AGP Executive Report

Landfill Carbon Credits: Carba says its Burnsville Sanitary Landfill biocarbon project is the first validated under Isometric’s landfill-based biochar methodology, with U.S. Bank buying durable carbon removal credits. Battery Recycling Breakthrough: LICO Materials reports a graphite recovery pathway from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap, aiming to feed secondary graphite anode production. Rare Earths Magnet Recycling: Cyclic Materials opens its first U.S. rare-earth recycling facility in Mesa, Arizona, targeting magnet recovery from discarded electronics and other devices. Critical Minerals Supply Moves: Lohum ships its first lithium ore from Zimbabwe, planning local processing to support India’s battery supply chain. Local Recycling Rules: Albuquerque bans crypto ATMs and also approves a recycling requirement for smaller property managers, pushing accessible recycling containers for residents. Waste System Pressure: Lagos residents warn plastic dumping is clogging drainage and worsening flooding, calling for better waste sorting education and disposal facilities. Biomedical Waste Oversight: Vijayawada’s municipal corporation issues notices to eight hospitals over biomedical waste segregation and authorized treatment requirements. Corporate Packaging Fight: Smurfit Westrock and Pratt join a coalition seeking U.S. investigations into “unfairly traded” corrugated pizza box imports.

Lagos Waste Crackdown: Sanwo-Olu declared a state of emergency on Lagos waste management, inspecting Olusosun and ordering new compactor deployments as LAWMA ramps up enforcement, including arrests for dumping refuse into drainage during rainfall. Recycling Access & Community Action: Worcester rolled out a booking system at its recycling centre, while East Riding councils promoted food-waste recycling during Recycle Week and Chatham County warned residents not to put batteries in bins, pointing to safe drop-off options. Circular Materials Breakthroughs: EU-funded ReBioCycle demonstrated closed-loop recycling of PLA bioplastics from mixed plastic waste back into virgin-quality material, and Grundon invested £2.6m to produce 100,000 tonnes of recycled aggregate from construction waste in Thatcham. Battery Fire Prevention: Reports highlighted lithium-ion battery risks—from a Werrington garage fire possibly linked to a scooter battery to ongoing calls for proper battery disposal to protect waste crews and facilities. Policy Pressure on Plastics: Retail NZ urged the next government to drive progress on critical recycling schemes and define trans-Tasman packaging rules, as regulators tighten requirements worldwide.

Solar Circularity Policy: Alberta bans solar panels from landfills and launches a provincial recycling program starting Oct. 1, funded by a $14 fee on new panels to pay for collection and recycling. Battery Fire Risk: Toronto reports 97 lithium-ion battery incidents this year, with fire chief warnings pushing for regulatory changes to reduce both the chance and impact of battery blazes. E-Waste Reuse: A New Zealand initiative “Saved” refurbishes obsolete laptops with new operating systems, keeping devices in circulation and tackling digital inequity. Local Waste Disruption: A Bradford skip-lorry overturn spilled rubbish into nearby gardens, crushed a car and horse box, and left residents waiting for cleanup. Plastic Systems Progress: The Alliance to End Plastic Waste released its 2025 progress report, citing reductions and valorisation of unmanaged plastic waste plus education reach. Waste-to-Energy Push: Bangladesh’s Chattogram gets in-principle approval for a waste-to-energy PPP to cut landfill pressure and generate electricity. Community Cleanup: Curaçao’s Team Kunuku Man collected 58 kg of roadside trash after a recent cleanup, urging better disposal and recycling participation. Packaging Innovation: Südpack launches a mono-material PP yoghurt drink pouch designed for mechanical recycling in the PP stream.

Waste & Recycling Policy: Bristol Waste is swapping brittle green recycling boxes for larger sealable red bags for plastic and cans, with the changeover rolling street-by-street until November. Local Recycling Rules: Athens-Clarke County is again weighing a plastic grocery bag and foam food container ban after years of pushback, citing litter and damage to recycling equipment. Plastic Bag Compliance: South Africa’s rules tighten further: from Jan. 1, 2027, plastic carrier and flat bags must be made from 100% post-consumer recyclate. Electronics Recycling & Fire Risk: A Salt Lake City electronics recycling plant faced a second fire in four months, raising concerns about battery-related hazards. Service Expansion: Spokane County will add about 2,500 unincorporated residents to curbside recycling by spring, aligning with Washington’s recycling reform goals. Waste-to-Energy Progress: Davao City moved a step closer to a waste-to-energy project by releasing a bid bond for a planned 11 MW facility. Climate/Emissions: Netherlands greenhouse gas emissions ticked up slightly in Q2 2026, with mobility down but electricity up.

Recycling Fire Response: Firefighters battled a blaze at Might River Recycling in Madison County, Illinois, with smoke visible for miles but no injuries and no spread to nearby buildings. Recycling Access & Demand Management: Wiltshire Council launched a booking pilot for visits to household recycling centres, aiming to cut waiting times and reduce disruption while keeping opening hours and accepted waste types unchanged. Circular Textiles: Bengaluru opened its first Circular Textile Lab in Koramangala to divert textile waste from landfills, reuse recovered fabric, and support local tailors and women via a thrift store. Food Waste to Community Support: Canada’s CNE partnered with Second Harvest to donate 25,000+ pounds of surplus food, alongside long-running waste diversion efforts like organic recycling and collecting cooking oils. Policy & Planning: Timmins opened resident and business surveys for a 25-year Waste Management Master Plan, focused on extending Deloro Landfill capacity through diversion. Waste Governance Reform: Azad Jammu and Kashmir launched “Suthra Kashmir,” outsourcing district solid-waste services to private operators under government regulation and uniform sanitation standards. Air Quality Warning: Residents were urged to stop open burning of household waste, with calls for enforcement and better segregation and buy-back schemes. Packaging Shift: Mondelēz replaced rigid PET cookie trays with FSC-certified paper trays across 115+ products in Europe, cutting virgin plastic by about 2,200 tons annually. Reworld Expansion: Reworld® acquired Clean & Green Recycling, ClearFlo Technologies and EnviroTec to expand Long Island waste processing and resource recovery via a new Lindenhurst Material Processing Facility.

Food-waste education: Darlington nurseries received free “Colin the caddy” packs plus outdoor food-waste bins and activities to help kids and parents learn safe disposal and recycling as the council’s food waste scheme rolls out. Recycling funding: Alabama’s environmental agency announced nearly $2.5M in fiscal 2027 recycling grants for 20 local governments and solid-waste groups, including Florence and the Shoals Solid Waste Disposal Authority. Circular energy from organics: India’s ORSL won two EPCOM contracts worth ₹167.30 crore with BPCL to build and operate organic municipal solid waste-based CBG plants in Mysuru and Raipur, adding about 9.8 TPD capacity. Local reuse wins: Southend’s Havens Hospices reuse shop hit 10,000 sales, showing how council-SUEZ partnerships can keep usable items out of landfill while funding hospice care. Food organics rules: Penrith City Council launched “FOGO in Business” support for NSW food organics recycling mandates starting July 2026. Waste system pressure: Kenya’s recycling economy is still limited—only about 4% of waste is recycled—due to fragmented value chains, weak infrastructure, and uncertain demand. Clean-air tie-in: Ghana’s Greater Accra schools pilot “Schools for Clean Air and Waste Segregation” to teach segregation and cut open burning. EPR appliance shift: South Africa’s EPR changes are pushing appliance producers and retailers to fund end-of-life collection and recycling via registered PROs.

Recycling Fire Safety: A South Fulton, Georgia recycling plant fire and explosions are being linked to batteries stored and processed on site, with crews still containing smoke and an investigation ongoing. Waste-to-Energy Procurement: The Philippines’ DOE waste-to-energy auction has 11 qualified bidders across 14 projects, including major groups tied to Prime Infra, MPIC and SMC—another push to turn waste into power. Local Circular Economy: Philippines President Marcos Jr. highlighted Marikina City’s flood control plus centralized materials recovery facility as a “template” for other cities, pointing to trash catchers and river no-build enforcement. Battery Recycling Regulation: Bangladesh’s government is drafting rules to bring 5–8 million electric three-wheelers and battery-powered rickshaws under a regulated system, citing safety, pollution and grid strain. Policy + Public Trust: South Africa’s plastic bag levy has raised R6.56bn, but revenue isn’t ringfenced for environmental programs—raising questions about whether the levy delivered the promised pollution cuts. Consumer Recycling Education: Ireland’s Repak Recycling Challenge returns to campus roadshows to test sorting skills and reinforce “clean, dry & loose” recycling habits. Recycling Access Backlash: Northern Ireland’s Lisbellaw Household Recycling Centre closure has sparked anger over safety vs cost claims and longer trips to alternative sites. Clean Air Economics: A UNEP report for Clean Air Day says every $1 invested in combined climate and air pollution action can generate about $15 in economic benefits, with waste management listed among key sectors. EPR + Producer Responsibility: Oregon’s recycling overhaul and producer-cost shift continues to draw attention as states move toward stronger producer responsibility models.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel: ASTM qualification now recognizes methanol as an approved feedstock for alcohol-to-jet SAF, enabling “drop-in” methanol-to-jet blending components compatible with existing aircraft and infrastructure. Packaging & Recycling Rules: California’s AB 2253 would tighten recycled-content claims by requiring measurement across the full production run, aiming to curb greenwashing. Deposit Return Scheme: The UK’s bottle deposit and return scheme (DRS) is confirmed for 1 Oct 2027, including single-use drinks containers (150ml–3L) made from PET, steel and aluminium, with delays drawing criticism over plastic waste progress. Organic Waste Push: Cape Town faces a looming organic landfill diversion gap as the Western Cape moves to keep organics out of landfill, while the city’s budget doesn’t clearly fund new processing capacity. Local Waste Enforcement: Poonch (India) removed about 1,900 tonnes of 20-year legacy waste near the Poonch River after NGT action and a Polluter Pays penalty. Rural Plastics Recycling: Australia’s new nationwide rural recycling scheme will expand take-back for farm plastics from March next year, replacing voluntary programs and aiming to cut landfill and burning. Waste Infrastructure & Services: Coventry Building Society Arena signed a three-year deal with Tom White Waste Management for recycling and waste services, including food waste handling and matchday support. Community Cleanups: Ilocos Sur launched the “ScuBasurero” underwater clean-up drive to boost responsible waste management and protect waterways.

Pay-As-You-Throw in Liloan: Cebu’s Liloan mayor says garbage collection fees are gone, but households must buy official, color-coded trash bags (P12) so only bagged waste gets picked up—aimed at fixing a growing waste-management deficit while pushing segregation. Hazardous waste digitization in Qatar: MoECC/MECC report 57,699 electronic submissions since 2024 for chemical and hazardous waste management, with 0% paper use, 93.4% customer satisfaction, and faster processing plus handling of 131,971 tonnes of hazardous waste and permits for 288 tonnes of e-waste disposal. Oregon recycling overhaul upheld: A court kept Oregon’s Packaging EPR law in place after a constitutional challenge, shifting costs toward producers and setting up broader recycling access. Solid waste rules in Thoothukudi: The city says unsegregated waste won’t be collected from Sept. 1, while it expands composting and resource recovery for wet, dry, sanitary, and special-care waste. Circular economy in action: Arizona’s I-17 widening used foam glass made from recycled glass to reduce weight and protect old drainage culverts; and a UK recycling firm touts higher recovery rates via a new materials recovery facility. E-waste and repair push: TaiwanPlus flags plans for vape recycling bins nationwide, while DeKalb’s Recycle Coach app helps residents sort items correctly and find pickup schedules.

Plastic Pollution & Accountability: Campaigners warn it’s “Plastic Overshoot Day,” saying recycling can’t keep up as plastic waste outpaces what the world can manage, with predicted chemical leaks and microplastics reaching waterways. Local Waste Enforcement: Lagos’ waste agency LAWMA says it has disengaged street sweepers and supervisors over alleged illegal dumping in a recurring hotspot, promising continued sanctions. Urban Sanitation & Waste-to-Value: Ghana’s Local Government minister says Accra’s Korle Lagoon slum will be cleared and redeveloped into high-rise container housing, with dredging and waste moved to Adepa’s waste management centre. Recycling & Circular Markets: India’s government e-marketplace and textiles authorities are partnering to route recycled and upcycled textiles into public procurement, aiming to turn textile waste into certified products. Waste Infrastructure Bids: Chennai’s Greater Chennai Corporation is inviting bids for a 2,400 TPD waste-to-energy plant and a 1,000 TPD waste-handling facility under PPP models. Community Action: Exeter councillors push for more public water stations after record heatwaves, linking hydration access to cutting single-use bottle waste. River Cleanup Tech: A floating litter barrier in Toulouse has collected eight tonnes of plastic from the Garonne, with material sorted for recycling. Waste & Health Risks: Sri Lanka’s dengue unit reports tens of thousands of premises with mosquito breeding sites, citing accumulated waste and stagnant water, and urging waste-management action.

Marine Plastic Monitoring: Malaysia’s NRES says about 23 million tonnes of plastic waste enter waterways each year, and is pushing beach clean-ups tied to uniform monitoring and data collection to meet SDG 14. Local Enforcement: SWCorp in Negeri Sembilan issued 15,678 littering notices in the first eight months, including cigarette butts and plastic bottles, with thousands of cases moving toward court and community service. Zero-Waste Community Push: SWCorp also ran the Zero Waste Temiang Run 2026 with 1,000 participants, adding recycling bins along the route and urging reusable bottles. Waste-to-Health Response: Zoomlion Ghana began a massive disinfection and fumigation drive across Bono East, targeting high-risk public sites after flooding. Plastic Waste for Food: Dhaka South City Corporation and Vidyananda Foundation held “Market in Exchange for Waste,” where residents traded plastic waste for essentials, raising about Tk one crore. Coastal Cleanup Results: Greece’s Mykonos cleanup removed 767kg of waste, including tyres and a drone from seabed divers. Hazardous Site Oversight: Tennessee set a Sept. 10 public hearing on renewing Olin’s post-closure hazardous waste permit, including leachate and groundwater monitoring. Battery Fire Warning: Worcestershire County Council urged residents not to put batteries or battery-powered items in household bins after a recycling-facility blaze.

Solar recycling push: Alberta will launch Canada’s first provincial solar panel recycling program on Oct. 1, banning panels from landfills and adding a $14 fee per new panel to fund takeback and recycling. Local waste enforcement: Swindon says it’s cracking down on fly-tipping with a £1,000 fine, while improving its Household Waste Recycling Centre and investing in CCTV. Food waste rollout: Fenland District Council begins first food waste collections Sept. 7, delivering 90,000 caddies to 45,000 homes to cut smells and flies while turning scraps into energy and fertiliser. Illegal dumping spotlight: Wirral’s fly-tipping problem has more than doubled, with readers pointing to long recycling-centre queues as a key driver. Waste-to-energy deal: Zimbabwe’s Geo Pomona signed an EPC contract with Zhejiang Wei Ming Group for a waste-to-energy plant aimed at tackling refuse collection gaps. EV battery waste planning: Indonesia’s environment ministry is building an EV battery waste management ecosystem, targeting a takeback system as used batteries are projected to peak around 2040. E-waste access: Normal, Illinois set Labor Day weekend electronics drop-off hours and kept trash/recycling running on schedule.

Municipal Recycling & Enforcement: South Holland District Council is rolling out wheelie bins, but officials warn recycling rates won’t jump overnight because residents need retraining on what goes where. Waste & Public Cleanliness: Cape Coast, Ghana saw a Zero Plastic Waste clean-up ahead of Fetu Afahye, targeting plastic pollution and clogged drainage channels around Fosu Lagoon and toward Cape Coast Castle. Illegal Dumping: Esquel, Argentina responded to a major used-oil filter dumping case on Route 40, removing contaminated soil and sending hazardous waste for disposal. Recycling Tech in Action: Veolia won a new 10-year contract with East London Waste Authority, including reuse and recycling centres plus pre-treatment sorting to lift recovery rates. Packaging Shift: Mondelēz replaced rigid PET cookie trays with FSC-certified paper trays across 115+ products in Europe, cutting about 2,200 tons of virgin plastic annually. Circular Materials: UWM launched a plastic film recycling program to divert hard-to-recycle film like bags and mailers from landfill.

Waste Contract Scrutiny: The Philippines’ Ombudsman will form a special investigative team to probe alleged corruption in garbage collection and waste management contracts nationwide, warning that “basura kings” profit from huge local budgets. Local Recycling Operations: Swindon’s Household Waste Recycling Centre keeps streams moving with a “JCBin” machine that lifts and pushes bulky materials to improve sorting. Fire Risk From Batteries: West Berkshire Council says a lithium-ion battery sparked a recycling vehicle fire after a drill was discarded, urging residents to use designated battery drop points and not toss batteries into bins. Policy Push for Diversion: Denver starts enforcing its Universal Recycling and Composting Ordinance, requiring businesses to submit waste diversion plans tied to license renewals. Circular Economy in Practice: A Michigan manufacturer cut PPE costs and landfill waste by washing and reissuing protective gear instead of discarding it after single use. Ship Recycling Upgrade: Pakistan begins a Rs12bn modernization of the Gadani shipbreaking yard to meet safer, environmentally responsible recycling standards. Community Reuse & Recycling: A Southern Illinois lab highlights turning plastic and agricultural waste into food-like materials via microbes, while a Texas record shop pilot lets customers recycle damaged vinyl into new records.

Waste Cleanup & Public Health: Ghana’s Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga says the Korle Lagoon slum will be cleared and redeveloped into high-rise container housing, with waste moved to Adepa Waste Management Centre in Nsawam and the lagoon dredged to tackle long-running sanitation problems. Recycling & Materials Tech: IonicRE and US Strategic Metals outline a $100m Missouri rare-earth magnet recycling JV, aiming to build recycling capacity for strategic supply chains. Scrap Fire Safety: Belfast Harbour’s Clearway Disposals faced calls for investigation after a third major scrap-yard fire since 2021, with lithium batteries flagged as the most probable cause. Holiday Service Disruptions: Labor Day changes hit trash and recycling schedules in multiple US cities, including Rapid City’s landfill/transport closures and adjusted pickup routes, plus Hampton Roads and Salina sanitation and recycling center hours. Closed-Loop Plastics: FUJIFILM Business Innovation and Teijin launch a horizontal closed-loop recycling scheme in Japan to reuse recycled plastic exterior parts from multifunction printers. EPR/Packaging Compliance: UK exporters are urged to prepare for the EU’s PPWR shift, tightening packaging reduction, recyclability-by-design, recycled content, and documentation tied to EPR obligations. E-waste/ITAD Expansion: ERI and Ecoreco plan to co-own ERI India to expand electronics recycling in Mumbai, avoiding cross-border e-scrap shipping limits. Circular Economy in Hospitality: W Algarve in Portugal earns its third straight Green Key certification, citing ongoing waste reduction and resource-saving upgrades. Community Recycling Education: A UK “Binman” guide urges residents to check their council’s A–Z rules to avoid missed collections and fines.

Court-Ordered Recycling Fee Overhaul: Parkersburg, West Virginia is changing its recycling billing after a judge ruled the city’s opt-in subscription model violates state law, replacing it with a flat $3 monthly fee for all residential customers. Waste R&D Funding Gap: South Africa’s Waste RDI roadmap was “severely underfunded,” receiving only 3.2% of its targeted R3.9 billion budget, though researchers still leveraged over R102 million in extra support. Local Recycling Costs Under Scrutiny: Milwaukee firefighters battled a fire at a waste transfer station, while other communities weigh service changes and closures that could reshape recycling access. Food Waste Diversion: Coventry is rolling out new food waste caddies for weekly collection starting Sept. 7, sending scraps to anaerobic digestion for fertilizer and renewable energy. Community Cleanup Push: Waterloo hosts a Sept. 12 drop-off cleanup for bulky items and tires, and San Joaquin County runs an electronics-and-junk cleanup Sept. 5. Textile Recycling Disaster Watch: Two weeks after the Brent Industries explosion in Toledo, Ohio, families and residents are still demanding answers about safety and potential environmental impacts.