Expanded focus

When the Recycling Today Media Group, publisher of Storage & Destruction Business, launched its Paper Recycling Conference in 2000, paper was a prominent component of residential and commercial recycling streams. However, as paper generation has decreased and as more of the paper generated in office settings has been earmarked for destruction prior to recycling, traditional paper recycling operations have had to diversify their operations to remain competitive.

Meanwhile, material recovery facilities (MRFs) have been confronted with growing volumes of OCC (old corrugated containers) and declining volumes of ONP (old newspaper), as well as a widening stream of recyclables.

As a result, the Recycling Today Media Group has adjusted the focus of its Paper Recycling Conference, modifying the event’s name to better reflect its true scope.

The 2014 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference, in partnership with the Paper Stock Industries (PSI) Chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), will be Oct. 8-10, 2014, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile.
 

Reflecting the industry

The addition of the word “plastics” in the title of the conference reflects the growing prominence of plastic scrap collection, processing and trading in the business models of many recycling companies that also continue to focus on paper, according to the Recycling Today Media Group.

As Neil Gloger, CEO of postindustrial plastics recycler InterGroup International, based in Euclid, Ohio, says, increasing the focus of the event to also highlight plastics will benefit nearly all attendees, even those who handle the confidential destruction of packaging and goods as well as documents.

He refers to a “natural progression” within the recycling industry, which is that most OCC and paper collectors and processors have been taking in some amount of plastic over the years, and even at large volumes.

Certainly information and product destruction firms also find themselves with plastics that they have to find an outlet for to maximize the profitability of certain destruction jobs.

Gloger says that while many destruction and recycling service providers are local, “this is their opportunity to understand what the markets look like.” The event also can help them build business partnerships that can help them find homes for other materials they encounter when serving their customers.

He adds, “We see the plastic market developing over the next several years, so I think it’s a great idea to have some exposure to the plastic side.”

Ali Hayford, vice president of sales and marketing for Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based City Carton Recycling, which also has a material destruction division—Document Destruction & Recycling Services—says she expects a larger crowd at the conference with the formal addition of plastics to the program.

“People are using more plastics in manufacturing, and if you’re a recycling company, it’s difficult not to service a customer’s plastics,” she says. “If you’re going to be an all-inclusive recycler, you need to recycle both fibers and nonfibers.”

The same can be said of companies who tackle the job of secure product and packaging destruction.

For companies that have expanded to accept and process plastics, Valerie Androutsopoulos, owner of Vangel Inc., a data destruction and recycling company based in Baltimore, says the Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference will help those companies stay relevant by changing with the industry.

“We started out as paper, and we have added other commodities as our customers have asked about them. I need to know more about plastics,” Androutsopoulos says, which is why she is thankful for the expanded focus of the event.

She continues, “We do now have plastics coming in, and I need to market them.

“I think it’s good the conference adopted to expand the focus. Paper is diminishing, so most recyclers have had to diversify to stay relevant, and I’m glad the conference is changing with the industry.”
 

Packaging possibilities

The keynote session of the 2014 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference will focus on the future of the recycling and packaging industries. Led by Kerry Getter, president of Balcones Recycling, Austin, Texas, the keynote session, “The Future of the Recycling and Packaging Industry,” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, addresses the push for sustainable packaging.

Hayford says packaging modifications are affecting City Carton and most manufacturers, stressing the significance of this session.

Gloger adds, “For anybody who is in the industry, the politics of packaging is going to be our No. 1 concern over the next several years. For me, it’s vital we stay on top of it and get as informed as possible.”

Androutsopoulos asks, “If you don’t know where the industry is going, how do you position yourself and make decisions for your business that are going to be in sync with where the industry is going?”

She adds, “If you don’t have the big picture, you could be going off in a totally different direction. You need to be aware of what the changes are and what the possible challenges are going to be.”
 

Export extras

The Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference begins at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, with the workshop “Dealing with Claims and Rejections,” which is sure to be of interest to document destruction providers who are shipping their bales directly to recovered paper consumers. In the session, Patty Norris of Federal International, St. Louis, analyzes how downgrades and rejections can cost companies thousands of dollars. Attendees will learn the steps they can take to lessen their chances of receiving a claim and how to respond when a consumer rejects or downgrades a shipment.

Gloger says that in light of changes governing imports of recyclables to China—with its well-publicized Operation Green Fence—and India, bales of mixed plastics are more difficult to sell overseas. “There’s a big interest in the marketplace for education on how to make a saleable product and what goes with what,” he adds.

The issues related to exporting will be addressed in two additional sessions during the conference.

In “Financing for Export Shipments” from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Neal Weisenburger of Wells Fargo Bank describes what exporters need to be aware of when they conduct business overseas.

The conference wraps up with the session “Export Trends for Paper and Plastics” from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. Friday, Oct. 10. Speakers Mike Di Placido of Khanna Paper Inc., headquartered in Amritsar, India, and Tom De Rue of Gemini Corp. N.V., based in Belgium, update attendees on the adjustments their companies have made to ship material to China since Operation Green Fence went into effect in February 2013 and whether they are developing business relationships in other regions, such as the Indian subcontinent and Latin America.
 

Current climate

The conference hosts workshops that explore several current trends affecting the recycling industry, from handling a growing variety of recyclables to achieving zero waste.

In the workshop scheduled from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. Oct. 8, “Renewable Energy and the Road to Zero Waste,” Mark Taylor, owner of Data Management Services, Thibodaux, Louisiana, discusses waste-to-energy strategies that can help customers of recycling firms reach zero waste.

Concurrent to this session, speakers in the “Plastics from Electronics” workshop cover the steady stream of obsolete electronics that is producing a considerable amount of plastic scrap, some of it with strong end markets. Presenters discuss how to overcome hurdles in this market, including identifying and sorting the many types of plastics used by technology and consumer electronics OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).

In the session “Coping with Changing Requirements for MRFs,” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 10, panelists discuss the challenges of handling a half-dozen paper grades, several different grades of plastic and possibly electronics and other materials under one roof. Speakers include Calvin Tigchelaar of Resource Management Co., Chicago Ridge, Illinois; Ron Novas of Miami Waste Paper, Miami; and Mark Neitzey of Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Stamford, Connecticut. Jonathan Sloan of Canusa Hershman, Branford, Connecticut, moderates the session.
 

Commodities count

One of the highlights of the Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference is the “Mill Buyers Panel,” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9. Moderated by Bill Moore of Atlanta-based Moore & Associates, a paper industry consulting group, the session features a panel of paper mill buyers—including Andrew Kern of Smurfit Kappa Group, Dublin, and Chris Villano of Wausau Paper Towel & Tissue LLC, Mosinee, Wisconsin —who provide insights on quality requirements and demand-side trends at paper mills.

As the cost of transporting secondary commodities can make up a significant part of a recycling company’s overall expenses, panelists cover this issue in “Keeping a Lid on Transportation Costs,” from 10:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 10. Speakers Sean Collins of DB Schenker, Germany; Allen Clifford of Mediterranean Shipping Co. (USA) Inc., New York; and Tim Voulopos of Cardinal Logistics, Concord, North Carolina, address how to effectively ship material, spelling out some of the current cost trends for the various modes of transportation. Joe Hummel of City Carton Recycling moderates.

Attendees get a better idea of “The Outlook for Plastics” in this session, which is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday. Moderated by Tamsin Ettefagh of Envision Plastics, Reidsville, North Carolina, speakers Ron Sherga of EcoStrate SFS, Arlington, Texas, and Jim Glauser of IHS Chemical, Englewood, Colorado, discuss the market opportunities for PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) as well as the more challenging plastics, such as Nos. 3-7 bottles and mixed rigid plastics.
 

Face to face

Hayford says it is the in-person interaction at the event that not only helps City Carton maintain its current business but also has brought it new customers as well.

She says, “It’s a great place for us to meet with multiple different vendors, mills and customers.

Gloger sums up his company’s conference experience this way: “There’s nothing like getting out in front of people. I think it’s an excellent opportunity to meet your peers, to commiserate about the challenges of the past year and to hear the outlook for this coming year.”

Attendees can network in the exhibit hall, which features nearly 50 suppliers to the industry and is another highlight of the conference.

In addition to the opening networking reception Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the exhibit hall hosts refreshment breaks, breakfasts and a lunch, providing attendees and exhibitors the opportunity to interact with one another.

Discounts for PSI members and group registrations mean fees start as low as $375 per person, while a full conference registration is only $425. For more information about the 2014 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference, visit www.RecyclingTodayEvents.com.

The author is associate editor of SDB magazine and can be contacted via email at mworkman@gie.net.