The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) and the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers (APR) have released their "Report on Postconsumer PET Container Recycling Activity in 2012," which cites a 2012 U.S. recycling rate of 30.8 percent for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic containers.

In a press release announcing the annual figure, NAPCOR and APR report the total volume of postconsumer PET bottles collected was the highest reported to date at 1.718 billion pounds, as were both the total amount of recycled PET (rPET) produced by U.S. reclaimers, 930 million pounds, and the amount used across major end-use domestic market segments at 1.3 billion pounds.

“The increase in the PET recycling rate is clear evidence of continued strong, domestic end-market demand for recycled PET, and we believe there’s considerable scope for the U.S. industry to readily absorb more recycled PET material if available. This strong demand continues to drive domestic investment, and it fuels jobs and related economic growth,” says Tom Busard, chairman of both NAPCOR and APR, as well as chief procurement officer for Plastipak Packaging Inc. and president of Clean Tech, Plastipak’s recycling affiliate. “In 2012, we saw significant increases in recycled PET use in fiber, sheet and film, food and beverage bottles and strapping end-market categories in the United States.”

Another positive trend noted in the report is the increase in domestic reclaiming of PET bottles, with fewer bottles being exported to foreign markets. The report shows that export volumes have been declining since a 2008 peak, with 2012 data reflecting the lowest volume sold to export markets since 2005; and at 34 percent, the lowest percentage since 2001 relative to the total volume of PET collected.

Despite the positive developments, NAPCOR and APR acknowledge industry challenges. While volumes were up in 2012, the supply of recycled PET failed to keep pace with demand. The U.S. reclamation infrastructure has seen significant investment in recent years, with total 2012 capacity estimated at more than 2 billion pounds, but it continues to be underused. Domestic PET reclamation plants collectively are operating at only an estimated 63 percent of capacity.

Continuing a trend noted in the joint report titled "2011 Report of Postconsumer PET Container Recycling Activity,"declining bale yield—the amount of usable PET at the end of the reclaiming process—remained another critical issue for reclaimers, particularly related to baled PET bottles collected at curbside. Packaging innovations not compatible with PET recycling, such as full-wrap shrink labels, also continued to contribute to yield loss.

This is the eighth year that NAPCOR and the APR have partnered to produce this report and the eighteenth year that it’s been issued by NAPCOR in its current format. The full “Report on Postconsumer PET Container Recycling Activity in 2012” can be found on the NAPCOR and APR websites, www.napcor.com and www.plasticsrecycling.org.

Vecoplan, based in Archdale, N.C., has launched the V-ECO 1700, which has been designed to boost plastic recycling. Vecoplan says the shredder is the most progressive and efficient model available in the market. It is designed for various plastic recycling applications, including companies seeking to reuse production material as well as plastic recyclers focused on efficient, economical shredding.

Vecoplan says the V-ECO 1700 is based on the company’s VAZ technology and offers several new features, such as optimized cutters and counter knives that are designed to be durable and to deliver a homogenous particle structure as well as high throughput. The company says the cutters can be used four times and are easy to change.

Vecoplan reports that its engineers have developed a new energy-saving drive concept for shredding applications. The frequency-controlled motor transfers the entire torque from the motor over a belt to the rotor. The company says the new W-shape rotor design is the ideal setup for shredding various kinds of plastics, such as film, mixed plastics and containers, as well as textiles.

The machine floor is designed to lift up, and the screen basket to swing down. Counterknives and cutters are easy to change, the company says. The screen size is changeable within minutes. According to Vecoplan, each counterknife segment is adjustable on its own and during the shredding process. This design feature results in reduced downtime for maintenance and less wear on the cutters and counterknives, the company says. 

The frequency-controlled ram supports the efficient shredding processes and is easy to adapt if the infeed material changes, Vecoplan says.

Vecoplan says the V-ECO 1700 is a flexible solution for new and existing recycling plants as it is designed to be easily integrated and modified for various applications and materials.

More information is available at www.vecoplanllc.com.

Waste Management (WM) Recycle America LLC, Houston, has entered India’s recovered paper market through an exclusive representation agreement with Vishal Dhawan, president of Vishal Dhawan Enterprises Inc.

In a release announcing the agreement, Waste Management say it has chosen to strategically market its recovered fiber directly to paper mills and converters throughout India.

“As one of North America’s largest recyclers, we have the resources and the know-how to make this happen successfully,” says William Caesar, president WM Recycle America LLC and WM Organic Growth.

The company says ts decision to enter the Indian market fits its transformation tenets to: 

• Know more about its customers and how to serve them than anyone else in the industry;
• Extract more value from the materials it handles; and
• Innovate and optimize the business and its performance.
   

“With his 25 years of experience in the Indian paper industry, Vishal brings the knowledge and expertise in servicing Indian customers that will allow WM to build and grow its network of trading partners and add value for our customers,” says Don Majka, vice president, commodity sales and marketing, WM Recycle America.

Dhawan says the India market is ready for the involvement of a major producer of recovered paper such as Waste Management. “With its goal of managing 20 million tons by 2020, WM Recycle America will be a key player in servicing India’s growing demand for secondary fiber,” he says. “I look forward to developing sales channels and branding WM fiber within this outstanding market.”

Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), an equipment company based in Eugene, Ore., has named Rich Reardon regional sales manager. He will oversee BHS, Nihot and NRT product sales in the United States Southwest through Texas, as well as Western Canada. Reardon has more than six years of experience with BHS in a sales leadership function.

“Rich has a great mind for system development and has been a major factor in BHS’ success over the years,” says Steve Miller, CEO of the company. “This is a tremendous addition to our outside sales team; Rich will provide great value to our customers in his region.”

“I’m looking forward to the direct customer interaction. As a manager, the best part of my job was in the field, strategizing and following through on systems solutions,” Reardon says. “Now, I’ll be able to do this on a daily basis, and I can’t wait to hit the ground running.”

BHS designs, engineers, manufactures and installs sorting systems and components for the solid waste, recycling, waste-to-energy, and construction and demolition industries