Nonmetallics

WEYERHAEUSER, KMART EXPAND AGREEMENT

Kmart Corp., Troy, Mich., has expanded its corrugated container recycling agreement with Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wash.

The new agreement includes solid waste removal, recycling of plastics, pallets, fluorescent lamps and corporate office paper. It covers all Kmart locations (more than 2,100) in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.

Weyerhaeuser is expected to net more than one million tons of old corrugated containers (OCC) through the arrangement. Kmart expects to save several million dollars each year by diverting waste from landfill, renegotiating service contracts and maximizing capacity of each load headed to landfill.

INCREASED RELIANCE ON RECYCLED FIBER

Americans last year diverted a record 45 million tons of paper from the solid waste stream for domestic recycling, export and other productive uses, according to the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA).  The total represents a U.S. paper recovery rate of just over 45% for 1997.

The 45 million-ton paper recovery level represents a 5% increase (2.1 million ton gain) over 1996.  Recovered paper use by domestic papermakers grew by 7.3% from 1996 to 1997, with U.S. mills recycling a record 36.5 million tons of paper last year.  The recovered paper “utilization rate” (the ratio of paper recycled to total production) was 37.6% in 1997.

“While our paper recycling record dates back to the last century, 1997 marks the eleventh consecutive year that U.S. paper manufacturers have increased their reliance on recycled fiber,” says W. Henson Moore, AF&PA’s president and CEO.  “Paper recycling and reuse is one element of the forest and paper industry’s commitment to preserve our natural heritage.”

CASCADES INC. ACQUIRES AUBURN FIBER MILL

Cascades Inc., Montreal, has acquired a de-inked pulp mill located in Auburn, Maine that formerly operated under the name Auburn Fiber. The mill, constructed in 1995, was later turned over in default proceedings to AT&T Capital Corp. Cascades Inc. purchased the mill from AT&T Capital for an undisclosed amount. The mill has an annual capacity of 75,000 metric tons and cost $70 million to construct in 1995. With this acquisition, the Cascades Group now has “nine ultra-modern de-inking units producing more than 375,000 metric tons of de-inked pulp annually,” according to the company.

CHANGES IN GROUND RUBBER DEFINITIONS

The Scrap Tire Management Council (STMC) has announced that the revised definitions for ground scrap tire rubber are in place for the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Recyclable Exchange. The use of industry-generated and accepted definitions and testing methods removes one of the most significant obstacles facing the ground rubber industry.

“From the time we first heard about the CBOT Recyclable Exchange, the development of standardized and accepted industry definitions and testing protocols for ground rubber became one of our top priorities,” says Michael Blumenthal, executive director of the STMC. “Having accurate definitions and testing protocols for the various sizes and grades of ground scrap tire rubber can only be of benefit to the industry.”

The CBOT Recyclable Exchange is a centralized exchange for buyers and sellers of ground rubber and other solid waste recovered materials. Buyers and sellers of ground rubber can use the CBOT Recyclable Exchange to be matched with potential business partners around the world. The Exchange can be accessed on the Internet at: www.cbot-recycle.com .

SCRAP TIRES GET NEW LIFE

The California Integrated Waste Management Board has awarded grants aimed at finding  alternative uses for the  30 million scrap tires legally and illegally stockpiled in California and the additional 30 million generated each year.

More than $300,000 in grants was awarded to several cities and school districts. The grants mark the first time the Board has awarded grants for molded products made from crumb rubber.

GOBBLING UP POLYSTYRENE

FP International, Redwood City, Calif., announced a 4% increase in the amount of expanded polystyrene (EPS) the company collected for recycling in 1997. 

“Our polystyrene recycling program is still growing, although at a more modest rate than our earlier double-digit growth rate because new sources of non-contaminated EPS are difficult to find,” said company president Arthur Graham.

FP International has recycled more than 45 million pounds of EPS packaging since starting its internal recycling operation in 1990. The amount would fill 225 football fields more than 10 feet deep in EPS. The company accepts polystyrene foam from equipment manufacturers, local businesses and individuals.