10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (June 20, 2014)

Recycled paper packaging market to grow to $139B by 2018 “A new sustainable packaging report from Smithers Pira pegs the growth of the recycled paper packaging market at 5% through 2018, but will demand exceed supply? Within the recycled materials market, paper packaging is the largest sector, accounting for around 65% of all recycled packaging. Paper and paperboard also have the highest recycling rates worldwide (with the exception of glass in some countries). Demand for paper packaging will continue to grow, due to the manufacturing economies of China and other emerging countries. In fact, according to a new market report from Smithers Pira, ‘The Future of Sustainable Packaging to 2018,’ the overall market for recycled paper packaging will grow at a CAGR of 5% to reach $139 billion in 2018.” (Greener Package)

Metro Vancouver’s green waste diversion: A progress report “Green carts for residential pickup were introduced in 2008 by Port Coquitlam. Collection of food and yard waste — called compostable organic waste — is now available to 95 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s 302,000 single-family homes. Widespread uptake of recycling and green waste diversion by homeowners has reduced the total weight of waste produced by single family homes by 26 per cent. The reduction — 66,000 tonnes — is enough to fill 8,300 garbage trucks.” (The Vancouver Sun)

BEP rejects appeals to alter tonnage limit at state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill “A citizen-led environmental board voted Thursday to uphold recommendations by the Department of Environmental Protection that will maintain current limits on how much municipal solid waste can be dumped in the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town. With Thursday’s vote, the Board of Environmental Protection rejected appeals to earlier decisions that cap the waste limit for NEWSME Landfill Operations, LLC, a subsidiary of Casella Waste Systems, Inc., at Juniper Ridge to 81,800 tons annually.” (Bangor Daily News)

Brighton's Lovely 'Waste House' is 100 Percent Rubbish “Up close, it's probably readily apparent that the University of Brighton's new ‘Waste House’ is made entirely from recycled material (‘garbage’ if you want to be frank about it; ‘rubbish’ if you want to sound British), but that's exactly the point. BBM Architects created the research facility and workshop with the help of Brighton undergraduates, and not only declared it the U.K.'s first entirely trash-based permanent building, but designed it specifically to showcase the assemblage of oddly specific and occasionally gnarly-sounding waste that went into it.” (Curbed.com)

Boston Environmental sues Dartmouth over bylaw regarding Cecil Smith landfill “The company that wants to cap and close the Cecil Smith landfill has sued the town, charging it with adopting a bylaw intended to punish the landfill owner rather than fix the environmental problem. Boston Environmental Corp. filed a June 18 complaint charging that the new bylaw — which prohibits bringing a certain type of state-approved contaminated soil into town — is ‘unconstitutional and illegal.’” (South Coast Today)

Single Cart Increases Recycling 35 Percent and Saves Over $100K “In the summer of 2012, the City began introducing a single cart recycling program. They did away with the two separate bins and limited collection to every other week. ‘In March 2014 the [Single Cart] program completed a full year of operation and the results are still very encouraging,’ Solid Waste Division Manager Mike Carroll told Bungalower. Since that summer more than 7,000 residents have requested participation in the program which represents a 35% increase in homes participating.” (Bungalower.com)

City: Greensboro Recycling Needs Improvements “In a new assessment, the city of Greensboro's waste reduction department found 21 percent of the city's recyclables are contaminated. The industry standard, according to the report, is typically only five to 10 percent contamination. Waste reduction supervisor Alex Arnett wrote in the report, presented to a City Council work group last week, ‘Residents lack basic knowledge about the recycling program, especially which items are acceptable in the curbside recycling containers.’” (WFMYNews2.com)

Niagara puts bounty on unlawful trash disposal “Illegal dumping of waste in rural areas, vacant lots and along roadsides is not only a crime, it’s a growing problem for municipalities across Ontario. And Niagara’s had enough. So much so that the region, in co-operation with all 12 municipalities, has set aside money to reward residents who report illegal dumping on public property.” (Niagara Advance)

Valley residents welcome recycling center expansion “Supporters of recycling in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough celebrated the completion of a multimillion-dollar facility in  Palmer on Wednesday. The Regional Resource Recovery and Training Park is located adjacent to the Mat-Su Central Landfill and supporters have the goal of diverting 25 percent of materials destined for the landfill to the recycling center. Currently, about 7 percent is recycled.” (KTVA.com)

Waste Management goes ‘greener’ with CNG fleet “Waste Management is working to create a greener and cleaner community with the environmental benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG). The local waste disposal, collection and removal conglomerate, located at 1700 North Broad St., dedicated its new compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet and fueling facility on Thursday, June 19 in Fairborn. The 33 new CNG trucks service the Dayton area and make up Waste Management’s second fleet of CNG trucks in Ohio, the first being in Columbus.” (FairbornDailyHerald.com)