Nonmetallics

NAPCOR Introduces Toolkit

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), Charlotte, N.C., has released a Recycling Toolkit. The kit is a guide for starting or expanding individual-sized PET (iPET) plastic beverage container recycling programs at major venues.

iPET containers are those marked #1 and 24 ounces or less. The toolkit is designed to help facility managers and recycling coordinators design and implement recycling programs and contains planning tools for collecting, handling, storing and marketing iPET.

APR Hosts Supply Summit

The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), Arlington, Va., hosted a “Supply Summit” this summer to generate ideas and solutions to the increased availability of PET. Representatives from Coca-Cola, Pepsi and the American Plastics Council (APC) attended.

“The system is broke and we need to fix it,” said Phil Cavin, Mohawk Industries, Summerville, Ga. “We need the whole packaging industry chain to focus on a sustainable solution.”

Cavin said to of the largest PET buyers are located where a reported 75% of PET bottles are landfilled. David Cornell, APR’s technical director, led the session and the APR is organizing and formulating a report.

“It is time to do something serious and concrete to stimulate more bottle collection in this country, whether it is through public relations, consumer targeted programs or bottle bill legislation,” says Robin Cotchan, APR director.

SC Tire Grant Given

Clemson, S.C., has been awarded a $6 million grant in conjunction with Clemson University for a research-outreach center promoting tire recycling.

The five-year project involves working with agencies and com-munities to identify recycling markets for scrap tires. Advertising for projects began in September, and the program could involve as many as four projects a year.

The grant was awarded from the Waste Tire Trust Fund, built by a $2 fee paid each time a new tire is sold in South Carolina.

The project’s goal is for tires to be processed to be included in state highways and secondary roads, retaining walls, running tracks and golf course cart paths.

The impact of the project to clean up used tires could be significant, possibly including the use of 3,000 to 20,000 shredded or ground tires couldused for the paving of one mile, and as many as 1 million tires would be needed to build a two-mile embankment. As many as 200,000 pulverized tires per two-mile stretch could be used as a sub-layer cushioning on roads as well.

November 2000
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