Scrap Industry News

HOPE FOR ASR?

DaimlerChrysler Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich., has been recognized as the 2002 "Environmentalist of the Year" by the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF).

The automaker was among 24 nominees who vied for the award, which was announced by EREF at its board meeting in Austin, Texas. Daimler-Chrysler was selected in recognition of its "extraordinary leadership contributions toward activities related to waste recycling, processing, reuse and disposal," according to an EREF news release.

DaimlerChrysler’s CARE (Concepts for Advanced Recycling and Environmental) Car II program was recognized for its emphasis on using recycled content plastic to make plastic automotive components. While the metal portion of automobiles is traditionally recycled easily into new metal products, the plastics portion has been more problematic.

As part of the project, Chrysler Group used automotive shredder residue (ASR) as material for components used in new cars. Chrysler worked with 26 production suppliers and Recovery Plastics International (RPI), Salt Lake City, Utah, to retrofit two Jeep Grand Cherokees with 54 recycled plastic parts.

Chrysler says it is the first automaker to use RPI’s proprietary plastic flotation technology to separate the myriad of plastic types found in ASR – most of which is currently landfilled - and use the recovered plastic to manufacture new vehicle parts.

The recycled parts meet the same material specifications required for production vehicles and were manufactured by the Chrysler Group’s suppliers. The suppliers used current production molds and processes to produce the parts — at a lower cost than using virgin plastic, according to the company. Chrysler Group estimates that the recycled plastic can save $10 to $20 per vehicle.

The goals of the CARE program are to increase the recyclability and recovery of automobiles from 75 percent to about 95 percent by weight and to increase the use of recycled materials in production vehicles. Reclaiming the plastic portion of ASR created by auto shredders will be necessary to meet that goal.

Bernard Robertson of Daimler-Chrysler accepted the award in late June.

April numbers seem to indicate that the flow of imported steel into the U.S. has slowed, although year-to-date steel imports are still ahead of 2001. The recent slowing could be a sign that Section 201 tariffs introduced by the Bush Administration are having their intended effect.

According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Washington, preliminary Census Bureau data indicate that the U.S. imported 1.8 million net tons of steel in April, down 13.7 percent from the March figure. That total includes nearly 1.5 million net tons of finished steel, which is down 8.6 percent from March.

Year-to-date, total steel imports of 10 million net tons remain nearly seven percent higher than last year’s figure, although finished steel imports are down two percent.

Imports of certain grades and categories remain strong, however, including semi-finished steel imports up 41 percent year-to-date.

FLORIDA WAL-MARTS HOST RECYCLING CENTERS

Freestanding parking lot recycling centers placed by Tomra North America have opened at three Wal-Mart Supercenters in Florida.

The RePlanet recycling facilities are located at Wal-Mart stores in Vero Beach, Melbourne, and West Melbourne, Fla. The kiosks accept aluminum cans and plastic beverage containers through four Tomra "reverse vending" machines that scan the shape of containers inserted into the machine, calculate the proper redemption value, and then print a receipt that is exchanged for cash inside the adjacent Wal-Mart store. Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, has agreed to recycle all aluminum beverage containers accepted.

"More than 192 billion aluminum, glass, and plastic beverage containers are consumed each year – with a growing number being consumed away from the home where there are few recycling options available," says Bob Lincoln, executive vice president for Tomra North America, Stratford, Conn. "With the support of Wal-Mart and Anheuser-Busch, we hope to make recycling a ubiquitous and enjoyable experience."