Thermostat Recycling Corp. (TRC), Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, has released its first quarter results of collection locations that have recycled thermostats between Jan. 1 and March 31.

Johnstone Supply, Portland, Oregon, leads the list of 278 collection locations where at least one thermostat was recycled, followed by R.E. Michel Co., Baltimore, and newcomer Wheelabrator Technologies, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with its affiliated accounts. The top 10 list and the number of thermostats they collected are:

1. Johnstone Supply (national)—3,289
2. R.E. Michel (national)—2,724
3. Wheelabrator (Massachusetts)—1,145
4. United Refrigeration, Philadelphia (national)—931
5. Lennox Parts Plus, Dallas (national)—753
6. Watsco Owned Distribution, Miami (national)—487
7. Rise Engineering, Cranston, Rhode Island (New England)—464
8. U.S. Air Conditioning Distributors, City of Industry, California (regional)—435
9. Gustave A. Larson Co., Pewaukee, Wisconsin (regional)—351
10. F.W. Webb Co., Barre, Vermont (regional)—347

"We are heartened by these committed collection locations who have made it a goal and a company policy to recycle mercury containing thermostats whenever possible," Ryan Kiscaden, executive director, Thermostat Recycling Corp., says. "What is most surprising is the strength of these companies' collections that don't necessarily occupy a national footprint. For example, locations located in Massachusetts are up 89 percent."

"We are proud to be involved with TRC and the good work they are doing," Steve Porter, vice president of product management, Johnstone Supply, says. "And, we love the Big Man on Planet contest as it allows us to compete with our fellow HARDI (Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International) friends in a fun way. The industry, with TRC's help, is doing a great job of keeping mercury out of our waterways and landfills."

HARDI is an organization representing wholesale distributors in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry. It is located in Columbus, Ohio.

Kiscaden says the success of TRC's collection efforts have reduced the number of recycled units, while adding cost to the per unit collection.

"We are in the unusual situation that our very success reduces future opportunities in our recycling efforts," Kiscaden says. "We often say that when we recycle that last mercury containing thermostat, we've crossed the finish line. It's a shared goal and one that we, on behalf of the manufacturers, take seriously."

Kiscaden says the top 10 collection locations that collected and recycled thermostats in the first quarter 2016 was 21,812 units compared with 10,926 in the first quarter 2018, resulting in a decrease of 49.9 percent.

The recycling process picks up attention again when TRC launches its annual BMOP competition, usually during a six-month period, that identifies the top wholesalers in the HVACR industry. This year, the competition is rebranded as Banish Mercury Off the Planet. Wholesalers can learn about the competition at www.thermostat-recycle.org/bmop. TRC recognizes winners at HARDI's annual conference in December in Austin, Texas.

"This is a great mission TRC is undertaking for our HVACR industry community," HARDI CEO Talbot Gee says. "The new BMOP name only goes to show the importance of how significant the effects are when we remove mercury from our working, home and natural environments. HARDI has always been extremely supportive to TRC in this endeavor, and I encourage our members to once again lead the charge."

Valvoline Inc., a Lexington, Kentucky-based leading worldwide supplier of lubricants and automotive services, has released its 2017 corporate social responsibility report (CSR), Voices of Valvoline.

The report highlights, among other achievements, Valvoline’s recycling efforts in 2017. The company recycled 5 million pounds of materials in 2017. In addition, Valvoline sites reduced solid waste generation from 620,600 pounds to 551,800 pounds, a drop of 11 percent.

The company says the foundational pillars of CSR at Valvoline continue to center on its “People, Product and Planet” approach with a strategic focus on achieving greater impact in the areas of citizenship, sustainability, and diversity and inclusion.

“Valvoline is committed to applying the principles of sustainability to every aspect of our operations to maintain our leadership position in the marketplace and as a corporate citizen,” says Sam Mitchell, CEO of Valvoline. “Through our hands-on service, focused generosity and the continuous pursuit of innovative and sustainable solutions, we are working to build communities that have a more promising future.”           

The Voices of Valvoline reports, “Through our Waste Minimization Program, Valvoline sites create central collection areas to segregate miscellaneous waste for recycling to make the process convenient, easy and sustainable. We employ many elements of the Lean 5S program (sort, shine, straighten, standardize and sustain), and these practices have become a part of our culture.”

The report continues, “Our sites actively pursue source reduction, reuse, recycling and recovering materials. We have challenged each facility to move waste streams to recycling or to eliminate them through our source-reduction program as even the smallest of waste streams can add up to significant volumes due to facility scale.”

Voices of Valvoline features perspectives from team members to tell the 2017 CSR story and provide insights into what motivates the Valvoline team worldwide. Key highlights from the report include:

• moving into a new sustainably designed world headquarters building that reduces overall environmental impact;
• achieving zero landfill status at 45 percent of Valvoline’s blending and packaging facilities and 30 percent of warehouses;
• being named one of “America’s Safest Companies” by EHS Today;
• increasing diverse supplier spending 365 percent since 2016;
• raising $281,000 for charitable organizations during the U.S. Employee Giving Campaign; and
• opening two health clinics in India, serving an estimated 40,000 people.

“Our CSR progress at Valvoline is driven by the collective efforts of our team members around the world. We embrace and understand the importance of having a positive impact within the company and the communities where we live, work and play,” adds Gary Allen, vice president, environmental health and safety.

Valvoline’s CSR report can be viewed and downloaded at https://csr.valvoline.com.

The Washington-based American Chemistry Council (ACC) and its Plastics Division have announced three goals it says “crystalize U.S. plastics producers’ commitment to recycle or recover all plastic packaging used in the United States by 2040.”

As part of that goal, the ACC says it intends “to further enhance plastic pellet stewardship by 2022.” Members of the ACC’s Plastics Division have set the following goals for capturing, recycling and recovering plastics: 

• 100 percent of plastic packaging to be re-used, recycled or recovered by 2040;
• 100 percent of plastics packaging used should be recyclable or recoverable by 2030; and
• 100 percent of the U.S. manufacturing sites operated by ACC’s Plastics Division members will participate in Operation Clean Sweep-Blue (designed to minimize pellet, flake and powder loss) by 2020, with all of those manufacturing sites in North America involved by 2022.

“We are embracing the drive toward a circular economy for plastics because it helps demonstrate our overarching commitment to sustainable materials management,” says Steve Russell, ACC vice president of plastics. “In setting these goals our industry is publicly affirming our vision of the future we want for safe, sanitary plastic packaging and our intention to get there quickly.”

He continues, “Together with our value chain partners we intend to transition to increasingly circular systems for designing, manufacturing, recycling and recovering our plastic packaging resources."

To achieve the stated goals, plastic producers plan to focus on six key areas: 1) designing new products for greater efficiency, recycling and reuse; 2) developing new technologies and systems for collecting, sorting, recycling and recovering materials; 3) making it easier for more consumers to participate in recycling and recovery programs; 4) expanding the types of plastics collected and repurposed; 5) aligning products with key end markets; and 6) expanding awareness that plastic scrap is a valuable resource awaiting its next use.

“Our industry has a long history of leading on stewardship initiatives, such as Responsible Care, and supporting recycling through research, technology, infrastructure and education,” says Rick Wagner, global sustainability manager at Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. “Today’s announcement marks the next step in this critical journey. “

Wagner adds, “Plastics producers are accelerating their commitments by building new coalitions and forging new business models that will help optimize a range of environmental, economic and societal outcomes. Some of these involve turning used plastics back into their basic building blocks so we can create new plastics.”

Pictured above, from left to right: Todd Miorin, Jeffrey Weido and Don Vollmar.

Ancenis, France-based Manitou Group, a manufacturer of rough terrain material handling equipment, has announced the appointment of three new members to its North American leadership team.

Don Vollmar has joined as vice president of engineering, Todd Miorin as senior director—program management and Jeffrey Weido as senior director—product management and marketing.

“These new leadership roles are essential to achieving the priorities laid out in Manitou Group’s five-year strategic plan,” says Rick Alton, president of the compact equipment products (CEP) division for Manitou Group. “Over the next five years we are making significant investments in improving our value proposition for our customers. We are expanding our product and service offerings, strengthening our teams and driving quality and performance through innovation, digitalization and transformation.”

Manitou says the new team members bring a wealth of experience and talent to the company’s team in North America.

Vollmar, as vice president of engineering, will drive new solutions and product improvements for the market. His previous experience in product development will be an undeniable asset for Manitou Group, says the company. Vollmar most recently worked at CNH Industrial and has held positions at John Deere, Peterbilt and Kohler. Additionally, he spent several years serving the country, having graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and achieving the rank of captain.

Miorin, senior director of program management, joins Manitou Group with a focus on implementing strategic programs within the compact equipment division. He brings more than 20 years of industry knowledge to his role and has extensive experience in developing and executing complex projects related to acquisition integration, strategic alliances and product development processes. Miorin was most recently working at Contech Engineered Solutions as the director of product innovation and also has experience with JLG Industries Inc. where he was the senior director of the Caterpillar Alliance Group.

Weido, senior director of product management and marketing, will lead the product management, marketing and training teams at Manitou North America, West Bend, Wisconsin. In his role, Weido will steer the product-to-market team, focusing on delivering tools and supporting customers through training and marketing. His most recent accomplishment was the launch of i2A, a product/marketing consulting cooperative where he served as president and co-founder, partnering with companies such as Terex/Genie, JLG and Generac. Prior to i2A, Weido served as the director of marketing for Genie/Terex.

“With the addition of these three positions, Manitou Group furthers its commitment to deliver value, innovation and high-quality products and support that match our customer’s needs,” says Mark Hanson, regional vice president for Manitou Group and CEO of Manitou North America. “Manitou is investing in our team and working hard to deliver reliable performance, a strong return on investment and an exceptional customer experience.”