Using a custom-built barge fitted with a massive vacuum hose, Rivers and Dennis remove trash directly from the water, one dumpster at a time. What they find, Rivers and Dennis told the Chronicle, is often astonishing.

Last week, Texans for Clean Water welcomed legislators from across the country to Dallas for a behind-the-scenes tour of Indorama Ventures’ PET recycling facility, spotlighting how modern recycling infrastructure supports both cleaner waterways and a stronger American economy. The visit gave lawmakers a firsthand look at what happens after a plastic bottle goes into a bin—and why a steady supply of recyclable material is now a strategic resource for manufacturers. Indorama Ve

Manufacturers, recyclers and policy analysts unite behind “recycling refunds,” calling them the linchpin for scaling domestic supply chains and cutting costs to local governments.

Federal trade policy has jolted the aluminum market, doubling tariffs on imported metal and pushing manufacturers to source more material domestically. That shock has a silver lining in that it highlights the cheapest, cleanest, and fastest path to real “made-in-America” supply, recycling our own cans.

A new study from Dr. Raymond Robertson of Texas A&M University, combined with fresh global trade warnings, makes clear that Texas must take control of its recycling future. The research demonstrates that U.S. imports of plastic waste are uniquely unstable, heading towards collapse when tariffs change, while global experts now warn that tariff-driven costs will weigh heavily on American consumers and manufacturers through 2026.

Recent changes to trade policy have expanded tariffs to include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin—the plastic used to make water and soda bottles—adding another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile global marketplace. Both virgin and recycled PET (rPET) are now subject to the new tariff rules, raising concerns for beverage brands, manufacturers, and recyclers alike.

The U.S. aluminum industry is at a crossroads. Once the global leader in primary production, America’s smelters have dwindled to a fraction of their former capacity. In 1980, thirty-three smelters produced more than 4.6 million metric tons of primary aluminum annually. Today, only a handful remain, producing less than 700,000 metric tons. The reason is clear: America lost its competitive edge on power.

America doesn’t have an aluminum shortage — it has an aluminum collection problem. Right now, billions of dollars’ worth of this...