Nov 16, 2018

PPRCE 2018: Made to measure Buyers and sellers of recovered fiber in Europe are beginning to see eye-to-eye on the benefits of quality measurement procedures. (Pictured, left to right: Bill Moore of Moore & Associates; Francisco Donoso of ALBA Group; Andreas Walser of Hamburger Recycling; and Katrijn van Riet of SUEZ.) Scrap material buyers around the world are demanding increased product quality and purity, and recyclers are showing an increased willingness to meet the challenge, according to presenters at the 2018 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference Europe, held in Prague, Czech Republic, in early November. In a session titled “Let’s talk about quality,” moderated by United States-based paper industry consultant Bill Moore of Moore & Associates , Moore made a presentation created by Peter Seggie of Ireland-based paper producer (and recycling plant operator) Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) . Among Seggie’s observations was that the United Kingdom engaged in more commingled collection than recyclers in other European nations, and that this had hurt them when China tightened its scrap paper import restrictions. Seggie indicated the Chinese government and Chinese mill buyers no longer welcomed “inferior” grades of scrap paper. “Who will buy these ‘inferior’ grades?” Seggie asked via his presentation slides. Supplying his own answer on behalf of SKG, he stated, “Not us!” Andreas Walser of Hamburger Recycling , an Austria-based firm that also operates both paper mills and recycling plants, also singled out commingled collection, saying, “It doesn’t deliver quality needs; this is a no-go for us.” At Hamburger’s mills, the company has been using a microwave technology known as HPNA () that Walser said can measure the moisture level of 70 percent of a truckload’s material in less than a minute. The company also conducts visual inspections and is experimenting with core drilling. “For quality products, we need quality recyclables,” he stated. Katrijn van Riet of France-based SUEZ said an increasing number of paper mill buyers around the world were engaging in core drilling of purchased bales to measure moisture content and material cleanliness. Mills will share this information with recycling plant operators “especially when results are negative,” she commented. Van Riet said SUEZ has come to accept core drilling as an appropriate gage of quality, especially when replacing visual inspection, which she said can be “too subjective.” Regarding China’s tighter specifications for scrap paper, van Riet said SUEZ “took the new quality requirements very seriously; we didn’t export until we were sure we could meet them.”  She said it was clear that other nations may well follow China’s lead, since they “don’t want to become the waste [recipient] to the world.” Francisco Donoso, who is based in Spain for the Germany-based ALBA Group , was more skeptical of the new Chinese standards, stating, “Based on environmental reasons, they are not proportional to technical efficiency improvements.” Donoso said the new specifications also are “not proportional to economic margins” and that Chinese mills were not benefitting from “paying twice the price” for their recovered fiber. Subsequently, he said it was “not worth it” for European mills to outbid Chinese buyers for the now purer but more expensive material. Chinese mills, he concluded, are “paying a premium because of limits imposed by the Chinese government.” He referred to it as a distortion created for political reasons, concluding, “Quality is not the problem; we have demonstrated we can adapt.” The 2018 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference Europe event was Nov. 6-7 at the Corinthia Prague Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic. The 2019 conference will be in Barcelona Nov. 5-6, 2019. Recycling Today's March 2019 issue will include our biennial list of the 20 Largest Nonferrous Scrap Processors in North America. If you suspect your company should be on this list, please take a moment to fill out the form available at www.RecyclingToday.com/form/2019-nonferrous-scrap-processors-form . The key figure we are asking for is the annual amount of all nonferrous metal scrap, including shredder byproduct, physically handled at your company’s facilities in 2018. Do not include stainless steel, specialty alloys or ferroalloys. The total should include scrap taken in at all facilities, whether it is processed further or shipped loose. This should not include scrap brokered by traders, exporters or brokers employed by your company that is never physically present at a company facility. Given that the year has not yet ended, please indicate whether you are supplying an estimated figure. Our editors will follow up prior to publication to get the final figure. Aqua Metals Inc. , headquartered in Alameda, California, has announced that Johnson Controls International  (JCI), the world’s largest manufacturer and recycler of lead-acid vehicle batteries, has provided the company with an official vendor approval to receive its finished lead at Johnson Controls’ manufacturing facilities. The approval process consisted of a “stringent review” of Aqua Metals’ lead to verify it consistently met Johnson Controls’ specifications, according to a news release from Aqua Metals. (To read an article about Aqua Metals and Johnson Controls’ business relationship, click here .) “For more than 130 years, we’ve focused on smarter ways to use less energy and resources by using old batteries as the raw materials for new ones,” says Brian Wycklendt, Johnson Controls director of lead and recycling strategy. “Our closed loop system for designing, building, recovering and recycling vehicle batteries has been recognized as one of the world’s most effective examples of circular economy. Our partnership with Aqua Metals and other clean-tech partners will help us to fulfill our commitment to creating a more sustainable and environmentally responsible industry.” “Official vendor approval is a significant milestone and an important step in the relationship between Aqua Metals and Johnson Controls,” says Steve Cotton, Aqua Metals president. “It shows the confidence Johnson Controls has in the consistency and quality of our lead production and further validates the AquaRefining process. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Johnson Controls to meet their goals for more sustainable product offerings.” Aqua Metals says its patented AquaRefining technology uses a room-temperature, water-based process that emits less pollution than traditional smelting. The modular systems are designed to allow the company to scale lead acid recycling production capacity by licensing the AquaRefining technology to partners. The company’s recycling operation is based in Nevada’s Tahoe Reno Industrial Complex. In February 2017, Johnson Controls finalized an agreement covering North America, China and Europe for Aqua Metals’ electrochemical battery recycling technology. Under terms of the deal, Johnson Controls, which has its North American operational headquarters in Milwaukee, took a stake in Aqua Metals. Johnson Controls recently announced the sale of its Power Systems Division (PSD), which includes its lead acid battery manufacturing and recycling division, to Toronto-based  Brookfield Business Partners LP . Alison Ziegler, who handles investor relations for Aqua Metals says, "Nothing should really change" with the companies' partnership as a result of the sale. "Aqua Metals is fully engaged with JCI PSD on a multitude of fronts to further its partnership inclusive of product certification of AquaRefined lead and progressing towards a joint development agreement with a target of April of 2019. Aqua Metals will continue to work with JCI PSD during the transformation, and they have seen no slowdown of interactions between the parties." She adds, "JCI/Tyco main company is realigning their focus on building automation and controls as a business, which prompted the divestiture of JCI PSD. "Brookfield is a patient investor in the infrastructure and renewables space, and in the company's view a great partner for JCI PSD as they spin off and transform into a new brand," Ziegler adds. On America Recycles Day today, Keep America Beautiful , Stamford, Connecticut, and The Coca-Cola Foundation announced the opening of the application period for the 2018 Keep America Beautiful/Coca-Cola Public Spaces Recycling Bin Grant Program. In its 12th year, the initiative is designed to increase access to recycling in community public spaces across America. Grant applications will be available online through Dec. 20. Applicants can apply here . For the past 11 years, The Coca-Cola Foundation has supported the program, which has donated recycling bins to more than 1,000 communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Over the history of the program, more than 36,000 public space recycling bins have been awarded, providing opportunities for recycling on the go to more than 2 million people daily. The 2018 program will distribute 4,500 recycling bins in public space locations ranging from athletic fields to fairs and festivals to downtown streetscapes and playgrounds and other on-the-go settings. The program is funded through a $350,000 grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation to Keep America Beautiful, which in turn awards recycling bins through a competitive, merit-based application process. “Since its inception in 2007, the grant program has made impressive strides toward expanding recycling in public spaces,” says Randy Hartmann, senior director of affiliate operations for Keep America Beautiful. “Through these grants, The Coca-Cola Foundation is reducing two of the primary barriers for on-the-go recycling--accessibility and convenience.” Eligible recipients for the 2018 Public Spaces Recycling Bin Grant Program include government agencies, colleges and universities, civic organizations, public and local nonprofit groups throughout the U.S. Keep America Beautiful will award the grants Jan. 2019 and deliver recycling bins directly to the recipients in the first quarter of 2019. “Community recycling is one of the key ways The Coca-Cola Foundation is helping communities address litter and support the environment. In partnership with Keep America Beautiful, we can help communities reduce litter by offering grants for recycling bins in parks, recreation areas, campuses and city streets,” says Helen Smith Price, The Coca-Cola Foundation president. In addition to the Foundation’s support, earlier this year The Coca-Cola Company announced a global goal to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of the bottles and cans it places in the market by 2030. To accomplish the goal, Coca-Cola and its bottling partners are working to make better bottles with more recycled and renewable content and supporting waterway clean ups to ensure that its packaging does not end up where it does not belong. Anheuser-Busch invests $250,000 in Closed Loop Fund Investment will help improve glass recycling capabilities.