Traditionally, waste management companies have operated using a simple "management of waste" approach to operating a MRF. Throughput targets and continuous operation (minimal downtime) were the main driving forces. The industry has changed however, and the focus moving forward is now on optimizing system performance and reliability, in conjunction with increasing recycling rates and a drive for a "greener" and more sustainable tomorrow.
When considering the addition of, or upgrade to, an "intelligent" MRF, for municipalities or private operators, the main factors should always be the client's (operator) current requirements, and evolving market needs, which include throughput, reliability, output quality, and adaptability. Equally important is a full understanding of what is really expected from any proposed system. Having an engaged and focused mindset for the project with the client from the beginning, will impact and drive the entire design process. This then impacts the overall project result, through to the productive, efficient, ongoing operation of the facility itself.
Founding partners of the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP), Ryse Solutions and Emterra Group haved joined the CPP in launching the CPP Roadmap. The CPP Roadmap offers a solution for Canadian companies to divert millions of tonnes of plastic waste from landfills and the environment, back into the Canadian economy. Plastic waste results in a loss of 7.6 billion dollars annually.
The Ocean Cleanup, the non-profit developing and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, has shown proof of technology upon returning to Victoria Harbour with trash collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. With this confirmation, the organization will immediately return to the infamous gyre to start cleaning the ocean's largest accumulation of plastic debris.
Over 70 leading businesses, organizations, and governments have come together to release an ambitious action plan to eliminate plastic waste through the Canada Plastics Pact. Roadmap to 2025: A shared action plan to build a circular economy for plastics packaging represents unprecedented cross-value chain collaboration, uniting key players behind a shared vision for a circular economy for plastics packaging in Canada and a targeted plan to drive tangible change by 2025.
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has updated and improved the APR Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability for PE Film Packaging. Developed over the past year by a working group of APR's Film Reclamation Committee, the updated guidance reflects the consensus of a diverse group of stakeholders including film recyclers, converters and brands.
According to calculations by the World Bank, approximately two-thirds of household waste is still incinerated or landfilled. Held October 5-6, 2021, and drawing nearly 300 participants in person and online, TOMRA's 4th global conference saw industry leaders joining the Norwegian specialist for waste collection, sorting and recycling to continue to set the course for sorting and recycling significantly more plastic from household waste in the future.
Nexus has reached 177 percent year-over-year production growth, with 47 percent of its total production occurring in recent months. The first in the world to receive the International Sustainability and Carbon-Plus Certification (ISCC Plus) producing at this scale, Nexus' process uses a proprietary technology to convert a broad range of plastic waste into liquids which can then be converted into virgin plastics. Everything Nexus makes is converted into new plastics, and the process is 100 percent circular, meaning the waste-to-virgin advanced recycling process can be repeated infinitely. Further, each tanker load is tested before sending and Nexus says it has had 100 percent acceptance and use of all its products produced.
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Sustainable packaging specialist DS Smith has embedded its pioneering Circular Design Metrics across all its packaging sites to support the transition to a circular economy and help its customers achieve their ESG goals. According to the company, corporations around the world are working to create and implement ESG plans that meet the demands of all stakeholders, and CEOs specifically are facing increased pressures to meet those goals. A recent KPMG survey of 1,325 chief executives, shows that 58 percent are "seeing increased demands from stakeholders — such as investors, regulators and customers — for increased reporting and transparency on ESG issues." Much of the challenge for business stems from the ability to capture data and transparently report on activity against these goals.
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Heidi Brock have released a statement on the state of the U.S. paper and wood products industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement includes positive comments with respect to paper recycling rates, which are up by nearly nine percent for the first half of this year.
Sonoco has partnered with AMP Robotics to create a new material category within AMP's neural network specific to rigid paperboard cans. The U.S. partnership will result in increased recycling rates for the spiral wound paper canister with steel bottom produced by Sonoco and other manufacturers.
Artificially intelligent robotic sorting technology is the future of centralized, data-driven recycling models. Generally paired with optical sorting technology for the best results, the latest robotic sorters are achieving (and starting to exceed) 70 picks per minute for mixed plastics and paper. They are also being used very effectively for C&D sorting, and they have great potential for other materials including metals, electronics, organics and glass. With contamination of end product being a number one concern for MRF operators due to rapidly changing, highly contaminated incoming streams on the one side, and shrunken global end markets such as China, coupled with underdeveloped domestic markets for many recovered materials, getting to the high purity levels required by today's end markets is among the most significant challenges recyclers face.
New research conducted by Aquapak Polymers highlights that recycle-ready adhesives and fully soluble barriers can replace plastics in fibre-based packaging, making it fully recyclable in high volume recycling mills. Based on the research, Aquapak has developed a novel biodegradable, non-toxic and water-soluble polymer called Hydropol which is three times stronger than alternatives and is designed to be used in existing thermo-processing equipment, giving it a wider range of applications.
The varying and constantly changing composition of waste materials poses a challenge for designers of sorting plants, which need to deliver consistently high purity rates while managing an increasing degree of complexity.
Designed as an efficient tool for yard waste collection, Leaf Burrito prevents plastic from entering the landfill, complements city-wide plastic bag bans, eliminates paper bags, allows municipalities to efficiently collect yard debris, and provides waste haulers with a unique way to differentiate their service when bidding on municipal contracts.
Recyclers in Germany and Denmark can now pour over 100 empty beverage containers into a reverse vending machine in one go, rather than inserting them one by one, with the launch of the TOMRA R1 by global reverse vending leader TOMRA.
Mack Trucks' new Mack Ultra Service Agreement will now come standard with the Mack LR Electric refuse model, giving customers an uptime package tailored specifically for the technical needs of BEVs. It includes scheduled maintenance, preventative maintenance, towing and repair, a battery monitoring service and Mack's connected uptime services in one package.
With an eye toward safety and performance, Autocar designed its Badass waste collection vehicles as the first fleet of refuse trucks featuring ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist System) in the U.S.
The City of Hyattsville's battery-electric, zero-emission collection truck, the first of its kind in the State of Maryland, begins service this October. The new vehicle, a BYD 6R Class 6 truck, is one of several fully-electric or hybrid vehicles in the City's fleet and is the first commercially deployed Class 6 refuse truck in the country, according to the company.
AMCS, the global supplier of integrated software and vehicle technology for the waste, recycling and resource industries, has begun a research collaboration with Confirm - the Science Foundation Ireland funded research centre for smart manufacturing hosted by the University of Limerick, Ireland. According to AMCS, this research collaboration will focus on the application of state-of-the-art technologies to the real-world challenges of waste and recycling companies worldwide who need to fully automate the recording and resolution of exceptions recorded on collection rounds like contamination of collected recyclable material and other service items (e.g., blocked service access, overloaded containers etc.)
