Don't forget to RSVP and book your hotel for the final NAPCOR meeting of 2015, taking place November 18-19 in Greenville, SC. The deadline for our discounted room rate of $149 is only two weeks away (November 2)! A condensed itinerary is as follows:

Our bus will depart the Hyatt Regency early on the morning of Wednesday, November 18, for a tour of American Starlinger-Sahm's new facility in Fountain Inn, SC, followed by lunch, presentations and meetings.
Dinner will begin at 6pm at Larkins On The River (transport provided).
Thursday, Nov. 19 starts with breakfast buffet at 7:30am, followed by NAPCOR meetings held at the Hyatt Regency Greenville from 8:30 to noon.

Click here to view the recent meeting information newsletter, which contains more details about this event. Please contact Karen with any questions.

Recently Released Reports

The Report on Postconsumer PET Container Recycling Activity in 2014 was released on October 13. The rate held at 31% this year, while total PET volumes processed by domestic reclaimers, as well as total RPET used by end markets were at all time highs. A few links to media coverage of the NAPCOR / APR press release are provided below.

Waste 360 - 10 Takeaways from the PET Recycling Report
Resource Recycling - PET container recycling rate for 2014 stays at 31 percent
Plastics News - PET recycling rate dips slightly, but overall numbers improve

The 2014 / 2015 Postconsumer PET Bottle Bale Composition Analysis report was just released on Friday, October 16. This report is available only to NAPCOR members and its primary funders, the American Beverage Association and the International Bottled Water Association. Report was sent to all members on Monday, October 19, and is available on NAPCOR members only web page under Report / Documents link.

We will provide more detail and delve into data from both of these reports at the November NAPCOR member meetings.

ASTM Update

After a survey of stakeholders, David Cornell has drafted a simplified RIC draft ASTM ballot for PET, which has been approved by the NAPCOR Board of Directors. The draft ballot will be discussed during November ASTM meetings in Tampa, Florida, during the plastics recycling committee meeting (D20.95) on Monday, November 16. If you'd like to learn more about ASTM membership, the status of the RIC code work and other ASTM topics we're watching, please contact Kate.

NYT's Tierney Blasts Recycling... Again

Rehashing arguments he made nearly 20 years ago, New York Times science writer John Tierney attacked the economic viability of recycling in the United States. His narrow view of the issue has been countered by many recycling industry players and supporters. NAPCOR submitted a letter to the editor. ISRI, ACC, the Recycling Partnership, and the Closed Loop Fund issued responses, as did well-known scrap journalist Adam Minter , recycling advocates from EcoCycle, the Northeast Recycling Council, the PA Recycling Markets Center and Keep America Beautiful. To read letters to the editor printed by the New York Times, click here.

Montgomery, Alabama MWP Facility Closes, At Least for Now

Citing low commodity pricing, Infinitus Energy, owner of the Infinitus Renewable Energy Park (IREP) complex that is home to the Montgomery, AL mixed waste processing facility, has announced that it has ceased operations. The company is negotiating with the City of Montgomery and investors to develop a financial deal that will work within current market conditions.

In the news this month

Penn Color expanding in Europe

Buhler Sortex and NRT join forces to offer a 'one-stop shop' to plastics recyclers

Closed Loop Fund announces $7.8 million in recycling loans

MillerCoors sees boost in sales after switching from glass to plastic

Study identifies top solutions for marine debris

Designing for bale value

Newsletter archive

Members can access the current issue of news from NAPCOR, as well as all previous ones, via the archive button at the top of the Member Page on the NAPCOR web site.

Subscription to this newsletter is a benefit of NAPCOR membership;

its content is intended for member companies only.

To add colleagues from your company to the distribution list,

please send us their email addresses.

We want to know how this newsletter can be helpful to you,

so we welcome your comments, complaints and suggestions.

(And if you're on the distribution list and don't want to be,
just click the SafeUnsubscribe button below.)

Best regards,

Lauren

Lauren Laibach

NAPCOR Program Associate

llaibach[at]napcor[dot]com