Recycling Today articles from February 2007

Recycling Today archives from February 2007

Calling all citizens.(EDITOR'S FOCUS)
February 1, 2007... Within publishing circles a concept that has gained attention in recent years is something called "citizen journalism." This community-minded concept involves allowing a publication's readers to contribute stories and ideas beyond the one page...

OmniSource acquires Mervis yards.(SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2007... OmniSource Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind., has announced the acquisition of Mervis Industries' facilities in Kokomo and Tipton, Ind., as well as that company's minority interest in two joint ventures-Capitol City Metals in Indianapolis and Recovery...

FPT makes Cleveland acquisition.(SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2007... Ferrous Processing and Trading Co. (FPT), a Detroit-based scrap metal company, has acquired M. Weingold & Co., a Cleveland-based scrap metal recycling firm. FPT, which operates a dozen scrap yards in North America, processes nearly 2.5...

Sims Group announces more deals.(SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2007... Sims Group, the largest metal recycling firm in the world, has announced several deals that it hopes will continue to grow its metals business. In the first deal, Sims has announced the acquisition of Cymru Metals Recycling, South Wales,...

Ship line calls for rate hike.(SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2007... The 11 transpacific shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) are recommending that metal scrap freight rates be increased this year. Effective Feb. 15, WTSA member lines say they will raise metal scrap...

Alter purchases Samuels Recycling.(SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2007... Alter Trading, headquartered in St. Louis, has acquired Wisconsin-based Samuels Recycling Co. Samuels Recycling employs 250 people and has seven locations in the Wisconsin area that provide ferrous and nonferrous metal recycling. With...

Connecticut seeks to boost recycling levels.(MUNICIPAL RECYCLING)
February 1, 2007... The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has released the state's new solid waste management plan that calls for reducing the amount of waste generated in part by dramatically increasing the rate of recycling. The state...

Oregon sees drop in plastic container recycling levels.(MUNICIPAL RECYCLING)
February 1, 2007... The state of Oregon has reported that the recycling rate for rigid plastic containers in the state declined in 2005 to 24.3 percent. Further, according to a report by the state's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the recycling rate is...

Still in a good spot.(FERROUS)
February 1, 2007... Hanging a new calendar on the wall has not seemed to usher in a new supply-and-demand dynamic for ferrous scrap, as pricing remains strong in the first month of 2007. Steel mill buyers were paying anywhere from $19 to $34 per ton more for...

PSC enters the acquisition fray.(FERROUS)
February 1, 2007... PSC Metals Inc., based in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, has announced the acquisition of the ferrous and nonferrous assts at the Akron and Barberton, Ohio, yards of Ravenna Salvage Inc., also known as Akron Recycling. The deal continues the...

Timken invests in capabilities.(FERROUS)
February 1, 2007... The Timken Co. will invest about $60 million in its steel rolling mill operations to increase the company's capability to produce differentiated steel products. The investment will enable Timken to competitively produce steel bars down to...

Copper markets search for a bottom.(NONFERROUS)
February 1, 2007... The high-flying copper scrap market might be finding a short-term bottom. While likely to be a short-term situation, the search for a floor price follows some sharp declines toward the end of 2006. These declines followed a tremendous...

Stainless steel group launches recycling as campaign.(NONFERROUS)
February 1, 2007... The International Stainless Steel Forum, along with the Nickel Institute, has launched an advertising campaign designed to inform the public that stainless steel is one of the world's most recycled materials. The goal of the campaign,...

Strong start.(old corrugated containers)
February 1, 2007... The paper market is showing signs of strength as the industry proceeds into the first quarter of 2007. The period of time that bridged 2006 and 2007 saw little change in the market. Prices of old corrugated containers (OCC) remained stable,...

Caraustar closing Indiana board mill.(PAPER)
February 1, 2007... Caraustar Industries has closed its recycled boxboard mill in Lafayette, Ind. The mill had an annual capacity of 64,000 tons. The company also announced the closing of four tube and core converting facilities. Those plants are in Amarillo,...

Kadant lands two orders.(PAPER)
February 1, 2007... Kadant Inc. has announced that it has received two separate orders with a combined value of more than $6 million from customers in North America. One of the orders is for a system that will use recycled fiber to produce gypsum wallboard....

Off to a slow start.
February 1, 2007... The month of January finds markets for some secondary plastics slowing in light of reduced buying from Chinese interests and a glut of material. A reprocessor based in the Midwest says that while business is not bad, markets are generally...

PET recycling rate inches upward.(PLASTICS)
February 1, 2007... Recent figures from the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), Sonoma, Calif., and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), Washington, show that the PET recycling rate reached 23.1 percent in 2005, for a...

RMA ranks states on tire recycling efforts.(TIRES)
February 1, 2007... A report by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) finds that nearly 87 percent of disposed tires are put to a new use each year. In 1990, only 11 percent of scrap tires found their way to a consuming market. As consuming markets have...

California firm creates joint venture with Mexican company.(ELECTRONICS RECYCLING)
February 1, 2007... Fresno, Calif.-based Electronic Recyclers, which bills itself as the largest electronics recycler in California, has announced a partnership with the Burillo Azcarraga Group of Mexico to develop ERI Mexico. John Shegerian, president and...

ARI partners with Mexican firm.(ELECTRONICS RECYCLING)
February 1, 2007... American Retroworks Inc. (ARI), based in Middlebury, Vt., has established a partnership with a woman-owned cooperative to create Retroworks de Mexico (RdM) in the Sonora region of northern Mexico. The newly formed operation aims to replicate...

MassDevelopment financing aids E.L. Harvey expansion.(C&D NEWS)
February 1, 2007... MassDevelopment officials have announced a $5 million financing package for E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc., Westborough, Mass. Founded in 1911 by Emory Larkin Harvey, the family-owned waste management firm will use the tax-exempt bond proceeds to...

Summit Partners invests in Innov-X Systems.(EQUIPMENT REPORT)(Company overview)
February 1, 2007... Innov-X Systems Inc., the Woburn, Mass.-based manufacturer of elemental analyzers, has announced that it has received a $27 million minority investment from Summit Partners, Boston. Summit Partners is a private equity and venture capital...

Harris installs shear at N.C. scrap yard.(EQUIPMENT REPORT)
February 1, 2007... Morris Scrap Metal, King's Mountain, N.C., has recently installed a new GS 7 baler/logger/shear made by Harris Waste Management Group Inc., Peachtree City, Ga. In business since 1931, Morris outgrew its previous Mosley shear and evaluated...

Joining forces: the Goldberg and Greller families work together to build Philadelphia's Northeast Metal Traders Inc.(Cover story)(Company overview)
February 1, 2007... Competition in the scrap business can be fierce. But in 1993, cooperation rather than competition was the key word for two families with scrap metal roots in Philadelphia. That year, Mitchell Goldberg, Elliott Goldberg and Ron Greller...

Searching for balance: with the cooling of the domestic housing and auto sectors, experts are looking offshore to find balance for aluminum markets.(Davenport and Co)
February 1, 2007... The well publicized slumps in the housing and domestic auto industries are expected to be a drag on the aluminum industry in 2007. The construction and transportation sectors posted fairly robust figures throughout the past several years,...

Solid stature: when it comes to export markets, a good-looking metal bale can build a recycler's reputation.(BALING EQUIPMENT FOCUS)
February 1, 2007... The old saying about one man's trash being another's treasure couldn't be more true than when applied to nonferrous scrap metal. With today's unprecedented high prices, everyday items like copper wire scrap have many recyclers seeing dollar...

Gaining weight: thick, heavy bales can be a solution to thin paper recycling margins.(BALING EQUIPMENT FOCUS)
February 1, 2007... Margins are paper thin in the paper baling business. While numerous factors restrict the overall efficiency of a paper recycling facility, recyclers can take steps to be more cost-effective. "They haven't changed balers much in the 35 years...

PET peeves: equipment manufacturers offer tips for baling plastics successfully.(BALING EQUIPMENT FOCUS)
February 1, 2007... Plastics, whether rigid containers or pliable films, can present challenges during baling. When it comes to rigid plastics, there is the material's memory to contend with. And even though plastic films are flexible, their slippery nature can...

Tricky trio: baler operators must scrutinize baling wire, maintenance and energy operating costs.(BALING EQUIPMENT FOCUS)
February 1, 2007... The cost of a baler--the price paid to the manufacturer or dealer--is readily apparent to a recycler shopping for equipment. But at least as critical to ongoing operating profitability is knowing how much it will cost to run that baler for each...

Grading the automakers: the Ecology Center grades leading U.S. automakers on their use of sustainable plastics.(AUTOMOTIVE MATERIALS REPORT)
February 1, 2007... According to the American Plastics Council, the average vehicle contains 250 pounds of plastic, hich accounts for about 12 percent of a vehicle by weight, as noted in "Plastic on the Outside," a feature that appeared in the August 2006 issue of...

Slow ride: recyclers are seeking an infusion of improved service in the freight rail network.(RAIL NETWORK REPORT)
February 1, 2007... Many songs have been written about slow trains. but a lot of recyclers would be happy to ship out their scrap materials on any train that is moving at all. The shortcomings and perils of shipping on the freight rail network do not seem to...

Eve of destruction: a product destruction professional offers his tips for entering the business and prospecting for clients.(PRODUCT DESTRUCTION FOCUS)
February 1, 2007... I get a lot of questions about how secure destruction companies can break into the product destruction arena, but the first and most basic is: Where do we find the products? The most obvious source is a company's current customer base,...

Reduce, reuse, rebox: Rebox Corp. makes reusing corrugated containers its priority.(COMPANY PROFILE)
February 1, 2007... Rebox Corp., based in Saint Laurent, Quebec, is a North American leader in the reusable corrugated box industry. As the company's vice president, I have been extensively involved in the buying and selling of corrugated boxes and other packaging...

US Shredder and castings Group adds regional sales manager.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2007... The US Shredder and Castings Group, based in Brookhaven, Miss., has added Dave Cross as southern regional sales manager. Based in Wesson, Miss., Cross handles the company's sales and service activities in the southern and southeastern...

Marathon appoints regional sales manager.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2007... Marathon Equipment Co., Vernon, Ala., has announced that Gary Braswell has accepted the position of regional sales manager with the company. Braswell is responsible for field support, which includes recommending equipment, product training...

Vecoplan appoints two to staff.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2007... Vecoplan LLC, a manufacturer of single-shaft rotary grinders based in High Point, N.C., has appointed Kim James to the post of marketing communications director and Everette Edwards to the position of Midwest sales manager in the company's...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2007... March 20-21 NERC Spring Conference, Northampton, Mass., Northeast Recycling Council, (802) 254-3636 or maryann@nerc.org March 20-23 Carolina Recycling Association Annual Conference, Greensboro, N.C., Carolina Recycling...

Allegheny single-shaft grinder with SelecShred.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2007... * Single-shaft grinder features the SelecShred adjustable screen, enabling screen size changes at the "push of a button" * Available in stationary and mobile configurations * The company markets the adjustability as ideal when customers...

Gehl 80-series all-wheel-steer loaders.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2007... * Designed with four-wheel steering and a one-piece chassis * Available in four models: 280, 480, 480T (telescopic) and 680 * Operating weights range from 7,055 pounds to 12,015 pounds * Bucket capacities range from 1.44 cubic yards...

Willson A700 safety eyewear.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2007... * Designed with sporty style in mind, meets demanding ANSI safety standards * Lightweight, nine-base, wraparound lens de sign provides coverage and a distortion-free, 180-degree field of vision for the wearer * Universal nose bridge...

Bobcat sweeper.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2007... * The 84-inch sweeper attachment includes a floating bristle head, directdrive motor, solid-mounted hood and optional wheel kit and gutter brush accessories * Approved for use on Bobcat skidsteer loaders (models S220 through S300), compact...

Powerscreen Orion 1400 trommel.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2007... * Typically sets up in approximately 15 minutes and provides high mobility with heavy-duty, low-ground-pressure crawler tracks * Wheel undercarriages are also available * Features a 12-foot long hopper, 5.63 cubic yard capacity *...

Ship-shape construction.(BACK PAGE)
February 1, 2007... Sven Pirkl of Redondo Beach, Calif. has literally built on the idea of reuse, using shipping containers as the foundation for his family's home. In partnership with Manhattan Beach, Calif., architecture firm DeMaria Design Associates,...

OmniSource's star performance.(BACK PAGE)
February 1, 2007... The OmniSource ferrous scrap yard in Fort Wayne, Ind., has been awarded the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Star Award from the Occupational and Safety Administration (OSHA). OmniSource received the Star Award from the state of...

Hooping it up.(BACK PAGE)
February 1, 2007... The Northern Ohio Chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI) has scheduled its third annual Hoops Hysteria event for Tuesday, March 13, 2007. The event takes place at Quicken Loans Arena (the "Q"), home of the NBA's...