Nonmetallics

WMI Can Accept All Plastic Bottles

Waste Management Inc., Houston, can now collect all plastic bottles, #1 through #7, with the purchase of PREI, the North Carolina plastic bottle processor. The purchase helps Waste Management simplify its sorting at many facilities. It can now ship bales of mixed plastic bottles from its MRFs to PREI, which handles bales of mixed plastic bottles from other processors as well.

Wellman Triples Earnings

Wellman Inc., Shrewsbury, N.J., the largest recycler of PET plastic, has reported earnings of $25.2 million for fiscal year 2000. The number compares favorably with the $8.7 million earned in 1999.

"Earnings improved in 2000 primarily as a result of improvements in Wellman’s PET resins business, particularly in North America," says Wellman chairman and CEO Tom Duff.

Duff was cautious concerning Wellman’s prospects for 2001, however. "The domestic fibers business continues to be negatively impacted by low demand, primarily resulting from imports throughout the textile chain, and the impact of a slowing economy."

The CEO also cited "higher costs throughout our business [and] particularly energy costs" as reasons why Wellman is forecasting "the first quarter of 2001 to be less profitable than the fourth quarter of 2000."

Wellman makes polyester products used in fabrics and packaging applications, including several made from recycled PET plastic.

Progress for Scrap Tires

Ten years ago, the U.S. EPA, Washington, estimated 3 billion scrap tires were strewn across the nation. Today there are about 300 million, and about 70% of those discarded tires are sent to market, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s Scrap Tire Management Council, Washington.

"The past decade has produced an environmental success story with scrap tires," says John Serumgard, RMA executive vice president. "Our challenge now is to continue our progress toward sound markets and management for 100% of scrap tires at a time when many states see their tire disposal efforts as successful and want to put resources to other uses."