The New Year is nearly upon us, and we have a new batch of recycling news for you!

 

Recycling Today - Electronics recyclers plead guilty to fraud

The ownership of Seattle recyler Total Reclaim , the Pacific Northwest's largest recycler of e-waste, has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They collected millions of dollars from the government in exchange for promising to recycle electronics domestically and responsibly. What they actually did was send electronics to Hong Kong, where the e-waste negatively affected both the environment and workers.

King 5 News: Where to recycle your holiday lights

The holidays are here, which mean many of you are putting up your lights! What this also means is that you may want to get rid of old lights after the holiday season. Well, luckily for you, King 5 has published a great breakdown of places to recycle holiday lights in Seattle!

Oregon Metro: Comment now on draft 12-year plan for garbage and recycling

Every decade, Portland redevelops its Regional Waste plan, where it lays out how the area will tackle issues like recycling and waste disposal. If you live in the greater Portland area, you can review the draft plan and offer feedback. The deadline for feedback is December 21st.

KUOW: Seattle, you were terrible at recycling. Now for a second chance.

Seattle area recyclers and the local government have both had to adjust to major changes in the industry. China has clamped down on accepting recyclables, due in part to the lack of consistency in terms of the quality of recyclables. Too often, there's non-recyclable material mixed in, which makes the recycling process more complex. In an effort to remedy this, Seattle is looking to go back to the basics when it comes to recycling to remedy this situation and will be sending out flyers to educate residents this winter.