The association will talk to legislators about the benefits of using recycled plastics to produce pipes.
The Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI) plans to host a fly-in event Sept. 11-12 in Washington, D.C., to provide legislators with information on the benefits of using recycled plastics to produce pipes. PPI serves as a North American trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry.
“While there is reuse of plastics in many industries, there is another facet of recycling that is not widely discussed, and that is how and where to use recycled plastic to gain the most benefit," says Tony Radoszewski, CAE, president of PPI, in the report.
Radoszewski notes that PPI members involved in the manufacture of pipe used in stormwater drainage systems tend to use post-consumer recycled plastics.
According to the PPI report, studies have shown that corrugated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe manufactured with recycled materials performs the same as pipe made from all virgin HDPE resin. Additionally, North American standard specification bodies have recently expanded existing corrugated HDPE pipe standards to include recycled resins, permitting use of recycled HDPE drainage pipe within the public right-of-way.
"This shift toward using recycled content presents an opportunity for design engineers and public utility agencies that are seeking to reduce their overall environmental footprint associated with storm drainage projects,” Radoszewski says.
"Using discarded bottles to make new ones is certainly beneficial, but taking that same old bottle and using it to make pipe is a far better use of recycled resin," Radoszewski says in the report. "Our industry takes a product that has a 60-day shelf life and turns it into a product with a 100-year service life. That is an extremely important benefit of plastics that we want our legislators to know."
The fund will help municipalities and companies developing new technologies focused on recycling and eliminating waste.
The Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC), Middletown, Pennsylvania, and the Closed Loop Fund (CLF), New York City, recently announced a statewide partnership targeting a $5 million investment in recycling infrastructure in Pennsylvania. This statewide program follows Closed Loop Fund’s investment in Philadelphia’s AeroAggregates in 2017.
The $5 million commitment of the Closed Loop Fund is set aside for Pennsylvania projects which flow through the RMC.
The Closed Loop Fund is committed to investing in municipalities and private companies developing new technologies focused on elimination of waste or the development of new or improved recycling technologies for projects designed to improve recycling rates, increase demand for products made from recycled content, grow existing markets and create new markets for recycled material for which conventional sources of funding are unavailable.
“We welcome any interested, qualifying party to work with us to access the Closed Loop Fund,” RMC Executive Director Robert Bylone says. “In unprecedented volatility of recycled materials markets, we need to aggressively pursue recycling infrastructure and recycled content product manufacturing in Pennsylvania—a recycled item is not truly recycled until it is a new product. We are grateful to the Closed Loop Fund for their assistance in putting Pennsylvania recycling markets at the forefront of their efforts nationwide. We look forward to continuing our work with entrepreneurs, manufacturers, processors and collection programs but now with the Closed Loop Fund directly paired to these Pennsylvania opportunities.”
The investment will come in the form of zero-percent loans to municipalities and below-market loans to private companies with substantial business operations in Pennsylvania. RMC will assist in the identification and initial due diligence screening for applicants. Closed Loop Fund will make the final evaluation on funding projects.
“This is our first formal partnership with a non-profit corporation to help deploy below-market-rate capital to enhance and create recycling systems across Pennsylvania. We are eager to make an impact with the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center, which has a track record of recycling economic development successes,” Ron Gonen, managing partner of Closed Loop Fund, says.
Steinert, a Germany-based supplier of magnetic and sensor-based sorting technology, says the its LSS line sorting system enables the separation of multiple aluminum alloys from presorted aluminum scrap with a single detection using a LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) sensor.
LIBS is a technology used for elemental analysis. By default, the calibration methods stored in the measuring device analyze the concentrations of the alloy elements copper, ferrous, magnesium, manganese, silicon, zinc and chromium, Steinert says.
The sorting of alloys involves first separating the shredded material mixture in such a way that the material is fed past the laser so that the laser pulses hit the surface of the material. This causes tiny particles of material to evaporate. The emitted energy spectrum is recorded and analyzed simultaneously to detect the alloy and the specific alloy components of each individual object, according to the company.
Different materials are detected in the first part of the machine; compressed air valves then shoot these materials into different containers in the second part of the machine, depending on their elemental composition.
“The demand for this sorting method, which is up to 99.9 percent accurate, is increasing—our order books are filling up already,” says Uwe Habich, the company’s technical director. “The separation of the material and the multiple outputs are of primary importance for our customers.”
Steinert will display its LSS technology at Aluminium 2018 in Dusseldorf, Germany, Oct. 9-11 in Hall 11 at Stand 11H60.
Fuchs, a Terex brand with North American headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, has added to its North American sales team. Tim Gerbus will lead the Fuchs North America team, and Shane Toncrey has been hired as regional sales manager for Fuchs North America.
Todd Goss, Louisville general manager, says, “We are delighted to have both Tim and Shane join us in Louisville. Both salesmen bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, which I am confident will help achieve our goals for the future.”
Gerbus has a background that includes experience in dealer development, sales and marketing and has worked in various industries, including construction equipment and fabrication. He previously was the president and director of development for an articulated dump truck company in North America.
Toncrey has experience as a sales and marketing manager in the construction equipment sector. He will be responsible for the Midwest and western parts of the U.S.
Gerbus and Toncrey join John Van Ruitembeek and Anthony Laslavic to strengthen the sales team in North America.
Goss says, “We have a clear focus to drive further growth for the brand and ensure it is strongly positioned as the leader in loading in North America.”
Re-TRAC Connect and The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, have launched the first phase of the Municipal Measurement Program (MMP). MMP is designed to provide municipalities with a materials management program analysis and planning tool to standardize terminology and harmonize methodologies in support of consistent measurement of recycling data across the U.S. and Canada. The program will enable municipalities to benchmark performance and then identify and replicate successes, leading to better investment decisions and a stronger U.S. recycling system, the partners say.
Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Emerge Knowledge, the company that has developed Re-TRAC Connect, was founded in 2001 to develop solutions that help organizations achieve their sustainability goals. The first version of its data management software, Re-TRAC, was launched in 2004, and the next generation, Re-TRAC Connect, was released in 2011. Re-TRAC Connect is used by city, county, state/provincial and national government agencies as well as a by wide range of other organizations to collect, manage and analyze recycling and solid waste data.
The new measurement program’s goal is to reach most municipalities in the U.S. and Canada to advance the standardization and harmonization of material measurement of curbside recycling and to facilitate decision-making to improve recycling program performance. Without adequate performance data, municipal program managers can struggle to identify the best course of action to improve recycling, the partners say.
“The Re-TRAC Connect team is extremely excited about launching the Municipal Measurement Program in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership,” says Rick Penner, president of Emerge Knowledge. “The MMP is designed to help municipalities measure the success of their programs while creating a national database of standardized information that will benefit the entire industry. Working with The Recycling Partnership to promote, manage and enhance the MMP over time will ensure that the many benefits of this exciting new program are fully realized.”
Based on data submitted to the MMP, municipalities will be introduced to recycling tools and resources developed by The Recycling Partnership. Participation in the program is free to communities, and the goal is to create a standardized system for reporting contamination data, the partners say.
“The Municipal Measurement Program will revolutionize the way we collect performance data, including capture rates and contamination, and transform our recycling systems for the better,” states Scott Mouw, senior director of strategy and research, The Recycling Partnership. “Currently, every municipality has its own way of measuring and assessing their community’s performance. The MMP will streamline that data and connect municipalities to The Recycling Partnership’s free online toolkits of best practices to help communities improve recycling by operating more efficiently.”
Municipalities interested in participating in the beta testing phase of the MMP should visit www.recyclesearch.com/profile/mmp. The official launch is scheduled for January 2019.
Post time: Aug-23-2019