Ohio Honors Corporate Recyclers

Environmental award winners include some with comprehensive recycling programs.

May 28, 2013
Recycling Today Staff

Personnel

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Columbus, has named the first six silver award recipients of its Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) program. E3 is designed to recognize organizations committed to what the agency calls “environmental excellence at all levels.”

The program provides different recognition levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Several of the initial silver award recipients were recognized for a recycling component of their environmental commitment, including:

•    GM Toledo – “Routine waste has been reduced by 80 percent” at this vehicle transmission production plant. In the most recent one-year period, 94 percent of waste or scrap was recycled and 6 percent was shipped to an energy recovery facility.
•    Marathon Petroleum Co.’s Findlay Office Complex – At this 13-acre corporate headquarters, what began as an office recycling program has expanded into a comprehensive recycling effort. The office has recycled 1 ton of batteries, 20 tons of food scraps, 3 tons of toner cartridges, 10 tons of scrap metal and 103 tons of mixed office recyclables, including paper, soda cans and bottles, cardboard and mixed plastics encompassing 50 percent of the office’s discards stream.
•    Honda - Marysville, East Liberty, Anna, and Russells Point – Honda Manufacturing has facilities in Marysville, East Liberty, Anna and Russells Point that produce motor vehicles, engines and drivetrain components. The company achieved “zero landfill waste” status in early 2011, which reduced material sent for landfill disposal by more than 2.8 million pounds in one year.
•    DRS Environmental Systems Inc. - Cincinnati - This designer and maker of trailers and shelters switched from 55-gallon drums to canisters, using up 100 percent of the material and sending empty canisters back for recycling, eliminating a former waste stream.

Also honored by the Ohio EPA were Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton and a Frito-Lay facility in Wooster.

CEA Releases CRT Glass Survey

Association seeks to find and develop new end markets for CRT glass.

May 28, 2013
Recycling Today Staff

Electronics Glass

The Consumer Electronics Association, Arlington, Va., has released the results of a national survey on cathode ray tube (CRT) glass management conducted by the Northeast Recycling Council.

The CEA says that while ample markets and downstream vendors appear to exist for recycling CRT glass, about 20 percent of recyclers report difficulties and are seeking solutions to avoid stockpiling this material.

According to the study:

Ample markets and downstream vendors currently exist for most electronics recyclers who responded to the survey;
Recyclers typically rely on intermediary or downstream vendors to process their glass;
The amount of CRT volume sent for processing remains the primary cost differentiator, with smaller lumes incurring higher per-unit costs; and
Market supply of CRTs is relatively stable or even decreasing for at least half of all recyclers who responded to the survey.

The survey, funded by CEA, was conducted during a two-week period in March and April 2013. A total of 82 companies completed the online survey, of which 70 were invited and 12 were unsolicited. Among the 70 companies invited to complete the survey, 90 percent are certified e-scrap recyclers.

“As the uses for CRT glass decline, the consumer electronics and recycling industries have come together to find solutions for recycling this glass,” says Walter Alcorn, vice president of environmental affairs and industry sustainability, CEA. “Through the efforts of the consumer electronics industry’s eCycling Leadership Initiative and CEA’s efforts to promote eCycling directly to consumers via GreenerGadgets.org, we have made great progress toward increasing the recycling of electronics, including CRTs.”

In recent years, demand for CRTs has dropped drastically as newer LCD, LED and plasma technologies, which are more compact and use less energy, have become more affordable and widely available. Recovered CRT glass had traditionally been used in the creation of new CRT displays, but the end-use markets for CRT glass have decreased considerably.

To encourage the development of new uses for CRT glass, CEA and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI) are sponsoring a technical “CRT Challenge” to identify financially viable, environmentally conscious proposals for using recycled CRT glass. CEA and ISRI will accept submissions for the CRT Challenge until June 30, 2013, at www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9933317.

The winning solution will be chosen based on economic and environmental benefits, and CEA will award $10,000 to the winner. CEA and ISRI will publicize and share solution(s) with manufacturers, retailers and recyclers and encourage implementation.

R2 Solutions Updates its Global Certification

Revised standard said to require a stronger management system, stricter data protection and full adherence to import/export laws.

May 28, 2013
Recycling Today Staff

Certification

R2 Solutions, Boulder, Colo., has announced updates to its R2 (Responsible Recycling Practices) certification standard at the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) 2013 World Recycling Convention & Exhibition in Shanghai. According to R2 Solutions, “The new standard, R2:2013, greatly increases the oversight and quality assurance tools critical to a voluntary certification program.”

The new standard is effective July 1, 2013.

“It is essential for the electronics recycling industry around the globe to continuously raise the bar when it comes to data security, the environment and the health and safety of its employees and surrounding communities,” said John Lingelbach, executive director of R2 Solutions. “With R2:2013, we continue to improve the R2 Standard so that we can offer recyclers and their upstream customers the absolute best in electronics recycling industry practices.”

The R2 Standard consists of 13 provisions. The most significant change to the R2 program is the requirement for all R2 facilities to have an approved environmental, health and safety management system (EHSMS). Currently approved management systems include a combination of ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 or the Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS) system. The EHSMS requirement improves the integrity and accountability of the entire R2 certification, according to R2 Solutions.

R2:2013 also includes:

•   Enhanced export requirements designed to more explicitly include compliance with the export and import laws of all exporting, importing and in-transit countries, not just non-OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.

•   Clarified existing downstream due diligence requirements designed to better track equipment containing focus materials through each downstream vendor until it is sold for reuse or as a commodity.

•   A comprehensive approach to data security and destruction designed to assure the security of all media until it is effectively sanitized or destroyed.

“The overall goal of R2:2013 is to help IT asset disposition (ITAD) companies optimize their systems and practices and, by certifying to its requirements, assure their upstream clients that they are fully addressing potential risks to brand and potential legal and financial liabilities,” R2 Solutions says.

The updated standard was developed after a thorough evaluation of the current R2:2008 standard by a multistakeholder group, the R2 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Participants in the TAC deliberations included representatives from Best Buy, Dell, Microsoft, UPS, the Federal Government’s General Services Administration (GSA) and large and small electronics recyclers and refurbishers.

The R2 Standard was originally developed by a multistakeholder group convened by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There will be a transition period of 18 months for those certified to R2:2008, R2 Solutions notes.

Currently, nearly 400 electronics recycling facilities have been certified to the R2 Standard.

Private Equity Firm Acquires Atlas Paper Mills

An affiliate of Peak Rock Capital acquires the Miami-based tissue producer.

May 28, 2013
Recycling Today Staff

Paper

An affiliate of the private equity firm Peak Rock Capital, Austin, Texas, has acquired Atlas Paper Mills LLC, a Miami-based manufacturer of recycled-content tissue paper. The paper mill produces 34,000 tons of recycled-content tissue per year.

Atlas’ product line includes bath tissue, towels and facial tissue that serve customers in both the away-from-home and retail channels. According to Peak Rock, this approach has allowed the company to develop long-term relationships with a diverse customer base. Atlas provides both branded and private label products throughout North America.

Anthony DiSimone, CEO of Peak Rock Capital, says, "Atlas is a great example of our interest in investing in middle market businesses that can benefit from our resources and expertise to enhance their growth and strategic position; it also highlights our continued interest in the manufacturing and consumer product sectors."

Peter Leibman, Peak Rock Capital’s managing director, says, "Atlas has a strong competitive position as a supplier of 'green' tissue products with long-standing customer relationships. We believe Atlas is an excellent platform for expansion through organic growth and strategic add-on acquisitions and are excited to work with the company's outstanding management team in pursuing these opportunities."

Joe Tadeo, CEO of Atlas Paper Mills, says, "We are very pleased that Peak Rock is investing in Atlas and believe we will benefit from Peak Rock's knowledge of the industry and resources to support investments in strengthening and expanding our core business. This is an exciting time for Atlas, and we look forward to growing our business in partnership with our customers, suppliers and employees."

Rehrig Pacific Launches New Pallet

The GMA Pallet is 100 percent recyclable.

May 28, 2013
Recycling Today Staff

Equipment & Products Plastics

Rehrig Pacific Co., headquartered in Los Angeles, has launched its GMA Rackable Plastic Pallet. In a release, Rehrig Pacific notes that the new pallet is 100 percent recyclable and is made from a high-density polyethylene resin using high-pressure injection molding to prevent moisture and bacteria absorption.

The company adds that the GMA Pallet meets current Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSA) and ePedigree traceability standards, which provides the ability to track and trace product movement throughout the supply chain.

"We've engineered the GMA Pallet as a result of customizing innovative products and solutions that help our customers achieve a lower cost-per-trip, improve sustainability, and ultimately provide efficiency in every aspect of the supply chain," says Jerry Koefelda, Rehrig Pacific’s general manager.

Rehrig Pacific is a manufacturer of plastic pallets and containers that are used in the agriculture, pharmaceutical, bakery, beverage, dairy and materials handling industries. It also manufacturers roll-out carts, recycle bins and commercial containers for the waste and recycling collection industry.

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