Newsworthy

> METALS

Trademark Metals Acquires Georgia Scrap Dealer
Trademark Metals Recycling LLC (TMR), an operating division of the David J. Joseph Co. (DJJ), Cincinnati, has purchased the assets and business of Rice Iron & Metals, Valdosta, Ga.

TMR, headquartered in Tampa, Fla., operates more than 20 scrap metal recycling facilities in Florida and describes itself as the largest scrap metal recycler in the Southeast.

In addition to purchasing Rice Iron & Metals, TMR also has opened a new scrap metal recycling facility in Sanford, Fla.

According to news release issued by DJJ, the acquired location and the new facility will process ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals. The company says the addition of these two facilities "demonstrates DJJ's commitment to expanding its existing regional recycling platforms."

DJJ operates 61 scrap recycling facilities and seven U-Pull-&-Pay self-service auto parts stores in the U.S. and is a subsidiary of steelmaker Nucor Corp., based in Charlotte, N.C.
 

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> METALS

Court Rules in Favor of Severstal
Steelmaker Severstal North America, Dearborn, Mich., says a Mississippi Circuit Court has issued an order allowing the company to purchase scrap metal from outside vendors after meeting an initial requirement with its contracted supplier, Jefferson Iron & Metal Brokerage, Birmingham, Ala.

According to Severstal, an order issued by the Circuit Court of Lowndes County, Miss., states, "Severstal may purchase scrap directly from other vendors as long as the requirement of the first 30,000 gross tons per month is purchased from Jefferson Iron & Brokerage as provided in the contract."

The court case arose out of the terms of an agreement signed in 2006, in which Jefferson Iron was to provide Severstal, then known as SeverCorr, no less than 30,000 tons of scrap metal each month. According to the Columbus (Mississippi) Dispatch, the contract was slated to run through September 2012.

In April 2011 Severstal decided to drop Jefferson as its supplier, as the steelmaker had developed its own collection system.

In its initial suit, Jefferson Iron claimed Severstal owed it "more than $12 million in damages" if the steelmaker worked directly with vendors without paying the company a $2-per-gross-ton fee per its contract. Severstal filed suit, looking to clarify its position. Jefferson Iron followed with a countersuit, saying the contract was still good. The scrap company sought to enjoin Severstal from directly dealing with vendors.

In an announcement, Severstal North America says the court's understanding of the parties' rights and obligations to purchase and sell scrap pursuant to the contract comports precisely with Severstal's stated position. Severstal adds that it is confident the latest ruling will help to allay its direct scrap vendors' concerns.
 

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> PAPER

Cascades Breaks Ground on Recycled Board Mill
The paper company Cascades Inc., based in Kingsey Falls, Quebec, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony in Niagara Falls, N.Y., for the construction of its newest recycled containerboard mill.

The Greenpac mill will cost $430 million, according to Cascades, and will be operational by mid-2013. The mill will be able to produce 540,000 tons of 100-percent-recycled-content linerboard annually.

Greenpac is a new corporation created through the efforts of Cascades, the institutional fund management company Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Jamestown Container and Containerboard Partners.

"Greenpac is the result of a close collaboration between Norampac and its partners," said Marc-Andre Dépin, president and CEO of Norampac, "and its realization symbolizes the beginning of a new era for our company and our industry. Through Greenpac, Norampac will be able to offer high-performance and innovative products, which will better respond to the growing demand for lightweight packaging."

Alain Lemaire, president and CEO at Cascades, said, "Furthermore, this investment is consistent with our development strategy, which aims at positioning the company among the leaders in terms of productivity and profitability in the packaging and tissue sectors."

The new mill is being built on property adjacent to an existing facility operated by Norampac, a subsidiary of Cascades.

The mill will include a single machine, which, at a width of 328 inches, will make it one of the largest paper machines in North America, according to Cascades.

Norampac is the sixth largest containerboard producer in North America.
 

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> MUNICIPAL

E.L. Harvey & Sons Celebrates 100 Years in Business
On Sept. 21, 2011, Westborough, Mass.-based, E.L. Harvey & Sons celebrated its 100th anniversary. The waste hauling, transfer and scrap recycling operation credits its century of success to the trust and loyalty of its customers, vendors and community members.

Emory Larkin Harvey founded the company in 1911 as a family farm business. One hundred years and 43 acres later, three generations of Harveys invited their customers to join them at their facility to celebrate the accomplishment.

CEO Jim Harvey says he is thankful for the people who have allowed his business to grow. "It is quite an accomplishment for a family to be in business for 100 years," he says. "We wanted to celebrate our success with those that made it possible, our customers."

Michael Lupis, director of corporate support services for Staples in Framingham, Mass., explains his relationship with E.L. Harvey in one word: partnership. "The customer service level has been over the top," Lupis says. "They are extremely accommodating to anything we've ever needed, whether it's our regular, normal trash pickup or Jim (Harvey) calling us up and giving us instructional guides on how to improve our recycling program."

Steve Harvey, senior vice president at E.L. Harvey, says relationships such as these are what has kept the company running through the tough times.

"You don't go through 100 years without ups and downs. It just shows that even though you have those highs and lows as you go through business, everyone you have a relationship with will stick with you," he remarks.

"The No. 1 asset we have is our people," stresses Doug Harvey, senior vice president. "I'm proud of the dedication and hard work from our employees to sustain the many changes that have occurred over the years, especially that they've been able to turn those into opportunities for the company."

On the horizon for the Westborough-based facility is construction of an 80,000-square-foot facility that features a single-stream sorting system. Steve estimates the facility will be operational within two years.
 

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> METALS

Sims Acquires Promet Marine Services
A recently formed New England subsidiary of Sims Metal Management Ltd. (SMM), headquartered in New York City, has acquired the assets of Promet Marine Services Corp. Ltd., Providence, R.I. The deep-sea export facility consists of more than 9 acres, a rail-serviced pier and two deep-water berths on the Providence River.

According to SMM, the newly acquired assets will serve as the company's main export terminal for its New England operating region. The company also says it plans to continue looking at opportunities to expand its presence in the region with more acquisitions and greenfield developments.

The announced acquisition follows an earlier SMM announcement that the company will build an auto shredding plant in Johnston, R.I.
 

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> ELECTRONICS

ECS Refining Plants Receive Certifications
ECS Refining, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., has received e-Stewards certification at its 263,000-square-foot facility in Stockton, Calif. The company's Terrell, Texas, plant was e-Stewards certified in September 2011.

"With our electronics processing facilities now being e-Stewards certified, customers can be assured that we are completely committed to responsible domestic recycling," says Jim Taggart, CEO of ECS Refining. "There is considerable confusion in the United States regarding the best e-recycling standards and practices. We chose to go with the strictest standards, so our customers don't have to worry."

The Basel Action Network (BAN), a nongovernmental organization based in Seattle, developed the e-Stewards Standard.

Companies pursuing e-Stewards certification are subject to audits to ensure compliance with the e-Stewards Standard and also must have an ISO 140001 environmental management system in place.

"Having an all-domestic electronics recycling capability is not something many of our competitors can claim," says Marci Rodgers, ECS Refining marketing director. "Additionally, ECS is unique in being able to process the entire material stream under one roof. Consumers, OEMs, state/local governments and businesses are getting on the bandwagon to require this type of capability."
 

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> METALS

French Firm Targets Rare Earth Metals for Recycling
Rhodia, Paris, a producer and developer of specialty chemicals, has announced a recycling project targeting rare earth metals contained in magnets.

The company's earlier projects targeted rare earth metals from low-energy light bulbs and nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries for recycling.

Rhodia says the high-grade concentrate from the magnets will be refined and formulated into rare earth materials at its La Rochelle, France, plant, which is presently under construction. Rhodia will reformulate the neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, four rare earths contained in magnets.

In addition to La Rochelle, Rhodia is building another facility in Saint-Fons, France. Both facilities should be completed by the first quarter of 2012.

Additionally, Rhodia has partnered with Brussels-based Umicore to recycle rare earth metals from rechargeable batteries that are used in portable devices, hybrid electric vehicles and other items. The company says the project should be operational by the end of 2011.
 

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> MUNICIPAL

Chicago Opens Bidding for Recycling Program
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation Commissioner Thomas Byrne kicked off competitive bidding for Chicago's Blue Cart Recycling Program Oct. 3, 2011.

According to a press release issued by the Mayor's Press Office, the competition, which joins the city's recycling crews and private sector companies, will ensure Chicago's taxpayers receive the best services with the most efficient recycling collection and ultimately expand recycling to more households in the city.

"Chicago's taxpayers deserve a city government that works for them and uses every cent of taxpayer money as efficiently as possible," Emanuel says. "Competitive bidding will save money for taxpayers by ensuring that we are getting the best deal for recycling collection and put us on a path to recycling throughout the city of Chicago."

Two private sector companies—Midwest Metal Management and Waste Management—and employees of Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation will compete for the bid. The city will be divided into six zones, four of which will be serviced by the private sector and two to be serviced by city employees.

The zones have been designed to create competition between the different bidders, says Matt Smith, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation. While Chicago's blue cart program is voluntary, some measurements such as participation and tonnage will be monitored and weighed accordingly.

In the spring of 2012, Chicago will evaluate the results of the competition and determine the best way to provide recycling collection in the future. The bidders will be judged on cost and completion.

Chicago plans to add 20,000 homes to its recycling program in early 2012. The 240,000 homes currently in the program will not see any change in service as a result of the competition.
 

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> EVENTS

Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference Heads to the Middle East
The Recycling Today Media Group has announced the extension of its successful Paper Recycling Conference with the addition of Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference – Middle East.

The event will be Feb. 27-28, 2012, at the JW Marriott hotel in Dubai, UAE. It is being introduced as a joint-venture with Dubai-based Media Fusion, the publisher of Waste & Recycling Middle East magazine.

"We're thrilled to be cooperating with the team at Waste & Recycling Middle East to introduce this new event," says Jim Keefe, group publisher of the Recycling Today Media Group, Richfield, Ohio. "By offering a high-quality business conference for the rapidly developing Middle Eastern market, we hope to provide both valuable insight into the local and global market and also develop commercial opportunities for the industry."

The event's sessions will examine global markets for recovered paper and plastics, insights from local policy makers and case studies from local recyclers.

Dr. Kayyum Ali, CEO of Fusion Media, says, "As we explored the possibility to develop such an event for our local market, we wanted to partner with a global market leader who offered a proven track record. Partnering with Recycling Today has allowed us to do that. Building upon the success of Paper Recycling Conference – USA and Paper Recycling Conference – Europe, we are confident we can offer recyclers in the Middle East a world-class event right in their back yard."

More information is available at www.PaperRecyclingConference.com.
 

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> METALS

Alter Moves its Lincoln Scrap Yard
St. Louis-based Alter Trading Corp. has purchased a parcel of land in Lincoln, Neb., that formerly housed the operations of Recycling Enterprises. According to Alter, Recycling Enterprises will relocate to another site in Lincoln and Alter will operate a scrap yard on the property.

Alter's current Lincoln location has been acquired by West Haymarket Joint Public Agency for a new arena project.

"We are pleased to have found a new location with excellent access for our customers and room for future growth," says Jay Robinovitz, Alter senior vice president and chief officer of operations. "We truly appreciate the cooperation, assistance and patience that Dan Marvin, Miki Esposito and the many other representatives of the city of Lincoln and the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency have shown to our company in making this relocation effort successful. The arena project is very exciting and will be a significant and positive addition to the city of Lincoln."

Steve Mulinix, facility manager for Alter's Lincoln location and a 28-year veteran of the recycling industry in the greater Lincoln area, says, "I look forward to opening the new site and setting the stage for many more years of serving our customers and the Lincoln community."

Alter has operated in Lincoln since 2000 and presently employs 24 people at its facility.

Founded in 1898, Alter Trading Corp. is a privately owned, fourth-generation company that operates 38 metal recycling facilities and five trading offices in eight states and a representative sales office in Hong Kong.
 

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> METALS

PSC Metals Acquires Shapiro Bros.
PSC Metals, a Cleveland-based scrap metal recycler with more than 40 scrap metal facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri, has acquired Shapiro Brothers, based in Festus, Mo., from its owners, Greg and David Shapiro.

Shapiro Brothers employs about 63 people, all of whom will remain with PSC Metals. The company operates four facilities in Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas, including an auto shredder at its Festus yard. The shredder processes from 4,000 to 8,000 tons of material per month. Shapiro handles ferrous and nonferrous metals as well as construction and demolition scrap.

The acquisition of Shapiro Brothers closed Sept. 16. PSC acquired Cash's Scrap Iron & Metal, a St. Louis-based scrap metal recycler, in January 2011. Cash's operates five scrap metal facilities in the St. Louis area. PSC also purchased Wedel Iron and Metal, Crossville, Tenn., in May 2011 to bulk up its business in the Tennessee triangle.

Edward Lehner, PSC CFO, says the company has been densifying its geographical presence in the Midwest to provide increased coverage in the region.
 

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> METALS

CMI Debuts Recycling Campaign
The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), Washington, D.C., has launched a new education and marketing campaign called "Pass It On." The campaign, launched at Pack Expo 2011 in Las Vegas in late September, is designed to highlight the benefits of recycling steel and aluminum cans.

According to the CMI, the campaign showcases the can industry's commitment to sustainability as well as its recycling efforts. The "Pass It On" campaign has been designed to inform consumers that metal cans can be recycled forever without loss of strength or quality, says Robert Budway, president of the CMI. "Can recycling minimizes energy use, CO2 emissions and decreases the need for virgin material."

The launch of the sustainability initiative comes as the domestic recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans hit 58 percent last year—the highest rate in more than a decade and double that of any other beverage container, according to the CMI. The recycling rate for steel food cans was 66.8 percent in 2010, an all-time record, CMI says.
 

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> ELECTRONICS

SRS' UK Facilities Receive R2 Certification
Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS), with European headquarters in Warwickshire, U.K., has announced that it has received recommendation for certification to the Responsible Recycling (R2) Practices Standard at its U.K. operations. R2 is a third-party audited standard designed to ensure electronics recyclers are operating to international environmental, health, safety and security standards.

The company's downstream customers in Sweden, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and Malaysia were audited to the requirements of the standard. Also audited were the residual waste streams arising from commodities supplied by SRS and the eventual fate of these materials.

Auditors were satisfied with the systems in place for tracing and tracking materials as they move down the supply chain, providing a fully auditable chain of custody, according to SRS.

"The practices enshrined within it can be applied anywhere in the world, regardless of variations in local regulations, so it is very effective, yet flexible," SRS CEO Graham Davy says of R2. "Another benefit is that it is designed to be compatible with all regulatory environments. This means that recyclers holding the certification can implement changes in regulations as they evolve, so the standard is always current."

The R2 Standard will be awarded to SRS' electronics recycling facilities in Newport, Billingham, Daventry and Ellesmere Port in the U.K. SRS' North American facilities, with the exception of two recently opened sites already are certified to R2. The new sites are targeted to be certified in the next few months, according to the company.
 

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> MUNICIPAL

California Governor Signs Apartment Recycling Law
Beginning in 2012, owners of multi-family housing with five or more units in California will be required to provide paper, plastic and can recycling services to their tenants. Signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown and authored by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, the new law establishes the Renter's Right to Recycle Act.

The law also stipulates that local agencies are prohibited from issuing a building permit to a development project unless the project provides adequate areas for collecting and loading recyclables.

"We have finally overcome a great inequity," Blumenfield says. "Renters want and deserve the same opportunities to recycle as everyone else. Before this bill, many renters could recycle only by hauling their waste across town to a recycling center. Green living is the future, and nothing is more basic than being able to recycle where you live."
 

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> METALS

EMR USA Holdings, Gold Metal Recyclers Partner in Venture
EMR USA Holdings, New York City, has established a joint venture with Gold Metal Recyclers (GMR), based in Texas.

GMR was formed in 1975 and now has six metal recycling facilities in Texas and New Mexico, including its main processing yards in Dallas and Houston. The Dallas facility is supported by feeder yards in the Texas cities of Fort Worth and Gainesville, while the Houston yard is supported by a feeder yard in Liberty, Texas.

The founders of Gold Metal Recyclers, Neil and Kenny Goldberg, will remain with the company as members of the director team and as shareholders.

EMR says the addition of GMR will boost the volume of nonferrous metals it handles and will extend EMR USA's general ferrous recycling interests into Texas. EMR operates from 150 sites worldwide and handles 10 million metric tons of ferrous and nonferrous metals per year.
 

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> MUNICIPAL

Shoreway Environmental Center Holds Grand Opening
More than 150 attendees, including RethinkWaste's board of directors and staff, local and state officials and community leaders, gathered at the Shoreway Environmental Center in San Carlos, Calif., Sept. 27, 2011, to celebrate the facility's grand opening. The event marked the transformation of the Shoreway Recycling and Disposal Center into what RethinkWaste describes as California's greenest recycling center and transfer station.

The improvements to the Shoreway Environmental Center include a 70,200-square-foot single-stream material recovery facility (MRF) with equipment from Bulk Handling Systems, Eugene, Ore., which replaces the former 48,000-square-foot building. The new MRF became fully operational in May 2011 and is designed to handle more than 80,000 tons per year in a single shift. (For more information on the Shoreway Environmental Center, see "Shore Bet," p. 98.)

The complex' 62,000-square-foot transfer station was expanded by 14,780-\ square feet to provide customers with more room for unloading and to allow for a 30,000-ton-per-year increase in organic materials collected from local residents and businesses.

A number of green building features have been incorporated into the building housing the MRF, including the use of photovoltaic panels to generate renewable energy to power site operations, rainwater capture and re-use, translucent panels to maximize day lighting and use of native and low-water plants.

The Shoreway improvements were in response to the increased volume and types of materials collected through the residential CartSMART and commercial BizSMART recycling, compost and garbage collection services launched in January.
 

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> TIRES

Georgia DOT Uses Recycled Tires in Asphalt
Lehigh Technologies, Tucker, Ga., has announced that the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) has laid rubber-modified asphalt (RMA) made from recycled tires in Bibb County, Ga. The state is expanding on previous studies with RMA, testing the material's performance versus traditional asphalt materials in "real-world conditions."

Currently, according to Lehigh Technologies, Georgia permits rubber modification in certain asphalt pavement types and jobs. The test is being conducted in collaboration with several Georgia companies: Reeves Construction, a leader in the heavy highway and asphalt paving industry in Georgia; Liberty Tire Recycling, which does the primary processing of the end-of-life tires from Georgia; and Lehigh Technologies, which processes the product from Liberty into sustainable micronized rubber powder (MRP) that is added to the asphalt formulation to be applied by Reeves.

The Georgia DOT is overseeing the test, which is supported by the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), and will use about 20,000 end-of-life tires. The results from the trial, along with a major study underway at NCAT, are expected to provide objective, controlled data on different asphalt rubber composites.

The Georgia DOT has been a vocal supporter of the increased use of RMA in the state. "We believe that rubber-modified asphalt can reduce project costs while maintaining quality roads and, at the same time, provide a productive outlet for end-of-life tires," says Georgene Geary with the Georgia Department of Transportation. "It is good to see collaboration among Georgia industry partners to green-up Georgia roads and assist Georgia DOT in maintaining the quality of our roadways."