Nonmetallics

GENERAL OIL CO. EARNS ISO CERTIFICATION

General Oil Co., Troy, Mich., has become the first oil recycling and centralized waste treatment facility in the state to earn ISO 14001 certification, according to the company.

“General Oil Company has created a comprehensive Environmental Management System that provides good controls for their significant environmental aspects and that works within the demands of production,” says Petie Davis, senior program manager and lead auditor at NSF-International Strategic Registrations.

General Oil Co. president Tim Westerdale says the company is very proud of achieving the certification and being the first to do so in Michigan.

TIREX SIGNS AGREEMENT, 10 SYSTEMS TO BE PURCHASED

The Tirex Corp., Montreal, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Crioengineering s.r.l., Turin, Italy, for 10 tire recycling systems .

The purchase includes one expanded Tirex patented cryogenic tire recycling system, six systems to be purchased in January 2001 and the option of purchasing three more systems at a cost of $7 million each.

POLYTEK RUBBER & RECYCLING INC. ACQUIRES FACILITIES

The NRI manufacturing facilities in Flat Rock, Mich. and Chambersburg, Pa., have been acquired by Polytek Rubber & Recycling Inc. Polytek claims the purchases make the Phoenix-based company the largest crumb rubber producer in the world. The company owns and operates five production facilities nationwide. Other facility locations include Queen Creek, Ariz.; Bristow, Okla.; and Johnson City, Tenn.

ITRA SHOW SLATED FOR APRIL

The World ITRA (International Tire and Rubber Association) Expo is taking place April 19-21 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.

Educational sessions at the event include: Tires 101: Tire Maintenance; Civil Engineering Applications; Status of Canadian Scrap Tire Recycling Programs; and Sharing the U.S. Experience: How to Become a Tire Recycler in Your Country.

There are expo hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. More information about the show, including exhibit registration and expo information, can be found at www. ITRA.com.

U.S. PLASTICS CLOSES PLANT, IDLES THREE MORE

U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp., Boca Raton, Fla., has closed one manufacturing plant and idled three others in an attempt to improve profit margins for the firm’s plastics division. Although sales increased 40% during the 2000 fiscal year, operating costs rose at a faster rate and the company will consolidate production into its eight remaining manufacturing facilities.

DUPONT, FORD PARTNER ON CARPET RECYCLING PROJECT

DuPont Automotive has partnered with Ford Motor Co., Detroit, to integrate used carpet into engine air clearner housings. Ford takes nylon from carpet, grinds it up into pellets, and then makes black parts with it, such as battery covers, says Chris Johnson, president, Underfoot Recycling, Cape Coral, Fl.

The deal is one of the first large contracts for DuPont’s Chattanooga, Tenn., carpet recycling plant. DuPont’s “Partnership for Carpet Recycling” program is the largest carpet recycling project of its kind, the company says in a press release. The program can collect up to 30 million pounds of used carpet each year from its 49 collection sites throughout the U.S.

Several other companies, including Chrysler, are also looking at similar processes.