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Recycling Policy & IndustrySearch • Policy • Industry • ActionMaterials & Commodity Guide
Global markets & prices → · Industry research sources → · Selected reports → · Market methodology →
Source directory · Review dates and limits shown per source
Find market-price sources by material and region. These cards link to the publisher; they are not live price quotes or buying offers. Material families identify relevant services, not a guarantee that every grade or country has a published assessment.
9 of 9 sources match both filters.
Materials: Aluminum & cans · PET & other plastics · Glass
Regions: California
California eligible beverage-container materials; not all scrap grades.
Information: Monthly processor-reported scrap-value averages and notice history.
Access: Public notices
Last successful source-page review: October 22, 2026
Still August 2026 reporting period, posted October 1; no newer monthly notice identified.
Visit original source ↗Materials: Aluminum & cans · Copper & brass · Steel & stainless
Regions: Global
Global metal reference contracts, including aluminum, copper and selected steel/scrap products; exact contract basis varies.
Information: Exchange prices, contract definitions, market reports and the U.S. aluminum UBC scrap contract.
Access: Public information; data access varies; website redistribution requires applicable licensing
Last successful source-page review: October 22, 2026
Official U.S. UBC contract page reviewed; no price feed copied or current local offer inferred.
Visit original source ↗Materials: Aluminum & cans · Copper & brass · Steel & stainless · PET & other plastics
Regions: United States & Canada · Europe · United Kingdom · Global
Regional scrap-metal and recycled-polymer markets across North America, Europe and other markets. Confirm coverage for the exact grade and location.
Information: Scrap assessments, used-beverage-can markets, recycled PET/PE/PP prices, analysis and methodology.
Access: Public overviews and selected articles; detailed services generally subscription
Last successful source-page review: October 22, 2026
Public scrap-service overview reviewed; no subscriber assessment or grade-specific current price verified.
Visit original source ↗Materials: Aluminum & cans · Copper & brass · Steel & stainless · Cardboard & paper
Regions: United States & Canada · Europe · United Kingdom · Global
Scrap metals and recovered paper in regional North American, European and international markets; availability depends on the series.
Information: Grade-specific assessments, methodology, news and recovered-paper analysis. Includes the American Metal Market and Metal Bulletin heritage.
Access: Public methodology and selected news; detailed pricing generally subscription
Last successful source-page review: October 22, 2026
October 13 North American recovered-paper methodology notice reviewed; publisher reports no methodology changes.
Visit original source ↗Materials: PET & other plastics
Regions: United States & Canada · Europe · Global
Recycled PET and polyethylene in Europe, the United States and Asia. A regional family label does not establish a quote for every country.
Information: Recycled-plastics price reports, methodology and regional supply/demand analysis.
Access: Public methodology and selected news; detailed reports generally subscription
Last successful source-page review: October 16, 2026
October 22 direct retrieval failed; current service details and paid reports were not reverified.
Visit original source ↗Materials: Aluminum & cans · Copper & brass · Steel & stainless · PET & other plastics · Cardboard & paper
Regions: Europe · United Kingdom
European recycled-material markets, including country-specific paper, plastics and metal coverage; consult each report’s scope.
Information: Market-price developments, industry news, capacity and policy analysis.
Access: Selected public material; full reports and price tables generally subscription
Last successful source-page review: October 16, 2026
October 22 direct retrieval failed; current reports and prices were not reverified.
Visit original source ↗Materials: Aluminum & cans · Steel & stainless · PET & other plastics · Cardboard & paper · Glass
Regions: United States & Canada
North American regional recovered materials and recovered paper. Metal grades and local coverage must be checked in the index.
Information: Secondary Materials Pricing and Secondary Fiber Pricing, regional price ranges and historical information.
Access: Public service information; price-index access by subscription
Last successful source-page review: October 22, 2026
Public SMP overview and regional coverage reviewed; no subscriber index values verified.
Visit original source ↗Materials: Aluminum & cans · Copper & brass · Steel & stainless · PET & other plastics · Cardboard & paper · Glass
Regions: United Kingdom
UK recycling-market guides; currency, material grade and delivery basis vary by table.
Information: Monthly indicative metals, paper, plastics, glass and other material-price guides.
Access: Public guides; consult publisher terms before reproducing figures
Last successful source-page review: October 22, 2026
Public guide introduction reviewed. Indicative UK physical-material guides and PRN compliance credits are different measures.
Visit original source ↗Materials: Aluminum & cans · Copper & brass · Steel & stainless
Regions: United States & Canada · Europe · Global
Americas, Europe and Asia metals/recycled-metal services; check exact commodity and regional plan.
Information: Recycled-metal, steel and secondary-alloy benchmarks, news and analysis.
Access: Public service information; detailed benchmark services generally subscription
Last successful source-page review: October 22, 2026
Public service and index-methodology overview reviewed; no licensed benchmark values reproduced.
Visit original source ↗Compare the same basis: grade, place, reporting date, currency, weight unit, delivery terms and deductions. Keep exchange benchmarks, commercial assessments, CalRecycle averages and CRV program payments separate. UK PRN compliance-credit prices are also distinct from the value of the physical recyclable material.
Detailed data may require a subscription. A subscription does not automatically grant public redistribution rights. No paid feed is offered or purchased here; licensed pricing remains a future option.
How to read market numbers → · Thursday Materials & Markets Watch →
12 material guides · Practical guidance, not a buyer’s acceptance contract
Old corrugated containers (OCC), sorted corrugated boxes and mixed paperboard are different buyer grades.
Keep dry; flatten boxes; remove food, foam and loose plastic. Ask the buyer whether coated, waxed or wet-strength packaging is accepted.
Paper mills, recovered-paper dealers and commercial recycling services.
Moisture, non-paper material, bale density, minimum load and freight can determine the net value.
Office paper, mixed paper, newsprint and paperboard should be identified separately.
Separate confidential documents for secure handling; keep paper dry; agree on shredded-paper and coated-paper acceptance.
Recovered-paper dealers, mills and document-destruction providers.
Ask about grade, destruction certificates where needed, contamination limits and collection charges.
Clean copper, mixed copper and insulated wire have different recovery yields and buying specifications.
Separate wire from bare copper and other metals. Do not burn insulation; disclose coatings and attachments.
Nonferrous scrap buyers and wire-recovery processors.
Request the buyer’s grade definition, estimated copper recovery and any testing or deduction method.
Beverage cans, extrusion, sheet, cast aluminum and mixed assemblies are distinct streams.
Separate cans from non-container scrap and remove loose steel, plastic and other attachments as the buyer requires.
Nonferrous buyers, can processors and secondary aluminum facilities.
A beverage-container scrap benchmark does not price extrusion or cast scrap. Keep CRV claims separate.
Copper-alloy scrap includes fittings, valves and different brass or bronze alloys.
Separate from copper, aluminum and steel; disclose plating, solder and mixed attachments.
Nonferrous buyers and alloy processors.
Buyer alloy testing and contamination rules matter; appearance alone does not establish a grade.
Light iron, heavy steel, structural scrap and cast iron may have different size and density specifications.
Keep loads free of sealed containers, batteries and hazardous contents; arrange safe handling and agreed dimensions.
Ferrous yards, shredders and steel-mill supply processors.
Confirm prepared versus unprepared pricing, cutting charges, gross/tare weights and pickup terms.
Different stainless alloys and mixed stainless loads can have different values.
Separate from ordinary steel; ask for alloy identification when the grade is unknown.
Specialty alloy buyers and nonferrous or ferrous processors.
Confirm testing, alloy grade and mixed-load deductions before shipping.
Clear bottles, colored bottles, thermoforms and other PET products are different buyer streams.
Empty containers; keep resin and product types separate as required; exclude batteries and unrelated materials.
PET reclaimers, plastics brokers and beverage-container processors.
A resin code alone does not guarantee local acceptance, a buyer or CRV eligibility.
Natural and colored HDPE bottles, rigid products and industrial scrap have separate specifications.
Keep clean and separated; disclose prior contents and avoid mixing chemical containers into food-container streams.
HDPE reclaimers and plastics buyers.
Non-CRV products such as milk jugs do not become CRV-eligible because they share a resin with eligible containers.
LDPE film, stretch wrap, PP rigid plastics and mixed resins need distinct acceptance checks.
Separate clean commercial film from dirty film and multilayer packaging; do not put film in a program without confirmation.
Specialist film and rigid-plastic reclaimers.
Confirm resin, color, cleanliness and minimum volume. Mixed materials can have collection costs instead of revenue.
Container glass, flat glass, ceramics and heat-resistant glass are not interchangeable buyer grades.
Keep ceramics, stones and incompatible glass out of container-glass loads; follow color and particle-size specifications.
Glass beneficiation facilities, cullet buyers and certified beverage-container processors.
Freight, contamination and end-market requirements can outweigh commodity value; separate CRV accounting.
Electronics, batteries, used oil, tires, appliances and vehicle components require their own collection routes.
Use the relevant specialist program. Isolate batteries and identify fluids or hazardous residues before shipment.
Authorized collectors and specialist recyclers linked through the Industries and Find Recycling pages.
A commodity buyer is not automatically authorized to receive every regulated waste stream.
Source review · October 16, 2026
Research, commodity specifications and market references for California recycling decisions. Government requirements, association findings, exchange benchmarks and this platform’s analysis are identified separately. These links do not imply endorsement or partnership.
Dated California beverage-container scrap averages and notice history.
Scope: Processor-reported averages; not a buyer offer, CRV refund, handling fee or processing payment.
Open original source ↗Can recycling, recycled content, material value and life-cycle research.
Scope: Attribute industry-sponsored findings and compare studies only when their scope and methods align. Some statistical reports require membership or purchase.
Open original source ↗PET collection, reclamation capacity, end-market demand and recycled-content research.
Scope: Separate PET bottles from thermoforms and publication date from data year. Public summaries and paid full reports have different access terms.
Open original source ↗Bale quality, contamination, sortability and packaging-design guidance.
Scope: Technical guidance does not establish California CRV eligibility or guarantee that an individual buyer accepts a load.
Open original source ↗Grade and quality language for ferrous/nonferrous metals, paper, plastics and glass.
Scope: Buyer and seller must agree on their specification. These guidelines are not California statutes or mandatory acceptance rules.
Open original source ↗Official aluminum, copper and other metals references; contract definitions and market education.
Scope: Exchange benchmarks differ from California scrap purchase offers. Public price feeds require the appropriate redistribution rights; this page links to sources instead.
Open original source ↗Paper/cardboard recovery, mill use and published recycling-rate methodology.
Scope: National recovery statistics do not establish local OCC prices or buyer acceptance. Retain published ranges and methodology rather than converting them to false precision.
Open original source ↗Materials & Markets Watch · Updated October 22, 2026
October 22 additions and older research are clearly dated. Thursday CRV Weekly will select material developments with a California operational or policy implication rather than repeat every industry headline.
Published: October 19, 2026
Coverage: California law and upcoming implementation · not a new statistical reporting period
APR published an explanation supporting third-party verification and traceability of postconsumer recycled plastic in beverage containers. Publication of the article is not a new legal effective date.
Manufacturers and reclaimers need credible origin and chain-of-custody records. The article advocates for the law; it is not CalRecycle implementation guidance or proof of a particular certifier’s approval.
Compare the explanation with the current statute and agency instructions. Operators can ask buyers which provenance and material records they need. The official bill re-fetch was unavailable October 22, so its prior source-review date remains visible in the tracker.
Original publication ↗Published: October 19, 2026
Coverage: September 2026 and January–September 2026 · United States
AF&PA reports packaging and specialty-paper shipments up 2% from September 2025 and 4% across the first nine months. The full statistical tables and methodology are subscription material and were not reviewed.
National shipment changes can inform paper end-market discussions but do not identify California recovered-paper demand, local OCC prices, or CRV container volumes.
Ask the actual buyer for a current grade-, location- and delivery-specific quote. Do not convert national finished-paper shipments into a local scrap-price forecast.
Original publication ↗Published: October 21, 2026
Coverage: U.S. federal policy statement · no measured reporting period
The association urged federal action on permitting reform for primary and recycled aluminum production and supporting energy infrastructure.
Downstream investment and energy constraints can affect recycled-aluminum markets over time. The statement is not an enacted California permit change, approved project or can-scrap price assessment.
Track actual bill text, enactment and project approvals before revising a California expansion budget. Keep primary smelting, recycled-metal processing and consumer redemption economics distinct.
Original publication ↗Published: October 13, 2026 · newly reviewed October 22
Coverage: Annual methodology consultation August 18–September 16, 2026 · North America
The publisher reports that no methodology changes follow its annual consultation. This is not a newly published price movement or a California buyer offer.
Index-linked agreements depend on exact grade, location, frequency and quotation basis. Stable methodology does not mean prices are stable.
Identify the exact licensed series used in any contract and read its specification. No proprietary price table is reproduced here.
Original publication ↗Published: October 6, 2026
Coverage: U.S. primary aluminum capacity and energy analysis
SAFE published Strategic Loads, examining power cost and reliability as constraints on U.S. primary aluminum production. Its October 12 smelter map provides geographic context.
Primary-metal supply conditions are useful background for the recycled-aluminum value chain, but do not directly determine an operator’s scrap offer or CRV payments.
Read the capacity and energy assumptions; discuss downstream demand and contract exposure with buyers. Do not assume a primary-smelter change is a can-recycling facility closure.
Original publication ↗Published: June 9, 2026
Coverage: 2024 data · United States and Canada
NAPCOR’s thermoform analysis reports 264 million pounds collected for recovery in 2024 alongside continuing contamination, processing-loss and infrastructure challenges.
More collection does not necessarily mean proportionate growth in usable recycled feedstock or buyer demand. Thermoforms must be distinguished from PET beverage bottles.
Confirm the buyer’s PET bottle/thermoform mixture and contamination limits before combining streams. Review public findings or obtain lawful access to the complete report.
Original publication ↗Published: December 2024
Coverage: Use the report’s individual metric years and geographic definitions
The association’s research library identifies the aluminum-can KPI report as a December 2024 publication; it covers consumer/industry recycling, recycled content, circularity and material value.
These are different indicators with different denominators. A recently shared newsletter does not make an older study new or make a national rate a California rate.
Check each metric’s methodology, reporting year and geography before using it in policy work. Avoid sustainability rankings built from incompatible studies.
Original publication ↗Read the current Thursday digest → · October 16 launch archive → · Thursday briefing and signup →
LME provides a specific U.S. used-beverage-can scrap contract, but it is still a contract benchmark, not a local purchase offer. LME says public website/app display requires a distribution licence. This guide uses source links; no licensed price feed is offered. Licensed pricing can be considered later if readership and demand justify the expense.
We summarize public findings in original wording and link to the publisher. Member-only reports, paid datasets and newsletter images are not reproduced here.
Use CalRecycle’s recycling locators and ReMA’s commodity specifications as starting points. The existing processor directory covers beverage-container processors; it is not a verified list of cardboard or copper buyers.
Official guidance: CalRecycle explains that businesses generating four cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week, and multifamily properties with five or more units, must arrange recycling services. Local requirements may be more specific. Mandatory commercial recycling.
Metal operations: Check hazardous-waste handling, residues and applicable facility requirements with DTSC and your local CUPA. Do not assume that every material entering a scrap yard is exempt from hazardous-waste controls. DTSC scrap-metal resources. DTSC pages were identified in official search results; full-page retrieval was blocked during this review.
Packaging & labeling: Material acceptance, recycled-content requirements, packaging EPR and recyclability claims are separate questions. CalRecycle packaging programs · Policy and SB 343 tracker · Legal and compliance resources.
Industry guidance: ReMA specifications describe traded commodity grades and quality expectations. They are industry guidelines, not California statutes; buyer and seller must agree on the actual specification.
Reviewed October 8, 2026: CalRecycle’s August 2026 beverage-container averages, posted October 1, are aluminum $1,706.45, glass $2.09, bimetal $63.16, PET $155.49 and HDPE $266.60 per ton. These initial processor-reported estimates may be revised. They do not change CRV refunds, handling fees or payable processing-payment rates. Official monthly notice and history.
No verified current statewide buying prices for cardboard, copper, brass, steel or non-container aluminum are published here. Get a dated, grade-specific quote from the actual buyer. Compare like grades and units and record freight and deductions.
Related Thursday briefingThe material cards are the platform’s practical preparation guidance. They do not reproduce detailed commodity specifications or promise local acceptance. Government links identify official requirements; ReMA is an industry source. Sources and market notice reviewed October 8, 2026; live acceptance and buyer prices must be reconfirmed.
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