The material will be used at two Georgia-Pacific paper mills: one in Green Bay, Wis. and one in Muskogee, Okla., where they make tissue, towel, and napkin products primarily from recycled fiber.

Georgia-Pacific announced its decision to accept cups in mixed-paper bales at the Green Bay, Wis. and Muskogee, Okla. recycled paper mills.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today released new industry guidance that aims to clear up consumer confusion regarding the recyclability of pizza boxes.

The Foodservice Packaging Institute has organized a group of industry partners to examine recycling of PET thermoform packaging.

A group organized by the Foodservice Packaging Institute seeks to define the most cost-effective and practical ways to recover this material.

Stamford, Connecticut, a city of approximately 130,000 residents, has had a single stream recycling program for nearly 10 years. Since the switch from a dual stream to a single stream system back in 2008, the city has been accepting a wide range of recyclables that include many foodservice packaging items.​

City staff currently collects residents’ 64 or 96-gallon carts and brings materials to city-owned local transfer station. The city also collects source separated residential recyclables at a drop-off recycling center. Stamford works hard to increase their recycling rate which currently sits at 32 percent as of 2015 (52 percent including yard waste), which is well above the Connecticut’s average recycling rate of about 24 percent.

Since the City’s switch to single stream recycling in 2008, the City’s Supervisor of Recycling and Sanitation reports the city has increased the quantity of collected materials from approximately 6,000 tons to over 12,000 tons in 2016. The supervisor also estimates that approximately 2-5 percent of the total recyclables collected as part of the current recycling stream are foodservice packaging items.

The City of Torrance, population 148,000, has long been ahead of the curve with curbside recycling and foodservice packaging recycling. In 1992, it began a city-wide commingled curbside program that included foodservice packaging items among an extensive list of recyclables. In educational materials (flyers, brochures) and on their website, Torrance is inclusive and specific about the foodservice packaging items that the program accepts.

Torrance services 29,500 single-family homes, and recycles about 10,000 tons per year. Both the material recovery facility (MRF) currently processing the city’s recyclables, as well as its former processor for more than 10 years, touted the cleanliness of Torrance’s commingled recyclables.They attributed it to the city’s robust education program.

The new guide is intended to provide support to the foodservice packaging supply chain, which is making decisions related to packaging design and factors impacting the recyclability of these materials.

CCRD held an event featuring speeches from local and state officials and recycling representatives to raise awareness of opportunities for recycling in Clark County.

rPlanet Earth and Green Impact Plastics partner to purchase postconsumer thermoform bales from California and other southern states

The Foodservice Packaging Institute awarded Kent County, Michigan, with an education grant to increase the awareness of recycling clean, empty cups and takeout containers.

More than $450,000 is going to Kent County Department of Public Works and Grand Rapids Public Schools to help Michigan reach goal of doubling state’s recycling rate to 30% by 2025.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Foodservice Packaging Institute announced grants to help divert more of the county’s trash away from landfills.