Lihua International Provides Update on New Copper Smelter

Chinese company says smelter’s production should reach its designed capacity by this fall.

September 26, 2012
Recycling Today Staff

Lihua International Inc., based in Danyang, China, reports that production on its second and third copper anode smelters have reached more than 2,800 metric tons per month, an increase of about 60 percent from July 2012’s production figures.

Lihua develops, designs and manufactures alternatives to pure copper products, including refined copper products and superfine and magnet wire, as well as copper clad aluminum. According to a release, Lihua International expects production to be near designed capacity of 50,000 metric tons on an annualized basis by the end of September.

"We are proud of the progress we have made since launching the smelters in June, as we have achieved a steady ramp up in output despite the intense summer heat in Jiangsu Province that typically forces production slowdowns in July and August. Industry demand for our copper anode products has continued to grow, and we are working to reach maximum capacity on these smelters as quickly as possible," says Jianhua Zhu, Lihua's chairman and CEO.

"Based on customer indications, demand for our copper anode product will remain strong through the remainder of the year, and as such, we are confident on our production and sales outlooks for the new smelters. In addition, we are on track to launch our new CCA cable and wire products next year, opening a new and sizeable market for us in an area that presents great opportunity for growth and success," Zhu adds.

Balcones Holds Grand Opening for New MRF

Texas recycling company invests $25 million on new single-stream MRF.

September 26, 2012
Recycling Today Staff

Equipment & Products Ferrous Nonferrous Paper Plastics

Balcones Resources Inc., headquartered in Austin, Texas, held the official grand opening of its newest material recovery facility (MRF) in Austin Sept. 26, 2012. Speakers at the opening included Balcones CEO Kerry Getter, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Travis County Commissioner Ron Davis and the City of Austin’s 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 says. “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. It is our privilege to play a part.”

The company 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. The company adds that the facility has been designed so that it can easily be expanded as Balcones’ partnership with Austin grows. Starting October 2012, Balcones will start processing 60 percent of the city’s residential curbside recycling material. 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 recycling recovery rate for city residents, produce clean commodities and divert a significant amount of material from landfill.

The equipment used at the facility was manufactured by Bulk Handling Systems, Eugene, Ore. The materials to be processed at the plant will come from both the City of Austin's residential and commercial streams. Materials accepted by the MRF will include PET, HDPE and mixed plastics and rigid plastics, film plastics, most grades of recovered fiber, aluminum, ferrous metal and glass.

The opening of the plant follows Balcones being awarded a 20-year contract with Austin to process the majority of the city’s residential recyclables. The MRF is housed in a new building and was built with flexibility in mind. It is capable of processing either residential or commercial material with recovery rates in excess of 95 percent.

CEA Study Highlights Growing Popularity of Electronics Recycling

The study finds that 63 percent of consumers know where to have their obsolete electronics recycled.

September 26, 2012
Recycling Today Staff

Electronics

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 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.

Recognizing that electronics recycling needs to be convenient for consumers, CEA has created a zip code locator on GreenerGadgets.org where consumers can find the closest responsible recycling opportunity sponsored by the CE industry and/or third-party certified recyclers.

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

Stena Recycling Reorganizes Operations

Company forms joint venture to bring together activities in five markets.

September 26, 2012
Recycling Today Staff

Legislation & Regulations

Stena Metall Group, based in Sweden, has announced that its Stena Recycling division has formed a joint venture called Stena Recycling International AB, which seeks to unite the company’s activities in five geographic markets. In a release, the company says that the move is a natural step in the evolution of Stena's recycling operations.

Leif Gustafsson, previously CEO of Stena Recycling in Sweden, will head the newly created venture. He will lead the development in the business area, says Anders Jansson, CEO of the Stena Metall Group, Stena Recycling’s parent company.

Stena Recycling has operations in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Poland. Overall, Stena Recycling has 180 facilities in five countries.

“Stena will continue leading the development of the best recycling solutions in terms of service, profitability, environmental issues and safety for our customers. Now we’ve become an even stronger player in the international arena,” says Gustafsson.

As business area manager, Gustafsson is also CEO of the new company Stena Recycling International AB, which consolidates leadership of the companies’ recycling activities in the five countries.

“We are strongly anchored, locally, while being one of Northern Europe's leading recyclers. With the new company, we will be even better at using our common resources across international borders. By taking advantage of our strengths in different markets, we can increase efficiency and provide even better services to our customers. As a Stena Recycling customer you will also recognize our company, regardless of country, and always receive the same high level of service,” Gustafsson adds.

To support the newly organized operation Stena Recycling International AB has made a number of management changes. Along with Gustafsson, the new company has made the following additions:

Staffan Persson has been named CEO at Stena Recycling in Sweden. He was previously CEO of Stena Aluminium.

Fredrik Pettersson, formerly marketing manager, will be the new CEO at Stena Aluminium.

Ulf Arnesson is the new CEO of Stena Recycling in Denmark. He was formerly vice president in Sweden.

Fredrik Eide Aass, Fredrik Valentin and Leena Leppänen will continue to act as CEOs of Norway, Poland and Finland, respectively.

CEEA Names Li Tong Exclusive Recycler of Mobile Phones in China

Electronics recycler will handle mobile phones throughout the country.

September 26, 2012
Recycling Today Staff

Electronics Legislation & Regulations

Li Tong Enviro Tech Co. Ltd. of Jiangmen, China, a wholly owned subsidiary of Li Tong Group, a Hong Kong-based electronics recycling company, has been appointed by the China Electronics Enterprises Association (CEEA) as the sole official recycler to recycle and recover end-of-life mobile phones throughout China.

The company, designated as the pilot company for the Comprehensive Use of Used Mobile Phones Scheme, which has been endorsed by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and CEEA, has been commissioned to develop, implement and manage a reverse supply chain to recycle discarded handsets in China. The scheme is part of its strategy to update the current reverse supply chain infrastructure and achieve a recycling target at 95 percent by 2015 under China’s 12th five-year-plan.

Li Tong's Jiangmen, China, plant will be the base of treatment. The facility is roughly 20,000 square meters and houses advanced scrap-processing technologies. Li Tong says the plant will be able to handle 30,000 metric tons of electronic scrap per year and is designed to the highest environmental, health and safety (EHS) standards.

According to a release, Li Tong will provide a range of services to the mobile phones, including collection, data wiping, value sorting, harvesting of the components, disassembling, shredding and recycling.

"The data captured through the pilot scheme can provide very meaningful data to private and public sectors' stakeholders alike to improve waste reduction and handling strategies, as well as the manufacturing process that can incorporate the information to their product's lifecycle up from the design stage," says Tony Wang, managing director at Li Tong Group. "Recycling options and carbon reduction have come up as a prime concern for many manufacturers nowadays."

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