Cellophane, the crinkly film used for packaging, especially in the candy and food industries, can sometimes be biodegradable and compostable but is not recyclable. Although it shares many features of plastic wrap, such as transparency and the ability to stretch, cellophane is made from wood pulp and other plant fibers. Learn how to identify the type of cellophane to ensure […]
DVDs and DVD cases are recyclable, but if you have a working DVD, it is better to donate or sell it so that others can enjoy the content without needing to make a new DVD. The DVD recycling process is specialized, requiring separating the layers that make up the discs to recover polycarbonate plastic and metals. These materials, which can […]
2023 was a tough year for sustainability, even though renewable energy investments reached new highs. An economic downturn made people less likely to spend in general. It raised the stakes for consumers, companies, and communities that want to pivot to sustainability—strap in for a quick review of a year of steps forward and back. As humans lived through the hottest […]
Robin Wiener, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), joins the conversation to explore the evolution of the circular economy and how the role of recycling will evolve. Today’s recycling infrastructure is closely aligned with the waste management system. There are growing signs that the reuse of products is essential and that recycling services can be built into […]
Recycling has been around almost as long as humans; it’s one of our signature activities. If something can be repurposed, it probably has been at some point in history. But back then, there was no municipal recycling bin. How did we get the recycling system we have today? Modern recycling of products started in the 1860s with the Salvation Army, […]
Beer lovers know the joys of nitrogenated canned beers. A polypropylene nitrogen “widget” in the can releases its gas when you pop the top, producing a rich creamy head on the beer. But does the plastic widget make the can less recyclable? The answer is a qualified “No.” Take this quick step to ensure your can is recycled successfully: Cut […]
It’s not always easy to recycle at home in the United States. Our fractured system makes every community’s rules different. Following China’s 2018 ban on recyclable imports, many programs changed what they accept, and the pandemic cut down our options even more. As the recycling system rebounds, each of us can help by doing our bit to clean and sort […]
The rapid evolution of society’s current linear waste management systems to one that is circular, is critical to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce extraction of raw materials from nature. A new initiative to promote sustainable waste management practices, SWEEP, or the Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Performance Standard, can transform the 20th-century garbage-centered waste system into a sustainable and […]
Lithium-ion batteries are the driving force behind products that have redefined life over the past two decades, from smartphones to laptops. However, when they fail, lithium-ion batteries can cause fires that produce toxic fumes. A bulging battery is a clear sign of a malfunction that requires immediate attention. Still, you can recycle it if you handle it safely. Recycling lithium-ion […]
The escalating plastic pollution crisis and inefficiencies in the plastic recycling system have turned many against single-use plastics and led to national and state bans on some plastic packaging. Now, the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries have launched a category of plastic processing technology called chemical recycling or advanced recycling. The plastic industry describes it as a potential panacea that […]