Newsworthy

> MUNICIPAL RECYCLING

Waste Management Opens Single-Stream MRF in Arizona

Houston-based Waste Management (WM) has announced that its Arizona Community Ecocenter material recovery facility (MRF) in Surprise, Ariz., is now operational. In a news release announcing the opening, WM says the single-stream MRF features the latest available technology.

The 65,000-square-foot facility has the capacity to process more than 10,000 tons of material per month, more than double the processing capacity of WM’s previous Surprise MRF, which the company recently closed. The new MRF cost more than $20 million to build, according to WM, and includes magnets, screens, optical scanners and eddy current separators
.
“We are constantly striving to optimize our efficiency by utilizing advances in recycling technology,” says Pat DeRueda, WM Recycle America president. “This facility showcases the latest single-stream recycling equipment, which will ultimately allow us to offer more recycling programs to our customers.”

 > MUNICIPAL RECYCLING

Venture Capital Firms Introduce ReCommunity

Pegasus Capital LLC, an affiliate of Pegasus Capital Advisors L.P., and Intersection LLC, Westport, Conn., have announced the creation of Re Community Holdings LP (ReCommunity), a new entity formed in partnership with MissionPoint Capital Partners LLC, HarbourVest Partners LLC and Ares Capital Corp. The formation of ReCommunity follows the closing of the acquisition of select recycling assets of FCR Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Casella Waste Systems Inc., Rutland, Vt. 

ReCommunity will serve as a strategic platform focused on “recovering, recycling and repowering communities across the country,” according to a press release issued by Pegasus Capital, which has main offices in Cos Cob, Conn., and New York. The companies acquired FCR’s assets for $134.1 million in gross proceeds, including an estimated $3.7 million working capital adjustment.

The acquisition includes FCR recycling assets located outside of Casella’s core operating region of New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and northern Pennsylvania, including 17 material recovery facilities (MRFs), one transfer station and certain related intellectual property assets.

The intellectual property assets include patents related to sorting methods, MRF automation and the production of engineered fuel feedstock. The transaction includes an ongoing technology use license to Casella that allows that company to use the intellectual property in its own business subject to certain restrictions.

James Bohlig, former senior vice president and director of Casella Waste Systems; Paula Calabrese, former director of strategic planning for Casella; and Sean Duffy, the former president of FCR who managed all of Casella’s FCR recycling operations, will lead ReCommunity.

“The core of our strategy is to continue and expand our record of long-term community partnership and work together toward a more fiscally and environmentally sustainable future,” Bohlig says.

> NONMETALLICS

ACC Reports Growth in Rigid Plastics Recycling

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), Washington, D.C., has released a report highlighting the sharp increase in the collection and recycling of post-consumer non-bottle rigid plastics in the United States. The report, prepared by Moore Recycling Associates Inc., Sacramento, Calif., found that in 2009, nearly 480 million pounds of post-consumer rigid plastics were collected for recycling nationwide, an increase of nearly 33 percent from 2008 and a 47 percent increase since 2007.

Non-bottle rigid plastics include nondurable items such as high-density polyethylene (PE) tubs, polypropylene (PP) cups and similar food containers and durable items, such as pallets, crates, carts, 5-gallon buckets and electronic housings.

According to the report, more plastics reclaimers have started processing non-bottle HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and PP containers to produce resins for new end products.

The report also finds the number of processors, end users and reclaimers of rigid plastics increased in 2009 as did the number of communities offering rigid plastics recycling.

The report is based on data supplied by 60 post-consumer plastic processors, end-users and exporters across the United States.

The full report is available at www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/sec_content.asp?CID=1593&DID=11690.

> NONMETALLICS

Japanese Firm Plans to Build PET Recycling Plant in Tennessee

The Japanese company VIAM Manufacturing has announced plans to locate a plant in Manchester, Tenn., that will produce PET (polyethylene terephthalate) stable carpet fiber from clear recycled PET bottles. The new facility will be operated by VICAM, a newly formed subsidiary of Japan Vilene Co. (JVC). It will be managed by VIAM Manufacturing.

The company will use fiber technology by the Japanese company Oyama Chemical. The carpet fiber produced by the plant will be used in headliner, seat backs and door panels for the automotive industry. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development says the plant is expected to open in January 2012 and represents an investment of $32 million.

“I welcome VICAM to Tennessee and thank JVC, VIAM Manufacturing and Oyama Chemical for their confidence in our state’s business-friendly climate and high-quality workforce,” says Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. “Japan has long been Tennessee’s largest foreign investor nation, and we are particularly grateful for the growing presence of Japanese companies in the Volunteer State and the investment and jobs they bring,” he adds.

The plant will be located on a 12-acre site that will house a 44,000-square-foot facility with the capability for a future expansion of 120,000 square feet.

JVC, established in 1960 in Japan, is a manufacturer of nonwoven products. The company expanded its operation into North America in 1983 with the establishment of VIAM Manufacturing Inc. in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and then VIAM Tennessee in Manchester in 1999. In 2008, VIAM’s Manchester location became the headquarters for VIAM North America.

> SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS

MARAD Celebrates the Opening of West Coast Ship Recycling Facility

David Matsuda, administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), joined California state and local officials in mid-February at a ribbon-cutting ceremony opening a new ship recycling facility on the West Coast.

At its peak, Allied Defense Recycling (ADR), Petaluma, Calif., says it expects to employ more than 100 people at its new location.

Prior to the creation of the new facility, obsolete ships were cleaned before removal from the Suison Bay area in California and towed 5,000 miles through the Panama Canal to MARAD-approved recycling facilities located along the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Coast.

ADR, using the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, will remove marine growth on the dry dock and recycle the ships at its California facility.

Most of the Mare Island complex has been shut down since the United States Navy left the facility in 1996. In 2009, ADR received approval to open a ship dismantling and repair service on the site.

Since receiving the contracts from MARAD, ADR reports having hired 50 people.

> SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS

Upstate Shredding – Ben Weitsman Acquires New York State Recycling Company

Upstate Shredding – Ben Weitsman, headquartered in Owego, N.Y., has announced an agreement to purchase Genesee Scrap and Shredding, Rochester, N.Y. The deal was expected to be completed by the end of March 2011.

Upstate says the purchase is its largest acquisition to date. Top Genesee executives, including its CEO Louis Atkin and General Manager Aaron Weiner, will remain with the company. Genesee is a full-service scrap metal recycling and auto shredding company operating in the greater Rochester area.

“Genesee is an old-time scrap business with diversified services running an older, smaller auto shredder,” says Adam Weitsman, president of Upstate Shredding. “Upstate is currently consulting with Riverside Engineering, a leading manufacturer of metal processing equipment, on a major upgrade to the Genesee shredding operation.”

Steve Green, Upstate vice president, says, “We will be installing a new shedder, between 6,000 and 10,000 horsepower, as well as making substantial improvements to the nonferrous separation system.”

Green says that with the addition of the Rochester facility and Upstate’s newly announced Pennsylvania locations, the company will process approximately 1 million tons of ferrous scrap per year.

Improvements scheduled for the Genesee yard include a new stormwater system, paving dirt yards with asphalt to prevent groundwater contamination and to control water runoff, noise abatement, upgrades to yard equipment and trucking fleets, renovations to structures and landscaping.

The acquisition of Genesee Scrap follows Upstate Shredding’s purchase of Brenner Recycling, Hazleton, Pa., in early February.

> NONMETALLICS

MBA Polymers Obtains Expansion Funding

MBA Polymers Inc., based in Richmond, Calif., reports that it has completed its recent round of equity funding, raising $15 million. The funding, led by Ambienta I, Europe’s largest private equity fund that specializes in environmental investments, has increased the company’s most recent financing to $40 million.

MBA says proceeds from the funding will be used to support its existing operations and growth plans, including building new factories in Europe and Asia. The company presently operates facilities in China, Austria and the United Kingdom.

Along with the investment, Ambienta I will become a minority shareholder in MBA Polymers. Additionally, Nino Tronchetti Provera, CEO and founding partner of Ambienta SGR, will be added to MBA Polymer’s board of directors.

MBA Polymers has developed a process to recover high-value plastics from complex waste streams. The company says its process allows it to extract plastics from items such as household appliances, computer and business equipment and automobiles. MBA says the result is more energy-efficient plastics at a quality level that can be virtually indistinguishable from virgin resins.

In a press release, MBA Polymers notes that its processes require one-tenth of the energy and natural resources of traditional plastics factories.

“We believe that Ambienta will provide strong strategic and operational value to MBA given its investment objectives and geographical location,” says Richard McCombs, CEO of MBA Polymers. “With Ambienta SGR’s investment, MBA will be able to continue our aggressive growth to meet our customers’ needs for high quality post-consumer recycled plastic,” he continues. “Ambienta SGR is an active investor, and we are delighted that Nino Tronchetti Provera will be joining MBA’s board of directors.”

Provera says, “Plastic not only accounts for almost 10 percent of the worldwide consumption of oil but also has the lowest recycling rates of all high value basic materials and represents probably the most problematic to handle as a waste. This is the reason we have been following MBA Polymers’ progress in the last years, and we believe that what the company has achieved is really remarkable, particularly looking at 2010 results.”
Also taking part in the recent funding has been Keating Capital Inc., a Colorado-based venture capital firm. The firm has reported that it has invested an additional $900,000 in MBA Polymers, one of its existing portfolio companies.

In its announcement, Keating says the investment is part of an extension of MBA Polymers’ Series G Convertible Preferred Stock financing in which a total of about $14.6 million was raised.

Keating Capital had previously invested $1.1 million in the initial closing of the company’s $25 million financing round in October 2010.

Commenting on its increased investment in MBA Polymers, Timothy Keating, Keating Capital CEO, says, “As our assets under management increase, we will be correspondingly increasing the average size of our new portfolio company investments. In the case of MBA Polymers, we were pleased to have had the opportunity to add to an existing position within our portfolio.”

> SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS

Metalico Acquires Bethlehem Steel Plant in Western New York

Metalico Inc., based in Cranford, N.J., has purchased a portion of the former Bethlehem Steel/Mittal complex in western New York, including an abandoned galvanizing mill, from Great Lakes Industrial Development LLC. Metalico says it will site an 80/104 auto shredder at the location.

The 44-acre site includes a 177,500-square-foot building, which Metalico says will house the new auto shredder.

Metalico says the new location has the appropriate zoning and approvals are in place for outdoor storage and processing of scrap metals.

The planned shredder will be powered by a 4,000-horsepower electric motor with an operating speed of 600 rpms, suitable for processing from 100 tons to 120 tons per hour of scrap. The installation will include a new downstream separation system to maximize the recovery of nonferrous metals.

Metalico says it expects to produce 120,000 tons per year of shredded steel scrap by combining feedstock generated from its own yards and material available for purchase in the region.

The company says it expects to make a capital investment of more than $10 million for the acquisition of the property, equipment and related improvements at the site. Metalico has plans to add two more scrap buying centers in the area to obtain material to supply the shredder.

> ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

Alcoa Takes Minority Stake in ERI

The aluminum company Alcoa, based in Pittsburgh, has invested $10 million in Electronic Recyclers International (ERI). The investment gives Alcoa a 10 percent stake in ERI, headquartered in Fresno, Calif.

As part of the investment, Kevin Anton, Alcoa vice president and chief sustainability officer, will become a director of ERI. Prior to leading Alcoa’s sustainability efforts, Anton served as vice president, finance and strategy, for Alcoa
Global Primary Products. He brings more than 30 years of leadership in the metals and mining industry to the board.

“We see tremendous opportunity for aluminum in the consumer electronics market,” he says. “This partnership between our two companies enhances Alcoa’s ability to deliver on its commitment to sustainability by increasing the recycling of consumer electronics and driving sustainable practices.

“As the country’s largest e-waste recycler, ERI shares Alcoa’s commitment to financial success, environmental excellence and social responsibility, and I look forward to working with ERI to drive recycling in the consumer electronics market,” Anton adds.

Alcoa’s investment will help to further develop ERI’s recycling technologies and to expand its geographic footprint across the United States. At present ERI has seven recycling centers in the United States: two plants in Fresno as well as plants in Denver, Seattle, Dallas, Indianapolis and Boston.

Alcoa also has announced that it will become an enterprise member of the Basel Action Network’s e-Stewards certification program for electronics recyclers.

“Aluminum’s use in the global consumer electronics market continues to increase rapidly, and we are honored to partner with Alcoa, a leader in the industry,” says John Shegerian, ERI co-founder, chairman and CEO. “This partnership will allow us to continue expanding and improving our operations while keeping pace with the ever-growing demand for sustainable solutions to electronic waste.”

Anton points out that a growing percentage of electronic equipment contains aluminum. “Between 2010 and 2013, the use of aluminum in laptop computers is expected to increase by 30 percent,” he says.

Aluminum’s light weight, durability, heat conductivity and limitless surface finishes make aluminum an ideal metal for use in electronics, Anton adds.

> ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

Texas Program Tallies Consumer Participation in Computer Recycling

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has announced the results for the second year of its computer collection and recycling program. The program requires computer manufacturers selling equipment in the state to offer free recycling of their equipment.

Manufacturers collected for re-use or recycling 24.3 million pounds of computer equipment in the state in 2010, nearly twice the amount collected in 2009, according to the state agency.

Currently, 78 manufacturers representing 123 brands participate in the program.

> ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

SRS Opens Ontario Electronics Recycling Facility

Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS), with North American headquarters in Chicago, has started the processing line at its newest electronics recycling facility in Mississauga, Ontario. The company says that when the 287,000-square-foot plant is operating at full capacity, it will recycle 75,000 metric tons of electronic scrap per year. The new facility is roughly three times the size of SRS’ nearby Brampton, Ontario, electronics recycling facility, which processes 25,000 metric tons of electronic scrap per year.

The Mississauga facility will be the primary receiving point for the province’s mandated electronics recycling program, the company says.

The plant includes a fully mechanized, zero-waste process that will be capable of processing 20,000 pounds per hour of cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors and television sets; a full primary metals separation line that includes the newest separation technology employed by SRS; and advanced plastic separation technology that will double the recycling rate of the company’s current separation technologies, according to SRS.

Cindy Coutts, president of SRS Canada, says, “The economies of scale, security, energy efficiency, environmental performance and associated low carbon footprint provide our customers with better value and peace of mind for their recycling requirements.”

She adds, “There is an opportunity to recover, re-use and recycle an estimated 42,000 metric tons per year of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) in Ontario alone. With governments looking to progressive policies on waste diversion and key electronic product producers looking to close the loop on their WEEE, Sims’ is prepared to provide best-in-class electronics recycling services to residential consumers, businesses and provincial programs across Canada.”

> C&D RECYCLING

C&D Recycling Forum Returns to Baltimore Area this Fall

Construction & Demolition Recycling, a sister publication of Recycling Today, will host its second annual C&D Recycling Forum Sept. 25-27, 2011. The event will be held at the Turf Valley Resort & Conference Center in Ellicot City, Md., just outside of Baltimore.

The three-day event is designed for demolition contractors, general contractors, C&D processors, waste haulers, solid waste and recycling officials, government officials and scrap metal dealers and recyclers.

The C&D Recycling Forum will provide educational sessions covering a range of topics, from operations to case studies to end markets. More information about specific topics will be announced in the near future.

The event also features an exhibit hall, providing attendees an opportunity to network and learn from companies that deliver services and equipment to the industry.

Burwin Reed, a past attendee and speaker from Potomac Landfill, Dumfries, Va., said during 2010’s forum, “From the exhibitions to the presenters, it’s been very knowledgeable and energetic. People are learning a lot about what we do in the waste industry, and the C&D part is exciting because we’re taking materials and putting them back into the construction field, which is very good.”

Attendee and speaker at the 2010 event, Jenna Kunde of WasteCap Resource Solutions, Milwaukee, said, “Some of the sessions did provide some really excellent information.”

Video interviews with Reed, Kunde and other past attendees and speakers can be viewed at www.cdrecycler.com.

More information is available at www.cdrecycler.com/forum or by contacting 800-456-0707 or conference@gie.net. Exhibit and sponsorship information is available from Ed Gallo at egallo@gie.net.

> C&D RECYCLING

Shaw Industries Invests in GeoHay

The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), Dalton, Ga., has announced its support for Shaw Industries’ investment in GeoHay, an Inman, S.C.-based company that produces high-performance erosion control and stormwater management products made of 100 percent recycled carpet.

In a press release, CARE Executive Director Georgina Sikorski applauds the carpet manufacturer’s investment, calling it “an important step in ensuring continued diversion of post-consumer carpet from the nation’s landfills.”

According to Sikorski, GeoHay recycles old carpet into useful, economically viable products. As an additional bonus, she adds, GeoHay products benefit the environment wherever they are installed.

“Further growth and usage of GeoHay will help CARE achieve its mission of reducing post-consumer carpet going into the landfill, increasing recycling and finding market-based solutions for the use of post-consumer carpet,” Sikorski adds. “Shaw’s financial investment will help make that happen.”

The partnership between GeoHay and Shaw was announced in early 2011. Through the partnership, GeoHay offers a new market for the post-consumer carpet that Dalton-based Shaw collects nationally.

“This is new territory for Shaw,” says Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw. “But with more than 3.5 billion pounds of post-consumer carpet ending up in landfills every year, we know we must look beyond the traditional flooring industry for additional solutions.”

Shaw collects more than 100 million pounds of post-consumer carpet each year through its collection network throughout the United States.

> MUNICPAL RECYCLING

New Jersey DEP Awards $13 Million in Grants to Boost Recycling

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded $13 million in grants to various cities and counties in the state to help recycling efforts. The money comes through the state’s Recycling Enhancement Act. The grant program is funded by a $3-per-ton surcharge on trash disposed of at solid waste facilities throughout the state of New Jersey.

“These grants are an investment in our future,” says DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. “Local governments will use this money to continue to build even stronger recycling programs, as we all work to continue improving our recycling efforts. Recycling is a priority for the DEP. It is important for the environment by conserving landfills and resources and it generates tens of thousands of jobs in industries that collect, process and re-use recycled materials.”

According to a press released issued by the New Jersey DEP, the programs receiving the highest grant awards this year, based on their recycling achievements, are:
•    Jersey City, $267,670;
•    Vineland, $255,950;
•    Newark, $232,710;
•    Clifton, $207,100;
•    North Bergen, $172,540;
•    Toms River, $164,350;
•    South Brunswick, $149,200;
•    Edison, $148,580;
•    Millville, $141,270;
•    Piscataway, $135,870;
•    Cherry Hill, $133,690; and
•    Woodbridge, $130,520.

A complete list of grant payouts as well as other recycling data can be found online at www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/recycling/stats.htm.

> MUNICPAL RECYCLING

Alpine Waste Expands Altogether MRF

Commerce City, Colo.-based Alpine Waste & Recycling has broken ground on a $1.1 million expansion of its Altogether Recycling facility in north Denver. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of April.

The expansion will increase the Altogether MRF’s size and capacity by about two-thirds, according to a press release issued by Alpine Waste & Recycling. “The expansion reinforces Alpine’s six-year-old strategic direction as a business committed to sustainability and environmentalism, dedicated to helping other businesses on the same path,” the company says.

“As the community becomes increasingly educated to the benefits of recycling, we have seen a significant increase in the flow of materials into our Altogether Recycling plant,” says John Griffith, president of Alpine Waste. “We anticipate a continuation of that growth into the future and we want to be prepared to handle all of Metro Denver’s recycling demands.”

When complete, the plant will cover 52,000 square feet. Running two filtering and sorting lines simultaneously, the MRF will be able to process 15,000 tons of recyclables per month, up from 10,000.

Alpine says it also plans to examine ways to incorporate its nearby transfer station into the process, perhaps by re-directing pockets of trash that are high in recyclables.

When the Altogether Plant opened in September 2007, Alpine was contributing 200 tons of recyclables, collected largely from the company’s commercial clientele. Today that figure is closer to 1,500 tons.

Alpine Waste & Recycling hauls more than 130,000 tons of waste and recyclables per year. (For more information on the company, see “Double Down,” p. 60.)

> MUNICIPAL RECYCLING

Greenstar Recycling, Waste Pro USA Reach Marketing Agreement

Greenstar Recycling, Houston, and Waste Pro USA, Longwood, Fla., have announced an agreement for Waste Pro’s Atlanta service area. Waste Pro will receive recycling processing equipment while Greenstar market the recovered commodities from Waste Pro’s Atlanta recycling facility. The agreement gives Greenstar responsibility for marketing additional Waste Pro recyclable commodities in the South.

“This agreement is a strategic win for both parties,” says Matt Delnick, Greenstar Recycling CEO. “Waste Pro will expand its existing recycling operations in Atlanta and Greenstar will grow its commodity marketing business, resulting in better economies of scale for both businesses. Waste Pro represents an important customer segment for Greenstar—not only do we work directly with municipalities and businesses but also through strategic alliances with leading integrated waste management companies like Waste Pro.”

> Electronics Recycling

Esco Processing and Recycling Receives e-Stewards Certification

Esco Processing and Recycling LLC, Rogers, Ark., has announced that it now holds e-Stewards certification as well as ISO 14001 certification, which is required under the e-Stewards program. Esco says these accomplishments demonstrate its “commitment and adherence to the world’s highest standards for socially and environmentally responsible recycling.”

Since September 2010, Esco Processing and Recycling says it has experienced a 25 percent increase in incoming volume, much of which it attributes to its certified status.

Dewayne Burns, president and CEO of Esco Processing and Recycling, says, “Obtaining the e-Stewards Standard complemented EPR’s vision and business model for success as an accountable recycler. It is Esco Processing and Recycling’s mission to provide responsible recycling through our commitment to a zero-landfill policy and dedication to cradle to resource.”

> NONMETALLICS

Pictured from left: Coll Materials General Manager Ryan Morrow, Vice President of Procurement Susan Bieterman and Regional Account Manager Tom Quinn.

Columbia Gas Awards First Jobs Growth Fund Grant to Plastics Recycler

Columbia Gas of Ohio has awarded a grant of $50,000 to the plastics recycling company Coll Materials, based in Zanesville, Ohio, from the its new Jobs Growth Fund.

The fund, launched in July 2010 by the Columbus, Ohio, energy company, seeks to provide financial assistance to companies that create new jobs in Columbia Gas’ service territory.

Coll Materials says it will use the money to create 25 new jobs and to retain 48 existing positions in the Zanesville area. Coll Materials recently announced plans to invest $2.27 million in new equipment to increase its recycling capacity.

Jack Partridge, Columbia Gas of Ohio president, says of Coll Materials, “The company is at a critical point in its development, and the increased production capacity will ensure not only additional jobs but retention of good existing jobs in the Zanesville community.”

He adds, “As a local natural gas utility, we simply cannot pick up our pipes and move to another state or country. We have a vested interest in the economic growth and vitality of the communities we serve. Ohio needs jobs, and Columbia Gas is stepping up and investing dollars in companies that can make that happen.”

Renee Coll, co-owner and vice president of sales for Coll Materials, says, “As a rapidly growing company in the region, Coll Materials appreciates the resources Columbia Gas of Ohio is making available to business through the Jobs Growth Fund and the recognition that our region can create employment opportunities in a challenging economic climate. We are proud that our company, and our region, is receiving the first award from the Jobs Growth Fund.”

> MUNICIPAL RECYCLING

New Jersey City Recycling PSA Makes an Appeal to Taxpayers

Vision Media Marketing Inc., a Secaucus, N.J.-based public relations and media consulting firm, has produced a new bilingual public service announcement (PSA) promoting recycling in North Bergen, N.J.

The commercial, produced in English and Spanish versions for the North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority, is airing on cable television in northern Hudson County, N.J.

The PSA uses a narrator who urges viewers to recycle their cans, bottles, paper, plastic and electronics. After making an appeal based on environmental concerns and protecting the planet for future generations, the commercial’s script turns to property tax bills.

According to the PSA, North Bergen residents will experience lower taxes if they recycle because the North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority pays for solid waste removal but receives payment when residents recycle.

“This financial appeal differentiates the PSA from most other governmental recycling communication by persuading the audience with more than the typical environmental pitch,” says Paul Swibinski, president of Vision Media Marketing.

Swibinski says the dollars-and-cents portion of the script “provides an effective and persuasive argument for a wide segment of the viewing public.”

The spot ends with the narrator meeting North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who reiterates the importance of recycling to help the environment and the benefit to North Bergen taxpayers recycling can provide.
 
The PSA can be viewed by visiting http://vmmi.net/portfolio and clicking on the section titled “Video Gallery.”

> SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS

OmniSource Expands Ohio Facility

OmniSource Corp., a subsidiary of Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., has purchased 12 acres and a building in Toledo, Ohio, that is adjacent to the company’s scrap metal recycling facility in that city.

The purchase price for the land was approximately $1.35 million, according to a local report. OmniSource has received a special-use permit that allows the facility to be used as a recycling center.

Ben Eisbart, a spokesman for OmniSource, says the expansion will allow the company to boost its retail recycling business. “We are focused on being aggressive with our customer service,” Eisbart says.

OmniSource says it is pursuing a strategy to increase its retail recycling business across the company’s locations.

> NONMETALLICS

Axion International, Innovative Green Solutions Land Order for Recycled Plastic Railroad Ties

Axion International, New Providence, N.J., has announced that through its existing relationship with its sales representative, Innovative Green Solutions LLC (IGS), it has received an initial purchase order to supply its recycled structural composite (RSC) crossties to the Regional Transportation District in Colorado.

As part of the initial purchase order, Axion has delivered $20,000 worth of its RSC crossties to replace concrete ties. Axion’s RSC, made from 100 percent recycled plastic, will be used to replace concrete ties in the track. The Regional Transportation District operates the public transit services throughout the Denver-Aurora and Boulder metropolitan areas of Colorado.

“Axion’s RSC technology has been an ideal replacement for concrete ties in track immediately before and after bridge abutments,” says Mike Spalding, track superintendent for Denver Transit Construction Group, general contractor to the Regional Transportation District. “This order was requested so we could replace the cracking concrete ties that have surfaced due to the high levels of uneven pressure exerted on the crossties where the bridge and roadbed meet. Axion’s high-quality composite ties have proven to be extremely strong and durable, yet flexible enough to resist the type of cracking we have seen in concrete.”

He adds, “Not only has Axion’s RSC shown superior performance near bridges, it has also proven an extremely easy material to work with on the site. The material is pre-drilled and can be cut with conventional tools in a similar manner to wood, as opposed to the concrete ties that come in pre-fabricated forms and cannot be customized on-site.”

Steve Silverman, Axion president and CEO, says, “We look forward to meeting any of Colorado’s future public transportation needs as our customers continue to demonstrate the real-world applications of our RSC technology and its superior strength and long-life characteristics compared with more traditional railroad tie material such as timber and concrete.”

> ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

ECS Refining Purchases New Building

ECS Refining, based in Santa Clara, Calif., has purchased a 263,000-square-foot facility in Stockton, Calif., to house its electronics recycling division and a new recycling plant.

The company will move its primary California electronics recycling operation to the new facility, which will serve as the company’s western regional processing plant. The plant will handle more than 25 million pounds of materials per month, according to ECS.

The company says the plant will ramp up to full operation throughout the next few months. ECS’ current facilities in Santa Clara will continue as its corporate headquarters and the Western region’s base location for the processing of solar panels, resale operations and precious metals recovery, with the expansion of these operations possible.

> SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS

Metal Management West Signs Agreement with EPA on Cleanup

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Metal Management West Inc. have entered into a consent agreement under which Metal Management will pay a $75,000 penalty for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act’s program to prevent releases of ozone-depleting chemicals at its Salt Lake City facility.

The agreement resolves a complaint the EPA filed alleging that Metal Management disposed of equipment containing ozone-depleting chemicals without first verifying that the dangerous chemicals had been removed before it took final action.

> ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

Intechra’s Connecticut Facility Receives R2/RIOS Certification

The IT asset disposition (ITAD) company Intechra, headquartered in Jackson, Miss., has announced that its Hartford, Conn., processing facility has achieved R2/RIOS certification.

This certification combines the Responsible Recycling (R2) practices, developed by a group of stakeholders facilitated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with the Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS) certification, developed by the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries.

Michael Profit, Intechra president, says, “Coming on the heels of our R2/RIOS certification in both the Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas facilities, the certification of Intechra’s Hartford facility further reinforces our commitment to environmental stewardship, risk mitigation and our clients’ security.”