This Week in Waste: Top Stories June 12 - June 15, 2023

#5 - ReFED Supports Innovators in De-Risking and Scaling Food Waste Solutions: Part 1

ReFED estimates that halving food waste by 2030, leveraging existing identified models, would require $18 billion a year, including $5 billion in catalytic funding. In response, the national nonprofit launched a Catalytic Grant Fund to provide monies to de-risk and scale solutions to food waste, from prevention to food recovery to recycling. The hope is that what these innovators do with the money will unlock more funding from traditional sources and accelerate their impact in ways that would be unlikely without this initial boost.

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#4 - How New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Embraces Sustainability in The Big Easy

New Orleans, a city that's more than 300 years old, is steeped in culture and rich history. It sits on a sliver of dry land at the foot of the Mississippi River, which creates challenges when it comes to waste collection and transfer, especially with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

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#3 - How Closed-Loop Recycling Programs Benefit Automobile Manufacturers

As the global automotive industry strives to reach ambitious sustainability targets, most notably regarding carbon emissions, it continues to gravitate toward the world’s infinitely recyclable material—aluminum. In fact, aluminum can be recycled and reused endlessly without losing its material properties. This phenomenon is the foundation of a circular economy for the automotive industry fueled by closed-loop and end-of-life recycling.

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#2 - Macquarie Asset Management Acquires Majority Stake in Coastal Waste & Recycling

Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) has acquired majority ownership of Florida-based Coastal Waste & Recycling. The acquisition is aimed at accelerating Coastal's growth. Operations and existing services are expected to remain the same, with CEO Brendon Pantano continuing in his role.

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#1 - Accelerating Demand for Scrap Metals Drives Need to Prove Supply Chain Integrity

Demand for recycled metals is steadily climbing; Wood Mackenzie projects demand for steel scrap will grow another 200 million tons a year and aluminum by 75 million tons a year by 2040. With that trend, as with other commodities, the pressure is on to ensure supply chain integrity. In answer, commodities trading facilitator Orbex developed a trading platform for certified recycled metals.

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