The Recycling Partnership Announces Leadership Transition
The Recycling Partnership announced that founder and CEO Keefe Harrison will step down on July 31 after 12 years at the helm, with a national search slated to name a new CEO later this summer. Harrison will remain through August to support staff and ensure a smooth handover. Glick Davis & Associates is conducting the executive search, and the board emphasizes continuity. The organization’s 2026‑2027 strategy on supply, demand and public policy remains unchanged.
Copper Output Remains Lofty
Global copper smelting activity rose in March, driven primarily by China, which saw its inactive capacity decline for a second consecutive month. Worldwide inactive smelter capacity fell to 11.7%, while the active capacity reached a record 10.73 million metric tons, up...
DEScycle Technology Being Tested by Cisco
London‑based DEScycle announced that Cisco will trial its modular metals‑recovery platform on printed‑circuit‑board scrap at DEScycle’s demonstration plant in Wilton, UK. The pilot will process large‑batch PCB feedstock to generate recovery data, assess cost‑benefit and evaluate integration into Cisco’s reverse‑supply...
LME Contract Activity Grows in Q1
The London Metal Exchange reported a more than 25% year‑over‑year rise in average daily volume (ADV) for its non‑ferrous contracts in Q1 2026, marking its highest‑ever quarter and a 13% increase versus the previous quarter. Aluminum, copper, nickel and lead all...
Portugal DRS System Involves Technology Investments
Portugal inaugurated a nationwide deposit‑return system (DRS) on April 10, 2026, deploying more than 3,000 collection points for PET bottles, aluminum and steel cans. Norway’s Tomra supplies Volta‑branded reverse vending machines, while Slovakia’s Sensoneo provides the digital platform that manages registration, logistics...
Glencore Buys Stake in American Secondary Aluminum Facility
Glencore has purchased a 45% equity stake in Alumicore LLC’s secondary aluminum recycling and remelting plant near Charleston, South Carolina. The deal builds on Glencore’s earlier financing of the facility, which granted it marketing rights for the recycled material. Combined...
Vinyl Institute Reports PVC Recycling Increase in US, Canada
The Vinyl Institute’s 2024 report shows North America recycled more than 1.1 billion pounds of PVC, surpassing 2019 levels by over 45 million pounds. Post‑industrial recycling grew 10% to 1.056 billion pounds, while post‑consumer recovery slipped to 71.3 million pounds, missing its 2020 target...
Businesses, Industries Urge US Government to Apply Export Controls on Tungsten
A coalition of U.S. manufacturers led by critical‑minerals recycler Amermin sent a March 18 letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging export controls on tungsten, especially scrap and mill‑ready material. The group warns that China supplies more than 80%...
Waste Pro, Florida City Reach Settlement Days Before Scheduled Trial
Longwood‑based Waste Pro and the city of Port St. Lucie settled a lawsuit just days before a trial set for April 13. The agreement includes a $24 million cash payment to the municipality, ending litigation that began in 2021 over alleged service failures and...
Needs Assessment Surveys for Minnesota EPR Law Remain Open
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has opened five online needs‑assessment surveys tied to the state’s Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act, its extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for packaging, food packaging and paper. The surveys target municipalities, counties, facilities, haulers...
Ascend Elements Files for Bankruptcy
Lithium‑ion recycler Ascend Elements announced a Chapter 11 filing on April 9, aiming to restructure its balance sheet while keeping operations running. The company, which runs a 30,000‑ton‑per‑year Georgia plant and is building a $1 billion Apex 1 complex in Kentucky, has faced funding...
Hyundai to Exhibit at ReMA2026
Hyundai North America will exhibit three scrap‑focused machines at ReMA2026 in Las Vegas, April 13‑16. The lineup includes the HW250A MH material handler with a 9.5‑ft elevating cab, the HL955A HDXT wheel loader featuring full guarding, and the HX235A LCR excavator paired with a SAS...
Commentary: Rising Oil Prices Create an Opportunity for Recycled Plastic
Rising oil prices are pushing virgin polyethylene, polypropylene and PET resin costs higher, eroding the long‑standing price advantage of new plastic over recycled material. The surge creates a window for recycled resins to compete on economics as well as sustainability,...
Paladin Envirotech Acquires Electronics Recycling Company in Ireland
Paladin EnviroTech, a Tampa‑based sustainability venture backed by SER Capital Partners and Daeheung Recycling, has acquired Ireland’s ICT, an R2‑certified IT asset disposition provider. The deal brings Paladin’s cumulative investment to $70 million across nine months of acquisitions in the U.S....
Machinex to Launch New AI-Based Platform at IFAT 2026
Recycling equipment maker Machinex announced it will launch a new artificial‑intelligence platform at the IFAT 2026 trade show in Munich, May 4‑8. The system‑wide solution moves beyond standalone sorting tech, delivering material analysis, real‑time decision‑making, system optimization and advanced reporting. Machinex says...
Fornnax Features Upgraded Primary Shredder at India Rubber Expo 2026
Fornnax Technology unveiled an upgraded Primary Shredder at the India Rubber Expo 2026, featuring revamped cutting geometry, drive configurations, and machine architecture. The enhancements address tighter specifications from clients such as GRP Ltd. and Fishfa Rubbers, who are shifting toward...
Cross Wrap Solution Supports Restart of Circulose Recycling Plant
Cross Wrap, a Finnish developer of automated bale handling equipment, has delivered a dewiring and in‑feeding system to enable the restart of Circulose’s Ortviken textile‑recycling plant in Sweden. The plant, the world’s first commercial‑scale chemical textile recycler, will resume production...
Plastics, ACC to Host Legislative Fly-In
The Plastics Industry Association and the American Chemistry Council are co‑hosting a legislative fly‑in in Washington from April 13‑15, bringing manufacturers, recyclers and suppliers together with federal policymakers. Attendees will push for policies that reinforce U.S. manufacturing leadership, provide trade certainty,...
Light House, Infina Technologies Partner on Construction Site Plastics Recycling Production Run
Light House and Infina Technologies completed the first production run of InfinaNet, a structural system built from plastics recovered on construction sites. The pilot Construction Plastics Initiative captured waste from eight Vancouver projects, converting it into recycled pellets via Plascon...
BIR Urges Policymakers to Emphasize Steel Recycling
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has warned policymakers that current green‑steel standards using a sliding‑scale methodology reward carbon‑intensive production and penalize recycled‑steel use. It criticises two competing standards—ResponsibleSteel’s sliding scale and the Global Steel Climate Council’s approach—for creating a...
Sustainability Receding as Packaging Priority, Says McKinsey
McKinsey’s new 3,000‑word analysis finds sustainability in packaging losing momentum, with consumers ranking it among their bottom three purchase considerations. While the priority remains, growth is now confined to specific applications rather than across entire CPG portfolios. The study, based...
Court Denies AF&PA Motion to Join NAW Lawsuit in Oregon
A federal judge denied the American Forest & Paper Association's (AF&PA) request to intervene in the National Association of Wholesaler‑Distributors' lawsuit challenging Oregon's Recycling Modernization Act (RMA). The RMA, an extended producer responsibility program, will take effect on July 1,...
Bollegraaf Announces Executive Hire
Bollegraaf, a Dutch maker of recycling and baling equipment, has appointed Fabrizio Radice as its new chief commercial officer. Radice arrives with more than 25 years of senior‑management experience across industrial, automation, life‑science and high‑tech sectors, most recently serving as senior...
Recycled Steel Prices Stay Afloat Amidst Latest Storm
U.S. steel mills increased output in early April, lifting raw‑steel production by 8.2% year‑over‑year to 1.83 million tons and pushing capacity utilization to 79.1%. Despite higher domestic supply, recycled‑steel prices remained flat in March, with benchmark grades holding gains made over...
WPU Plans Chemical Recycling Facility in Europe
Waste Plastic Upcycling (WPU), owned by Vitol, announced a new chemical recycling plant at the Port of Rotterdam. The facility will handle 80,000 metric tons of post‑consumer plastic annually, raising WPU’s total capacity to 100,000 tons. Using proprietary batch pyrolysis,...
Meridian Waste Acquires Waste Knot
Meridian Waste Virginia LLC, the Virginia arm of Charlotte‑based Meridian Waste, has acquired Waste Knot LLC, expanding its footprint in the greater Richmond market. The acquisition adds residential and commercial collection routes, increasing density and feeding the company’s Tri‑City Materials...
BTR Launches myBTR Customer Portal
BTR, a Tampa‑based fleet solutions provider, has launched the myBTR Customer Portal for its U.S. and Canadian clients. The cloud‑based platform gives municipalities, waste haulers and logistics firms real‑time visibility into rental assets, location tracking, utilization data and billing. Integrated...
Avena Acquires Race Recycling in UK
England‑based Avena Group announced the acquisition of Race Recycling, a specialist textile destruction firm in Glossop. The deal merges the only two UK organisations focused exclusively on textile demolition, positioning Avena as the clear national leader. Avena will retain and...
Primetals Technologies Names New CEO
Primetals Technologies announced that Koji Sakatani will assume the chief executive role on April 1, succeeding retiring CEO Yoshiharu Ikeda. Sakatani, a veteran of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, previously led Primetals' strategy and most recently served as vice‑president of plants and infrastructure...
Aceros Arequipa Adds to Florida Scrap Network
Peruvian steelmaker Corporación Aceros Arequipa (CAASA) has acquired three metal‑recycling facilities in Tampa Bay, expanding its U.S. footprint to seven sites. The deal, executed through its subsidiary Aceros America Tampa LLC, adds two former Liberty Recycle locations and a former...
ReElement Technologies Partners with Mitsubishi Materials Corp.
ReElement Technologies and Mitsubishi Materials Corp. have formed a strategic partnership that includes a direct investment by MMC to develop circular rare‑earth and critical‑mineral supply chains in the United States and Japan. The collaboration will support ReElement's modular chromatographic refining...
More than 50 Years Supporting the Auto Salvage Industry
Since its founding in 1972, SAS Forks has transitioned from a modest auto‑salvage yard to a full‑line manufacturer of specialized attachments for the scrap recycling sector. Over five decades the company expanded its product line from 15‑foot forks to hydraulic...
Closed Loop Partners Acquires Metal Processing Company
Closed Loop Partners, the New York‑based circular‑economy investor, has acquired a majority interest in Sutter Metals, a regional metal‑processing firm operating in Washington state. The partnership will fund expansion of processing capacity, geographic reach, and a buy‑and‑build M&A strategy targeting...
DEScycle Is Developing Salt-Based Metallurgy to Decentralize Metals Recovery
DEScycle is commercializing a salt‑based iono‑metallurgy platform that uses deep eutectic solvents (DES) and electrocatalysts to dissolve and recover metals from e‑scrap at low temperature. The pilot process delivers over 99% recovery in under 15 minutes, dramatically cutting leach time...
US Steel Restarts Illinois Blast Furnace
U.S. Steel, now owned by Japan’s Nippon Steel, has successfully restarted blast furnace B at its Granite City Works in Illinois. The restart added roughly 400 new employees to support operations. The move was prompted by improving domestic steel demand...
Recycled Copper Output Starts Out Strong in 2026
Global recycled copper production surged in January 2026, reaching 445,000 metric tons, an 11.5% increase over the same month last year and up from December’s 424,000 tons. The rise was driven largely by expanded secondary refining in China, according to...
University of Buffalo Develops Recycled-Content Plastic Gauge
Researchers at the University at Buffalo have unveiled a rapid testing method that determines the recycled‑plastic percentage in polymer products. By integrating triboelectric, dielectric spectroscopy, capacitance analysis, and mid‑infrared spectroscopy, the approach captures subtle material differences. Machine‑learning algorithms interpret the...
AAFA Claims CalRecycle’s Selection of Landbell USA Fails to Uphold Statutory Requirements
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) filed a petition in Sacramento Superior Court challenging CalRecycle’s February selection of Landbell USA as the producer‑responsibility organization (PRO) under California’s new Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707). AAFA alleges Landbell violates statutory...
Nova Reports First Commercial Order of New Syndigo rPE
Nova Chemicals announced the first commercial order of its Syndigo rPE‑IN3 recycled polyethylene, shipping roughly 200,000 pounds to Sigma Plastics in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The resin will be used in Sigma’s Sustain360 stretch‑film line for retailers and distribution centers, marking a milestone...
Aimplas Forms BioSupPack to Transform Brewery Waste Into Packaging Materials
Aimplas, the Spanish Plastics Technology Centre, launched the EU‑funded BioSupPack consortium to turn brewery spent grain into high‑performance bioplastics. The 18‑partner project validated PHB and PHA materials, including 99 % biobased coatings and compostable barrier films, and demonstrated enzymatic recycling of...
Reconomy Makes American Waste Services Acquisition
UK‑based Reconomy has acquired North Carolina‑based Waste Disposal Solutions (WDS) through its U.S. unit Lincoln Waste Solutions. The deal, Reconomy's ninth North American acquisition, adds a provider serving construction, logistics and manufacturing clients to its portfolio. Reconomy says the purchase...
IDTechEx Report Examines Critical Minerals Recycling
IDTechEx’s new report estimates that 21‑34% of the world’s platinum‑group metals (PGMs) come from recycled scrap, driven largely by spent automotive catalysts. Companies such as Umicore, DOWA, Johnson Matthey and Tanaka Precious Metals can recover platinum, palladium and rhodium at purities...
February Steel Output Recedes Globally
World Steel Association data show global steel production slipped to 141.8 million metric tons in February 2026, a 2.2% decline year‑on‑year and 3.7% below January. China, which supplies over half the world’s steel, posted a modest 1% month‑over‑month increase but remained...
Werk-Brau Joins Coupler Standardization Group
Ohio-based Werk‑Brau Co. has joined the Sweden‑originated Open S Alliance, which seeks to create a universal standard for automatic excavator couplers. The alliance aims to deliver clarity, safety and true compatibility across the attachment marketplace. By adopting the Open S standard, Werk‑Brau...
Schupan Names New Chief Financial Officer
Schupan announced the appointment of Mandy Lovelady as its new chief financial officer. Lovelady arrives from Perrigo, where she most recently served as CFO of the International division in Dublin. She brings more than two decades of experience in financial...
Recycle Coach Partners with Bartec Municipal Technologies
Toronto‑based Recycle Coach announced its UK expansion by partnering with Bartec Municipal Technologies, a software provider serving roughly one‑third of British councils. Bartec will act as the distribution channel, integrating Recycle Coach’s resident‑facing engagement platform with Bartec’s operational waste‑management suite....
CEPI Says Recycling Sector Ready for ‘Made in Europe’ Policy
European paper industry group CEPI says the continent’s recycling infrastructure is ready to underpin a ‘Made in Europe’ policy that ties bio‑based materials to industrial competitiveness. With an 87 percent recycling rate for paper packaging and sustainably managed forests, the EU...
CMRA Selects Vietnam for 2026 Event
The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association’s Recycling Metals Branch (CMRA) will host its third Recycling Metals Spring Convention in Hanoi, Vietnam, from May 9‑12, 2026. The event, rebranded from the ASEAN Recycling Metals International Conference, adopts the theme “Industrial Symbiosis,...
California’s ‘Truth in Labeling’ Law Faces Federal Suit
A coalition of farmers, dairy producers, packaging manufacturers, restaurants and grocers has filed a federal lawsuit challenging California Senate Bill 343, the “Truth in Labeling” law. The suit claims the statute imposes a content‑based speech ban by prohibiting recyclable claims...
FTR Forecasts Toughening Conditions for Shippers
FTR, a freight‑forecasting firm, warns its Shippers Conditions Index could slide to the lowest level in four years as diesel prices surge and capacity tightens. The index, which blends demand, rates, fleet capacity and fuel costs, is projected to dip...