US Chamber of Commerce Foundation expands recycling initiative
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Washington, has announced the expansion of its Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for a New Economy initiative. The expansion includes applying the Beyond 34 model in a second region and developing a suite of online tools to allow any community to implement the model.
Beyond 34, first implemented in Orlando, Florida, was developed to increase the current 34 percent recycling rate in the United States. The Orlando pilot invested more than $100,000 to implement projects designed to improve local recycling.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation says the expansion involves applying a refined version of the Beyond 34 model in a second region based on findings from the Orlando pilot. The foundation says it will choose the second region in early 2019 and the expansion will continue through early 2021.
“The Beyond 34 model brings together a community’s private and public sectors and equips them with solutions to increase and improve recycling,” states Marc DeCourcey, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service at Arizona State University (ASU) will provide analysis and develop tools to help communities improve their recycling efforts.
The expansion is possible with support from the Walmart Foundation, Walgreens Boots Alliance and the Plastics Industry Association.
International, Legislation & Regulations
Departments - Newsworthy
Recent news from the various sectors of the recycling industry
Malaysia Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change
Malaysia closes illegal plastic recycling facilities
According to Malaysian government and media reports, as of late February, nearly 140 illegal plastic recycling plants operating in the nation had been closed since the beginning of this year for violating the country’s Environmental Quality Act 1974. Department of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin says the Malaysian government has opened 48 investigation papers and four factories have been punished, while 44 more were charged with summonses exceeding $740,000.
Estimating that Malaysia imported some 750,000 metric tons of plastic scrap in 2018, Yin says, “We have 400 legal plastic waste recycling factories in the country, but it does not mean they [all] are adhering to the law, so monitoring has to be conducted at least twice a year to ensure their continuous compliance.”
Following what the ministry calls an “active integrated operation” in Selangor state beginning in July 2018, many of the operators moved to other states.
Metals
Departments - Newsworthy
Recent news from the various sectors of the recycling industry
Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp. has announced the restart of construction on what it calls a technologically advanced electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking facility at its Tubular Operations in Fairfield, Alabama. U.S. Steel previously began construction of the EAF, which is in Alabama’s Jefferson County, in March 2015. However, the company suspended construction in December of the same year because of what it said were unfavorable market conditions.
“We are pleased to announce the achievement of the market and performance stage gates required to restart our Tubular Segment EAF,” says U.S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt. “This investment is an important step to improve our cost structure and positions our Tubular business to win over the long term. We are committed to investing in the sustainable steel technology required to be a value-added tubular solutions provider for our customers.”
U.S. Steel says the investment to complete the EAF, which includes modernization of the existing rounds caster, is expected to be approximately $215 million. The company says it will add roughly 150 full-time employees to work at the new furnace. The EAF will have an annual capacity of 1.6 million tons, and the company says construction will begin immediately, with the EAF producing steel rounds in the second half of 2020.
“Thanks to the president’s strong trade actions and improved market conditions, support from the United Steelworkers and incentives from the state of Alabama and the Jefferson County Commission, we are excited to add EAF capabilities to our company’s footprint and provide sustainable tubular solutions for our customers,” Burritt says.
Free Flow announces sizable scrap contract
King George, Virginia-based Free Flow Inc. says it has received a letter of intent from a scrap supplier for a contract it values at more than $12 million.
The company says it plans to expand its existing auto flattening operation to include shredding. The shredder will be located on the 20-acre recycling facility it owns in King George built on land it purchased in mid-2018. The terms of the supply contract call for the purchase of scrap grades including No. 1 and No. 2 heavy melting steel (HMS), plus shredded automobile scrap.
“We are pleased to be selected for this size of contract,” says Free Flow CEO Sabir Saleem.
Free Flow Inc. is a publicly traded company that operates its used auto parts and metal recycling businesses through two wholly owned subsidiaries, Motors & Metals Inc. and Accurate Auto Parts Inc.
Paper
Departments - Newsworthy
Recent news from the various sectors of the recycling industry
GP Harmon changes name to Georgia-Pacific Recycling
Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific's Harmon Recycling has changed its name to Georgia-Pacific Recycling. According to a Georgia-Pacific news release, the name change more directly reflects that “the recycling business is an integrated part of a large, stable and respected organization.”
Georgia-Pacific Recycling, Jericho, New York, operates six recycling centers in the United States. Georgia-Pacific acquired the business in 2000, and until now it has operated under the Harmon name.
“While the Harmon name is well-known in the marketplace, more formally adopting the Georgia-Pacific name reflects that we are committed to being a preferred partner in the recyclable commodity industry,” says Marc Forman, president of Georgia-Pacific Recycling. “To say that the recycling industry is experiencing a lot of change is an understatement. Our new name reflects that we are a stable company with a commitment to innovative solutions,” he continues.
With nearly 50 years of experience in the recycling industry, the team helps customers reduce their waste streams and maximize recyclables, according to the company’s news release. In addition to supplying recovered paper to Georgia-Pacific tissue and containerboard mills, Georgia-Pacific Recycling is a global marketer of recyclables. It sells more than 6 million tons of paper and 450 million pounds of plastics annually.
Nine Dragons highlights expansion plans in FY2019 interim results
Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Ltd., Hong Kong, has announced consolidated interim results for the company and its subsidiaries for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2018. According to a Nine Dragons news release, it achieved a revenue increase of about 18.2 percent compared with the corresponding period of its 2018 fiscal year.
The group’s total designed production capacity across its mill network as of Dec. 31 was 15.3 million tons per year, comprising about 7.6 million tons of linerboard, 3.4 million tons of high- performance corrugating medium, 2.6 million tons of coated duplex board, 1.1 million tons of printing and writing paper and 0.6 million tons of high-value specialty paper and pulp products.
Nine Dragons also reports that its new paper mill in Chongqing, China, began production in February 2019, adding another 0.55 million tons per year to the group’s overall production capacity.
During the period, ND Paper LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, completed the acquisition of two pulp mills—one in Fairmont, West Virginia, and the other in Old Town, Maine. Together with mills in Rumford, Maine, and Biron, Wisconsin, ND Paper acquired in fiscal 2018, these four mills in the United States are expected to offer access to high-quality raw material for the group’s primary business, with significant synergies, the company says.
Nine Dragons Paper says it is actively pursuing the goal of completing the construction of four new paper machines at its mills in China in 2019, including three at its Shenyang, Hebei and Quanzhou mills that are expected to start production in the second quarter of 2019. Also, a new paper machine at the Dongguan mill is expected to start production in the third quarter of 2019. Upon the start of production, these four paper machines will add 2.05 million tons per year to the group’s total designed production capacity.
ND Paper plans to implement equipment upgrades and expansion projects at its four pulp and paper mills in the United States, which could be completed and begin production before the end of 2021, its parent company says. By then, the company’s production capacity in the U.S. will increase by 1.4 million tons per year, bringing its global total production capacity to more than 19 million tons, Nine Dragons says.
“It is expected that China will continue to implement stringent environmental policies, making the advantages of large enterprises becoming more prominent,” says Cheung Yan, chair of Nine Dragons. “Yet, the group is confident about the fundamental of domestic consumption and industry demand in China and believes that there is some growth potential in market demand.”
He adds, “Meanwhile, the group remains cautiously optimistic and positive about the [China-U.S.] trade war.”
Plastics
Departments - Newsworthy
Recent news from the various sectors of the recycling industry
Eastman seeks to commercialize its methanolysis recycling technology
Leading specialty materials firm Eastman, headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, has announced that it will pursue the launch of circular recycling technology that uses polyester scrap that cannot be recycled using mechanical methods currently available. Using the process of methanolysis, Eastman says its technology breaks down polyester-based products into their polymer building blocks, which can be reintroduced to produce new polyester-based polymers.
In a news release announcing the launch, Eastman says it has more than three decades of expertise in methanolysis, making the company “uniquely qualified to be a leader in delivering this solution at commercial scale.”
The technology enables the recycling of low-quality polyester, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), scrap that would typically be diverted to landfills into high-quality polyesters suitable for use in a variety of end markets, including food-contact applications, according to the company.
“We recognize that plastic waste is a complex problem that needs advanced solutions. As we have engaged potential partners, it is clear there is high interest across the entire value chain,” says Mark Costa, Eastman board chair and chief executive officer. “Our long history of technical expertise in chemical processes, including methanolysis, and our leading position in copolyester chemistry, enables us to provide this innovative solution to address the growing challenges of plastic waste in our environment.”
Eastman says it is executing an engineering feasibility study on the design and construction of a commercial-scale methanolysis facility and has engaged in initial discussions with potential partners across the value chain regarding the development of such a facility. The company’s goal is to be operating a full-scale, circular recycling facility within 24 to 36 months.
The company says its efforts to find new end-of-life solutions to advance the circular economy align with its “innovation-driven growth strategy and commitment to create value through sustainability.”
“We believe we have an obligation to enhance the quality of life in a material way,” says David Golden, senior vice president, chief legal and sustainability officer and corporate secretary for Eastman. “As the desire grows for products that have a sustainable life cycle, Eastman continues to build on its heritage of world-class technology platforms and product innovation to offer solutions at the molecular level.”
Walmart makes plastic packaging waste reduction commitments
Walmart has issued a new set of plastic waste reduction commitments by leveraging its massive private brand program. The new commitments, announced at Walmart’s annual supplier forum, are expected to affect more than 30,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs).
According to a news release from Walmart, the move is designed “to help get to the heart of the problem by focusing on the retailer’s private brand packaging, building upon existing efforts to reduce plastic waste in Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club operations and encouraging national brand suppliers to set similar packaging goals.”
Walmart announced that it will work with its U.S. private brand suppliers on a number of commitments:
seeking to achieve 100 percent recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable packaging for its private brands by 2025;
targeting at least 20 percent postconsumer recycled content in private brand packaging by 2025;
labeling 100 percent of food and consumable private brand packaging with the How2Recycle label by 2022;
working with suppliers to eliminate nonrecyclable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in general merchandise packaging by 2020; and
reducing private brand plastic packaging when possible.
Walmart says that during its annual supplier forum the company encouraged its national brand suppliers to make similar packaging commitments through the retailer’s Project Gigaton platform. Through Project Gigaton, which launched in 2017, suppliers can receive credit from Walmart for their sustainability progress.
Circular Polymers offers used carpet end market
Lincoln, California-based Circular Polymers says it is ready to supply the chemical recycling industry with consistent, high-quality feedstock made from postconsumer carpet and other forms of plastic scrap. Circular Polymers’ new facility in Lincoln, near Sacramento, can process some 15,000 tons of carpet per year, with the capability to expand further, the company says.
Circular Polymers is using carpet recycling technology developed by Elyria, Ohio-based Broadview Group International (BGI). BGI President Joe Bork says, “Our technology disassembles the carpet [and] then cleans the fibers, thus maximizing yield while providing superior quality. The technology processes all carpet types: nylon 6, nylon 66, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and polypropylene.”
David Bender, CEO of Circular Polymers, adds, “Chemical recycling is the solution to global demand for recycled feedstocks in a circular economy. Major brand companies working with chemical recyclers need clean, sustainable supplies of feedstock. We understand that chemical recycling operations require the conversion of waste into a raw material with strictly defined specifications. Circular Polymers is uniquely positioned to supply this growing industry.”
He continues, “With more than 25 percent of all recycled bottles getting downcycled into carpet and fiber, Circular Polymers has created a figure eight in the circular economy, enabling upcycling of carpet into bottles.”
Circular Polymers and BGI completed the Lincoln plant expansion in December 2018. “Circular Polymers expects to grow significantly to support our customer requirements,” says Nick Fiore, president of Circular Polymers.
Chicago-based PureCycle Technologies, described as an off-take partner of Circular Polymers, is commercializing a process designed to convert plastic scrap into virgin-quality resin. David Brenner, PureCycle chief integration officer, says, “What we need to make the circular economy a reality is innovators at all levels of the supply chain. What Circular Polymers has done with processing postconsumer carpet back into raw materials for chemical recyclers is not only revolutionary, but [also] an incredible model for us all, considering the large volumes of feedstock that are being landfilled today.”
Circular Polymers received a grant from the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) in December 2018 to add new BGI equipment to remove and separate the polypropylene backing from carpet face fibers. Bob Peoples, executive director of CARE, says, “Circular Polymers is now the leading innovator of carpet recycling technology and our fastest growing recycler. They are proving a circular economy is achievable.”
