WM Adds PP Cups And Paper Cups To The National Roadside Recycling List

Waste Management (WM) has recently added PP cups and paper cups to its collection list, which will boost the scale of roadside recycling. WM claims that recent automation upgrades to its MRF (Made-by-the-Road Recycling Refrigeration Unit) have made it easier to separate cups, resulting in higher collection volumes from both an economic and logistical perspective. Furthermore, the company states that both types of cups are valuable recyclable materials, and there is growing interest from downstream markets. WM also hopes that other companies and municipalities will join in collecting these materials. PP and paper cups were already included in the MRF before this, but their formal inclusion in the acceptable recycling list is a move to promote larger-scale recycling and a cleaner material flow. WM has been upgrading its MRF nationwide, investing $1.4 billion between 2022 and 2026 to improve infrastructure and make sorting easier.

Since 2019, WM has increased its PP recycling by 150% and claims increased demand from sectors such as paint buckets, plastic stakes, pallets, and plastic crates.