The company bpi.recycled products, part of British Polythene Industries plc (BPI), headquartered in Greenock, U.K., has commissioned a waste wash plant at its facility in South Wales, U.K. The company invested £4.5 million (US$7 million) on the new facility, which will recycle polyethylene agricultural films into refuse bags. The official opening of the new plant was March 9, 2012.

The new plant will enable bpi.recycled products, the largest recycler of polyethylene scrap in Europe, to recycle an additional 25,000 metric tons of plastics a year.

“At bpi.recycled products, we’re committed to facilitating more efficient, more sustainable means of U.K.-based recycling as well as to provide closed loop solutions wherever possible. The new plant at Rhymney will help to increase our already extensive recycling capabilities, bringing major benefits, not only to our business, but also to U.K. recycling and to the environment as a whole,” says Gerry McGarry, bpi.recycled products’ business director.

GreenCentre Canada, based in Kingston, Ontario, has announced that it has received an investment that will allow the company to develop a technology for recycling polystyrene and contaminated plastics.

"The unique technology being developed by GreenCentre, in partnership with Switchable Solutions Inc., will increase competitiveness for the plastic and recycling industries in southern Ontario, diversify the economy and create jobs," says Daryl Kramp, a member of Canada’s Parliament for Prince Edward Island. "Our government is proud to support such an innovative project that will transform waste into products that can be re-used."

GreenCentre Canada will receive up to $5.48 million to bring to market a technology to find new commercial uses for plastic and polystyrene products. The new technology will also allow the contaminants found in used plastic containers, such as the residual oil in discarded engine oil containers at gas stations, to be recovered and re-used.

The project presents an opportunity to create a new market for recycling materials economically in southern Ontario and beyond, and establish the region as a leader in this field.

"This funding is timely, given increasing industry and consumer demand for smarter, more effective green processes," says Rui Resendes, executive director of GreenCentre Canada. "The really exciting thing about this technology is its potential to enhance the sustainability of a myriad of manufacturing industries across Canada and around the world that provide us with the products and services that underpin our daily lives. It is the essence of what Green Chemistry represents."

The contribution is being provided through FedDev Ontario's Technology Development Program, designed to encourage the public and private sectors to collaborate on the development of large-scale, advanced technologies that will result in new market opportunities for southern Ontario.

GreenCentre Canada is a Canadian center that provides research that allows innovations to enter the marketplace. The organization is dedicated to developing alternatives to traditional chemical and manufacturing products and practices.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI), Washington, D.C., has launched www.eScrapBeat.com, a source for information about the global electronics recycling industry.

The website features the E-Scrap Beat blog, authored by industry experts and designed for both consumers and industry insiders.

The electronics scrap recycling industry generates more than $5.2 billion for the U.S. economy (up from less than $1 billion in 2002), according to ISRI. The industry also employs more than 30,000 employees and collects and processes more than 3.5 million of used and end-of-life electronics in 2010 (up from 600,000 tons in 2002).

According to ISRI, despite the growth of the sector, mystery and misinformation cloud the electronics recycling process. The goal of the Escrapbeat.com blog will be to focus on providing information on the industry, as well as increasing both the U.S. and global economy.

“E-scrap recycling is one of the fastest growing segments of the scrap recycling industry,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “This website stems from ISRI’s desire to create a clearinghouse where consumers, industry experts, journalists and other interested parties can come to read about and discuss what is happening to shape the e-scrap recycling industry.”

The E-Scrap Beat blog, which will be updated daily, will examine the many aspects of electronics recycling, including:

• Innovations and technologies that are driving the industry;
• Successes of responsible electronics recyclers across the globe;
• ISRI’s Design for Recycling program;
• Third-party certifications;
• What landfill bans mean for old electronics; and
• The economics of electronic scrap recycling.

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB) has entered into a Cooperation Agreement with Renewable Energy from Waste (REW), a new publication to be launched in April 2012 by the Recycling Today Media Group. REW will produce a quarterly print and digital magazine, a monthly e-newsletter and a website. As part of the agreement, GBB President Harvey Gershman will join the publication’s Editorial Advisory Board and contribute a column to each print issue. GBB also will contribute yearly articles from GBB consultants and provide REW with guidance and insight on the history, evolution and current situation of the waste-to-energy (WTE) market.

As a solid waste management consultant, GBB has extensive energy-from-waste and conversion technologies expertise, having worked on more than 90 WTE projects since 1980. Recently, GBB has worked on several projects addressing the economic feasibility, effectiveness and environmental effects of candidate waste processing technologies. As part of its effort, GBB stays current on the waste conversion landscape by continuously monitoring the market and updating its growing database of companies offering related technologies, facilities and services.

“Over 60 percent of our waste currently ends up in landfills. We can and should recycle more, but from what we can’t recycle, extracting more materials and energy is in our environmental and energy interest,” says Gershman. “Over the years, we’ve helped many communities successfully incorporate waste-to-energy technology in their solid waste management systems. We've enjoyed a great relationship with the Recycling Today Media Group, supporting their annual C&D Recycling Conferences the past few years, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to share our insight and knowledge with the industry’s stakeholders.”

“Increasingly, the waste and residues of consumers and industry are viewed as resources. Harnessing the energy value of these streams is perhaps the fastest way in which this resource is being tapped. Often, this recovery method makes sense both economically and environmentally,” notes James Keefe, executive vice president and group publisher for the Recycling Today Media Group. “The launch of a new publication is always challenging, and GBB is highly qualified to provide us with valuable insight for the direction of the publication, and to generate highly interesting and relevant content for our readership.”

To subscribe to REW, visit www.RecyclingToday.com/subscribe-REW.aspx.