Coast Waste Management Association conference scheduled for Oct. 22-24, 2014, in Victoria, British Columbia.
Latvian company selects recoStar recycling system for new plant.
The Latvia-based plastics recycling company SIA Nordic Plast, part of the environmental management company Eco Baltia, has opened a plastics recycling facility in Olaine, Latvia. A key piece of equipment installed at the facility was a recoSTAR basic 165 VAC recycling line from the equipment company Starlinger. The company invested more than €2.5 million (US$3.236 million) on the new recycling facility. Nordic Plast specializes in recycling low density polyethylene (LDPE) film, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP). “Nordic Plast has decided to install a recoSTAR basic 165 VAC recycling line after a long and very thorough examination of the equipment parameters and its full compliance with our requirements regarding the types and quality of the processed products,” says Dace Samuša, director of SIA Nordic Plast. “Our final product — different kinds of polymer pellets — has always met the highest standards of recycled pellets. We wished to preserve the high quality in production also with the equipment we selected. We are very pleased with our choice as the quality of the end product is what we had expected,” she adds. The recoSTAR basic 165 VAC is designed to process input materials with up to 10 percent humidity content as well as heavily contaminated post-consumer waste. It has a production capacity of up to 1,300 kg/hour and is used for recycling washed polypropylene big bags and washed polyethylene film. Two main machine features are the water ring pelletizer that Starlinger recycling technology has developed for processing polyolefins, and the continuous rotation filter for the removal of coarse impurities. The company recycles the scrap plastics into five types of pellets. The pellets are used to produce pipes, industrial containers, waste containers, boxes, polyethylene film, trash bags and similar products. With the new equipment Nordic Plastic is expected to increase its production from 5,000 metric tons per year to 8,500 metric tons per year.
Organization seeks to highlight quality specifications for recyclables
The U.K.-based recycling group Resource Association has published the second stage of ReQIP (the Recycling Quality Information Point), a project the organization says is designed to provide a reference point for understanding the quality requirements for different recyclables. The first phase of the project was launched in June 2014 and established the maximum overall level of contamination that could be handled by recyclers of major commodities, according to the Resource Association. The first phase of the project also published sample specifications from recyclers.
The association describes ReQIP as a Web-based information hub for U.K. recyclers. The second stage of the project, released in early September, provides information about the impact specific contaminants have on the quality of the recyclables as well as the impact contaminants have on commodity market values. A reference chart indicates the maximum level of contamination recyclers can accept if the material is to be considered suitable for high-quality recycling. The association says the information will provide recyclers and local authorities with the ability to gauge the effect individual contaminants have on the market value of recyclables. The ReQIP also provides a six-level grading system ranging from recyclables that can be reasonably mixed without affecting the price of recyclables that, when mixed together in any notable proportions, will lead to rejections. In addition, the chart provides advice for collectors seeking specific material streams. The decision to introduce the quality specifications follows Defra’s decision not to publish specific guidance for implementing the Waste Regulations, the organization says. The industry has been encouraged to lead and provide its own specifications pertaining to high-quality recycling. Resource Association says ReQIP is one such framework with regard to feedstock requirements for U.K. reprocessors. This project has been coordinated by Peter Mansfield & Associates, a member of Resource Association. The company says the information was compiled from 36 reprocessor companies and associations. The project comprises three key elements: a summary quality specifications table; sample specification documents; and a contamination value chart. These are available on the ReQip website. Used in conjunction, the resources provide information on the detailed quality requirements by materials sector for U.K. reprocessors, highlighting those materials considered detrimental to the "integrity" of the raw materials supplied to reprocessors. The information is published with their approval, the association says, and represents quality specifications information for close to 13 million metric tons of recyclables processed in the U.K. Materials with specifications include commodities such as paper, glass, plastics and metals, green and wood wastes and a range of other materials, including batteries, textiles and beverage cartons. Ray Georgeson, CEO of Resource Association, says, “Local authorities and companies responsible for the collection and sale of recyclables want to know the impact that specific contaminants have on value. Furthermore, with the introduction of the Waste Regulations, there are requirements on collectors to ensure that material is suitable for high-quality recycling. "This development of the ReQIP project provides a comprehensive account of UK reprocessor requirements, which we hope will inform decisions at a crucial stage of the secondary materials supply chain,” Georgeson adds. In response to the introduction of the second stage, Chris Dow, CEO of the U.K.-based plastics recycling firm Closed Loop Recycling, says, “This is an important development for local authorities who will now understand the impact that different collection systems can have on the recycling stream and how they can achieve maximum value from the materials they collect. “We believe this new system sets a benchmark for high quality recycling here in the U.K., which will not only benefit the environment but will create economic benefits too at a time when local authorities are looking to make efficiencies," continues Dow. "It’s yet another small step towards a circular economy.”
Netherlands-based company develops coating that allows paper cups to be recycled.
Equipment company opens what it calls the world’s most advanced environmental technology development center.