An article in The Star has reported that Ontario will be canceling environmental handling charges for consumer electronics and tires under the Waste-Free Ontario Act, passed Wednesday, June 1, 2016. This act is meant to make it easier for Ontarians to recycle more products at designated depots and to reduce deposits made to garbage dumps.

“It’ll be implemented over a couple of years,” Environment Minister Glenn Murray told The Star. “You’ll see more systems to recover materials, which will reduce costs.” 

Under the new system, manufacturers will be required to cover the cost of recycling. According to Murray, this will incentivize them to design products with more durability in mind.

“You have to design it now to reuse it or recover it because you’re responsible for the end-of-life costs,” Murray said.

Axion Polymers, headquartered in Manchester, U.K., has appointed Laura Smith commercial operations manager at its plastics processing site in Salford, U.K. She replaces Steve Bell, who has left the company after 15 years with the firm.

From left: Steve Bell and Laura Smith

Axion says Smith takes over the top position at Salford following the success she had in developing new markets for separated materials produced at the company’s automotive shredder waste plant in Trafford Park, U.K.

Smith has been working in commercial and sales roles at Axion throughout its growth from a small startup consultancy to a large-scale materials recycler.

Commenting on the new position, Smith says, “I am looking forward to the challenge of growing production output and developing new products for our target markets in automotive, electricals and other durable product sectors. There is a great team at Salford with a huge depth of experience, and I am sure we can continue as a winning team following Steve’s departure.”

Axion Polymers is part of the Axion Group, which develops and operates resource recovery and processing solutions for recycling waste materials. The group works with a wide range of clients within the recycling and process industries on the practical development of new processing and collection methods. 

The U.S. EPA, Region 7 has reached an administrative settlement with Acme Foundry Inc., Coffeyville, Kansas, to resolve industrial stormwater violations under the Federal Clean Water Act. According to the EPA, under the settlement, Acme Foundry must comply with its industrial stormwater permit, pay a penalty of $28,975 and implement a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP).

With an SEP, an alleged violator may voluntarily agree to undertake an environmentally beneficial project related to the violation in exchange for mitigation of the penalty to be paid. According to the EPA, the SEP furthers the EPA's goal of protecting and enhancing the public health and the environment.

EPA investigations in March 2015 found that Acme Foundry failed to comply with its industrial stormwater permit in light of unauthorized discharges containing pollutants. The company failed to:

• develop and update an adequate stormwater pollution prevention plan; 
• implement best management practices to reduce the amount of pollutants in the stormwater; 
• perform facility inspections; 
• conduct annual comprehensive site compliance evaluations; 
• conduct visual stormwater monitoring; and
• conduct employee training.

Under a previously issued administrative compliance order, Acme Foundry is addressing each of the violations and will install and maintain structural and nonstructural controls to bring the facility into compliance with its industrial stormwater permit, EPA says.

Under the settlement, Acme Foundry will pay a $28,975 penalty for its alleged stormwater permit violations and complete a SEP by Jan. 1, 2017, estimated at $600,000, to replace the existing wet scrubber air emissions control with a fabric filter, reducing air emissions.

Acme Foundry produces grey iron castings for diesel engines, hydraulic valves, industrial valves, petroleum production valves, gear boxes, lawn mower parts and energy machinery.
 

Custom Synthetic Fibers LLC has announced plans to open a recycled polyester fiber plant in Rogersville, Alabama. Joseph Ku, CEO of Custom Synthetic, says he expects to have the equipment installed by the end of June 2016, with operations beginning by early July.

The company is owned by a group of investors, including the majority owners of Custom Polymers Inc., based in Charlotte; and Custom Polymers PET LLC, a postconsumer PET (polyethylene terepthalate) bottle recycling firm in Athens, Alabama. According to local reports, nearly $6 million has been invested in the new location.

The company initially plans to produce 40 million pounds of recycled polyester staple fiber per year and will target the automotive, home furnishing, industrial, apparel and consumer goods markets to start. The plant also is being designed to allow it to add additional lines that would boost total production by an additional 80 million pounds if needed.

While over the past several years a number of facilities have opened in the South that target the recycled plastic sector, Ku says he is comfortable that he will be able to obtain enough flake and pellet from suppliers throughout the Southeast to meet the company’s needs, both in the short term and as it expands.

In a news release announcing the plan, Ku says, “We are extremely excited to announce the impending operational startup of Custom Synthetic Fibers. Our plant will produce high-quality recycled polyester fiber by incorporating recycled polyester raw materials in an environmentally friendly and cost effective manner. Our state-of-the-art technology will enable our customers to benefit from fiber in various denier sizes to meet their stringent quality and consistency requirements.”

The building measures roughly 80,000 square feet. Ku says he expects to have around 50 employees and will be operating two shifts a day. He also says he would like to double the number of employees by the next three years.