Fuel Fix: Duo Recycles Leftover Propane From Bottles. Billings Gazette (MT) (03/30/14) Howard, Tom

Billings, Mont., residents Brad Fimrite and Wayne Wilson developed a machine that recycles residual fuel from propane cylinders used by campers in lanterns, heaters, and stoves. Since 2005 their propane bottle recycler has been used in national parks and recreation areas throughout the United States and Canada. The machine not only reclaims remaining fuel, but it also crushes and recycles the propane canisters. The machine removes propane from up to six bottles at a time, and the reclaimed fuel changes into a gas before being run through a compressor that converts it back into a liquid for storage. The fuel eventually is used to power an electrical generator, which operates the machine’s compressor, pump, and a hydraulic crushing device. Fimrite is president of Mountain States Environmental Services, which helps Yellowstone National Park dispose of its hazardous material, and the genesis of the propane bottle recycler was the park’s desire to get rid of discarded propane cylinders littering the area. The National Park Service launched the recycling initiative by positioning receptacles for recycling propane bottles throughout Yellowstone. About 3,000 canisters have been drained and recycled during the machine’s first year of operation. In the last nine years 127,500 cylinders have been recycled, producing 63.75 tons of steel, according to the National Park Service.

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Take a Tour of Greensboro’s D.H. Griffin Wrecking Scrapyard. Triad Business Journal (03/28/14) Carlock, Catherine

D.H. Griffin’s scrapyard in Greensboro, N.C., has some of the largest and most profitable companies in the world as clients, and it has recently undertaken a project for a national manufacturer listed on the Fortune 50. “We’re dependable, we’re honest people, and if we tell you we’re going to do something, we put our guarantee on it,» says David Griffin Jr., son of the company’s founder. «Now going on 55 years and over 25,000 projects later, we have never failed to complete a job we started.» Items that the scrapyard accepts and demolishes include aluminum cans, vehicles and car parts, washing machines, and tree stumps. Griffin says aluminum cans are crushed into bales valued at $2,000 to $3,000 each, depending on the daily price of aluminum.

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EcoATM Expands DFW Presence With More Electronics Recyckling Kiosks. Frisco Enterprise (03/28/14)

EcoATM announced the installation of 16 additional ecoATM automated electronics recycling kiosks in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, bringing the total number of kiosks in the region to 32. Obsolete mobile phones, tablets, and MP3 players are recycled by ecoATM, which supports a nationwide network of about 900 kiosks and offers cash as an incentive for consumer recycling. “EcoATM’s mission is to provide an opportunity for people to convert their clutter into cash while doing the right thing for the environment by keeping tons of potentially toxic waste out of our nation’s landfills,” says ecoATM president Maria Stipp. Consumers are offered competitive prices depending on the condition of recycled items through the kiosks’ global auction system. EcoATM employs artificial intelligence and machine-vision technology to identify and assess more than 4,000 distinctive electronic devices. When deposited into an ecoATM kiosk, the device is scanned for type, serial number, and condition, and the seller must show a valid ID and provide a thumbprint and a signature agreeing the device is his or her property. Cameras match the sellers to their ID prior to dispensing cash, and all transactions and personal information are reported daily to local police. EcoATM reuses 75 percent of the devices it collects and recycles the remainder.

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Staples Canada Exceeds Recycling Goals. Environmental Leader (03/27/14)

Staples Canada surpassed many of its 2013 recycling goals with its collection of 93,274 kilograms of used batteries and 3.1 million empty ink and toner cartridges. The company originally expected to collect 60,000 kg of batteries through its partnership with Call2Recycle to recycle discarded rechargeable and alkaline batteries in every Staples outlet. Last year, Staples Canada collected more than 500,000 additional ink and toner cartridges than in 2012, and the retailer set a goal of collecting 5 million ink cartridges between Earth Day 2012 and Earth Day 2014. Staples Canada exceeded that goal by collecting about 5.1 million cartridges to date. The company, in collaboration with eCycle Solutions, collects electronics in nearly 260 retail sites, with nine locations added last year. Staples Canada has collected 3,366 mt of electronics in 2013, overtaking its goal of matching its 2012 collection of 3,000 mt, and collected 839 mt in 2013’s fourth quarter alone.

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Recycling Firm Moves to Bangor. La Crosse Tribune (WI) (03/27/14) Martin, Mike

Adams Recycling has relocated its offices to a location in downtown Bangor, Wis. Company owner Nick Adams expects to install signage at the new site— a former gas station—very soon, much to the satisfaction of village president Gary Althoff, who has long called for more businesses to be set up in Bangor. Adams says he has ordered new doors and windows for the building, and two employees will sandblast, power wash, and paint the building in the coming weeks. Adams’ company searches for properties to purchase across Wisconsin and then cleans them up and recycles the wood, brick, and metal they contain. The company also recycles vehicles. Adams says a few years ago he purchased a scrapyard in Milwaukee that had 400 cars. «We cleaned things up and scrapped everything we could,» and the company found a buyer for the property a year later, he says. “He’s been a good guy to work with,” Althoff says of Adams, who could be interested in buying and fixing up other properties in town.

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Oregonians ‘E-Cycling’ More Old Tech Gear. KTVZ.com (OR) (03/26/14)

The Oregon Electronics Recycling Program, known as Oregon E-Cycles, completed its fifth year of operations in 2013 to gather, transport, and recycle obsolete TVs, computers, and monitors. The final numbers from 2013 indicate a 3.9-percent increase of accepted electronic devices collected over the previous year, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Oregon E-Cycles collected and recycled 27.7 million pounds of covered electronic devices in 2013, up from 26.7 million pounds in 2012. Oregon E-Cycles features a network of more than 300 collection locations and recyclers, in addition to collection events statewide. The number of collection locations across the state has increased more than 37 percent since the program began collections in January 2009. Electronics manufacturers fund the collection and recycling of obsolete devices as well as the state’s administrative costs. Starting in January 2015, Oregon E-Cycles will expand to include the collection and recycling of obsolete printers and computer peripherals such as keyboards and mice.

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Goodwill to Offer Electronics Recycling in FM. Fort Morgan Times (CO) (03/25/14) Grubbs, Jenni

Goodwill Industries will soon provide bins in Fort Morgan, Colo., and other locations in Morgan County for recycling obsolete computers, non-tube-style TVs, DVD players, and other unwanted electronics. Colorado residents and businesses can no longer dispose of obsolete electronics in landfills because a state law requires them to be recycled. Three of the Goodwill bins are scheduled to be set up in Fort Morgan in late March, with others likely to follow. People also can drop off electronics for recycling at the Goodwill retail store and donation center. The collected electronics are taken to Goodwill’s new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered recycling center at its Denver headquarters, where any stored data is removed before the devices are repurposed if still in working condition. Electronics that cannot be sold are disassembled and recycled. Goodwill uses the proceeds from the program to support its job training and education programs for at-risk youth and disadvantaged and disabled adults.

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State’s E-Waste Recycling Program Threatened by Economic Factors. MyCentralJersey.com (03/24/14) LoBrutto, Christina

Participants at a recent meeting sponsored by the Association of New Jersey Recyclers were concerned that local electronic scrap recycling programs could be discontinued due to economic factors. In 2010, New Jersey’s e-scrap recycling law barred the disposal of obsolete TVs and computers in landfills and mandated that TV and computer makers cover the cost of recycling unwanted electronics from consumers and small businesses. A manufacturer representative at the meeting said some recyclers are being paid less due to greater consolidation of recyclers in the program. «We know that many municipalities and counties are taking a hard look at funding their e-waste programs, and some may decide to shut them down,» noted association president Dominick D’Altilio. Jim Entwistle, president of New Tech Recycling, which operates in five counties, suggested a modification to the current law might be needed. «It should be an unlimited type of law, meaning that whatever is collected should be under the law,» he said. Entwistle also noted some manufacturers are turning to out-of-state recyclers. Diana Vigilante, manager of Somerset County Public Works Solid Waste Management, said the county is under contract with New Tech Recycling until July 2015, at which time it may be necessary to revise future contracts.

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Plastic Recycling Across Canada Increases. Environmental Leader (03/24/14)

Canada has recycled more postconsumer plastic packaging every year for the past three years, according to the Canadian Plastics Industry Association. Moore Recycling reports that 10 percent more plastic was recycled in 2012 than in 2011 because more material is being collected and more companies are publishing recycling information. Manufacturers, reclaimers, exporters, brokers, and material recovery facilities in 2012 collected and recycled more than 285 million kilograms of postconsumer packaging, and 83 percent of the material stayed in North America. In 2012, 3 percent more plastic bottles, 29 percent more nonbottle rigid plastics, 18 percent more plastic bags and outer wrap, and 24 percent more polystyrene foam was collected than in 2011.

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Area Firm to Build Sioux Falls Scrap Metal Recycling Facility. Sioux City Journal (IA) (03/24/14) Dreeszen, Dave

TJN Enterprises broke ground last autumn on a new scrap metal recycling facility in Sioux Falls, S.D. The company’s new 20-acre site will enable it to separate, process, and transport a wide array of ferrous and nonferrous scrap products by truck or rail. The facility, which will cost $10 million to $15 million and employ up to 60 people, is expected to be completed next fall. The new location will be approximately five times larger than TJN’s current location. TJN, a joint venture between Shine Bros. Corp. and Sioux City Compressed Steel, had been searching for more than seven years for a site to expand its Sioux Falls operations. The company also operates recycling facilities in Watertown, Aberdeen, and Yankton, S.D.; Worthington, Minn.; and Estherville, Iowa.

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These Are Hard but Fluid Times for Aluminum Distribution, Manufacturing and Recycling Firm Schupan & Sons. MLive.com (03/23/14) Jones, Al

Marc Schupan’s company, Schupan & Sons, acquired electronics recycling firm Mid Michigan Metal Recyclers in September. «It’s a natural extension for us,» Schupan says of the move, describing it as a new and green area of industrial recycling. The company previously would export the electronic scrap it collected, but it now sorts and separates it, according to Schupan Aluminum & Plastic Sales president John Barry. The acquisition of Mid Michigan Metal Recyclers’ operations and 300 customers will help expand sales in a market that processes and recycles obsolete computer equipment that cannot be discarded in landfills. Schupan divisions already handle a large number of items that need to be e-cycled from Michigan schools. Although Schupan & Sons largely is known for scrap metal processing and the distribution of new metal and plastic mill products to industrial users, it also is the largest independent recycler of used beverage containers nationwide. The business now employs more than 400 people and has yearly sales of more than $250 million. Schupan & Sons operates in 10 locations in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. «We ship 1 million pounds of recyclables a day from various facilities,» says CEO Marc Schupan. «That would include all types of metals, plastics, and glass, and that would include our brokering.»

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