Waste-to-energy company Covanta Energy Corp., Morristown, N.J., and Turning Earth LLC, King of Prussia, Pa., an integrated organics recycling company, have announced a new partnership to provide organics recycling to Connecticut municipalities and businesses. The 10-year agreement calls for Turning Earth to build, own and operate an integrated organics recycling facility in central Connecticut to which Covanta will divert organic waste for beneficial reuse in partnership with municipalities and commercial customers. Covanta and Turning Earth will explore future opportunities in the Connecticut and Massachusetts region.

The facility will be powered by Denmark-based Solum Gruppen's Aikan Technology, a patented, high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) and in-vessel composting system which converts organic waste streams into several valuable and environmentally beneficial products including renewable base load energy and high quality compost. Organic waste residuals provided by Covanta will come from Connecticut communities and businesses and will be comprised of yard waste, food waste and other organic waste streams.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Turning Earth,” says Stephen Diaz, Covanta Energy vice president. “Organics recycling is important to our customers and an important part of CT DEEP’s (Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection’s) goals. This arrangement will now enable Covanta to provide our area municipal and commercial customers the ability to include organics recycling within their sustainable waste management programs.”

Covanta’s energy-from-waste (EFW) facilities will continue to provide disposal for postrecycled waste. Covanta’s Connecticut facilities generate energy for more than 34,000 homes in the state and recycle enough metal to build more than 12,000 automobiles annually, according to the company.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Covanta,” says Andrew Kessler, president, Turning Earth.“Our partnership with Covanta, local communities, and other important stakeholders, sets a new standard for organic waste management, renewable energy production and the replenishment of our soils.”

“I am proud that the Bristol region will be among the first to benefit from this unique partnership,” commented Bristol, Conn., Mayor Art Ward. “It continues a long-established collaborative effort between Covanta and Connecticut communities to attract environmentally-sound, cutting edge technologies and solutions to waste management in a manner that stimulates our local economies.”

Christian Christensen, CEO of Denmark-based Solum Group and creator of the Aikan Technology, remarked, “Aikan is a proven Danish technology that we have been working in partnership with Turning Earth to commercialize in the U.S. This is exactly the kind of project we envisioned when we decided to focus on the North American market – an alignment of interests from a broad range of stakeholders to achieve common objectives.”

Facility construction is anticipated to begin in the latter half of 2014 following site selection, the receipt of permits and procurement of organic waste.

The Hershey Co., Hershey, Pa., has announced that two more of its plants have achieved zero-waste-to-landfill (ZWL) status. The company now has six U.S. plants that no longer dispose routine waste into landfills. With the addition of the Y&S Plant in Lancaster, Pa., and the Robinson Plant in Robinson, Ill., Hershey says it has exceeded its goal to convert five plants to ZWL by 2015 well ahead of schedule.

"This achievement reflects Hershey's unwavering commitment to reduce our environmental impact while continuing to manufacture the highest quality confections," says Terence O'Day, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer, The Hershey Co. "Converting plants to ZWL is challenging, but our plant employees have shown how deeply dedicated they are to environmental stewardship. They have worked extremely hard to reach this important milestone."

To achieve ZWL status, Hershey's manufacturing facilities have reduced their overall waste streams and increased recycling rates to approximately 90 percent. All remaining waste is sent to nearby waste-to-energy incinerators, eliminating the need for landfill disposal. These incinerators produce energy, which also reduces overall reliance on fossil fuels.

Hershey now has eight facilities that have achieved ZWL status:

 *  Hazleton Plant (Hazleton, Pa.); 
 *  Reese Plant (Hershey);  
 *  West Hershey Plant (Hershey.);  
 *  Y&S Plant (Lancaster, Pa.);  
 *  Robinson Plant (Robinson, Ill.);  
 *  Stuarts Draft (Stuarts Draft, Va.);  
 *  Hershey's Chocolate World (Hershey); and 
 *  Eastern Distribution Center III (Palmyra, Pa.). 

Hershey says it has been a sustainability leader for decades. Founder Milton Hershey started the company's first recycling center in Hershey in 1937, long before recycling was a common practice. To further reduce its carbon footprint, the company also has added biogas-capturing equipment at four of its U.S. facilities. By using this energy-conversion equipment, the four facilities are less reliant on fossil fuels for energy.

Two sets of solar arrays at facilities in Hershey also contribute to reducing Hershey's environmental footprint. The Hershey solar arrays eliminate more than 200 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year, according to the company. The amount of greenhouse gases eliminated by these arrays is equivalent to taking approximately 50 cars off the road each year.

Hershey says it is continuously advancing its environmental sustainability programs and seeking innovative approaches to reduce waste and the environmental impact at all of its facilities around the world. The company's management encourages employees to continue to look for new solutions for waste management and recycling.

Yale Materials Handling Corp., Greenville, N.C., has introduced a new mobile app that delivers access to a suite of information regarding the company’s lift truck models, as well as a Yale dealer locator function.

Bill Pfleger, president of Yale Distribution, says, “Fully serving the lift-truck industry means more than just selling quality Yale lift trucks. True service means delivering things like the most comprehensive mobile lift-truck app in the industry.”

Pfleger adds, “This app delivers helpful information about each of our products so that our customers and the industry in general can stay informed about their lift-trucks or can answer questions about their future lift-truck needs. Having the ability, in the palm of their hand, to locate and contact our nearest dealer makes our customers’ lives easier.”

Customers can access the new app, available for Apple iOS and Android devices, through iTunes and the Android Google Play Store. Using the new app, customers have the ability to choose the most appropriate products for their applications by accessing information and resources, including spec sheets, images and brochures on each Yale lift truck model as well as videos and brochures on Yale product line categories, components and other equipment features, according to the company.

By using the app’s dealer locator, users can search for a dealer by zip code, state and county or by using the device’s location services. From within the app, users can call a dealer, visit its website or submit a contact form to a dealer for more information. The app also provides special notice of lease and product promotions and permits users to create an account and enter their basic contact information so that Yale can provide special offers and events within the user’s local area, the company says.

During the recently concluded London Metals Exchange Week, the International Lead Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) released information noting that global demand for lead is expected to increase 5 percent in 2013 and grow by an additional 4.6 percent in 2014. Additionally, lead demand in the United States is expected to increase by 7.6 percent in 2013, bolstered by original equipment purchases of new vehicles and replacement purchases of lead-acid batteries.

In 2014, forecasts for lead in the United States show a modest increase of 1.5 percent, although ILZSG notes that that figure could rise if General Motors relies on lead-acid batteries for its 2014 Malibu Hybrid. The study group says that the vehicle will no longer carry lithium-ion batteries.

In a release, the ILZSG notes that recent lead-acid battery optimism is reinforced by the fact that other battery technologies have yet to reach the high recycling rate of lead-acid options in the United States; 98 percent of spent lead-acid batteries are collected and returned to permitted recyclers, which recycle both lead and plastic, keeping 2.4 million tons of batteries out of landfills.

"The global demand for lead is very strong," says Andy Bush, International Lead Association’s (ILA) managing director. "Lead's credentials as the most recycled of all major metals, coupled with its easy availability, make lead one of the most sustainable materials in the modern world."

"Lead-based batteries that effectively operate in a closed loop-commercial considerations drive the collection of used batteries, and efficient recycling puts the vast majority of the components back into use," says Alistair Davidson, ILA's technical manager, who recently presented a study on the future of lead to ILZSG. "As a result, lead is a fantastic example of the circular economy in action—something that policy makers around the world increasingly recognize as being necessary to address negative environmental and social impacts associated with raw material extraction and production."