RECYCLING INVESTMENT FORUM DEBUTS
More than 100 entrepreneurs, investors, economic investment officials and other interested parties participated in the Southeastern Recycling Investment Forum held in downtown Charleston, S.C., last November. Nine entrepreneurial recycling companies presented their business plans to forum attendees and another three ventures provided displays. Investment perspectives on the recycling industry were provided by representatives from the Edison Venture Fund and the Self-Help Venture Fund.
The forum provided opportunities for recycling entrepreneurs to meet investors and economic development officials who could assist the ventures with their financing and business development needs. Forum evaluations completed by attendees indicated that 78 percent found the forum “very valuable,” 17 percent found it “somewhat valuable,” and only 5 percent found it “not at all valuable.”
The forum was organized by the S.C. Recycling Market Development Advisory Council and KirkWorks, Durham, N.C. The forum received primary funding from EPA Region IV, with sponsorships by the American Plastics Council, the Environmental Capital Network, the National Recycling Coalition and the Recycling Advisory Council.
Recycling businesses presenting business plans included plastic bottle and resin processing companies, a pallet manufacturer, companies involved in new recycling technologies for magnetic and photographic films, tire recyclers and a rubber product manufacturer, a major oil reprocessor, a new gypsum products company and a yard waste composting firm.
TEACHING RECYCLING TO GRADE SCHOOL KIDS
Fifth-graders across the United States are discovering the science of recycling as they take part in the largest in-school recycling program ever launched. A unique teaching kit has been distributed to 72,000 elementary schools, reaching an estimated 6.5 million fifth-graders.
The kit, sponsored by a group of businesses called America’s Recycling Team, contains student-friendly lesson plans on recycling and a humorous teaching video featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy, star of the educational series on The Disney Channel and PBS. The recycling program brings together five major corporate sponsors to form America’s Recycling Team: Alcoa, Hi-C fruit drinks, Inland Container Corp., ITW Hi-Cone and Reynolds Metals Co.
“Our goal is to encourage kids to practice recycling in school and at home,” says Jay Gould, spokesman for America’s Recycling Team and marketing director for Hi-C fruit drinks. “To communicate to kids on their level, we’ve developed a teaching kit that brings the science of recycling to life through activities and fun.”
ARIZONA RECYCLING PROGRAM ATTRACTS NEW JOBS
Arizona’s recycling market development program made solid gains during the past year, helping to attract more than 300 new recycling-related jobs to the state, according to the Arizona Department of Commerce. The program directly assisted seven recycling-oriented businesses in their expansion or relocation plans in Arizona. During the next three years, these companies have indicated they will invest a total of $175 million in new facilities designed to process or manufacture recycled goods and will create more than 360 additional jobs.
Of note, the processes used by these companies are projected to divert nearly 800,000 tons of waste from Arizona landfills and generate savings of about $15 million each year in landfill avoidance costs. An added benefit of the program is that most of the recycling companies are locating in rural parts of the state, providing jobs in communities where the need is greatest.
Companies locating in Arizona are Wisconsin Tissue Mills, which is building a recycled tissue products plant in Flagstaff, Ariz.; and North Star Steel, which is building a steel minimill in Kingman, Ariz.
Benefits available to qualified businesses include state tax credits on the installed cost of recycling equipment, and other tax incentives for the location of large recycling manufacturing plants in the state.

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