Universal Recycling Technologies (URT), headquartered in Janesville, Wisconsin, has processed more than 1 billion pounds of electronic scrap.

Reaching the milestone is partly because of its work with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and becoming a major information technology asset disposition (ITAD) provider, according to a URT news release.

“We have a vast array of customers and partners,” says Jeff Gloyd, vice president of sales and marketing at URT. “This spans the spectrum of households, local, state and federal government, nonprofits and small, medium and large businesses.”

He adds, “The majority of our volume is end-of-life. OEMs are some of our strongest and largest partners. We help them manage state compliance programs and mail-back solutions. These relationships are key to our growth and success in the industry.”

Since its establishment in 2008, business operations have excelled through rigorous processes that continually improve to advance the standards of the e-scrap recycling industry for efficiency, safety and security, the company says.

“We focus on the innovation of technologies through a commitment to continuous improvement,” says Jim Cornwell, president of URT. “Every day we do our part to protect the earth and the liability of our customers through our ethical, safe and secure recycling processes. Our ethical business philosophy instills trust and delivers unparalleled value to our customers—providing them peace of mind knowing that their materials have been processed exactly as promised.”

URT has five recycling facilities throughout the U.S.The company’s 140,000-square-foot Janesville facility processes 60 million to 70 million pounds of e-scrap per year. URT also operates facilities in New Hampshire, Texas and Oregon.

URT says it has continued to ensure old electronics do not end up in landfills.

“The safety and well-being of our people, our customers and the planet are central to our operations,” Gloyd says. “We understand that we have a responsibility and duty to protect the liability of our customers and preserve and ensure the sustainability of our planet.”

Titan Mobile Shredding LLC, Pipersville, Pennsylvania, has been recognized as one of the Lehigh Valley Business’ 2019 Fastest Growing Companies. The mobile and plant-based secure destruction company has placed on the list for seven of the past eight years since the program’s inception in 2012.

“We are honored to be included in this prestigious group of fastest growing companies in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding area,” says Don Adriaansen, president and CEO of Titan. “We are proud of our staff that works hard every day to bring the highest level of service and security to our clients.”

He continues, “The Lehigh Valley has been an integral service area for Titan since 2008, and we continue to enhance our service in the region. We value the relationships we have developed as the region continues its economic growth.”

Founded in 2005, Titan Mobile Shredding says it is the largest independent National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) AAA Certified information destruction company in the region.

Lehigh Valley Business’ Fastest Growing Companies celebrates the Lehigh Valley’s most dynamic companies that contribute to the success of the region’s economic growth and stability. To qualify, companies had to meet selection criteria that included a revenue size of at least $500,000 within the past two out of three years and revenue growth over a three-year period dating from fiscal 2015 to 2018.

Presenting sponsor, Baker Tilly, calculated the nominations and then ranked the companies according to revenue growth over the three-year period. Both dollar and percentage increases were taken into consideration.

The California Metal Recyclers Coalition has filed a complaint against the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) in an attempt to prevent what it says is “the unlawful imposition of ‘hazardous waste’ facility permitting requirements on metal shredding and recycling facilities.”

The coalition says neither federal nor California law has ever classified scrap metal as a “hazardous waste,” meaning metal recycling facilities have never been considered “hazardous waste” treatment facilities.

The organization claims DTSC's action is unlawful and threatens to undermine the scrap metal recycling industry in California by making it infeasible to recycle scrap metal, including junked cars and old appliances. It also claims that the “hazardous waste” designation will result in such materials accumulating in huge quantities, causing potential threats to health and safety by being abandoned in back alleys, yards, neighborhood streets, vacant lots, along roadsides or in empty fields.

California Metal Recyclers Coalition says it is seeking a determination from the court that California’s Hazardous Waste Control Law does not authorize DTSC to require “hazardous waste” treatment facility permits for metal processing and recycling operations at California metal shredding facilities as well as injunctive relief. 

According to local press reports, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has approved Alliance Metals’ application for an air quality permit for its proposed $30 million secondary aluminum smelting plant in La Paz County, Arizona.

According to an article at AZcentral.com, Loren Barton, vice president of Miami-based Alliance Metals USA, released a statement that the smelter will include "state-of-the-art technology, infrastructure and mitigation controls to contain emissions and protect air and water quality."

At a Dec. 5 meeting in Wenden, Arizona, the site of the proposed facility, the county planning commission will consider Alliance Metals' request to rezone the land, the site of an old cotton gin, from a “rural area” to an “industrial planned development” area, AZcentral.com reports. 

The facility would consume aluminum scrap to produce aluminum ingots for the auto, aerospace or military industries.

Barton adds that the company is planning to open the La Paz smelting facility toward the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.

Although some individuals in the La Paz community have expressed concerns about the proposed smelting facility, Barton says the company has reached out to community members to alleviate concerns and dispel any misinformation that has been shared online. The company also has reached out to the county’s board of supervisors to inform them more about the proposed smelting facility.

“With newer technology we have and better emission capture devices, we’re informing [the community] of our practices and how they’re environmentally sound,” he says. “We’ve hosted job fairs to educate people, and those have gone very well with great turnouts. People are now understanding of our processes.”

Other expansions

Alliance Metals also is planning to open a smelting plant in either March or April in Leighton, Alabama. Barton says the northwest Alabama site is already developed and ready to move equipment in. He adds that the company is still waiting to receive an air quality permit for that site.

“We need to make a few final touches around that property to make it fit our business appropriately,” Barton says.

He says the Leighton facility is expected to consume around 120 million pounds of aluminum per year during the start of that facility. Also, he adds that the Leighton smelting facility will be set up to accept a variety of scrap metals, including aluminum, brass and copper with some of the technologies the company’s adding to that site.