Scrap Industry News

Alcoa Dedicates Expanded Recycling Operations
Alcoa, based in Pittsburgh, has dedicated a $24 million expansion of aluminum can recycling capacity at its Tennessee operations. The company says the investment will help increase its recycling capability by nearly 50 percent and secure more than 100 jobs.

Klaus Kleinfeld, president and CEO of Alcoa, said, “Today, we are celebrating the successful completion of our expansion and another milestone in our drive to help increase recycling rates across North America. This investment is an example of our commitment to increasing recycling as well as to helping secure jobs here in the Tennessee community.”

The new Tennessee operations can reclamation facility includes a new crusher and delacquering furnace and supporting building enclosures, utilities and environmental systems. The improvements will help increase capacity using environmental and fuel-efficient technology as well as support future flexibility to process other scrap types.

Last year, Alcoa announced a commitment to work toward increasing recycling rates in North America to 75 percent by 2015. Increasing recycling capacity is part of the overall strategy to drive recycling rates.

Americans recycle about 54 percent of all beverage cans produced in North America, Kleinfeld said. “If everyone would recycle one more can a week, we can reach our 75 percent goal.”

Upstate Shredding Begins $8 Million Renovation Project
Upstate Shredding LLC – Ben Weitsman & Son Inc. has announced that it will begin an $8 million renovation at the Matlow Co. site in Solvay, N.Y., that it acquired. The site is now known as Ben Weitsman of Syracuse. The upgrades are intended to bring the yard up to the standards of other company locations.

The planned upgrade includes paving the entire facility and installing stormwater runoff control. Existing buildings will be completely renovated and new structures will be built. Landscaping and noise-mitigation fencing also are included the redevelopment plan.

New equipment for the site will include trucks, truck scales, three Sennebogen material handlers, two mobile shears, loaders, balers, high-speed conveyors, shipping container loading systems and roll-off containers.

Upstate Shredding LLC – Ben Weitsman & Son operates two locations in Owego, N.Y., as well as yards in Binghamton, Ithaca, and Solvay, N.Y. The company is currently in the process of opening a new facility in Scranton, Pa.

Kentucky Governor Announces Recycling-Related Investments
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, along with several community and business leaders in Bowling Green, Ky., have announced two economic development projects for the area: the opening of Metalworks Recycle-Reload and the expansion of Owl’s Head Alloys’ secondary aluminum smelter. The two projects will add 50 jobs and represent more than a $5.1 million investment in the state.

Owl’s Head Alloys, established in 2002, is an aluminum recycling facility. The company will add 12,000 square feet to its existing 48,000-square-foot operation. The expansion will allow the company to install an additional smelting furnace, resulting in 30 new jobs and a $3 million capital investment. Metalworks Recycle-Reload is a new company that will be involved in processing all types of nonferrous metals. The company will lease a 30,000-square-foot facility next to Owl’s Head Alloys. The startup project will create 20 new jobs and represents a capital investment of more than $2.1 million.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved Owl’s Head Alloys for tax benefits up to $400,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The incentive can be earned during a 10-year period through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments. KEDFA also preliminarily approved Metalworks Recycle-Reload for up to $500,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Business Investment program.

Hydro Extrusion Americas Unit Recycles More than 200 Million Pounds of Aluminum Last Year
Hydro Extrusion Americas has announced that it has recycled more than 207 million pounds of aluminum scrap last year. Of this, nearly 20 percent was post-consumer material. The balance was post-industrial material.

Hydro remelts the scrap at its facilities in Phoenix; St. Augustine, Fla.; and Monett, Mo., where it is combined with primary aluminum using Hydro technology to produce the aluminum billet required for new extruded products for its customers. The new products average more than 70 percent recycled content, according to the company.

“Although our total 2009 recycling volume was flat compared to the previous year, we’re still pleased,” says Lynn Brown, Extrusion Americas senior vice president for sales and marketing. “The scrap market was very soft due to the recession, yet we still hit our goal for over 70 percent recycled content. That success fits with our global corporate mission to provide our customers with environmentally compatible products.”

Extrusion Americas is a unit of Norsk Hydro, a Fortune Global 500 supplier of aluminum and aluminum products based in Oslo, Norway.

Beck Aluminum Makes Acquisition
Beck Aluminum, a Cleveland-based aluminum manufacturer, recycler and distributor, has acquired the Racine, Wis., assets of the former Met-Al Inc. foundry, a secondary alloy producer.

“We are very pleased with the addition of the quality foundry alloy products from Racine,” says Scott Beck, president of Beck Aluminum. “It strengthens our Midwest presence to better serve the market. By combining Beck’s strengths with Racine’s production capabilities and location, we will more effectively meet our customer’s needs and this moves us another step forward in our recycling growth strategy.”

Beck operates manufacturing facilities in Lebanon, Pa., imports primary aluminum and alloy through its trading arm and is the largest distributor of foundry ingot in the United States.

“This is a great opportunity for our skilled employees to continue producing alloy for our loyal customers as well as [to] expand with new Beck customers,” says Bob Lee, former Met-Al president.