Company recycling commitments and governmental bans are on the rise, even as China’s ban on U.S. recycled materials continues to reverberate across the industry. This pivotal moment of crisis and opportunity is a chance to reimagine and rebuild the U.S. recycling industry.

Georgia-Pacific, one of the world's largest paper-product manufacturers, is working to scale up a patented technology to recover material from food-soiled packaging.

ReVital Polymers Inc., one of Canada's largest plastics recycling company that is located in Sarnia, Ontario says that black plastics collected in recycling programs are an important resource and feedstock for its recycling business.

Though single-use paper cups are ubiquitous in North America, recycling the poly-coated items has been challenging. Now, as paper mills and local programs adapt to an evolving fiber stream, innovation and collaboration are leading to recovery solutions.

Several communities have recently expanded acceptance of foodservice packaging in curbside recycling. In each case, the move came after significant engagement with end markets and local MRFs to ensure downstream viability.

The movement toward "zero waste" and higher recycling targets is alive and well in many cities around the country, despite recent commodity market uncertainties. In fact, five of them expanded their curbside lists as others are cutting back.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's administration has announced that, effective immediately, food takeout containers can be disposed of in curbside recycling carts. That includes packaging from burgers, chicken, pizza, tacos and other to-go containers as well as drink cups.

With this update, cities can now accept and recycle takeout packaging like paper and plastic cups, containers, pizza and sandwich boxes and paper bags.

Washington, D.C., Chattanooga, Tennessee and Louisville, Kentucky are part of a growing number of cities recycling foodservice packaging at the curb. A combined 460,000 households in these three cities can recycle take-out packaging like paper and plastic cups, containers, pizza and sandwich boxes, and paper bags in their curbside carts and bins, thanks in part to the Foodservice Packaging Institute.

District officials announced that they are expanding the list of what can be tossed in the blue recycling bin. They are also simplifying recycling by requiring businesses, schools and apartment and condo buildings to all accept the same list of recyclables, starting Jan. 1, 2018. The changes go into effect immediately for residences served by District Department of Public Works trash collectors.

D.C.’s list of accepted recyclable items just got bigger! Pizza boxes, paper and plastic plates, cups, lids, to-go containers, plastic from produce, bakery containers and trays now join the list of items you can toss in blue recycling bins in DC.

To-go containers, clean pizza boxes, and plastic plates are not regular trash anymore in D.C., they're recyclables. The District has increased the number of items that can be tossed into city's big blue toters and will standardize the list across residences, businesses, and schools, the Department of Public Works announced today.

The Chattanooga Department of Public Works and a host of its recycling program partners announced the city now accepts a wide assortment of food packaging items.

Recycling the durable materials used for foodservice packaging into new fiber sources represents an untapped potential market, say manufacturers in the space.

Washington, D.C. will join the ranks of a select few municipalities next year when it begins accepting a wider array of food-service packaging for recycling, including paper-based coffee cups.