Municipal

Republic Services opens Southern Nevada Recycling Center

Nov. 12, 2015, Phoenix-based Republic Services Inc. opened its Southern Nevada Recycling Center, which is capable of processing 2 million pounds of recyclables per day, or 70 tons per hour, according to the company, which adds that the material recovery facility (MRF) is expected to double recycling capacity in the area.

“This is a special day for people throughout Southern Nevada, especially our customers,” said Tim Oudman, area president of Republic Services, at the grand opening. “A recycling center of this magnitude is a bold undertaking and reflects our community’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Southern Nevada is home to considerable natural beauty, and we are truly proud to invest in its preservation.”

The Southern Nevada Recycling Center features several advanced recycling technologies, according to Republic Services, including five optical sorters that use 2D and 3D technologies to make material separation decisions. The center’s recycling systems were supplied and installed by equipment manufacturer The CP Group, San Diego, and include an automated, touch-screen control system and tablet-based capabilities, allowing for real-time systems management and monitoring, data acquisition and remote access.

Republic installed a learning center in the Southern Nevada Recycling Center that features sustainability oriented educational displays and community videos and a live video stream of recycling operations. The learning center also offers visitors a 360-degree view of the recycling process in an observation deck that sits above live operations.

Republic Services says sustainability was a priority throughout the design and construction of the Southern Nevada Recycling Center, which was provided by Cambridge Cos. of Griffith, Indiana.

The Southern Nevada Recycling Center is next to an existing 88,000-square-foot recycling facility. Together they comprise the largest known residential recycling operation in North America.

Spanish company receives Dallas recycling contract

Madrid-based FCC (Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas), a Spanish environmental services, infrastructure and water management group with U.S. headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas, reports it has secured a contract to build and operate a plant to manage all of the single-stream recyclables in Dallas for a period of 15 years.

The contract, which FCC says could be extended an additional 10 years, is expected to have a turnover volume of $300 million during its lifetime.

A company spokesman says construction of the materials recovery facility (MRF) is expected to begin in 2016, with operations beginning by early 2017.

FCC says the plant will use the latest in automated sorting and classification techniques, including optical and gravimetric sorting technology.

According to a press release issued by Burns & McDonnell, the Kansas City, Missouri-based construction and design firm serving as an advisor to the city of Dallas, the $20 million facility, to be constructed at the McCommas Bluff Landfill in Dallas, is expected to process up to 120,000 tons of material per year.

Burns & McDonnell reports it advised the city on preparing a competitive proposal process that allowed companies to propose either a processing services agreement, a new facility on a 15-acre site at the landfill or both.

Burns & McDonnell says seven firms responded to the request for proposals, with FCC submitting the strongest proposal.

Scott Pasternak, project manager for Burn & McDonnell, says, “This partnership between the city and FCC should provide a solid foundation for continued efforts to increase recycling in the city of Dallas and surrounding communities.”

California’s Alameda County businesses and multifamily property owners face fines for violating recycling ordinance

The Alameda (California) County Waste Management Authority has begun issuing fines to businesses and multifamily property owners still in violation of Alameda County’s Mandatory Recycling Ordinance. To date, more than 100 citation notices have been served, and more are expected as routine inspections continue, the agency says. However, of the locations inspected this year, the majority was found to be in compliance with the ordinance at the time of inspection, the authority says.

The law, which went into effect in 2012, requires businesses and multifamily property owners to establish adequate recycling collection service. Additionally, businesses are required to separate recyclables and/or organics into the correct containers. Although the county’s cities and unincorporated areas participate in the ordinance to varying degrees and with different implementation schedules, most have at least basic recycling requirements in place.

The Alameda County Waste Management Authority says it has reached out to businesses and property owners to assist with compliance. The authority says the few businesses and properties that are still in violation of the ordinance have received multiple communications from the authority, including an official notification and a notice to correct violation letter. Still not having taken corrective measures, these noncompliant locations now face fines.

“The Mandatory Recycling Ordinance has been in place for almost three years, and the primary goal of the authority has been education,” says Enforcement Officer Brian Mathews. “We are only now issuing the first citations. The cities, haulers and authority have given businesses and multifamily property owners ample time to comply or seek assistance before issuing citations.”

All citations issued by the authority are reviewed and approved by staff in the city or unincorporated county area where the business or multifamily building is located. Fines can vary from $100 for a single violation to $400 depending on the number and type of violation(s). Continued noncompliance can result in additional penalties, the authority says.

A 30-day appeal period allows fine recipients to contest the citation.

The authority says it considers citations a last resort. “We are here to serve as a resource for businesses and multifamily property owners that have questions about the Mandatory Recycling Ordinance or are in need of assistance,” says Gary Wolff, P.E., Ph.D., Alameda County Waste Management Authority executive director. He says the agency has helped thousands of local enterprises collect recyclables and organics.

Heineken USA joins The Recycling Partnership

The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, a national nonprofit committed to improving curbside residential recycling, has welcomed Heineken USA, White Plains, New York, its first alcohol company member. As a leading sponsor, the brewing company says it will provide industry expertise to help improve consumer education, elevate the quality of curbside recycling and drive increased recovery of recyclable glass.

“Welcoming Heineken USA to our strong network of partners and sponsors will accelerate our efforts to improve the recycling infrastructure and address glass recycling opportunities,” says Keefe Harrison, executive director of The Recycling Partnership. “The company brings specific expertise that we believe will help amplify the reach of our recycling programs. We are eager to welcome the team at Heineken USA into our diverse and dedicated group of funding partners.”

Heineken USA says it knows that improving curbside recycling significantly reduces impacts on the environment and leads to healthier and more sustainable communities. Increased recycling in the Recycling Partnership’s first six grantee communities translates to a 10-year savings of 485,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. That equates to the annual energy use of more than 44 thousand homes, the company says.

“We want to ensure that our products are consumed responsibly throughout their entire life cycle, and that includes the consistent and efficient recycling of our bottles and cans,” says Tara Rush, Heineken USA chief corporate relations officer. “Educating consumers and working with communities to support recycling is critical to our Brewing a Better World strategy, and we are confident that our collaboration with The Recycling Partnership will help us to create a positive and lasting impact on the environment.”

Heineken USA is a subsidiary of Heineken International NV.

Pennsylvania maintains steady recycling course

A study by the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association (PWIA) has concluded that “although recycling has generated questions around its costs and other complex issues, Pennsylvania continues to be a national leader” in recycling.

“The amount of materials recycled [per person] in the commonwealth is three-and-a-half times that of the country as a whole and grew by 22 percent in a five-year period from 4.8 million tons to 5.85 million tons,” according to the study commissioned by the PWIA. The organization summarized findings of the study at the 2015 Pennsylvania Recycling Industries Congress, held in mid-November in Harrisburg.

The PWIA study also determined that the waste industry—a combination of collection, disposal and recycling activities—makes an annual contribution of $4.2 billion to the state’s economy and supports more than 26,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. “Single-stream recycling now accounts for 43 percent of all materials recycled in Pennsylvania and generates higher participation in recycling because it does not require consumers to separate materials,” the group adds.

PWIA and the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC) were the joint sponsors of the 2015 congress, where the study’s findings were summarized. The event also featured a roundtable discussion on how the Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) has affected Pennsylvania. Passed in December 2010, CDRA requires small businesses and homeowners to recycle electronic devices while banning the same from disposal in a landfill.

“Most citizens seem to think that they simply place recyclables in a container, it gets picked up, and it disappears,” said PWIA President Mark C. Pedersen. “What actually happens to those materials? Recycling is a multibillion dollar industry in the commonwealth. Our industry has a real story to tell, and it includes innovation, investment, economic growth and environmental stewardship.”

RMC President Robert Bylone said the growth of recycling has stimulated considerable “downstream” economic impact. “Our industry has invested $400 million in capital improvements,” he said. “That, in turn, has created an economic ripple impact of about $800 million and the support of about 6,000 jobs. More than 2,200 operations are involved in the collection and processing of recyclables, about 500 manufacturers are using recycled materials, and another 1,000 enterprises are involved in reuse and remanufacturing. We are seeing the efforts of the RMC and its partners produce results that greatly benefit the economy.”

PWIA says it represents private sector waste haulers, recyclers and landfill operators in Pennsylvania and it is the state chapter of the Washington-based National Waste & Recycling Association. The not-for-profit RMC bills itself as supporting research and development of new recycling technologies and working with manufacturers to encourage the use of recycled materials in their operations and product lines.