The Executive Committee of Ville de Montreal has granted a contract to La Compagnie de recyclage de papiers MD Inc., Châteauguay, Quebec. This contract allows the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the new recycling plant in Lachine, a borough of Montreal. Machinex, Plessisville, Quebec, has been selected by La Compagnie de recyclage de papiers MD to provide this new system, projected to be fully operational in fall 2019.

This system will be capable of processing more than 75,000 metric tons per year of single-stream recyclables from Montreal's curbside collection. With its 35-metric-tons-per-hour capacity, this MRF will include Machinex’s technologies, including three optical sorters for fibers and four optical sorters for plastic containers.

A bag extractor system developed by Machinex also will be installed, as well as two eddy current separators and two single-ram balers. This system will not have rubber disc screens but rather a cardboard separator (metal discs) and three MACH Ballistic separators, which are designed to require less maintenance than conventional screens.

As part of this new material recovery facility, Éco Entreprise Québec (ÉEQ), Quebec, will donate a complete glass sorting and cleaning system, the equipment being provided by Machinex and U.K.-based Krysteline Technologies.

‘’We are very proud to be part of this large-scale project so close from our location. We designed a system that will meet the immediate and future needs of Montreal, thus helping its recycling objectives,’’ says Sébastien Roy, project director at Machinex.

Gilbert Durocher, president of La Compagnie de recyclage de papiers MD Inc., says, ‘’ When we decided to submit a bid on this project, our choice was immediately directed towards Machinex since they are a long-term trusted partner. We knew that they would be able to deliver a performing MRF with the most advanced technologies and that we can count on a quick and professional service.”

In the early 1980s, Machinex says it became the first company in Canada to design machinery for material recycling facilities, establishing itself as a leader in designing profitable and high-quality recycling sorting systems. Today it has continued to develop sorting, waste management and recycling technology. Over the years, its team has designed and installed more than 350 turnkey facilities in Canada, the United States, Europe and Oceania.

From left: Jean-Denis Girard, member  of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières;
Luc Blanchette, minister of forests, wildlife and parks; Gene Kruger, vice president, business development, Kruger Inc.; Julie Boulet, minister responsible for the Mauricie region;
and Michael Lafave, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Kruger Packaging

Montréal-based Kruger Inc. has announced it has dedicated its paper machine No. 10 (PM10), a project that was completely rebuilt to manufacture 100 percent recycled lightweight and high-strength linerboard at its Trois-Rivières, Québec, mill.

Kruger invested $250 million in this project. Well before work got underway, Kruger says its engineers toured numerous manufacturing plants in North America and Europe to find the best technology for manufacturing 100 percent recycled lightweight and high-strength linerboard “of the best possible quality.”

Commercialized as XTR, the new linerboard grades manufactured on PM10 meet increasing demand for ultralight packaging without compromising strength, performance or environmental footprint, according to Kruger.

PM10’s annual production will total 360,000 metric tons of XTR linerboard, an exclusive product that Kruger says is the first to manufacture in North America. A portion of the production will be used by Kruger’s packaging plants in LaSalle, Quebec, and Brampton, Ontario, while the remainder will be sold to packaging manufacturers across Canada and the United States.

Announced jointly by Kruger and the government of Québec in September 2015, this $250-million project required some 500,000 hours of work over a 20-month period that ended in spring 2017, when the machine entered its startup phase, says the company. The project also consolidated 270 jobs at the Trois-Rivières mill, in addition to generating benefits for the Mauricie region and Québec, Kruger says. More than 80 local businesses were involved in the project. Of the total budget, approximately $40 million was spent with local suppliers and $60 million with suppliers elsewhere in Québec, Kruger says.

The company says several dignitaries and project partners were present at the PM10 dedication, including Luc Blanchette, minister of forests, wildlife and parks; Julie Boulet, minister of tourism and the minister responsible for the Mauricie region; Jean-Denis Girard, member of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières; and Gene Kruger, vice president, business development, Kruger Inc.

Kruger Packaging specializes in the manufacture of containerboard products and corrugated packaging made from 100 percent recycled fiber. The Montréal-based company was created in partnership with Kruger Inc. and Investissement Québec – acting as the Québec government’s agent – which has a 25 percent take in its assets. Kruger Packaging employs some 800 people, including more than 600 in Québec, and operates four production sites, namely the Trois-Rivières mill, the Place Turcot containerboard mill in Montreal, and the LaSalle and Brampton packaging plants.

Founded in 1904, Kruger Inc. is a major producer of publication and specialty papers, tissue products, containerboard and packaging made from recycled fibers, renewable energy, cellulosic biomaterials and wines and spirits. The company also is a leader in paper and paperboard recycling in North America. Kruger has facilities in Québec, Ontario, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as in Tennessee, Maine, New York, Virginia and Rhode Island.

King County, Washington, officially dedicated its Factoria Recycling and Transfer Station in Bellevue, Washington. Customers now have more recycling and disposal options than ever, the county says in a news release.

Replacing a 1960s-era facility, the new station features new technology designed to reduce environmental impacts and improve customer service.

“I am committed to improving the efficiency and quality of the services we provide to county residents, and this new station delivers,” says King County Executive Dow Constantine. “In just one example, the new compactors at Factoria improved the efficiency of each trailer hauled from this station, which translates into fewer trucks on the road and reduced climate pollution.”

Located at 13800 SE 32nd St. in Bellevue, the new facility offers a wide array of recycling services for major appliances, yard waste, clean wood, scrap metal, commingled recyclables, textiles and more.

Additionally, a new household hazardous waste (HHW) facility allows customers a place to dispose of their HHW materials in an environmentally responsible way.

Garbage disposal services were not disrupted during the three-year reconstruction project, which included the demolition and removal of the old facility, the building of a new retention wall and the installation of public art.

Recycling and garbage disposal services at Factoria are available Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. HHW disposal services are available Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

This redevelopment project moves the County ahead by bringing efficiencies and enhancing service. In addition to areas for recycling and HHW disposal, key features of the new solid waste transfer building include:

• a flat-floor design that allows for easier unloading of garbage, better traffic flow and expanded capacity that help reduce customer wait times; and
• sustainable design features, including translucent skylights and window panels that allow natural light into the building,  that improve energy efficiency as well as rainwater harvesting, recycled-content building materials, such as steel, asphalt and concrete, and landscaping with drought-tolerant plants.

King County operates eight transfer stations, two drop-boxes, the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill and many programs to help customers recycle. Learn more about the Solid Waste Division at kingcounty.gov/solidwaste.

Suez’s Recycling & Recovery UK division recently began operating two new systems at the Altens East Industrial Estate south of Aberdeen, Scotland. The turnkey single-stream and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) systems were provided by Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Eugene, Oregon. They are rated to process 20 metric tons per hour (tph) and 30tph, respectively. Purchased and operated by Suez on behalf of the Aberdeen City Council, the material recovery facility (MRF) will process 140,000 metric tons of material per year and will increase the city’s diversion rate by nearly 20 percent, saving an estimated £5 million ($6.6 million) in annual landfill taxes, according to a news release from BHS.

The systems feature recycling technology from BHS, Nihot and National Recovery Technologies (NRT). The supplier says the facility is designed for high performance, featuring five BHS Tri-Disc screens, six NRT optical sorters and a Nihot Single Drum Separator. 

BHS says Suez invested in specialized technology to ensure its end products are highly marketable knowing that product quality is absolutely critical in today’s volatile commodity markets. For example, a BHS Debris Roll Screen breaks the incoming glass and removes the 50-millimeter fraction, which is processed through a Nihot Single Drum Separator to remove light contamination. The remaining glass-rich material passes through an NRT ColorPlus optical sorter to remove the remaining nonglass contamination, including paper and small pieces of ceramic, stone and porcelain, to leave a clean glass product. Paper purification is accomplished with NRT optical sorters, where the recently updated ColorPlus-R removes cardboard from the news stream and a SpydIR-R recovers flattened plastic from the mixed fiber stream. Designed to comply with the Scottish Government’s Code of Practice on Sampling and Reporting at Materials Recovery Facilities, the systems feature numerous belt scales to weigh inbound and outbound materials and automated labeling of outbound bales, BHS says.

“The quality of our commodities is more important now than it’s ever been,” says Tim Hughes, Suez project development manager. “The abundance of technology in our systems ensures that we’re able to meet or exceed our customers’ specifications. BHS has been a great partner from design onwards, as these systems surpass all of our throughput, recovery, purity and uptime expectations. The city of Aberdeen is in a great position to landfill significantly less while contributing to the circular economy and should be proud of its Council for making its vision a reality,” he adds.

“This MRF includes an abundance of new technology that is producing products that have exceptional quality,” BHS CEO Steve Miller says. “Employing NRT optical sorting on glass, news and mixed paper really sets the Aberdeen plant up for long-term success with regard to product quality. The recyclables leaving this facility are of the highest purity found anywhere in the industry, which is a testament to Suez’s commitment to excellence. We expect this MRF to be a top performer for Suez for years to come.”

In 2000, the Aberdeen City Council awarded Suez a 25-year contract to manage recycling, composting, treatment and disposal of the household waste for its residents, which now number more than 228,000 people. The £27 million ($35.7 million) project was developed to meet the goals set out in the Aberdeen City Waste Strategy and is in line with Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan, the latter of which includes a 70 percent recycling target by 2025.

BHS designs, engineers, manufactures and installs sorting systems and components for the solid waste, recycling, waste-to-energy and construction and demolition industries. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include Nihot (Amsterdam), NRT (Nashville, Tennessee) and Zero Waste Energy (Lafayette, California). BHS is also the originator of Max-AI technology, a form of artificial intelligence that is designed to identify materials, make intelligent decisions and direct equipment, such as robotic sorters.