January 2026 - Plastic Waste Solutions
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Victoria secures $4m to advance plastics recycling – Australia
Posted on January 30, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingFour recycling projects in Victoria are progressing with funding already secured under the Recycling Modernisation Fund, as a new funding round opens to support additional plastics recycling projects. Source: Victoria secures $4m to advance plastics recycling - PKN Packaging News
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Europe’s supermarket shelves packed with ‘misleading’ claims about recycled plastic packaging
Posted on January 28, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingManufacturers use method that labels plastic as ‘circular’ and climate-friendly, despite being mostly fossil-based Source: Europe’s supermarket shelves packed with ‘misleading’ claims about recycled plastic packaging | Plastics | The Guardian Aramco’s petrochemical subsidiary, Sabic, along with other big players,...
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Analysis shows Australia’s plastic recycling future at risk
Posted on January 28, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingACOR and APCO say the Australian Government must urgently introduce packaging reforms or risk the collapse of the country's plastic recycling sector. Source: Analysis shows Australia's plastic recycling future at risk Australia uses more than 1.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging...
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ACT Container Deposit Scheme to expand eligible containers – Australia
Posted on January 28, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingThe range of containers eligible for a 10-cent refund under the Australian Capital Territory CDS (ACT CDS) is set to expand. Source: ACT Container Deposit Scheme to expand eligible containers - Waste Management Review Following the expansion, the scheme will include containers...
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Plastics treaty compromises still ‘yet to be understood’
Posted on January 23, 2026 by DrRossH in GeneralGlobal tensions on display at the World Economic Forum in Davos will make it more difficult to finish a plastics treaty and could mean a less ambitious agreement. Source: Plastics treaty compromises still ‘yet to be understood’ - Plastics News Charlotte...
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Alpek closing Pennsylvania PET recycling plant as market conditions worsen – USA
Posted on January 23, 2026 by DrRossH in GeneralRecycling industry leaders see the need for drastic changes as another major plastics recycling plant is falling victim to low prices and competition from virgin resin. Source: Alpek closing Pennsylvania PET recycling plant as market conditions worsen - Plastics...
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Low demand continues to pressurise recyclate prices in January – UK
Posted on January 23, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingIn February, recyclers hope for a more positive outlook for demand and recyclate prices Source: Low demand continues to pressurise recyclate prices in January - Plastics News In December, standard recyclate prices fell across the board because of very low...
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What a difference good EPR makes – Europe
Posted on January 15, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting Regulations, Plastic Recycling, Stewardship Waste ProgramsA quiet but effective European revolution is catching on and spreading across the world – Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Source: What a difference good EPR makes - Inside Waste A quiet but effective European revolution is catching on and spreading across...
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Urgent government action needed to protect Australia’s plastic packaging recycling future
Posted on January 14, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingSource: https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/urgent-government-action-needed-to-protect-australias-plastic-packaging-recycling-future/ Australia uses more than 1.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging each year – most of it imported – yet more than one million tonnes end up landfilled or littered. That’s the equivalent of about 100,000 garbage trucks full...
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Recycling PET works. So why isn’t the US doing it better? – USA
Posted on January 9, 2026 by DrRossH in Plastic RecyclingSource: Recycling PET works. So why isn’t the US doing it better? - Plastics News The 2024 U.S. PET bottle recycling rate was one of the highest in nearly three decades at 30.2 percent according to the National Association for...
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How many people today grab a takeaway coffee cup from the local cafe to drink on the go? We don’t know, but the number must be enormous.. Most every one of the above have a plastic top that will last 100s of years. Some cafes still use plastic cups that last a similar time. Is 10 minutes of coffee worth 100s of years of trash?
These items can be seen littering our gutters and on our streets all over the place. If they were all cardboard, they would still be littered, but they would, at least, be gone in a short time.
They do not need to be made of plastic.
On the way home from the gym last week, a distance of about 1 km (1/2 mile), I counted the items of plastic litter on the curb as I walked. In that short distance I counted 63 pieces of plastic litter. Plastic drink bottles, bottle tops, candy wrappers, plastic film, polystyrene fragments etc. That seemed to be a lot to me. I guess it is a generational thing. Our parents would have been horrified to see that amount, whereas it seems to go unnoticed by our youth of today. In another 20 years how many pieces will there be on this stretch, -- 200? What will today’s youth think of that new amount then when they are older? Will their children be so readily accepting of a higher amount of litter?