American Recycler December 2011, Page A3

City of Chicago restartsWaste to Profit Network

The City of Chicago has issued agrant to the United States BusinessCouncil for Sustainable Development(US BCSD) for the re-launch of theChicago Waste to Profit (WTP) Net-work, a by-product synergy project inwhich wastes and under-valuedresources at one facility are matchedwith users at another, resulting in costsavings for the participating businesseswhile diverting waste from landfills,reducing energy use and CO2 emissionsand helping create and retain jobs.

The highly successful network wasstarted in 2006 by the Chicago Manufac-turing Center and the US BCSD in part-nership with the City of ChicagoDepartment of Environment, the IllinoisDepartment of Commerce and Eco-nomic Opportunity and the Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5.

When the network was launched in2006 it had the objective of identifyingand facilitating waste exchanges thatwould result in cost savings to partici-pating businesses. The US BCSD hasexpanded upon the former model by pro-posing integration of an innovative pri-vate sector financing model for viableenergy-saving synergies and collabora-tion beyond waste reduction and reuse to

include a broad spectrum of sustainabil-ity-related issues that directly impact theChicago Climate Change Action Plan.The US BCSD intends to create a forumfor this collaboration that will meet bothin person and on-line, which will linkthe Chicago Network to other US BCSDBPS projects throughout the UnitedStates and world.

The WTP Network addressesChicago’s sustainability needs by work-ing together with Chicago area compa-nies, institutions and City of Chicagodepartments to identify and implementby-product synergies that reduce wasteand greenhouse gas emissions anddeliver economic impact.

“The re-launch of the Waste toProfit Network will allow Chicago andthe region to improve upon our wastediversion strategies, reduce green housegas emissions, and just as importantlymaintain jobs during these rough eco-nomic times,” said Karen Weigert,Chicago chief sustainability office. “Wecan’t ignore the many success storiesthat have taken place as a result of theNetwork. The foundation is in place andwe must continue to build on thoseaccomplishments and explore ways toimprove the process.”

Republic Servicesmodernizes single-stream sorting system

Republic Services, Inc. will invest$20 million to modernize the single-stream sorting system at its SouthernCalifornia recycling facility, CVTRegional Material Recovery Facility.Recognized as one of the largest materi-als recovery facilities (MRFs) by volumein the United States, CVT has servedmunicipalities throughout Southern Cal-ifornia for more than two decades.

The Southern California MRF hasseen numerous enhancements through-out the years, but this time around it willreceive a major overhaul with the instal-lation of a brand new single-stream sort-ing system, designed by Bulk HandlingSystems (BHS). The high-tech sortingequipment, featuring patented screensand optical detection technology, iscustom designed to improve operationsand recovery. RRT Design & Construc-tion (RRT) was selected by Republicto manage the project and siteenhancements.

According to BHS representativeEric Winkler, Republic’s new system,which is designed to increase capacityfrom 20 tons per hour to 50 tons perhour, is one of the largest, most sophisti-cated single-stream systems BHS hasdeveloped to date.

The system features a comprehensiveSupervisory Control and Data Acquisitionelectrical control package, which providesRepublic with advanced capabilities inoperating and managing the process. Datais continuously captured throughout thesystem, providing real-time and ongoingmonitoring of key performance metricssuch as throughput, power consumption,and maintenance needs. This allowsRepublic to keep the system operating atpeak performance levels.

“These improvements are the first, ofa two-phased modernization projectintended to further advance Republic’smission to improve the environment andhelp its customers reach their sustainabil-ity goals,” said Jim Ambroso, area presi-dent.

A new Eco-Center is also planned, toallow MRF visitors the opportunity toobserve how recyclables are sorted andremoved from the waste stream and pre-pared for shipment to mills and productionfacilities.

The CVT Regional MRF, moderniza-tion project is scheduled for completion bythe end of 2011.

Phase II of the project is underdevelopment and is scheduled to startin 2012.

A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas.After hearing about this extravagant gift, a friend of his said, “I thought she

wanted one of those sporty four-wheel-drive vehicles.”“She did,” he replied. “But where was I going to find a fake Jeep?”

California Governor Jerry Brownhas appointed Caroll Mortensen to serveas the director of the State’s Departmentof Resource Recovery and Recycling(CalRecycle).

For the last decade, Mortensen hasserved as one of the California Legisla-ture’s senior environmental policy con-sultants, most recently as consultant tothe Senate Environmental Quality Com-mittee, and advisor to Committee ChairSenator Joe Simitian. Prior to thatMortensen worked for more than 13years at the California Integrated WasteManagement board.

As senior consultant for the SenateEnvironmental Quality Committee,Mortensen’s principal responsibilitieshave involved analyzing and providingrecommendations on dozens of legisla-tive proposals related to solid and haz-ardous waste, air and water quality heard

before the committee. She was also chiefconsultant for the Assembly Environ-mental Safety and Toxic Materials Com-mittee under Assembly Member WesChesbro for two years and worked onissues related to hazardous waste, pesti-cides, brownfield and other related pol-icy areas. Previously, she spent 13 yearsat the Integrated Waste Managementboard working in a wide variety of posi-tions including legislative director for 4years.

As director, Mortensen will beresponsible for implementing AB 341,recently signed legislation that willincrease California’s recycling goal to75 percent by 2020 and a requirementthat all commercial enterprises imple-ment recycling programs. California cur-rently diverts an estimated 60 percent ofgenerated solid waste from landfill.

California Governor appointsnew director of CalRecycle

United States to Asia containerfreight rate increases reaffirmed

Transpacific container lines havecompleted their sector-by-sector assess-ment of freight rates from the UnitedStates to Asia, and have confirmed theirintent to implement guidelines calling forincreases.

Chief executives of the 10 major car-rier members in the Westbound Transpa-cific Stabilization Agreement have signedoff on a final schedule of recommendedrate adjustments, and have indicated theirintent to adjust the rates for the followingcommodities:

•Wastepaper, metal and plastic scrap

•Hay •Hides•Forest products •Protein cargo (refrigerated beef, pork

and poultry)•Agri-products (peas, beans, lentils,

grains, soybeans and related products)•Chemicals •Clay•Cotton •Freight all kinds cargo•Refrigerated cargo (miscellaneous

dairy products, baked goods, preparedfoods).

KAB’s Great AmericanCleanup is a success

More than 3.8 million volunteers andparticipants joined hands to produce morevibrant, beautiful and cleaner communitiesduring Keep America Beautiful’s 2011Great American Cleanup. The 2011 resultshave been tallied with volunteers donatingmore than 5.2 million hours at 30,600events in 16,500 communities throughoutall 50 states.

The Great American Cleanup, whichtakes place annually from March throughMay, succeeds because volunteers takeaction towards meaningful change in theircommunities. As many local and state gov-ernment budgets tightened in 2011, thosevolunteer hours are even more important.

“Americans have always risen to ourchallenges, and volunteer service is animportant way that anyone can contributeto a better workplace, a better school, anda better community,” said Matthew M.McKenna, president and CEO of KeepAmerica Beautiful.

The 2011 Great American Cleanupresults demonstrate the role of volunteersin reinforcing civic pride:

•177 million pounds of litter anddebris were removed from public landsand rights-of-way, including 177,000 acresof parks and public lands (150 percentincrease over 2010), more than 12,000acres of wetlands (16 percent increase)and 3,800 miles of hiking, biking andnature trails (12 percent increase).

•2,800 playgrounds and communityrecreation areas were improved, restoredor constructed.

•6,400 illegal dump sites wereremediated.

The Great American Cleanupencourages and emphasizes the role ofrecycling in recovering valuableresources, reducing energy consumption,and fostering community sustainability.

•More than 290 million plastic (PET)bottles were collected for recycling, manythrough school-based programs. This totalrepresents a 9 percent increase over 2010.

•The 7.9 million pounds of electron-ics collected for recycling represented a10 percent increase over 2010. More-over, volunteers kept 13.4 millionpounds of aluminum and steel out oflandfills through their collection efforts.

•12.1 million pounds of glass werecollected for recycling, as well as morethan 800,000 scrap tires.

Recognizing that green spaces andgardens contribute to better economies,healthier citizens and greater civic pride,volunteers grabbed tools and got to work:

•5,600 beautification and greeningprojects were undertaken, with 728 edi-ble community gardens planted orreplanted.

•1.5 million flowers and bulbs, and166,000 trees were planted to create last-ing beauty.

•10,100 graffiti sites were remediated.

American Recycler December 2011, Page A5

By installing an anaerobic digesterand combined heat and power system, ThePlant will create about 380 kilowatts ofelectricity and 2.1 million BTU of heat –enough to meet the full energy needs ofthe 93,500 sq.-ft. facility. The digester willallow The Plant to become independentfrom the grid and produce power and heatat between one-quarter and one-third ofcurrent utility costs to its tenants. In addi-tion to the craft brewery, The Plant hasplans for a bakery and aquaponics growingsystems.

“This really could become a regionalmodel for sustainability as well as a routeto building out this part of the economy,”said Warren Ribley, director of DCEO.“People are seeking more local foods and

the state is requiring at least 20 percent ofits food purchases come from localsources by 2020. Agriculture is still inno-vating and will continue to be a source ofnew jobs if we can help local farmers andagriculture entrepreneurs ramp up to meetthe demand.”

The total project costs are approxi-mately $3 million and will be completedby June 2013. About 45 percent of thegrant funds are from DCEO’s Large Cus-tomer Energy Efficiency grant that wassupported with funds from the federalAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act(ARRA). The rest of the grant funds wereawarded through DCEO’s Food ScrapComposting Revitalization and Advance-ment Program (F-SCRAP). Edel’s com-pany, Bubbly Dynamics, LLC, will beproviding matching funds and expects toqualify for about $700,000 in tax creditsauthorized under ARRA.

Vertical farm■Continued from Page 1

Operation Green Team tackles the clean up in Huntsville, Alabama.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL, INC

Volunteers collect recyclable materials in Tampa, Florida.

For a complete list of Keep AmericaBeautiful national sponsors,

view this article onwww.AmericanRecycler.com.

Emergency crews successful insnuffing tire fire in South Dakota

EPA Emergency Response crewscompleted extinguishing a tire pile fireadjacent to the Rosebud Sioux Reservationlandfill, which was burning approximatelythree miles west of Carter, South Dakotain October. The fire started as a result ofthe Okreek fire which burned an 18 milepath through the reservation before beingcontained, including the landfill where thetire pile was located.

EPA responders dug a 10 to 15 footwide by 5 foot deep trench along the eastand south sides of the tire pile with anexcavator. The tire pile was extinguishedby pushing it into the trench and coveringit with soil. EPA response activities contin-ued until the south end of the tire pile waspushed into the trench and covered withsoil and the soil cover was graded andcompacted.

www.AmericanRecycler.com Metals December 2011, Page B3

Based on the Commerce Depart-ment’s most recent Steel Import Moni-toring and Analysis (SIMA) data, theAmerican Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)reported that steel import permit applica-tions for the month of October totaled2,192,000 net tons (NT). This was a 3percent decrease from the 2,269,000 per-mit tons recorded in September and a 2percent decrease from the Septemberpreliminary imports total of 2,238,000NT.

Import permit tonnage for finishedsteel in October was 1,819,000 NT, up 9percent from the preliminary importstotal of 1,662,000 NT in September.Year-to date (YTD) 2011 total and fin-ished steel import permit tons wouldannualize at 28,989,000 NT and22,203,000 NT, up 21 percent and 18percent, respectively, vs. the 23,929,000

NT and 18,857,000 NT imported in2010. The estimated finished steelimport market share in October was 22percent and is 22 percent year-to-date.

In October, the largest finished steelimport permit applications for offshorecountries were for Korea (220,000 NT,up 4 percent from September), Japan(137,000 NT, up 15 percent), China(111,000 NT, up 3 percent), Australia(96,000 NT, up 94 percent) and Ger-many (71,000 NT, up 12 percent).

Finished steel import permits formajor products that registered increasesin October vs. the September prelimi-nary include hot rolled sheets (up 50 per-cent), hot rolled bars (up 30 percent),sheets and strip all other metallic coated(up 23 percent), mechanical tubing (up19 percent) and wire rods (up 15percent).

Steel import permits downthree percent in October

Metalico posts sales of$169 million in third quarter

Metalico, Inc. reported net incomeof $5.1 million for the third quarter,equivalent to $0.11 per diluted share,increases of 13 percent and 10 percent,respectively, above the comparableresults for the prior year.

The company posted sales of $169million for the quarter ended September30, as compared to $137 million in the2010 period, when it reported netincome of $4.5 million, or $0.10 pershare. Operating income in the thirdquarter was negatively impacted byscrap metal cost pressures and fell to$6.5 million compared to $9.1 million(as adjusted for insurance recovery) inthe prior year.

The company’s ferrous and nonfer-rous recycling business continues to per-form profitably, but with lower metalmargins. Operating income sufferedfrom scrap purchase prices rising fasterthan related selling prices. Competitive

pressures are being driven by a stagnantto declining supply of scrap being pur-sued by more prospective acquirers. Yearto date, metals recycling contributed 73percent of operating income on 59 per-cent of consolidated revenues.

PGM recycling has been impactedby restricted supply and volatile pricing.The result is fewer units purchased andtighter operating margins, which con-tributed to segment income dropping by21 percent from last year. Molybdenumselling prices were falling throughoutthe quarter while average inventory costsdropped more slowly, which impactedmargins.

Lead commodity prices also fellduring the period but a change in Metal-ico’s product mix, coupled with selectivecost pass-throughs, kept selling pricesflat. Year-over-year volume sold was vir-tually the same at 12.7 million pounds.

PSC Metals, Inc. has expanded itsoperations in Knoxville, Tennessee, byacquiring the assets of Metals Solutions,LLC and Knox Recycling, Inc.

Founded in 2005, Metals Solutions isa producer of secondary aluminum. Thecompany will be located at PSC Metals’latest scrap buying center at 5336 Coun-selor Lane in Knoxville.

Opened in 2008, Knox Recycling islocated at 10327 Cogdill Road inKnoxville. Knox Recycling will be buyingrecyclable material for processing at otherPSC locations in the region.

Previous owners, Dale Ferraro andJason Loveland, will remain with the com-panies.

This is the fourth acquisition PSCMetals has made in 2011. The most recentwas its acquisition of the assets of ShapiroBrothers, Inc. with four locations in Mis-souri, Illinois and Arkansas in September.

PSC Metals makesasset acquisitions

The Aluminum Associationannounced that Aginzo ConsultingGroup has joined its ranks. Aginzo willjoin the Association as an associatemember. Associate members are firmsproviding direct services to companiesinvolved in the production or recyclingof aluminum.

Aginzo provides consulting andinformation technology services to thealuminum and other metals industriesthrough a team of highly specialized andexperienced consultants. All Aginzoconsultants possess 15-plus years ofexperience in the aluminum and othermetal industries and interact directlywith clients for special projects andimprovements.

Aginzo is headquartered in Bexley,Ohio.

Aginzo Consultingjoins the AluminumAssociation

www.AmericanRecycler.com Metals December 2011, Page B5

Coca-Cola Recycling LLC openeda new consumer recycling center in Irv-ing, Texas that accepts and processesaluminum cans and #1 PET plastic bev-erage bottles. The new center was cre-ated to offer free and convenient accessto beverage container recycling.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area wasselected as the pilot market for theReimagine recycling program, and thefirst Reimagine Beverage Containersrecycling center was opened in Arling-ton last November. More than 2.3 mil-lion containers have been collected andrecycled at centers in Arlington, Planoand Garland in less than a year, result-ing in almost 100,000 pounds of mate-rial diverted from DFW-area landfills.

“We know that people want torecycle,” said Alain Robichaud, presi-dent of Coca-Cola Recycling, “butwhen recycling is inconvenient for con-sumers, too many used beverage con-tainers end up as waste. The outstand-ing results we have seen from Reimag-ine prove that we can raise recyclingrates when we make it easy, accessible,rewarding and fun.”

The new center in Irving wasopened when a “ribbon” made fromused beverage containers was cut byIrving city councilwoman Rose Canna-day, Kroger Southwest president BillBreetz and Coca-Cola RefreshmentsSouth Region senior vice-president andgeneral manager Mark Schortman.After the ribbon was cut, students fromHoly Family of Nazareth School recy-

cled containers that willhelp them earn free sup-plies and equipment fortheir school.

Recycling providesmany benefits to communi-ties, but the ReimagineBeverage Containers cen-ter adds a Rewards forRecycling program thatprovides added benefits forschools. Consumers whorecycle at Reimagine candesignate a local K-12school to receive credit forthe containers they recycle;the school will be awardedMy Coke Rewards pointsredeemable for much-needed supplies andequipment.

To celebrate the open-ing of the new Reimaginecenter, an additional incen-tive program has been cre-ated. A $100 gift certificateredeemable for supplies will be award-ed for every 1,000 eligible containersrecycled on a school’s behalf by Janu-ary 20, up to a maximum value of$5,000.

Consumers who prefer not to des-ignate a school to receive credit fortheir recycled containers can use theirReimagine points to get personalrewards, like free or discounted mer-chandise and event tickets, or to entersweepstakes drawings for prizes.

Reimagine Beverage Containersrecycling centers feature technologydeveloped by Environmental ProductsCorporation. Reimagine allows therecycling consumer to bulk feed up to150 cans and PET plastic bottles perminute; the containers are fed onto aconveyor where optical scanners verifythe material and sort by material type.The PET bottles and aluminum con-tainers are separated, crushed andstored; anything else is sent to a reject

bin. Because the material is pre-sortedand crushed, it can move efficientlythrough the recycle stream and into theproduction process to be remade intonew products.

Kroger is the retail host for theReimagine pilot program and plans areunder way for additional placements,including a center planned to open inLittle Elm next month.

Coca-Cola Recycling launches recycling center in TexasPHOTO COURTESY OF COCA COLA RECYCLING, LLC

More than 2.3 million containers have been collected and recycled at centers in Arlington, Plano and Garland in less than ayear, resulting in almost 100,000 pounds of material diverted from landfills.

A linguistics professor was lecturing his English class one day. “In English,” he said, “A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian,a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.”

A voice from the back of the room quipped, “Yeah, right.”