Container Recycling Institute

06/18/2026

Good news in Australia!

From TheShout:

"[New South Wales'] container deposit scheme, Return and Earn, has reached a significant milestone, with the community returning 16 billion eligible bottles, cans and cartons since the program launched in December 2017.

"The achievement has delivered $1.6 billion in container refunds to recyclers across the state, while more than $100 million has been raised for charities and community groups through container donations and return point hosting fees."

Read the full story:

NSW recyclers have returned 16 billion eligible containers, generating refunds and raising millions for charities.

06/15/2026

CRI supports CA SB 1341, a bill that states that a processing fee for boxes, bladders and pouches containing wine or distilled spirits must be established in a way that does not impose an economic burden on beverage manufacturers, while generating sufficient funds to make processing payments to recyclers. In this letter, CRI also discusses this issue in the current context of processing fees on bimetal cans.

Read all of CRI's legislative and regulatory letters of testimony at
https://www.container-recycling.org/index.php/publications/cri-letters-and-briefings

06/08/2026

Michigan State Reps. Julie M. Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Twp.) introduced a bipartisan three-bill package [last] week to strengthen Michigan’s bottle return system, improve consumer access to deposit refunds and provide clearer guidance to retailers.

Michigan House Democrats

Rogers, Wozniak Introduce Bipartisan Package to Strengthen Bottle Return Access, Consumer Rights Photo: State Reps.

06/05/2026

CRI supports CA AB 1149, a bill that would extend CalRecycle’s authority to pay Plastic Market Development (PMD) payments in the state through 2029 and invest funds annually for PMD payments to plastic reclaimers and product manufacturers. CRI signed onto a coalition letter with 21 other organizations in the recycling space to support this bill.

PRCC

Read the full letter at https://www.container-recycling.org/index.php/publications/cri-letters-and-briefings

05/29/2026

Part 2 in Resource Recycling's multi-part series exploring a report from Beyond Plastics about "the recyclability claims for polypropylene cold drink cups from Starbucks. In Part 2, the recycling industry responds to the group’s allegations. Beyond Plastics did not respond to several attempts to gain clarity about its methods and results."

While anti-plastics group Beyond Plastics cast doubt on Starbucks' recyclability claims and left many questions unanswered, its report also provides an opportunity for meaningful dialogue to improve processes and influence consumer behavior.

05/29/2026

The initial story in a Resource Recycling multi-part series that "explores a report from Beyond Plastics about the recyclability claims for polypropylene cold drink cups from Starbucks. Part 1 explores what the report reveals about recycling. Beyond Plastics did not respond to several attempts to gain clarity about its methods and results."

Stakeholders are accustomed to questions and concerns about whether "recycling is real," but they took particular issue with several aspects of the anti-plastics group's risky methods and murky conclusions.

05/27/2026

From Waste Dive: "The eight Northeast states that are members of the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association reported disposing of an estimated 33.56 million tons of waste in 2024. About 23% went to landfills that could close within less than five years."

Read more.

An estimated 26% of the region’s waste is already exported to more distant states. The Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association introduced its data at an Environmental Business Council event.

05/26/2026

A story in Resource Recycling about conditions that "explain why recycling infrastructure is so difficult to scale and so easy to break."

Joaquin Mariel, Circular Services president, broke down why recycling infrastructure is so hard to scale and used PET's rapid market erosion to show how quickly it can unravel

05/21/2026

CRI supports California Senate Bill 955. The bill would specify that a single Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) does not make an unserved convenience zone served, as well as make some changes to the definition of a supermarket. Read all CRI testimony letters at https://www.container-recycling.org/index.php/publications/cri-letters-and-briefings

05/20/2026

From Resource Recycling: From "In a move that surprised some stakeholders, a revised California budget proposal includes more than $200 million for beverage container recycling, to help stabilize markets, improve material quality and expand redemption access." Story:

Stakeholders applauded the additional allocations proposed, but would like to see distribution re-formulated to more effectively address market realities.