The Atlanta-based aluminum rolling and recycling firm Novelis has announced the commercial availability of what the company says is the aluminum industry's first independently certified, high-recycled content aluminum designed specifically for the beverage can market. Novelis’ evercan is made with a minimum of 90 percent recycled aluminum.

"We are excited to be able to deliver yet another tangible result of our commitment to sustainable aluminum product innovation," says Phil Martens, Novelis’ president and CEO. "Our Novelis evercan high-recycled content beverage can body sheet, backed by the industry's first independent certification program, represents tremendous progress in sustainable consumer products packaging. As the world's leading supplier of aluminum beverage can sheet, this is an important step toward delivering on our ultimate vision of an aluminum can with up to 100 percent recycled content."

Novelis says the evercan aluminum sheet has been certified for high-recycled content by SCS Global Services, a third-party auditing firm. Novelis is initially offering aluminum can body sheet guaranteed to contain at least 90 percent recycled content. When combined with the can end made of a different alloy during the can-making process, the evercan will enable beverage companies to market beverages in standard 12-ounce aluminum cans certified as made from a minimum of 70 percent recycled content. The evercan is now commercially available in North America and Europe, and will be available worldwide later this year.

"This first phase of the Novelis evercan high-recycled content initiative serves as a critical catalyst for Novelis to work more closely with consumer brand customers, our supply chain partners and other community stakeholders to increase end-of-life recycling of used beverage containers," says John Gardner, Novelis’ chief sustainability officer. "We encourage wide participation from other aluminum suppliers, beverage and packaging companies, retailers and distributors, recyclers, municipalities, environmental groups and consumers themselves in promoting the use of more sustainable consumer packaging through aluminum recycling."

The Tirex Corp., which owns a patented tire recycling technology called Tirex Cryo System (TCS), has entered into a license agreement with Green Recycling Solutions International, Fort Lee, N.J., to market, sell, own and operate TCS facilities throughout the country.

In a release, John Threshie Jr., president of Tirex, based in Norwalk, Conn., says, "The agreement licenses GRSI to sell and own and operate TCS facilities in its licensed territory including, but not limited to, North American states and provinces, the Caribbean, Africa and Central and South America. GRSI and Tirex, both collectively and separately, have been marketing and planning to sell and own and operate TCS facilities in any and all suitable markets worldwide."

"On all TCS Systems sold, Tirex charges an annual license fee and a manufacturing commission. We project TCS facilities to have an approximate 25 percent internal rate of return and 100 percent return on investment under four years for a $7 million turnkey TCS facility, prior to the consideration of any tipping fees or other forms of scrap tire recycling subsidies, although there can be no assurance that such results will be accurate for any single installation," Threshie adds.

Julio Llaguno, GRSI’s CEO, says, "We committed our new company to go to market with Tirex's TCS technology because we believe it is the best new technology available to make a major impact in the scrap tire industry." 

"This agreement is the first necessary step towards the commercialization of our technology. As part of the compensation for its license and its stated intent to purchase a TCS System once Tirex returns to a current-reporting status with the SEC, GRSI will finance the audit of our financials and its procedures, which should move us to a better position in the OTC marketplace," Threshie added.

Tirex's TCS system freezes scrap tire pieces with cold air and then breaks the rubber into upmarket "cryogenic" crumb rubber through its patented "fracturing mill. This process also separates the marketable strands of steel and fiber from the crumb rubber.

Elgin Recycling & Scrap Metal has strengthened its coverage in the Chicago area with opening of its newest recycling facility in Elk Grove Township, Ill. The facility opened on April 22, 2013. The company will take in all grades of scrap metal and obsolete scrap in the Arlington Heights area.

For businesses that wish to recycle large quantities, Elgin Recycling & Scrap Metal will be offering pick up services upon request. The company can provide roll-off boxes, box trucks with lift gates, van trailers, gondolas, flatbeds, gaylords and dump hoppers.

In addition to the new facility, Elgin Recycling & Scrap Metal also has full service facilities located in Elgin, Crystal Lake, Gilberts and Palatine.

The Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER) has announced that two companies—Xstrata Copper and CloudBlue Technologies Inc.—have joined the industry campaign to support of the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (RERA).

CAER’s organization has been designed to work to support the reintroduction of RERA in the 113th Congress. RERA will prohibit unregulated export of nonworking electronics and electronic scrap containing hazardous materials. According to a CAER release, trade in tested, working electronics and recycled commodities would not be restricted and is expected to grow with passage of RERA. According to a recent CAER study, RERA’s passage may generate up to 42,000 new jobs with an annual payroll of up to $1 billion.

“The addition of industry leaders CloudBlue and Xstrata Copper shows that momentum continues to build for responsible trade policies that create jobs and promote investment,” says David Zimet, president of Hesstech and CAER steering committee member. “In 2012, we were able to generate bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, and we look forward to building on that success in the 113th Congress.”

Xstrata Copper, which is joining the CAER steering committee, is the fourth largest global copper producer and a significant recycler of copper and precious metals from electronic scrap.

“We are pleased to support the passage of a bill that ensures sustainable e-waste recycling and recovery of precious metals,” says Paul Healey of Xstrata Copper. “This important legislation supports our approach to product stewardship by ensuring that valuable raw materials are recovered, processed in North America and returned to manufacturers for fabrication into new products that will be sold internationally. Conserving resources is good for the environment, and the economy.”

CloudBlue Technologies, headquartered in Norcross, Ga., provides enterprise IT asset disposition, onsite data destruction and electronic scrap recycling services. CloudBlue operates more than 40 locations worldwide including Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey and Texas. The company is both e-Stewards and R2 certified.

"CloudBlue is proud to support legislation that promotes the proper recycling of e-waste and creates American jobs,” says CloudBlue CEO Ken Beyer. “Implementing a sustainable, national solution to the rapidly growing problem of toxic e-waste export from the U.S. to developing countries requires leadership from our federal government. A federal e-waste bill, coupled with our industry's growing group of certified electronics recycling enterprises, will have a positive global impact on the environment, data privacy protection and human health and safety."

CAER membership includes 94 companies operating 176 facilities in 34 states and the District of Columbia.