Industry News

Flexible food packaging has traditionally presented brand owners with a choice -- either extract the maximum performance parameters or make it fully recyclable. Achieving both goals at once has been almost impossible... until now, according to Mondi, a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging solutions. The company has created a recyclable polypropylene film that is ideal for the thermoforming of flexible films for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and vacuum packaging, which is known for its ability to extend the shelf life of products such as meat and cheese.

The California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) shared the above video and the New York Times article below with their members and stakeholders this week, stating: "We wanted to share with you a short yet powerful video and article about the Canadian Prime Minister's announcement that they are taking on plastics, will push forward with Enhanced Producer Responsibility for all plastics, and will put a single-use plastic ban in place by 2021.  We are energized by this video and, with your support, will continue to push California forward as part of this movement.  The time is now!"

Last month, in an effort to crack down on illegal shipments, the Indonesian government imposed new regulations on imports of recovered paper. The rules included a 0.5% contamination limit and 100% pre-shipment inspections, including separating containers into bales. The government has now announced that it will instead use the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) specifications for recovered paper which set a standard of 1-2% for prohibitives and 3-4% for outhrows. It is also using the specifications to define its use of the word "homogenous" in describing the condition of bales.

Four of Canada's major provincial waste reduction and recycling organizations (Recycling Council of BC, Recycling Council of Alberta, Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council and Recycling Council of Ontario) have announced their official support for the Government of Canada's announcement regarding plans to reduce Canada's plastic waste, support innovation, and promote the use of affordable and safe alternatives.

Polystyrene foam recycling has returned to the Towns of Brockton and Hanover, as of the end of May 2019. The Chair of Brockton's Environmental Advisory Committee, Bruce Davidson, anticipates that residents have been saving foam packaging for a while in the hopes that recycling opportunities would resume. 

A newly released report, Better Together: How a Deposit Return System will Complement Ontario's Blue Box Program and Enhance the Circular Economy, has found that a 15-cent returnable deposit on non-alcoholic beverage containers in the province would result in over 90% of non-alcoholic beverage containers being collected for recycling. The report was commissioned by circular economy not-for-profit Reloop, and authored by international environmental consultancy Eunomia Research & Consulting. According to the report, the deposit program would not only divert waste from landfill but also reduce beverage container-related litter by around 80%.

Each year, New Way Trucks, an industry-leading refuse truck manufacturer, acknowledges the sales success generated by members of their authorized dealer network with a prestigious Top Ten Dealer Award. These awards are proudly presented as a way of showing gratitude for the sales achievements made by the top performing dealers and their sales teams. New Way has an extensive network of dealers located throughout the United States as well as internationally. 

BC Used Oil Management Association ("BCUOMA"), a not-for-profit group dedicated to the collection and recycling of lubricating oil, oil filters, oil containers, antifreeze and antifreeze containers in British Columbia, recently partnered with ARTish Response Team ("ART") on the 4^th annual "Rock The Salish Sea!" Concert Series. Students from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Vancouver performed the "Rock the Salish Sea" concert on June 6, 2019 at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary, 449 E. 62^nd Ave, Vancouver, BC. 

Acknowledging the worldwide environmental devastation and health problems wrought by plastic and non-recycled trash, both houses of the California State Legislature have now approved identical first-of-their-kind measures to dramatically reduce plastic and packaging waste and jumpstart the in-state clean recycling economy.

Plastic pollution is a serious global threat to the environment and economy. This week's announcement that Canada will ban single-use plastics, make companies responsible for plastic waste, and invest to grow recycling across the country, is a comprehensive approach to address plastic pollution across the country. 

Terrapure Environmental ("Terrapure"), a leading Canadian environmental solutions provider to industry, has announced it has acquired RSR Environnement ("RSR") of Vercheres, QC. The purchase includes vehicles and equipment, as well as RSR's employees and existing customer relationships. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Plastic pollution is a global challenge that requires immediate action. Plastic waste ends up in our landfills and incinerators, litters our parks and beaches, and pollutes our rivers, lakes, and oceans, entangling and killing turtles, fish, and marine mammals.

In celebration of Environment Week in Canada (during the week of June 5th annually) the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) and the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) highlighted the important headway their members are making in tackling the global challenge of plastic waste in the environment.

Metso hassigned an agreement to acquire McCloskey International, a Canadian mobile crushing and screening equipment manufacturer, to expand Metso's offering in the aggregates industry globally and to strengthen the customer reach especially to general contractor customers.

Twelve leading ocean conservancy and environmental groups have requested that Canada's environment and health ministers take immediate regulatory action on plastic waste and pollution, under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999,and call on the Government of Canada to add any plastic generated as a waste, or discharged from the use or disposal of products or packaging, to the Schedule 1 List of Toxic Substances under CEPA. 

Ardagh Group, Glass - North America, a division of Ardagh Group, has signed a long-term supply agreement to be the exclusive supplier of glass bottles for Mountain Valley Spring Water. Bottling spring water since 1871, Mountain Valley was the first to deliver bottled water coast to coast for U.S. consumers.

Mondi Group, a global leader in packaging and paper, led Project Proof, a Pioneer Project facilitated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF). The project has created a proof-of-concept prototype flexible plastic pouch incorporating a minimum of 20% post-consumer plastic waste originating from mixed household waste. The pouch is suitable for packaging household products such as detergent. 

May 30th was a "remarkable day in the history of recycling in Brockton and Hanover", according to the Chair of Brockton's Environmental Advisory Committee, Bruce Davidson, who performed the master of ceremony duties at an event to announce that polystyrene (plastic foam) recycling is returning to Brockton and Hanover municipal recycling programs.

Canadians know that we need to find new ways to reduce our waste and use our resources more efficiently. When we don't properly recycle and reuse materials, letting them become landfill instead, it is economic value we are throwing away. 

VIZIO, a manufacturer of high-definition televisions (HDTVs) recently joined the elite list of e-Stewards® Enterprise companies. e-Stewards Enterprises are corporations and institutions committed to using the world's most globally responsible electronics recycling companies that are certified to the e-Stewards Standard. The e-Stewards standard is the only electronic waste recycling and refurbishment standard that disallows exporting hazardous electronic waste to developing countries and employs the most rigorous criteria to prevent data breaches from discarded hardware.

In response to misleading and confusing information reported about the state of recycling in Canada, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has developed a flyer that provides current and accurate data on this important topic. 

Recycling Product News and the Waste & Recycling Expo Canada (CWRE) / Municipal Equipment Expo Canada have solidified their long-standing relationship, establishing Recycling Product News as the official magazine for the event. 

In May, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross presented R&M International with the President's "E" Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Secretary Ross honoured a select group of U.S. companies with the President's "E" Award, the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

Frank van de Winkel, business development manager for TOMRA Sorting Recycling, will participate in a panel discussion during Harbor's 12th Aluminum Outlook Summit, held June 4-6, 2019, at Chicago's Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. The Session 5 panel discussion will focus on North America's aluminum scrap & secondary market outlook, diving deep into emerging trends and market challenges. The session will take place in the Radisson's Atlantic Ballroom, starting at 8:25 a.m. on Thursday, June 6. 

Doosan Infracore North America, LLC, a leading manufacturer of construction equipment, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new parts distribution center in Lacey, Washington, on Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

Brightmark Energy, a San Francisco-based waste and energy development company, recently broke ground on the first U.S. commercial-scale plastics-to-fuel plant, in Ashley, Indiana. A total of 136 full time manufacturing jobs will be created when all phases of the 112,000 square foot facility are operational.

Many North American recycling businesses rely on the hard work of industry associations to help ward off burdensome legislation. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) in the U.S. and the Canadian Association of Recycling Industries(CARI) in Canada provide members with educational resources, networking opportunities and advocacy muscle at home and abroad. These associations also have a long history of collaborating with one another to combat common issues. 

Exodus Machines is proud to announce the addition of James Bendas as the Vice President of Finance & Human Resources. His previous work experience for a variety of steel fabricators in manufacturing for both the domestic and international market will assist the team in the future growth of Exodus.

In today's climate, incorporating sustainability is a crucial aspect for any business to thrive. It is also increasingly important for organizations to have third-party review to verify its achievements. That's exactly what Sleeman Breweries did for its Guelph facility to become Canada's first brewery to achieve 3RCertified status.

The 14th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention concluded in early May, without approving in full the Technical Guidelines on the Transboundary Movement of e-Waste. The Guideline, which included an exemption from controls for e-wastes claimed for repair, failed to find the support for its final adoption after several years of negotiation. The Basel Convention seeks to prevent the export and dumping of hazardous wastes, particularly in developing countries. 

Metro Vancouver will securely dispose of approximately 1,500 tonnes of repatriated Canadian waste, shipped back from the Philippines, at its Waste-to-Energy Facility in Burnaby.

American Manganese Inc. has announced the beginning of Kemetco Research's testing of Stages 3, 4, and 5 of the RecycLiCo Pilot Plant, an innovation for recycling cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries.

Lafarge Canada Inc.'s Richmond Cement Plant has launched a new and improved lower carbon fuel (LCF) system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of cement. The initiative aims to make the facility the most carbon efficient cement plant in Canada. It will also help minimize landfill waste; specifically, non-recyclable plastics that are creating a backlog for municipalities across Canada.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) has released a report called "Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet," which looks at plastics production and greenhouse gas emissions. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) responded with the following statement, attributed to Steve Russell, vice president of ACC's Plastics Division:

Canada understands the consequences of plastic waste and is fully engaged like never before: governments at all levels are initiating new policies; organizations are improving business models; and individuals are eager to learn more. To fully engage on this pressing environmental issue Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO), with funding from Walmart Canada, has launched the Plastic Action Centre, the first national resource that offers a full view of plastic waste in every corner of the country.

Columbia Steel has announced that Greg Stegmaier, who joined the company in 1993, has retired after serving as Director of Product Engineering. Prior to this position, Greg managed the Scrap Shredder Product Engineering Group, a role that was later assumed by Product Engineer John Maguire in 2015.

Micron Waste Technologies Inc., the Vancouver-based developer of waste treatment systems for food and cannabis waste, has been awarded United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) intellectual property protection for its commercial organic waste digester unit. Micron's Application No.: 29/644,928 sought and won recognition for leading innovative technological features which enable the digester to efficiently process food and cannabis waste on a commercial scale. Micron's digester hardware is also protected by an Industrial Design Certificate of Registration from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO).

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) is announcing that it has opened up its popular Superfund Recycling Equity Act (SREA) Reasonable Care Compliance Program to nonmembers. The SREA Reasonable Care Compliance Program offers detailed reports on consuming facilities' environmental compliance records. Doing such due diligence on facilities can assist recyclers with the defense of a Superfund liability claim as a way of showing "reasonable care." 

The nation's recycling industry is calling on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to address unreasonable railroad practices related to railcar supply and storage fees. Members of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) today testified before an STB hearing that rail is a critical mode for transporting ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal, particularly for distances greater than 200 miles. Since many recycling facilities are served by only one major freight railroad, there are rarely alternative modes of transportation - which means scrap metal and other recycling companies are too often suffering poor rail service and seeing skyrocketing fees.