Newsworthy

METALS

CMC plans new EAF mill in Oklahoma

Commercial Metals Co. (CMC), Irving, Texas, has announced it has selected Durant, Oklahoma, as the location for construction of its second “micro mill,” a small-volume electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mill.

The new plant in Oklahoma will mirror its existing micro mill in Mesa, Arizona, the company says, but also will include “improved technology developed from CMC’s operating experience with the world’s first micro mill.” The company’s first micro mill was commissioned in Mesa in 2009.

The addition of a second micro mill to CMC’s portfolio will enhance the company’s position as a leading supplier of long products in the U.S. market, CMC says.

“The location of the mill in Durant, Oklahoma, 80 miles north of Dallas, will allow us to better serve a growing North Texas market as well as expand into markets in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas and Missouri,” says Joe Alvarado, chairman, president and CEO of CMC. “The facility will produce low-cost, high-quality steel products [that] will complement our existing manufacturing capability to better serve our customers. This new micro mill will also complement CMC’s existing recycling and fabrication footprint, enhancing [our] ability to further leverage our raw material supply chain and optimize product mix within our existing operations,” he adds.

The city of Durant, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Durant Industrial Authority and the state of Oklahoma have welcomed the project and have worked together with CMC to locate the micro mill in Durant, according to CMC.

The company says its Oklahoma micro mill will use EAF steelmaking technology and equipment supplied by Danieli, based in Italy. The mill is expected to be commissioned in the fall of 2017.

CMC’s direct and indirect investment in the micro mill project is estimated to be in the range of $250 million.

 

METALS

US steelmakers file antidumping, counter-vailing duty petitions

West Chester, Ohio-based AK Steel has joined other major domestic steel producers in filing antidumping and counter-vailing duty petitions related to cold-rolled steel against eight countries.

The antidumping petitions charge that unfairly traded imports of cold-rolled steel from Brazil, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Russia and the United Kingdom are causing material injury to AK Steel and the domestic steel industry. The counter-vailing duty petitions charge that significant subsidies have been provided to the foreign producers by the governments of Brazil, China, India, South Korea and Russia.

AK Steel produces cold-rolled steel for various customer applications, including appliances, automotive products, containers and construction. The company says cold-rolled steel comprised approximately 20 percent of its shipments in 2014.

AK Steel was joined in filing the petitions by Arcelor Mittal USA LLC, Nucor Corp., Steel Dynamics Inc. and United States Steel Corp. The petitions were filed June 28, 2015, with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

The eight countries included in the antidumping petitions and the dumping margins alleged by AK Steel and the domestic steel industry are:

• Brazil, 50 percent to 59.74 percent;
• China, 265.98 percent;
• India, 42.28 percent;
• Japan, 82.58 percent;
• South Korea, 93.32 percent to 176.13 percent;
• Netherlands, 47.36 percent to 136.46 percent;
• Russia, 69.12 percent to 320.45 percent; and
• United Kingdom, 47.64 percent to 84.34 percent.
   

The petitions also allege that the foreign producers benefit from numerous counter-vailable subsidies.

The petitions were filed in response to large volumes of low-priced imports of cold-rolled steel from the subject countries over the past three years that have injured AK Steel and other U.S. producers, AK Steel says. Imports of cold-rolled steel from the eight countries targeted increased by 120 percent between 2012 and 2014, reaching 1.75 million tons from 798,000 tons. These imports increased further from January to May of 2015, AK Steel says, when compared with the same period in 2014, growing from 548,835 tons to 790,361 tons. In 2014, these countries exported more than $1.2 billion of cold-rolled steel to the U.S., the company says.

The petitions allege that producers in the subject countries have injured AK Steel and others in the domestic industry by selling their products at unfairly low prices that significantly undercut the prices of U.S. producers. As a result, imports of cold-rolled steel have captured an increasing share of the U.S. market at the direct expense of AK Steel and the U.S. industry, the petitioners say.

Antidumping duties are intended to offset the amount by which a product is sold at less than fair value, or “dumped,” in the United States. The margin of dumping is calculated by the Commerce Department, AK Steel explains. Estimated duties in the amount of the dumping are collected from importers at the time of importation.

Counter-vailing duties are intended to offset unfair subsidies that are provided by foreign governments and benefit the production of a particular good.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS, PLASTICS

SPI and Recycling Today join forces to expand programming, reach of upcoming recycling events

SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, Washington, and Valley View, Ohio-based GIE Media, publisher of Recycling Today, have formed a partnership to co-promote SPI’s Re|focus Recycling Summit & Expo, which will take place April 25-27, 2016, in Orlando, Florida, and Recycling Today Media Group’s Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference (PPRC), which will take place Oct. 14-16, 2015, in Chicago.

“SPI has made it its mission to move the needle on plastics recycling and pursue the goal of zero waste for the plastics industry and our products,” says SPI President and CEO William R. Carteaux. “The only way to do this in a way that has long-lasting, real-world results is by engaging the entire plastics supply chain, and that’s exactly why GIE Media makes for a great partner. By partnering with GIE, SPI will be able to reach recycling and manufacturing professionals through five different GIE media brands, including Recycling Today, expanding the reach of SPI’s message to even more manufacturers, processors, brand owners and sustainability-minded professionals. This expanded reach simply augments the community SPI has built through its own properties, such as NPE, and will help to bring the entire supply chain together for Re|focus,” Carteaux adds.

“As conferences, the Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference and Re|focus share many of the same goals,” says James R. Keefe, executive vice president of GIE Media and Recycling Today Media Group publisher. “Both events aim to empower professionals in the recycling industry with the market insight and professional connections they need to solve the most pressing problems facing today’s recycling industry.”

The two-year partnership between SPI and GIE Media means both groups will provide programming for the other while also assisting with speaking recruitment. SPI and GIE will sponsor and exhibit at the other’s event, as well.

Details, including exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, on Re|focus are available at www.refocussummit.org, while more information on the Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference is available online at www.RecyclingTodayEvents.com.

MUNICIPAL

ReCommunity to reopen Detroit-area MRF

Charlotte, North Carolina-based ReCommunity will rebuild and reopen the Southfield Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), Southfield, Michigan, with the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC). A fire closed the facility in 2014.

The renovation of the building, located on 8 Mile Road in Southfield, has been underway for eight months, ReCommunity says, and will be completed this summer. ReCommunity says it has ordered the equipment necessary to process the collected recyclables, targeting an early 2016 reopening for the MRF.

Sean Duffy, ReCommunity president, says, “We have had a long-standing partnership with the authority, and their willingness to co-invest to rebuild the recycling facility is critical to our future together. Their commitment to driving a community-centric recycling solution, which will bring jobs to the city and help drive resource recovery throughout the region, is perfectly aligned with our core values and brand.”

ReCommunity says it engaged in an extensive equipment review process, striving to ensure that the new processing system will continue a tradition of maximizing recovery of recycled materials. The processing system that resulted from this analysis will be constructed and installed by Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Stamford, Connecticut, and is a state-of-the-art, turnkey Bollegraaf system. It includes extensive applications of the most current recycling equipment, including optical sorting and ballistic separation technologies, to maximize efficiency and material quality, ReCommunity says.

RRRASOC, which helps manage resource recovery for a consortium of seven communities in Michigan’s Oakland County, has funded the construction of the building and will partner with ReCommunity to invest in and install the new processing system.

ReCommunity operates 31 facilities in 14 states.

MUNICIPAL

The Recycling Partnership announces 2015 grant recipients

The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, has announced two of its 2015 grantees: Greenville, South Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia.

Roanoke has spent the past year making improvements to its recycling program, moving from dual-stream collection that alternated weeks for fiber and containers to a fully automated program with carts at each household and RFID (radio frequency identification) readers to track participation. The Recycling Partnership has given the city a grant to assist with education and outreach procurement. In addition, the city has received customized education, campaign and operational assistance to support cart distribution, which began in mid-August.

Greenville anticipates cart distribution to begin in April 2016, the Recycling Partnership says. In addition to upgrading to 96-gallon carts, the city also anticipates adding plastic containers to the list of material it accepts curbside.

Allison Brockman, the city’s recycling coordinator, says the Recycling Partnership’s mission and grant program aligned well with the city’s endeavor to convert its existing recycling program to an automated cart-based collection system. She says the two-pronged support—funding and technical assistance—stemming from the collaboration is invaluable as the city undertakes this major change.

The Recycling Partnership says it is actively assisting 69 communities, reaching a total of 1.2 million households. In addition to Greenville, the Recycling Partnership has awarded grants to two other communities this year: one in East Lansing, Michigan, and one yet to be announced.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, LEGISLATION & REGULATIONS

ISRI video encourages advocacy among recyclers

With what it says is an eye toward amplifying its voice on Capitol Hill and encouraging engagement in the legislative process, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, has released a new video, “ISRI Advocacy: Become the Voice of the Recycling Industry.” The video highlights the importance of recyclers reaching out to their members of Congress to discuss the issues facing the industry, the association says.

“The recycling industry is a very powerful voice on Capitol Hill when individual members speak up,” says Scott Horne, vice president of government relations and general counsel for ISRI. “ISRI members have great stories to tell, and it is an important responsibility to share those stories with members of Congress.”

Horne continues, “Every day, decisions are being made in Washington that could impact the recycling industry, and our members need to educate Congress on what it is they do to help the economy and environment and how the decisions made by the government impact real lives.”

The video, which is slightly longer than three minutes in length, includes interviews with Congressmen John Shimkus and Frank Pallone, co-chairs of the House Recycling Caucus, discussing the need to hear from constituents about their real-life experiences, how federal government action or inaction impacts their businesses and how the recycling industry operates.

ISRI members who are active on Capitol Hill also share why they became involved in the process and why other recyclers should.

Additionally, the video includes interviews with ISRI government relations staff about the importance of having recyclers’ voices heard and the advocacy training ISRI provides its members.

The video will be distributed through ISRI Chapters, social media and ISRI’s advocacy website. It is part of an expanded outreach effort by ISRI to connect its members with lawmakers. Earlier this year, ISRI launched a dedicated website and grassroots training program for industry advocates at www.isriadvocacy.org.

INTERNATIONAL, EVENTS

Mumbai hosts IFAT India

IFAT India, which show organizers Meese Munich International Trade Fairs calls “India’s leading trade show for water, sewage, refuse and recycling,” will be Oct. 13-15, 2015, at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai, India.

IFAT India covers the full range of environmental technology products and services and features Indian and international exhibiting companies. According to Meese, their participation reaffirms the importance of the Indian market.

Information is available at www.ifat-india.com.

 

PLASTICS

Unifi expands Repreve Recycling Center

Unifi Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina, has broken ground on the 85,000-square-foot addition to its Repreve Recycling Center in Yadkinville, North Carolina, which originally opened in 2011. The expansion will increase the facility’s capacity to produce Unifi’s recycled fiber brand, Repreve, and other premier value-added products by up to 60 million pounds, the company says. The $10 million investment will add an estimated 18 to 20 new jobs in the area in the future.

The recycling center addition is estimated to be finished in spring 2016 and is being built by North Carolina-based Omega Construction Inc.

“We are very encouraged by the continued growth of Repreve and the opportunities it brings for Unifi and our customers,” says Roger Berrier, president and chief operating officer of Unifi.

The additional investment in the Repreve Recycling Center supports Repreve’s growth as a result of new and expanding value-added programs with customers and increased consumer demand for environmentally responsible products, Unifi says.

As part of Unifi’s companywide commitment to sustainability, the Repreve Recycling Center was built with environmental benefits in mind, Unifi says. The addition will aim to incorporate many of the same sustainable features as the original building, such as:

• skylights to take advantage of sunlight;
• low-flow fixtures for reduced water usage; and
• building materials with recycled content.
   

Additionally, a newly installed solar farm could provide roughly 10 percent of the energy at the Repreve Recycling Center. The solar farm has a 1-megawatt capacity and sits on 6 acres of land at Unifi’s G. Allen Mebane Industrial Complex in Yadkinville.

 

LEGISLATION & REGULATIONS

OSHA seeks to clarify employers’ recordkeeping obligations

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that clarifies an employer’s continuing obligation to make and maintain an accurate record of each recordable injury and illness throughout the five-year period during which the employer is required to keep the records.

“Accurate records are not simply paperwork but have an important, in fact, life-saving purpose,” says Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “They will enable employers, employees, researchers and the government to identify and eliminate the most serious workplace hazards—ones that have already caused injuries and illnesses to occur.”

OSHA is issuing this proposed rule in light of the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in AKM LLC v. Secretary of Labor (Volks) to clarify its long-standing position that the duty to record an injury or illness continues for as long as the employer must keep records of the recordable injury or illness.

The proposed amendments add no new compliance obligations; the proposal would not require employers to make records of any injuries or illnesses for which records are not already required.

 

ELECTRONICS, LEGISLATION & REGULATION

Proposed bill would defund North Carolina’s electronics recycling program

A bill proposed by North Carolina Sen. Trudy Wade would defund the state’s electronics recycling program, which currently is funded by annual fees assessed to electronics manufacturers, according to an article by The News & Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Computer manufacturers currently pay $10,000 to $15,000 initially and annual fees of $2,500 to $15,000 to be able to sell their devices in North Carolina. “The amount they pay depends on how aggressively they encourage consumers to use free and convenient recycling,” the article states.

The News & Observer reports that fees collected for the 2014 fiscal year totaled nearly $1 million.

If House Bill 765 becomes law, it would still be a requirement to recycle electronics in North Carolina. However, funding of such programs would be passed on to local governments, and, The News & Observer reports, they would either have to divert money from other uses or add fees to continue providing the service.