing system to ensure all money is being recovered.

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 22, 2017

NYC transfer station reduction bill dies in last-minute negotiations

Intro 495-C, viewed as a grave threat by local industry and a desperate necessity by environmental justice groups, appears to have run out of time as the current City Council term ends.

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 19, 2017

Pittsburgh councilman proposes 4 objectives to increase recycling

Currently, most residents in Pittsburgh don't have weekly recycling collection or standard bins.

By Cody Boteler • Dec. 19, 2017

Madison, Wisconsin suspends curbside organics pilot after 7 years

High contamination, low participation and limited processing options derailed the program, though city officials still hope to revive it in some form.

By Cole Rosengren , Cody Boteler • Updated June 12, 2018

Survey: 5.1M residents have access to curbside organics collection

Data from BioCycle and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance show big increases in curbside and drop-off programs as food waste awareness spreads.

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 15, 2017

Toronto steps up bin inspection to fix multimillion-dollar contamination problem

Last year, about 26% of the collected curbside material was contaminated — each percentage point can cost up to $1 million.

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 14, 2017

ISRI officials detail concerns following latest trip to China

Members of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries' leadership said it was clear that the import policies were coming from the highest levels of China's government — and being implemented quickly.

By Cody Boteler • Dec. 14, 2017

Incoming Republic COO offers insights on fleet tech, China's impact on safety

"One incident is one too many, and you can only have a goal of zero on that topic," Jon Vander Ark said in an interview. "What gets me nervous is the world is getting more complex around us."

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 13, 2017

Northern California wildfire cleanup continues amid new fires

The latest data from CalRecycle show nearly 4,500 tons of debris from three northern counties have been landfilled so far, while new fires spread in southern counties. 

By Cody Boteler • Dec. 8, 2017

Los Angeles continues litter bin experimentation with ECube pilot

After also trying Bigbelly and Enevo, the city has accepted an offer for one year of free service from ECube to help achieve its Clean Streets agenda.

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 7, 2017

Sanitation Department of the Year: LASAN

This year, the Los Angeles Department of Sanitation launched the largest commercial waste franchise system in the country.

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 4, 2017

LASAN addresses franchise growing pains during tense public meeting

The ambitious recycLA transition timeframe has included missed collections, sticker shock, a nascent ballot initiative and also success stories.

By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 4, 2017

Republic sues New Jersey township over method of awarding contract to competitor

Middletown, where Republic currently services the majority of residents, recently selected Central Jersey Waste and Recycling for an expanded 2018 contract.

By Cole Rosengren • Nov. 28, 2017