Company establishes LDPE agricultural film recycling facility in Florida.
Florida Agricultural Plastic Recyclers LLC (FLAG), based in Avon Park, Florida, has announced the completion of a private placement with an international investor group that it says will allow the company to begin implementing the first phase of its low-density polyethylene (LDPE) agricultural film recycling program. The phase will include the completion of two wash lines and commencing contracted sales of shredded and washed LDPE. Joseph Miceli, president of FLAG, says, “This capital gives FLAG the opportunity to take advantage of a market abandoned by the recycling community. With favorable market conditions and FLAG’s position as the sole agricultural film recycler in Florida, this year, FLAG will be one of the largest ongoing suppliers of clean recycled LDPE film in the county, if not the world. Miceli adds, “We currently have over 30 million pounds of used ag-film in inventory and are in the process of aggregating an additional 30-40 million pounds annually that we have contracted with farmers throughout Florida and adjacent states. FLAG offers farmers the most cost-effective and environmentally green solution to dispose of their waste ag film and enables them to conform as green suppliers to national retailers.” Younis Zubchevich, CFO of FLAG, says, “We have agreements in place to sell over 40 million pounds of our output to buyers we have worked with for over 20 years. As recyclers learn that we are the source for large quantities of recycled LDPE, we expect our agreements to double by year end upon which we will implement two additional wash lines to complete Phase II of our Florida operations and expand to fully utilize our 8 acre, 65,000-square-foot warehouse facility." He adds, “With annual global production of virgin LDPE at approximately 50 billion pounds, we project an ongoing growing demand for recycled LDPE."
Brackets are designed for all DustBoss suppressor sizes.
Peoria, Illinois-based Dust Control Technology (DCT) has introduced a family of adjustable mounting brackets for the DustBoss DB-R series of dust suppressors. Developed in direct response to customer feedback, the new bracket design is available to suit the entire range of ring sizes from 17 to 100 inches and can be installed in about an hour, the company says. The DB-R is engineered specifically for use at conveyor discharge points, designed to create a virtual curtain of mist around the material flow for outstanding particle containment. “Because of the wide variation in conveyor designs, in the past we’ve left the mounting of the rings to the individual customer,” explains DCT CEO Edwin Peterson. “But it was clear that customers looked to us for guidance. So now we’ve designed an adjustable bracket that can fit virtually any conveyor design, with movable arms to allow precise location of the atomized mist circle to match the specific conveyor, material and outflow.”
The DB-R fully encircles the discharging material to apply suppression directly as the flow exits the conveyor. With no moving parts, the brackets are designed to deliver focused dust suppression on a continuous-duty basis, designed to capture fugitive particles on radial stackers and other offloading points with a durable, intrinsically safe design, DCT says. DCT says customers are finding that it’s well suited to conveyor discharge of sand, aggregates, biomass and other traditionally dusty materials. “For some bulk material handlers, it can be a very affordable alternative to more extensive dust management tactics,” Peterson says. “Larger operations are finding that the source-point suppression of the DB-R is the perfect complement to their open-area dust control measures.” The DB-R is currently available in nine standard sizes from 17 to 100 inches in diameter. Available options for the DB-R include a booster pump to elevate low water pressures, a variety of nozzle sizes/configurations and water filtration. Customers also can order the units with a two-way valve and/or hose included. More information is available at www.dustboss.com.
Greenhill School has been recognized for its initiatives to encourage paper recycling.
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has presented the Greenhill School, Addison, Texas, with its 2014 School Recycling Award for Creativity.
Greenhill School’s endeavors include videos featuring kindergarten students that educate the school on what can and cannot be recycled, student-led assemblies with question-and-answer sessions on recycling and handmade posters that are hung around the school buildings with concise information regarding recycling and what is accepted.
“On behalf of AF&PA, I am proud to honor Greenhill School’s recycling efforts with this year’s School Recycling Award for Creativity. Their initiatives deeply engage students, creating a bottom-up approach to paper recycling,” says Bobby Pirtle, supply manager at RockTenn Co.’s Dallas mill, who presented the award.
Newell of San Antonio will retain its media plant and its shredder in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Structural Metals Inc. has completed the purchase of an auto shredding plant from Newell Recycling of San Antonio LP, located in San Antonio, in a deal announced in late May.
Structural Metals is a wholly owned subsidiary of Commercial Metals Co. (CMC), a metals recycling, manufacturing, fabricating and trading enterprise based in Irving, Texas.
Following the sale, Newell Ltd. will retain the company’s media plant operation in San Antonio as well as a shredding operation in Eagle Pass, Texas.
According to a CMC news release, the acquisition of Newell Recycling’s assets “continues the vertical integration of CMC by providing raw materials for its CMC Steel Texas location, establishes a larger recycling presence in San Antonio and provides an opportunity for continued growth of the company’s recycling operations in the Central Texas area.”
North Carolina plastic scrap consumer to increase capacity by more than 70 percent.
Unifi Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina, has announced the planned expansion of its Repreve recycled-content plastic fiber manufacturing plant, which opened in Yadkinville, North Carolina, in May 2010. The expansion will increase its recycling capacity from 21,000 tons to 36,000 tons per year. The increase is being driven by increasing demand from from companies such as Ford, The North Face, Nike, Volcom and Patagonia, says Unifi.
The company says the expansion is expected to create 10 new jobs. The recent $5 million capital expenditure will bring the total investment in the Repreve Recycling Center since its opening in 2010 to $15 million.
“Expanding our Repreve manufacturing capabilities highlights our commitment to the Repreve brand and provides increased flexibility to better serve our customers,” says Roger Berrier, president and chief operating officer of Unifi. “As we bring the new machinery online, it’s clear that the increased versatility will help better position Repreve to support the growth and demand for recycled products."
The company says the largest and fastest growing segments for Repreve continue to be apparel and automotive. The expansion increases the availability of Repreve product offerings such as lower deniers that support lighter-weight fashion trends, flame retardant yarns and WaterWise color technology.
“The expansion also reflects our commitment to remain the market leader in recycled products and sustainable solutions,” adds Berrier.