Newsworthy

> GLASS

California Agency Issues Emergency Regulation on CRTs
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has issued an emergency regulation designed to increase the recycling and disposal options for cathode ray tubes (CRT) and CRT glass collected by recyclers in the state.

CRTs are managed as hazardous waste because they contain lead and other hazardous chemicals. Traditionally, glass from older CRTs was recycled to make new CRTs. In 2011, nearly 100 million pounds of residual CRT glass was generated by recyclers dismantling televisions and monitors in the state, according to the DTSC.

However, according to the DTSC, as consumers switch to flat-screen television sets and computer monitors, demand for CRT glass has fallen, making it more difficult for California recyclers to find markets that accept and recycle CRT glass into new products.

As a result, large quantities of CRT glass are being accumulated and stored throughout the state, the DTSC says. Failure to address the issue may result in widespread mismanagement of the material, the agency says, which ultimately poses an environmental hazard and is the main impetus behind the emergency regulation proposed by DTSC.

“The requirements currently in place that pertain to CRT disposal were established at a time when there was a robust demand for CRT glass by legitimate recycling facilities,” says Karl Palmer, chief of the DTSC Toxics in Products program. “This demand has shrunk to almost zero, leaving recyclers with few options and increasing the likelihood of mismanagement and the subsequent release of hazardous chemicals, including lead, into the environment.”

He adds, “This regulation will encourage the development of new recycling technologies and, where recycling is not feasible, it will put in place a process and requirements that will allow safe disposal of CRT glass.”

The emergency regulation lifts some constraints under the universal waste rules for CRT glass. If recyclers are unable to find a recycling option for their used CRTs, they may send them to an appropriate landfill for disposal if they meet the conditions summarized below:

• CRT glass must be handled in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment.
• Funnel glass, which contains high amounts of lead, must be sent to a hazardous waste landfill. These landfills are specially constructed to ensure that chemicals contained in the waste material do not escape into the environment.
• Panel glass, which contains lower amounts of lead than funnel glass, may be sent to a solid waste landfill if testing the waste shows there is no risk of lead leaching out into the environment.

The emergency regulation will remain in effect for two years. It requires recyclers to document the recycling and disposal of their CRTs and CRT glass, allowing DTSC to effectively enforce the regulations when necessary, according to the agency.

Recyclers that have stored CRTs or CRT glass for longer than six months upon the effective date of the emergency regulations will receive an additional six months to send the material to an authorized destination.

> METALS

Proler, Newell Form Joint Venture
The chief executive officers of Proler Steel International, Bellaire, Texas, and Newell Joint Venture Investments LP, San Antonio, have formed a joint operation called Proler-Newell Recycling LP that will open a full-service metals recycling company in east Texas.

In a joint statement, CEO of Proler Steel International Cristopher Proler and CEO of Newell Joint Ventures John Newell say, “It is an honor to join forces and bridge the families’ storied past. We are excited to get started and provide a high level of service to our customers and a great product for our end users.”

Development of the site is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2012, with operations starting in early 2013.

> PAPER

SP Fiber Technologies Acquires SP Newsprint Assets
SP Fiber Technologies LLC (SPFT) has acquired most of the assets and certain liabilities of Greenwich, Conn.-based SP Newsprint and its subsidiaries. SP’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing was converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation three days after the sale. SPFT is a group of lenders lead by General Electric Capital.

The $145 million offer includes a credit bid representing part of the $250 million in secured prepetition debt. SPFT is not a successor to the debtors, court documents state.

> MUNICIPAL

Alcoa, Alcoa Foundation and KAB Launch Recycling Initiative
At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York City Sept. 24, 2012, Alcoa, Alcoa Foundation and Keep America Beautiful (KAB) announced a national commitment to increase U.S. recycling rates, known as Action to Accelerate Recycling.

According to the organizations, the program is designed to generate awareness, create incentives and provide recycling access and infrastructure to increase U.S. recycling of aluminum, plastic, glass and paper. The commitment, which includes $2 million in funding from Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation, is expected to help increase the current U.S. recycling rate by 10 percentage points, they add.

A recent report from the Blue-Green Alliance found that increasing recycling rates in the U.S. to 75 percent for all municipal solid waste would create 1.5 million jobs. Additionally, a 75 percent recycling rate would generate close to 300 additional tons of recycled content, resulting in the avoidance of more than 2,850 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Alcoa.

“For every can that is recycled, we save energy and money, reduce our environmental impact and create economic opportunities in U.S. communities,” said Klaus Kleinfeld, chairman and CEO of Alcoa, based in Pittsburgh. “Our partnership with Keep America Beautiful is a ‘call to action’ for companies, consumers and community organizations to make recycling a priority. Together with our industry partners, we set and can achieve an ambitious yet achievable 75 percent aluminum can recycling rate by 2015 in the U.S.”

Matt McKenna, president and chief executive officer of Stamford, Conn.-based KAB, said, “One of our commitment’s key initiatives is the launch of a first-ever, multi-million-dollar national media campaign on recycling scheduled for early next year.”

Action to Accelerate Recycling includes the launch of global recycling programs designed to educate, incentivize behavior change, increase access to recycling bins and help parks, housing complexes and universities build infrastructure to create and expand recycling programs. The commitment includes these Alcoa, Alcoa Foundation and KAB initiatives:

• Pass the Can (www.passthecan.com/cgi) – For every virtual can passed through this Facebook app, Alcoa Foundation will donate $1 (up to $75,000) to KAB, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Planet Ark to fund recycling programs around the world.
• Net Impact – The Small Steps, Big Wins Campus Challenge will reach 50 college campuses around the world and incentivize students to take environmental action.
• DoSomething.org – This is the largest youth-led aluminum recycling drive in the United States, according to the organizations.
• Tailgate Recycling Programs – The Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, Purdue University and Clemson University will create recycling programs encouraging fans to recycle during football season.
• Pennsylvania Resources Council – This program will educate consumers about the recyclability of pet food cans and create a model for collecting cans that is designed to be easily replicated.
• Industry Pledge to Increase Recycling – This program will solicit companies to pledge a 10 percent increase in the recycling of aluminum, paper, plastic and glass in the workplace.
• Recycling Media Campaign – This multimedia campaign will reach 200 million people.

> ELECTRONICS

SMM Division Acquires E-Structors
New York-based Sims Metal Management Ltd. (SMM), through its Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS) electronics recycling division, has acquired the assets of E-Structors Inc., based in Elkridge, Md. (For a profile of E-structors, see “Completing the Circle,” in the July/August 2009 issue of Storage & Destruction Business, a sister publication to Recycling Today.)

The company serves customers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In addition to electronics recycling, E-Structors provides document destruction services.

The newly acquired site is SRS’ 15th recycling center in North America.

“With the acquisition of E-Structors, SRS continues to increase the size of its U.S. footprint,” says Steve Skurnac, president of SRS Americas, based in Chicago. “Having a location near Washington, D.C., will allow SRS to not only build on the great partnerships we have with federal agencies but more efficiently service our existing government agreements, including our five-year Department of Defense contract.”

He adds, “We are very pleased to welcome the E-Structors’ remarkable employees and management team into the SRS family.”

E-Structors was founded in 2003. The company operates a 160,000-square-foot facility and processes more than 22 million pounds of material per year.

> ASSOCIATIONS

RONA to Donate Assets, Resources to NRC
The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) and the Recycling Organizations of North America Inc. (RONA) have moved one step closer to finalizing plans to form a unified organization, the NorthAmerican Recycling Coalition.

NRC President Mark Lichtenstein says the organizations will sign a letter of agreement stating that RONA will turn over its assets, finances and intellectual property to the NRC to form the new organization after the letter is approved by the boards of both organizations. The announcement was made Aug. 27, 2012, at the NRC Member Meeting at the 2012 Resource Recycling Conference in Austin, Texas.

Lichtenstein says the organizations were able to secure pro bono legal assistance on the consolidation process on behalf of NRC’s founder, attorney Cliff Case, a partner with the Manhattan law firm Carter Ledyard and Milburn LLP. Case, an honorary lifetime board member of the NRC, founded the organization in 1978.

Once the new organization is formed, Lichtenstein says, RONA will cease to exist. However, RONA board members who were also members of NRC could be eligible to be added as board members for the new organization, he explained.

“The details are still in process,” observes Marjorie Griek, RONA chair and executive director of the Colorado Association for Recycling. “We see no objections or obstructions to this going through.”

Griek says some of the programs currently underway within the RONA organization will continue within the new organization, such as RONA’s National Standards Certification work and RONA-U, an initiative targeting recycling efforts at college campuses.

Griek says the consolidation occurs at the right time for both organizations.

“We’re very excited about all of that and we’ve gotten a lot of excellent feedback from folks,” she says. “Everyone seems to be very positive about this. It’s a really good time for it to happen, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Griek says RONA includes approximately 35 member organizations representing state groups, companies and manufacturers serving the recycling industry.

NRC describes itself as a national nonprofit advocacy group with approximately 6,000 individual members and 20 affiliate organizations at the state level.

The organizations had announced their plans to consolidate in July 2012, with the intention of sharing assets, resources and a combined vision.

Both Griek and Lichtenstein say the boards of both organizations likely will vote on the letter of agreement within the next couple of months.

Griek says the merger ultimately will benefit both organizations. “It’s definitely a stronger voice when you have one unified organization. You have more members in that organization, you’ve got more resources in that organization, more capital in that organization. You’re not competing for the same funders and members, so it just was time and made sense to both organizations to move forward with it.”

> MUNICIPAL

ReCommunity Opens MRF in Tucson
ReCommunity and the city of Tucson, Ariz., have officially opened a new single-stream material recovery facility (MRF) in that city.

“With innovative processes and technologies and totally committed people, we are building a market-leading recycling and resource company, partnering with forward-thinking communities to transform waste into valuable resource assets for economic, social and environmental value,” says Sean Duffy, president and COO of ReCommunity.

The company invested $7 million to build the recycling facility, which started serving the city in July 2012. The MRF will accept plastics, all grades of recovered fiber and aluminum, glass and steel containers.

“The partnership with ReCommunity is exciting news for city of Tucson residents who are already committed to recycling. By taking nearly all plastics, it is easier for our customers who don’t have to worry about looking at numbers or lists,” says Nancy Petersen with Tucson’s Environmental Services department.

Recommunity also operates MRFs in the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Scottsdale. The company has a total of 36 facilities in 13 states.

“We are thrilled to bring the Recovery Revolution to Tucson with this new single-stream recycling facility,” says Duffy. “ReCommunity is a purpose-driven company. This state-of-the-art Tucson facility plays a significant role in expanding our footprint in Arizona and in enabling the recovery revolution to benefit more communities.”

> ELECTRONICS

Arrow Electronics to Acquire Redemtech
Redemtech, a Columbus, Ohio-based electronic assets disposition (EAD) company, has announced that it will be acquired by Arrow Electronics, based in Englewood, Colo. In addition to asset disposition, Redemtech, a subsidiary of Micro Electronics Inc., provides data erasure, refurbishing and electronics recycling services.

“Arrow is investing to create a truly global EAD platform and we are excited to join that effort,” says Bob Houghton, Redemtech president and founder.

The acquisition is expected to close this fall pending customary regulatory approvals.

In addition to Columbus, Redemtech operates facilities in Reno, Nev., and Richmond, Va.

Arrow Electronics provides products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for more than 120,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers and commercial customers through a global network of more than 390 locations in 53 countries.

> MUNICIPAL

Friedman Recycling Breaks Ground on New Mexico MRF
Friedman Recycling, based in Phoenix, has formally broken ground on a new material recovery facility (MRF). The MRF is part of a public/private partnership between the city of Albuquerque and the company. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and members of the city’s Solid Waste Management Department were present at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The MRF, roughly 87,000 square feet, will sort single-stream recyclables and is scheduled to be fully operational by March 2013. It will be able to process roughly 120,000 tons per year, according to Friedman Recycling.

When the MRF is operational, the city’s Solid Waste Management Department will complete the distribution of recycling carts to city residents.

In a statement at the Sept. 6, 2012, groundbreaking, Berry said, “This state-of-the art facility brings with it 35 new jobs for the Albuquerque economy and will grow to 75 employees over time.”

The MRF will cost $19 million, and Friedman Recycling will pay all the costs associated with building the new MRF, according to the city of Albuquerque.

“We are proud to have formed this partnership with a city that understands the importance of recycling,” says Friedman Recycling CEO David Friedman.

In addition to paper and cardboard, the facility also will process aluminum and tin cans, small electronics and appliances and Nos. 1 trough 7 plastics, among other material. The city says it anticipates improving its diversion rate from approximately 6 percent to 25 percent.

> MUNICIPAL

Balcones Holds Grand Opening for Austin, Texas, MRF
Balcones Resources Inc., headquartered in Austin, Texas, held the grand opening for its newest material recovery facility (MRF) in Austin Sept. 26, 2012. Speakers included Balcones CEO Kerry Getter, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Travis County Commissioner Ron Davis and the city of Austin Director of Resource Recovery Bob Gedert.

“Today’s grand opening is a historic day for the Balcones family, for our entire team and for the city and all of central Texas,” Getter said. “We want this facility to serve as a model for the rest of the country, just as Austin is leading the way with its zero-waste efforts.”

Balcones invested $25 million to build the MRF, which will be able to process 25 tons of single-stream recyclables per hour. According to the company, the investment is the largest made by a privately held recycling company in Texas. Balcones was to start processing 60 percent of the city’s residential curbside recycling material in October. The company already processes a significant amount of the commercially generated recyclables in the city.

The highly automated plant features the latest in patented screening, optical and controls technology, allowing Balcones Resources to boost the recovery rate, produce clean commodities and divert a significant amount of material from landfill, according to the company.

The equipment used at the facility was manufactured by Bulk Handling Systems, Eugene, Ore.

Materials accepted include PET (polyethylene terephthalate), HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and mixed plastics and rigid plastics, plastic film, most grades of recovered fiber, aluminum, ferrous and glass.

Balcones was awarded a 20-year contract with Austin to process the majority of the city’s residential recyclables.

> PLASTICS

InterGroup Ranks with Inc. for Third Consecutive Year
Cleveland-based InterGroup International Ltd., a recycler of post-industrial plastic scrap, has made Inc.’s list of the fastest growing companies in America for the third consecutive year.

In 2010, InterGroup (profiled in the November 2010 issue of Recycling Today) was included at No. 239 on the list and landed as the fastest growth company in the manufacturing subsection based on its revenue growth between 2006 and 2009. In 2011, InterGroup occupied the No. 799 slot, while in 2012 the company ranks at No. 685 overall and the 15th fastest growing manufacturing company and the fifth fastest growing company in the Cleveland region.

In related news, InterGroup opened a 165,000-square-foot distribution facility in a Cleveland neighborhood that has been blighted by business exodus. The company says it invested $800,000 to modernize the vacant building. Improvements include the addition of a state-certified truck scale, loading docks and a fire-sprinkler system and the complete replacement of the building’s electrical system.

InterGroup also added a new manufacturing and distribution center in the Atlanta area this year that includes 200,000 square feet of buildings on 33 acres.

“Our new Atlanta facility is going to support increased business with our current vendors and customers as well as allow for greater efficiency in our logistics,” Neil Gloger, InterGroup International CEO, says. “We are expecting a net freight savings by directing work to this new facility to total more than $250,000 per year.”

Gloger says he expects InterGroup to grow by more than 15 percent in 2012 and in excess of 40 percent in 2013 based on recently signed deals. “It is a reflection of the high-caliber of people we have attracted to work here at InterGroup,” he says of the company’s growth.

> PLASTICS

KLW Plastics to Open New Atlanta Facility
KLW Plastics, based in Monroe, Ohio, opened a new plastics manufacturing facility in Atlanta in September. The new facility will allow the company to manufacture plastic containers from either virgin resins or post-consumer plastic scrap.

“The opening of this Atlanta plant will pioneer a new technology used in the automotive industry but never before offered in the tight-head plastic container market in the U.S.,” says Mike Legeza, president of KLW Plastics. “We have a DOT (Department of Transportation) exemption that no one else has to allow transportation of regulated materials in KLW containers made with 60 percent post-consumer resin.”

Plant equipment was manufactured by Kautex Group, together with resin technology and a collaborative relationship with NOVA Chemicals. The equipment allows for KLW’s patented wall-thickness control systems, which assist in forming containers that require about 18 percent less energy consumption in production, the company says.

> TRANSPORTATION

Overseas Shippers Face Rate Increase
Container shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) have announced a general rate increase (GRI) that applies to all dry commodities and to all origins and destinations as of Oct. 1, 2012. The guideline GRI will be $200 per 40-foot container (FEU) and $160 per 20-foot container (TEU).

WTSA says westbound revenue (from North America to Asia) has declined considerably from levels seen earlier in 2012, as demand in Asia has slowed and carriers have made concessions in their pricing for customers.

Recent carrier bookings indicate volume gains have narrowed over the summer and freight rates have followed, WTSA says.

> METALS

Johnson Controls Opens South Carolina Secondary Lead Smelter
Johnson Controls Inc., headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., has opened its automotive battery recycling facility in Florence, S.C. The secondary lead smelting facility, built on 36 acres, is called the Florence Recycling Center.

The construction of the facility, along with the development of the surrounding area, which cost nearly $150 million, will expand Johnson Control’s activities in South Carolina, where it already operates other facilities. (To read background on the battery recycling project, see “A Place at the Table,” in the March 2011 issue of Recycling Today.)

Johnson Controls says the acreage that was not used for the battery recycling facility will remain undeveloped, with a portion of the site to be permanently protected through a conservation easement.

“We’re proud to bring a recycling facility to Florence, resulting in a strong capital investment and many jobs to the area,” says Alex Molinaroli, president of Johnson Controls Power Solutions. “We are appreciative to all those who helped support us along the way and we look forward to a strong continued relationship with the Florence community.”

The facility will recycle 132,000 metric tons of automotive batteries per year.

“The steps taken by Johnson Controls to maximize economic impact and minimize environmental effects on our area are commendable and extremely important to our citizens,” Sen. Hugh Leatherman remarked during the official grand opening. “Throughout the process, many worked with Johnson Controls to ensure that citizens’ concerns were heard and that we had the support of the entire area. This was critical in bringing the recycling center to Florence and will help ensure its success.”

> ELECTRONICS

CEA Study Highlights Growing Popularity of Electronics Recycling
A study released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Arlington, Va., finds that nine out of 10 consumers feel it is important to recycle consumer electronics. The CE Recycling and Reuse 2012 Edition survey also finds that 63 percent of consumers know where to bring obsolete electronics for recycling.

“The CE industry aims to make recycling consumer electronics as easy as purchasing them,” says Walter Alcorn, CEA vice president of environmental affairs and industry sustainability. “The marked increase in consumer awareness of how and where to recycle their electronics illustrates the progress our industry has made on this issue.”

The CEA also reports that nearly 60 percent of consumer electronics owners removed at least one device from their homes in the last year. Nearly half (48 percent) of these people donated the device for reuse, and 26 percent recycled the device. Of those who donated a device, 63 percent gave it to friends and family. Of the 12 percent of consumer electronics (CE) owners who report putting a used CE device in the trash during the last 12 months, most cited convenience as the driving factor for their choice of removal.

CEA has created a zip code locator on www.GreenerGadgets.org where consumers can find the closest responsible recycling opportunity sponsored by the CE industry and/or third-party certified recyclers.

The study, conducted in August 2012, was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research. The study is available free to CEA member companies at www.spmembers.CE.org. Nonmembers may purchase the study at the CEA Store.

> PAPER

Smurfit Kappa Group Acquires Orange County Container Group
The Irish company Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) has announced plans to acquire Orange County Container Group (OCCG), headquartered in Forney, Texas, for $340 million.

OCCG, which employs 2,800 people, is a privately owned corrugated and containerboard manufacturer with operations in northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. The deal is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2012.

Gary McGann, Smurfit Kappa Group CEO, says, “We look forward to welcoming the excellent team from OCCG into the Smurfit Kappa Group.”

McGann says the continued strength of the company’s operating performance and consequent net debt reduction has increased the range of strategic and financial options for the SKG. “The acquisition of OCCG provides a complementary portfolio of well-invested assets and quality people,” he says. “The transaction further increases the contribution of SKG’s existing Latin American business; providing the company with a very significant position within the key maquiladora trading region and substantially strengthening our position in the higher growth Mexican market.”

OCCG’s assets include:

• Eight packaging facilities in Mexico comprising two box plants, three sheet plants and three fulfillment centers;
• Seven distribution centers in Mexico;
• 2,800 employees (2,000 in Mexico; 800 in the U.S.);
• Two packaging facilities in the southern U.S.;
• A 290,000-metric-ton recycled containerboard mill in the southern U.S.; and
• Seven wholly owned recycling centers in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

> MUNICIPAL

Atlanta to Expand Curbside Recycling Program
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has announced that the city will expand its curbside recycling program by switching from 18-gallon carts to 96-gallon carts. The switch to the larger carts is part of Atlanta’s Power to Change sustainability program, which seeks to divert 90 percent of municipal solid waste by 2020.

Atlanta’s recycling program, managed by the city’s Department of Public Works, serves 95,000 households. The city says the new carts will allow residents to collect more recyclable material. At the present time about 30,000 residents have the larger carts.

Currently, Atlanta residents generate 96,000 tons of trash per year, costing the city $7 million, while residents have recycled only 12,000 tons per year. In addition to the environmental benefits, the city says boosting the collection of recyclables produces revenue for the city at a rate of $30 per ton.

“One of my goals as mayor is to see Atlanta become a top-tier city for sustainability,” Reed says. “Rolling out these new large capacity recycling carts will make it easier for residents to recycle more.”

The push for expanded recycling will be led by a partnership among the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, the Atlanta Department of Public Works and the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), which has been enlisted to help develop and measure an education campaign for residents.

In collaboration with CVP, the city will implement and measure a grassroots education campaign, called “Cartlanta: Recycling. Get Into It,” which has been designed to increase awareness for the new carts, resulting in higher participation and, ultimately, increased recycling volume.

Education activities include direct marketing around the rollout of the new carts, an enhanced Web and social media presence, advertising, public relations and community-level outreach. The city will measure the effect of the campaign via the Emerge Knowledge Re-TRAC Connect data management tool.

> METALS

Nucor Completes Sale of Pennsylvania Wire Facility
Nucor Corp., headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., has sold the assets of its Nucor Wire Products Pennsylvania facility in New Salem, Pa., to an affiliate of Wire Mesh Corp., based in Jacksonville, Fla.

Nucor Executive Vice President of Bar Products James Darsey, says, “We continually evaluate our businesses for long-term strategic fit and earnings potential. After careful evaluation of the wire mesh market and Nucor’s role in that market, we made the decision to sell these particular assets.

“The Nucor Wire Products Pennsylvania teammates are a group of hard working and dedicated individuals,” Darsey continues. “We greatly appreciate their efforts to produce high quality wire mesh.”

Nucor acquired the New Salem facility in October 2007 after purchasing the assets of Nelson Steel Inc.

Nucor continues to produce wire and wire mesh products at facilities in Utah and Connecticut as well as at its Laurel LEC operations in Canada.

> METALS

Sadoff to Acquire Nebraska Recycler
Sadoff Iron & Metal Co., Fond Du Lac, Wis., has reached an agreement to acquire Midwest Metals Recycling, based in Omaha, Neb.

Sadoff has received approval for a special-use permit from the Omaha City Council and has received a certificate of occupancy and salvage license from the Omaha Police Department and City Planning Department.

Earlier this year, Sadoff announced a 13-acre expansion plan for its current scrap metal receiving and processing facility in Lincoln, Neb., which it opened in 1999. In addition to the Nebraska yard, Sadoff operates six recycling facilities in Wisconsin.

“We are committed to the Nebraska market for the long term,” says Mark Lasky, Sadoff CEO. “Our team is excited about this growth opportunity. Midwest Metals has a great reputation, and we look forward to enhancing partnerships in the Omaha market.”

Lasky says the company expects to make significant changes to the former Midwest Metals Recycling site that comply with pertinent regulations in addition to expanding operations. “We want to be a good neighbor,” he says of Sadoff’s plans. “We want to run good operations while growing our business.”

Midwest Metals was founded in 1991 as an aluminum can recycling operation. The company subsequently expanded its operations into other nonferrous commodities.

“The integrity of the buyer was a primary concern for me,” says Mary Bolin, a joint owner of Midwest Metals. “From our past business relationship, I know what Sadoff stands for and know that they will be great stewards for the employees here and the business going forward.”

> MUNICIPAL

Waste Management, RecycleBank Expand Rewards Program in Florida
Houston-based Waste Management Inc. and New York-based RecycleBank have launched RecycleBank’s rewards-for-recycling program in the Florida communities of Osceola County and the city of Tamarac. The program’s expansion continues the two companies’ plan to boost recycling rates in Florida. The state established a statewide recycling goal of 75 percent to be achieved by the year 2020 with the Energy, Climate Change and Economic Security Act of 2008 (House Bill 7135).

Along with the launch of RecycleBank’s program, Waste Management and Osceola County have started the community’s single-stream curbside recycling program. In Tamarac, the city is augmenting its curbside recycling program with RecycleBank.

The launch of this program comes in two phases: all single-family home residents are now eligible to participate in the program and, later this fall, multifamily units will be able to take part. With the launch, Tamarac becomes the first city in the nation to have both single-family home and multifamily unit recycling incentives from RecycleBank, the company says.

> MUNICIPAL

Sonoco Upgrades North Carolina MRF
Sonoco Recycling, based in Hartsville, S.C., has completed a $2 million upgrade to its material recovery facility (MRF) in Onslow County, N.C.

The investment will allow the MRF to increase the volume of recyclables it handles. The MRF includes a new single-stream sorting system from San Diego-based CP Manufacturing that will be used for residential and commercial material, says Ray Howard, general manager of Sonoco Recycling. In addition to widening the type of recyclables the MRF can recover, Sonoco says it also expects to see the sorting capability increase from 2 tons per hour to 15 tons per hour with the new equipment.

“Onslow County is one of the premier coastal counties of North Carolina, and environmental stewardship has always been of the utmost importance,” says Scott Bost, Onslow County solid waste director. “With that in mind, we are extremely pleased to partner with Sonoco Recycling to provide long-term recycling capabilities to the citizens of the Onslow County area.” He adds, “Sonoco Recycling’s expertise and many years of experience in the recycling industry will continue to move the county forward with efficient and sustainable waste management.”

Sonoco’s Howard says, “In the year that we’ve been here, we’ve found the Onslow community to be very progressive in the areas of sustainability and recycling.” He adds, “We are excited to provide them with expanded recycling capabilities and help the county continue to move forward in these areas.”

Currently, Sonoco Recycling operates six MRFs in South Carolina and a total of 30 MRFS throughout the United States. The company and serves more than 125 communities. The investment at Sonoco’s Onslow County MRF is part of its corporate strategy to invest in many of its MRFs.