Vecoplan bag opener has open design for extraneous materials

The VSA 250 T has a throughput rate of 35 tons per hour.

March 16, 2017
Recycling Today Staff

Equipment & Products Municipal / IC&I Plastics

To recycle plastic, metal and composite packaging or household waste collected in bags, the material must be continuously and reliably fed into sorting processes. Vecoplan, High Point, North Carolina, has developed the VSA 250 T bag opener to meet this demand.

The VSA 250 T can be loaded via belt conveyors, shovel grabs or wheel loaders. It is designed to gently opens bags and empty them. Because the recyclable materials are not destroyed during this process, more material can be recycled, the company says.

The bag opener's cutting unit consists of hammers welded onto the two rotors that operate inside the machine's large, open cutting frame. The open design of the cutting frame means the cutting unit is designed with the ability to cope with extraneous materials such as stones or hand-size pieces of metal. Because the machine is designed to break the materials, the subsequent sorting of the reusable, recyclable materials is simplified, Vecoplan says. With a bulk density of around 8 pounds per cubic feet, the VSA 250 T achieves a throughput rate of 35 tons per hour.

The rotors use Vecoplan's HiTorc drives, which are free from mechanical elements, such as belt drives, couplings and hydraulic assemblies. The HiTorc is designed to have a high degree of efficiency, allowing the company to be able to use versions with a power consumption of 82 kilowatts, Vecoplan says.

The machine supports are manufactured in an inert gas shielded arc welded design for holding the rotors and cutting frame. The double side wall on the machine supports is designed to prevent dirt from entering the bearing housing. Sealing elements on the rotor and side wall are designed to prevent materials from depositing between the front face of the rotor and the machine housing. In addition, the cutting frame and rotors are replaceable.

The VECO+ Live Service tool is offered as part of the delivery scope. If any faults occur, operators can quickly diagnose the cause online and rectify the error, while also receiving important status messages and production information.

Indiana county approves tax break for shredder operator

County Council votes in favor of awarding SMS Shredding a tax abatement package.

March 15, 2017
Recycling Today Staff

Auto Shredding Ferrous Financial Legislation & Regulations

SMS Shredding, a scrap metal recycler located in New Carlisle, Indiana, has been approved for a tax abatement package by the St. Joseph County Council at a hearing on March 14. The tax abatement is expected to assist the company as it is middle of expanding its Indiana scrap metal and auto shredding operations.

According to the South Bend (Indiana) Tribune, the County Council voted 7-2 in favor of the tax break, which will be used to support SMS Shredding’s $3.5 million investment in upgrading its auto shredder.

The Tribune notes that the tax breaks include a five-year personal property tax abatement and a six-year real property tax abatement. Combined, the two packages will save the company around $150,000 in taxes.

SMS’ investments at the Indiana site include building an 18,000-square-foot building where it will conduct some processing, purchasing about $2.5 million in equipment and erecting a wall to tamp down sound coming from the facility.

In December 2016, the company went before the County Council seeking the tax abatement. However, the Council deadlocked 4-4 on whether to approve the abatement.

SMS Shredding is a part of Scrap Metal Services, a scrap metal recycling firm headquartered in Burnham, Illinois.

CDRA honors awards recipients during C&D World

Four companies honored for their contributions to the C&D recycling industry.

March 15, 2017
CDR Staff

C&D

Pictured from left to right, Kevin Herb, CDRA past president; Bayshore Recycling owners Frank Montecalvo and Valerie Montecalvo; and Gary Sondermeyer, vice president operations, Bayshore.

The Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA), Milwaukee, honored recipients of its 2017 C&D Recycling Awards during C&D World, March 8, at Bally's in Las Vegas.

Frank and Valerie Montecalvo of Bayshore Recycling in Keasbey, New Jersey, were welcomed into the 2017 class of the Construction & Demolition Recycling Hall of Fame. First introduced at C&D World 2013, the Construction & Demolition Recycling Hall of Fame honors those individuals whose careers have best served the industry and the CDRA.

Asphalt Shingle Grinding Service of Peru, Indiana was named the 2017 CDRA Recycler of the Year. The Recycler of the Year recognizes the individual or company that exemplifies excellence in the C&D industry. The award is meant to honor those recycling operations in the C&D recycling industry who have made an extraordinary contribution to the industry

Terry Weaver of USA Gypsum, was named 2017 CDRA Member of the Year. The CDRA Member of the Year is presented to the board member or committee member who has most served the association in the previous year. The Member of the Year is selected by the CDRA president based on extraordinary service to the mission of the organization and the C&D recycling industry through the following criteria during the previous 12-month period:

StopWaste of Oakland, California, received the 2017 CDRA President's Award. The CDRA President’s Award is a special recognition to salute companies that have provided innovative ways to increase the recycling of C&D materials in North America.

More information about the awards is available at www.cdrecycling.org/cdra-awards.

Firestone debuts off-road radial tire line

Tire company’s VersaBuilt line is designed for construction, industrial applications.

March 15, 2017
CDR Staff

Equipment & Products

Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas Inc. has debuted its new Firestone VersaBuilt tire line at the 2017 ConExpo-Con/Agg event in Las Vegas in early March 2017. The company says its first full line of off-the-road radial tires from Firestone has been designed to perform in a variety of work environments, applications and with many types of equipment.

“With more radial tires entering the off-the-road market, we saw a need to introduce a dependable product at an affordable price that is backed by a trusted brand,” says Taylor Cole, president, off-the-road, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “Our construction customers are looking for a versatile line of tires that they can rely on to get the job done, and that’s exactly what they get with Firestone VersaBuilt.”

VersaBuilt tires have been designed to provide solid traction for loaders, graders and earth movers, “ensuring these machines perform at their best in a variety of conditions, ranging from muddy to rocky surfaces,” says Bridgestone.

Key features of Firestone VersaBuilt tires, according to Bridgestone, include:

a steel casing and SideArmor sidewalls designed to protect against cuts and punctures by deflecting stones and debris;
a nondirectional, self-cleaning tread for added traction and a tough tread compound to promote wear life;
three different tread patterns optimized for general use across environments: The Firestone VersaBuilt All Traction (G2/L2), the Firestone VersaBuilt All Purpose (E3/L3), and the Firestone VersaBuilt Deep Tread (E4/L4); and
11 different size offerings to meet the demands of different applications.

Firestone VersaBuilt tires are backed by a five-year limited warranty and an expansive dealer network, says the firm.

More information about the new line of tires can be found on this web page.

Bridgestone Americas Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Bridgestone Corp., one of the largest tire and rubber companies in the world.

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