Denver recycler says its new equipment compresses the foam, making it easier to transport and recycle.
Alpine Waste and Recycling, based in Commerce City, Colorado, says it has become the first recycling company in the Denver area to begin accepting polystyrene (PS) foam. Thanks to a $45,000 grant from the Food Packaging Institute and new technology, Alpine Waste now has a machine in place that compresses the foam into bricks, making it more commercially feasible to transport and recycle in bulk. The installation of the new machinery was part of the recent expansion and upgrade of the company’s Altogether Recycling Plant in South Adams County. That expansion, with all-new Machinex equipment, increased the plant’s processing capacity by 150 percent, Alpine Waste says. The foam eligible for recycling includes packaging materials such as egg cartons, meat trays and take-home containers. Alpine took delivery of its new INTCO machinery in late August and spent recent weeks installing, testing and integrating it into the Altogether Recycling single-stream process. Alpine also says it has been working with local businesses that have an abundance of foam packaging material that they want to try to divert from landfills. “This foam material has caused problems in the waste-processing industry because it takes up so much space in landfills and it take so long to degrade,” says John Griffith, president of Alpine Waste and Recycling. “We’re thrilled to lead the way in Colorado’s efforts to address this problem.” Griffith says whereas cardboard can degrade in about two months in the soil, a typical foam coffee cup requires centuries to degrade, which is why it’s important to try to keep this material out of the landfill. Founded in 1999, Alpine Waste and Recycling is a privately held commercial waste, recycling and compost collection company in Colorado.
Members of the Solid Waste Association of North America can request free decals beginning early 2016.
Firefighters called to Scott’s C&D Landfill in Columbus, Ohio.
Firefighters responded to a fire detected in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, at the Scotts C&D (construction and demolition) Landfill in Columbus, Ohio. A report from WBNS-TV in Columbus says “flames sent a large plume of smoke into the air along with a strong smell” at the fire in the southern portion of the city. Firefighters used water to get the fire under control, says the TV station, and investigators are looking into what caused the blaze. It has been a difficult year at the landfill, where in August 2015 a worker was run over by a truck at the same property.
Groups will discuss quality standards for a range of recycled tyre materials at annual conference and in a series of meetings.
The Brussels-based European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) has announced that it has partnered with global standards organisation ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, to present on establishing global tyre recycling standards. The session will be part of ETRA’s annual conference, set for for March 16-18, 2016 in Brussels.
In addition, ASTM has scheduled a range of meetings to discuss the establishment of standards for recycled tyre materials. The meetings are free to attend and open to anyone. ETRA says the lack of a single standard is one of the biggest barriers to the development of the tyre recycling sector, and that large consumers of rubber materials are faced with specification and quality challenges. The presentation and meetings will discuss standards for a range of recycled tyre materials, from crumbs and powders through to recovered carbon black (rCB), according to ETRA. ASTM’s schedule includes meetings at three venues:
Membership to ASTM costs $75. All members have input into the establishment of new and modified standards where they have an interest. For even the smallest producer of end-of-life tyre materials, membership to the ASTM allows it to have a voice in the specification decision, a voice equal to that of the largest player in the industry. For more details on ASTM membership, contact ASTM Staff Manager Joe Koury at 610-832-9804. ETRA is the organization that represents tyre recyclers in Europe, and its membership has grown around the world as more investors and specialists understand that the route to true recycling lies through higher value materials and higher quality output, ETRA says. ETRA says membership gives those with a long-term interest in the future of tyre recycling access to expert guidance, research and marketing opportunities, and networking opportunities through ETRA seminars and annual conferences. To join ETRA visit www.etra-eu.org and click on the “Join ETRA” link.
Speakers in this workshop update conference attendees on where glass recycling stands today, how to improve the collection and processing of the material and offered suggestions of ways to manage glass’ challenges.