circular_economy

Phoenix – October 13, 2026 -- Republic Services has opened an expanded compost facility at Forward Landfill in San Joaquin County, Calif., with capacity to recycle up to 147,000 tons of food scraps and yard waste per year.

The upgraded site adds processing space and infrastructure, and uses technology to speed up composting and keep pace with higher customer demand. It serves thousands of homes and businesses across Northern California. Finished compost is returned to farmers and residents.

CalRecycle grant of $5.1 million funded the expansion

Republic Services began planning the expansion in 2019. In 2023, the company received $5.1 million through CalRecycle's Organics Grant Program, which supported construction, equipment and administrative costs. The program is designed to promote industry investment in clean technologies and cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

Brooklyn, N.Y. – – October 08, 2026 -- Secondhand shopping in the United States has expanded far beyond thrift-store apparel, with 76% of Americans buying used goods in the past 12 months and 89% having done so at some point, according to a new report from The Consumer Collective.

Luxury resale emerges as the fastest-growing category among younger buyers

The firm's "Second Nature: The State of Secondhand Shopping in America" report found 49% of consumers already buy luxury items secondhand or would consider it, a figure that climbs to nearly 80% once undecided shoppers are included. Gen Z (61%) and Millennials (60%) lead this trend, more than double the 27% rate among consumers aged 62 and older. Condition and authenticity remain the top barriers cited by shoppers hesitant to buy used luxury goods.

Rimini, Italy – October 01, 2026 -- Ecomondo 2026 will gather roughly 1,800 exhibiting brands at Rimini Expo Centre from November 3 to 6, with international exhibitor participation rising 10% year-on-year, organizer Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) announced.

Show footprint expands to 169,000 square metres across 30 halls

The 29th edition of the circular and regenerative economy event will occupy 169,000 square metres and span 30 exhibition halls. More than 1,000 hosted buyers from around the world are expected, backed by support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), according to Event Director Alessandra Astolfi.

Freiburg, Germany – October 01, 2026 -- Hoymiles supplied 300 microinverters to convert 600 used solar panels into plug-in photovoltaic systems during an upcycling event in Freiburg, Germany, marking the company's third consecutive year supporting the initiative.

600 panels from a toothbrush factory get a second life

The panels had operated for 13 years on the roof of a toothbrush factory in the Black Forest before being dismantled. According to organizer BalkonSolar e.V., roughly 5% of the panels showed defects, while the remainder were suitable for immediate reuse. More than 500 citizens, alongside local organizations and public representatives, assembled 300 plug-in PV systems, each pairing two used modules with a Hoymiles microinverter and cabling.

Paris – September 24, 2026 -- A 200-gram smartphone requires more than 266 kilograms of raw material extraction, part of an annual global total exceeding 319 million tons of upstream materials pulled from the earth to manufacture smartphones alone, according to data cited by refurbished-tech marketplace Back Market.

The company estimates that figure equals the material weight of more than 900 Empire State Buildings extracted every year, driven in large part by a typical 2- to 2.5-year device upgrade cycle. Back Market is now calling for a legally mandated 10-year device standard covering durability, repairability and long-term software support, arguing that extending a smartphone's productive life to a decade instead of 2.5 years could avoid roughly 757 kilograms of raw material extraction per device.

Billerica – September 16, 2026 -- E Ink Corporation has made an early-stage investment in NewCopper, a privately held U.S. startup developing conductive copper ink, to accelerate a lower-cost alternative to silver ink used in printed electronics and display materials.

E Ink structures investment through a post-money SAFE agreement

The deal gives E Ink's R&D team the opportunity to evaluate NewCopper's copper ink as a conductive material for future displays and electrode applications, given its compatibility with E Ink's existing roll-to-roll coating capabilities. E Ink will also apply its display manufacturing expertise to support NewCopper's production scale-up and commercialization.

Singapore – – September 14, 2026 -- The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has catalysed US$641 million in third-party and impact-investor funding commitments since 2019, according to its newly released 2025 Progress Report covering the first year of Strategy 2030 implementation.

Cumulative waste reduction reaches 378,147 tonnes since 2019

The organisation reduced 138,162 tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste and valorised 165,317 tonnes in 2025 alone, pushing cumulative totals to 378,147 tonnes reduced and 418,529 tonnes captured for value since inception. Education and behaviour-change programs have reached over 1.5 million people, and the Alliance engaged 559 organisations in 2025 to finance, develop, and implement projects.

Singapore – September 14, 2026 -- The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has valorized 418,529 tonnes of plastic waste and reduced unmanaged plastic waste by 378,147 tonnes since 2019, according to its 2025 progress report, Strategy in Action, released to mark the first year of its 2030 Strategy implementation.

In 2025 alone, the nonprofit cut unmanaged plastic waste by 138,162 tonnes and valorized 165,317 tonnes. Since inception, it has mobilized $641 million in funding commitments from third parties and impact investors, engaged 559 organizations in 2025 to fund and execute projects, and reached more than 1.5 million people through education and behavior-change initiatives.

Singapore – September 13, 2026 -- The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) has mobilized $641 million in financing commitments from third parties and impact investors since 2019, according to its 2025 Progress Report released today marking the first year of its Strategy 2030 rollout.

Alliance diverts 138,162 tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste in 2025 alone

The organization reduced 138,162 tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste and valorized 165,317 tonnes during 2025, bringing cumulative totals since 2019 to 378,147 tonnes reduced and 418,529 tonnes recovered for value. AEPW worked with 559 organizations last year to finance, develop and deploy its projects, while its education and behavior-change initiatives have reached more than 1.5 million people since inception.

JINAN, China -- September 01, 2026 -- Niutech Technology Group Co., Ltd. has signed a sales contract with an unnamed global energy giant to supply an industrial continuous pyrolysis line for plastic waste, the Jinan-based company said Aug. 30, 2026. The line, with a unit capacity of 10,000 to 50,000 tonnes per year, will upgrade one of the client's large-scale refineries to produce hydrotreated sustainable aviation fuel from plastic-waste pyrolysis oil. Niutech called the deal its first entry into the client's equipment supply chain.

EU mandate pushes refiners toward waste-based jet fuel

The EU's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation requires a 2% sustainable aviation fuel blend starting in 2025, rising to 6% by 2030 and 70% by 2050. Supplies of used cooking oil, the feedstock refiners have relied on for SAF production, remain limited. Plastic waste has emerged as an alternative feedstock for refiners racing to meet the EU blending schedule.