Tomra Sorting Recycling shared its knowledge of material recovery from electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) at the International Electronics Recycling Congress (IERC 2019), which was Jan. 16-18 in Salzburg, Austria. With legislation prohibiting the reuse of plastics containing brominated flame retardants (BFRs), the company discussed how combining its near-infrared (NIR) and X-ray technologies can enable the removal of up to 98 percent of BFR plastics from mixed plastic streams.

Judit Jansana, head of Tomra Sorting Iberia and part of the metal expert group at Tomra Sorting Recycling, said, “Now that plastics waste can no longer be shipped to China and simply forgotten about, there is growing demand from recyclers for preseparated polymers that are BFR-free. IERC 2019 was the perfect venue for Tomra to spotlight how its Autosort and X-Tract machines can achieve this with remarkably high efficiency.”

The company says its presentation noted that electrical and electronic devices contain from 3 to 60 percent plastic, approximately 30 percent of which contains flame retardants.

Its Autosort starts the sorting process by using NIR technology to separate the input of mixed polymers, typically generated from information technology (IT) and household appliances. The feed material is separated into polymers fractions, creating, for example, a PC/ABS (polycarbonates/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) fraction or a HIPS (high-impact polystyrene) fraction.

These fractions pass separately through the company’s X-Tract machine that features X-ray technology to separate BFR polymers from BFR-free polymers because flame-retardant elements have higher atomic densities that absorb more energy. This technology is independent of plastics input color, so black plastic is not an issue, according to the company.

“Separating BFR polymers from recycled product is a global issue and definitely a concern for E-Scrap processors in North America, especially since the National Sword initiative,” says Eric Thurston, sales manager metals recycling for Tomra. “We have had discussions with several recyclers about upgrading their circuits to remove flame-retardant plastics from the finished material pile.”

According to Tomra, it also is possible to start the process with a straight pass through Tomra X-Tract to achieve an output of less than 1,000 parts per million (PPM), leaving a mix free of BFR for further polymer separation processes.

The 2019 Virginia Recycling Association (VRA) conference boasts the theme “Changing Behavior to Encourage Recycling.” VRA members and nonmembers are welcome to the annual conference, which will be May 6 to 8 at Virginia Crossings Hotel and Conference Center in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Kelley Dennings, the founding president of the Social Marketing Association of North America, will lead a training workshop focused on the theme. Participants will create an outline for an education and outreach campaign using research and metrics.

Other conference sessions tackle innovations in recycling challenging materials, successful ways to reduce contamination, composting updates and waste stream measurements. In addition, networking and informal education opportunities are available.

“Attendees will leave this conference with lots of ideas and tactics for their local programs,” VRA says in a news release about the event.

VRA provides leadership in sustainable recycling and resource management in Virginia. The association is the leading resource of recycling information for members, public, local government, business and industry.

Conference registration, hotel reservations, sponsorship and exhibitor information are available here.

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Wastequip has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Amrep, a leading refuse body and hoist manufacturer. Amrep is a family-owned business based in Ontario, California, with additional facilities in Salisbury, North Carolina; Phoenix; Pacific, Washington; and Sacramento, California. The company was founded in 1976 and has become a well-recognized brand in the West Coast market, Wastequip says in the news release announcing the planned purchase.

Under the deal’s terms, Amrep will continue to operate as its own entity with the existing leadership team reporting directly to Wastequip CEO Marty Bryant. The deal is not expected to result in a reduction in force for either company, Wastequip says.

 The addition of Amrep’s front-load and automated side-load refuse trucks fulfills Wastequip’s mission of serving as a one-stop-shop for waste equipment for haulers and municipalities, with products for curbside collection to final destination, the company says. 

Amrep’s heavy-duty refuse trucks feature 100 percent Hardox steel in the hopper, packer, body and tailgate, along with a patented zero-radius arm that allows haulers to use more efficient side load trucks even in the tightest urban areas.

Additionally, the acquisition provides Amrep with the capital to complete its technology offering with its refuse body trucks, including onboard diagnostics and routing.

Existing parts customers will benefit from an expanded line card and will now have the ability to order Amrep cylinders through Wastequip’s Go To Parts brand, which will expand its technical expertise and parts offerings to serve a broader customer base. 

With this acquisition, Wastequip says it can offer customers complete nationwide product coverage for cable hoists pairing Amrep, the leading brand in the West, with Galbreath, the established market leader and preferred brand in the eastern United States. 

“Adding garbage trucks to our product mix is a key step in the evolution of Wastequip as a true partner for haulers and municipalities by serving as a one-stop-shop for all waste industry equipment needs,” says Bryant. “After an exhaustive evaluation of many of the available refuse body offerings, we chose Amrep based on its sterling industry relationships, as well as the key design and performance advantages of its refuse bodies and hoists. We believe that Amrep’s expertise and technology paired with Wastequip’s national reach, strong financial position and sales strength will allow us to invest in and grow Amrep nationally as a premier refuse body brand and the industry’s largest and most well-respected hoist manufacturer—a true force to be reckoned with in the industry.”

“We are excited for this next phase in Amrep’s development and proud to become affiliated with an industry-leading organization like Wastequip,” says Alex Ghibaudo, chief executive officer of Amrep.  “We believe the combined power of our two companies will extend our ability to grow our refuse truck market share significantly and develop an even more robust product suite.”

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) 2019 Convention & Exposition (ISRI2019) will add a Residential Recycling Summit to its lineup of educational workshops, according to a news release from the Washington-based association. The summit, which is comprised of seven sessions, is designed to provide what ISRI describes as a “deep dive into the issues surround plastics, paper and residential recycling.

“Over the course of the last 18 months, a spotlight has been shined on issues in the residential recycling stream,” ISRI President Robin Wiener says. “As the Voice of the Recycling Industry, ISRI has been working aggressively to bring together stakeholders, including recyclers, brand owners, municipalities, and MRF (material recovery facility) operators to address the challenges and opportunities facing residential recycling today.”

She adds, “I am excited about the dialogue that is going to occur during ISRI2019, where experts, local government officials, manufacturers and operators from across the country will come together to improve residential recycling.”

ISRI says the summit brings together all segments of the value chain to discuss solutions to the challenges society is currently experiencing with curbside recycling. This programming track focuses on issues such as new markets for recovered fiber, innovations in consumer packaging, sustainability issues and municipal/MRF contracting best practices.

A variety of Residential Recycling Summit sessions are scheduled for April 10-11:

• Curbing Recycling Contamination with The Recycling Partnership;
• Contracting Challenges: Providing Best Practices for MRFs and Municipalities;
• Spotlight on Paper: The Impact of E-commerce on Residential Recycling Programs;
• Spotlight on Plastic: Tackling the Plastic Pollution Problem;
• A Call to Action: How Recycling can Reduce the Environmental Impact of Man-Made Materials;
• Increasing Recycling Through Packaging Innovation; and
• Breakouts: Continuing the Conversation.

ISRI encourages municipal officials to attend to explore why curbside collection programs across the country are seeing changes in the materials they are handling and why some materials are finding market outlets while others are being challenged. This conversation can help in the decision-making process in their communities and improve their collection programs.

Session descriptions and times can be found on the ISRI2019 website at www.isri2019.org. Municipal and other government employees should contact Jonathan Levy at ISRI for more information on the registration process.