Planet Recycling

Nov 23, 2020

Planet Recycling Inc. has specialized in recycling residential and commercial carpet waste and carpet pad materials for more than 35 years. Aquafil Group , Cartersville, Georgia, announced on Nov. 20 that it will acquire Phoenix-based Planet Recycling Inc. The recycler will join the Aquafil Group in mid-December. Planet Recycling Inc. has specialized in recycling residential and commercial carpet waste and carpet pad materials for more than 35 years. Planet Recycling diverts over 10,000 tons of post-consumer carpet and carpet pads from area landfills each year. According to Aquafil, Planet Recycling’s collection facilities will enhance the availability of used carpet material for the Aquafil carpet recycling facility in Phoenix and will also create a stable quantity of nylon waste to be supplied to a Slovenia-based regeneration plant where carpet waste and other materials such as fishing nets and other types of nylon waste are regenerated to make Econyl yarns and polymers. Each year in the U.S., 4 billion pounds of carpet is discarded in landfills and only 5 percent of carpet waste is recycled. Aquafil Group says it is committed to help reduce this waste by implementing a closed-loop supply chain where carpets are recycled instead of ending up in landfills. Aquafil has two carpet recycling facilities—one in Phoenix and one in Woodland, California—that can each process up to 36 million pounds of carpet annually. Steel mill buying prices for ferrous scrap have remained relatively flat from late September to late November, according to the most recent transaction figure averages calculated by the Raw Material Data Aggregation Service (RMDAS) of Pittsburgh-based Management Science Associates Inc. (MSA). In its November prices, released on the 20th of this month, national averages for the three major grades published by MSA rose by either $3 or $4 per ton. That followed an October RMDAS price report that showed $0 of fluctuation  in any of the three grades—something had never before occurred since RMDAS was established in 2006, according to MSA Inc.’s Jeralyn Brown. The November RMDAS figures  show No. 1 heavy melting steel (HMS) and the RMDAS prompt industrial composite of prime grades gaining $4 per ton as a nation average, with shredded scrap lagging only slightly with a $3 per ton rise. There were slight regional variances to these averages—most notably in the North Midwest region, where prompt grades gained $14 in value, likely because of the slowdown in some manufacturing activities caused by a rising COVID-19 caseload. While no grades in any region posted a November price decline, in the RMDAS South region shredded scrap did not add to its value, remaining at $305 per ton for the second month in a row. Mecalac , a designer, manufacturer and distributor of compact construction equipment for urban environments with its global headquarters in France, has introduced the AS900tele to the North American market. The 22.2 gallons per minute (84 liters per minute) auxiliary hydraulics on the machine further increase flexibility, allowing use with a range of attachments, including mowers, road sweepers and earth augers. Functioning as a loader, telehandler or landscaping tool, the AS900tele reduces the need for additional equipment and optimizes jobsite logistics. “When you rely on one machine for each task, a jobsite can end up looking more like a parking lot,” says Peter Bigwood, general manager for Mecalac North America. “Reducing the need for additional equipment and streamlining the jobsite is at the heart of Mecalac’s design philosophy, including the AS900tele. It’s good for the contractor, the client and the environment.” Like other AS Series units, Mecalac reports that the 8-ton (7,250-kilogram) AS900tele features Mecalac’s innovative swing design. Operators can swivel the fully loaded bucket 90 degrees on either side, transforming space management. With the rotated bucket, filling trenches or carrying pipes requires minimum operating space. On a road project, this rotation limits necessary space, requiring only a single lane closure rather than the two lane closure needed for traditional loaders. For a congested urban jobsite, this flexibility allows for optimal equipment positioning in confined spaces. Additionally, the unit’s telescoping capabilities pair reach with power for unparalleled flexibility, the company states in a press release on the AS900tele. With a lifting height of 15.5 feet (4.72 meters) and outreach of 11.5 feet (3.5 meters), the AS900tele allows operators to minimize repositioning while maximizing reach. The AS900tele has a carrying capacity of 5,004 pounds (2,270 kilograms) at full extension, providing ample power for applications such as loading walking floor trailers or waste handling. Paired with a range of attachments — including pallet forks, buckets, brushes, snowplows and hedge trimmers — the telescoping allows the unit to replace traditional backhoe loaders, wheel loaders and telehandlers. For even more versatility, the AS900tele features three steering options — 2-wheel, 4-wheel and crab. This flexibility allows operators to simultaneously drive, pivot and maneuver, regardless of ground conditions. Combined with the swivel arm, Mecalac says it results in a 20 percent smaller turning radius compared to traditional wheel loaders and increases productivity and safety for a range of common tasks like loading a trailer and material handling as well as municipal jobs like mowing, snow handling and pruning trees. “All the AS Series units were designed around a single idea — how do we improve the articulated loader to provide better efficiency and streamline the worksite,” Bigwood adds. “The AS900tele takes that innovation a step further, replacing two or even three other machines without sacrificing the productivity or safety of Mecalac’s swing loader.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, leaders of the Yurok and Karuk Tribes and Berkshire Hathaway-owned PacifiCorp on Nov. 17 in announcing an agreement to provide additional resources and support to advance the largest dam demolition in U.S. history. According to the parties, the project, when completed, will address declines in salmon populations, improve river health and renew tribal communities and cultures. The memorandum of agreement signed by the states of California and Oregon, the Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, PacifiCorp and the Klamath River Renewal Corp. (KRRC) describes how the parties will implement the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) as negotiated and signed in 2016. The KHSA sets the terms for the removal of four Klamath River dams that span from parts of Oregon to California. “The Klamath River is a centerpiece of tribal community, culture and sustenance and a national ecological treasure,” Gov. Newsom says. “With this agreement, we are closer than ever to restoring access to 400 miles of salmon habitat which will be a boon to the local economy. I am grateful for the partnership between California and Oregon, the Yurok and Karuk Tribes and Berkshire Hathaway that proves when we work together, we can build a better, more inclusive future for all.” With the memorandum of agreement, the parties: Jointly ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to remove PacifiCorp from the license for the project and add California, Oregon and KRRC as co-licensees for carrying out dam removal. Adding the states as co-licensees provides assurances that the project will have sufficient financial backing while honoring settlement terms that stipulate PacifiCorp would not be a co-licensee for removal. Demonstrate their firm commitment to dam removal. Agree to nearly double available contingency funds held by KRRC and contractors and, in the unlikely event that additional funds are needed beyond that, Oregon, California and PacifiCorp will share the costs equally to address FERC’s requirement to ensure full funding for the project. Confirm that the KRRC will remain the dam removal entity for the project. Plan to navigate the final regulatory approvals necessary to allow the project to begin in 2022 with dam removal in 2023. Site remediation and restoration will continue beyond 2023. Retain the liability protections for PacifiCorp’s customers established in the KHSA. Taken together, these provisions are intended to resolve FERC’s concerns raised in a July order and ensure a successful dam removal project. “This is an incredibly important step forward on the path towards restorative justice for the people of the Klamath Basin, and towards restoring health to the river as well as everyone and everything that depends on it,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says. “From time immemorial, the stewardship of the indigenous peoples of the Klamath Basin have nurtured the lands, waters, fish and wildlife of this region. In Oregon, the Klamath tribes remember a time when their livelihoods were supported by clean, healthy and vibrant waters. It is that vision, that promise, that we are working towards restoring for the generations to come.” Implementation of the amended KHSA requires two approvals by FERC. First, FERC must approve the transfer of the license for the dams from PacifiCorp to the KRRC and the states. Second, FERC must approve the dam removal plan. BGL announces sale of Incorp to Lowe Capital Management LLC and Construction Safety Group Incorp offers a range of services in support of customers’ maintenance and mechanical service needs, including insulation, scaffolding, heat tracing, abatement, coatings, sandblasting and siding services.