Welcome to NEO’s weekly news monitoring of the plastics industry.
Every Monday, we publish a roundup of the top developments in plastics and sustainability – from regulatory changes to company news.
This week’s highlights:
- Australia will phase out polystyrene foam commonly used to package consumer goods by mid-2022 as part of a national plan to fight plastic waste. The plan also includes an end to polystyrene food and beverage containers, but has been criticised for its largely voluntary approach. (The Guardian)
- U.S. plastics recycler CarbonLite, which bills itself as the world’s largest plastic bottle recycler, has filed for bankruptcy after citing disruptions tied to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is worrisome news from the largest producer of food-grade recycled plastic in the world, which reportedly recycles more than seven billion plastic bottles per year. (Wall Street Journal)
- Can paving with plastic waste solve the global pollution problem? Countries from Europe to Africa to Asia have started building their first plastic roads, as a growing number of studies suggest that roads containing waste plastic may perform as well or better than traditional roads. (Greenbiz)