Kickstart: Reversing the straw story in 2019

Last year, the top trending food story in the U.S., according to research group Hunter, was the outcry over plastic straws, and how they're disposed of (generally, poorly). Brands from Starbucks to McDonald's to American Airlines announced plans to drop single-use plastic straws, unless they were requsted.

But this year? The pendulum swung in the othe direction and Hunter said the No. 5 hottest trending food story was the "downside of ditching plastic straws."

"Champions of the disabled community expressed concern about the negative impact straw bans can have on those with physical limitations," Hunter noted. "Restaurants and bars that sought to comply with plastic straw laws found significant increases in overhead costs due to the high price of sustainable alternatives, many of which have proven to not be significantly eco-friendlier than the plastic straws in question."

The top trending story for 2019? The competition to see which fast food joint serves the best fried chicken sandwich.

Back in May, Jeremy Carroll headed to Taiwan for Plastics News to report on how machinery companies The island country of just 23.5 million residents is a powerhouse of machine building. The country had US$1.17 billion of plastics and rubber machinery exports in 2018. That's up a tick from the $1.16 billion reported in 2017. Companies in the country exported a total of 27,582 units, and it is the fifth-largest exporter of plastics machinery in the world. Its top export markets are China and the United States.on the small island were focusing on growth beyond Asia.

Timed originally to run during K 2019, you'll be able to find those stories this week on plasticsnews.com, starting with this overview of the emphasis on technology.

How big is the plastics industry in Taiwan? The island country has just 23.5 million residents but accounted for (US) $1.17 billion in machinery sales in 2018. It is the fifth-largest exporter of plastics machinery in the world.

The good news is, PET container recycling numbers have held steady in an increasingly complex recycling world. The bad news? They're not exactly climbing.

The National Association for PET Container Resources' latest data says container recycling was 28.9 percent in 2018 compared with 29.2 percent in 2017. But, the group warns, to meet demand from consumer brands for recycled content, those numbers must improve.

One attempt to increase those numbers already is facing pushback, with retailers in Michigan saying they would fight an attempt to extend the state's bottle bill to non-carbonated beverages such as water bottles.

The Michigan Retailers Association in a story from Reuters says the existing law "places a burden" on the grocery industry with already thin profit margins, claiming in a statement that an expansion "could lead to the closure of neighborhood grocery stores."