Recycling Product News March 2021, Volume 29, Number 2 by Baum Publications Ltd.

THE CANADA PLASTICS PACT: MARCH 2021 recyclingproductnews.com

A TRUE CALL TO ACTION

BUILDING THE CANADIAN AUTO SHREDDER MAP OCC VOLATILITY IS OFF THE CHARTS PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40069270

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COVER STORY THE CANADA PLASTICS PACT: A TRUE CALL TO ACTION

22 30

TRIPLING E-SCRAP CAPACITY AT PREMIER SURPLUS

DOUBLING PRODUCTION WITH A SWITCH TO TUB GRINDERS

STATIONARY PRE-SHREDDERS FOR PLASTICS

March 2021 | Volume 29, Number 2

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS & SECTIONS

The Canada Plastics Pact: A true call to action

From the Editor

Tripling e-scrap capacity at Premier Surplus

News Room

Recyclers, not pawnbrokers

Building the Canadian auto shredder map

Family-owned wood recycling company doubles production with switch to tub grinders

Stationary pre-shredders for plastics recycling

OCC volatility is off the charts

52 avoidable fatalities in 2020 reflects little improvement for safety in solid waste

The Canada–U.S. plastic waste export deal violates international law

14 Spotlight 16

Cover Story

E-waste Recycling

26 Commentary 28

Auto Recycling

Wood Recycling

Equipment Roundup

Commodity Focus

40 Safety 44

Last Word

Advertiser Index

MARCH 2021 | VOLUME 29 • NUMBER 2 EDITOR Keith Barker kbarker@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 305 EDITOR IN CHIEF Kaitlyn Till ktill@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 330

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER Tina Anderson production@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 222 DESIGN & PRODUCTION Morena Zanotto morena@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 325

DIGITAL EDITOR Slone Fox sfox@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 335 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Sam Esmaili sam@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 110

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Ken Singer ksinger@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 226 VICE PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER Melvin Date Chong mdatechong@baumpub.com

FOUNDER Engelbert J. Baum

Published by: Baum Publications Ltd.

FROM THE COVER: CANADA PLASTICS PACT GOALS SET FOR 2025 Behind the scenes of the newly launched, ambitious initiative to unite an entire supply chain in creating a sustainable circular economy for plastic packaging. See more on page 16.

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WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Do you have a story, equipment or technology innovation, commentary or news that our readers in the recycling industry should know about? Drop us a line any time. Contact: Editor Keith Barker at kbarker@baumpub.com or 604-291-9900 ext. 305

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FROM THE EDITOR

CPP IS MORE THAN JUST TALK ON BUILDING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR PLASTICS

anada’s efforts toward building a circular economy for all used materials is off to a flying start in 2021. Launched January 27, the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) is part of a global commitment involving ten nations (so far) and is truly more than just talk. The pact unites key stakeholders representing the entire plastics value chain, from massive retailers and packaging producers to recyclers and manufacturers, with the collective long-term goal of eliminating plastic waste entirely by establishing a sustainable circular economy. Initial targets for 2025 are ambitious – as they need to be. Major goals to get things going include establishing a standard list of “problematic” packaging and eliminating it, and for all packaging that remains in circulation, it will be designed for reuse, recycling or composting. In the next four years, members have also committed to the use of 30 percent recycled content in all new plastic packaging, and to a 50 percent plastic packaging recycling or composting rate. According to Christina Seidel, the executive director of the Recycling Council of Alberta, the pact’s goals are completely consistent with their own, and the objectives are both progressive and clear. She now sees the CPP as the leading force on the reduction of plastic waste in Canada. “It is progressive to talk about eliminating unnecessary or problematic plastic packaging. It’s not reducing, it’s eliminating. That’s progressive.” Seidel emphasizes that it is significant that the pact is also very well positioned within the plastics value chain. “We have some very powerful members involved, from a lot of different sectors. It’s not just environmental groups, it’s not just the plastics industry.” Notably, the pact includes very large corporations with extensive market influence, such as Loblaws and Coca-Cola. These kinds of large companies, according to Seidel, have not committed to anything this progressive in the past with respect to plastics waste reduction. So having them support the idea of actually rethinking and revising all current packaging to suit a circular economy truly does mean a lot. “I think we’re starting to see a whole new level of business and corporate leadership that’s more progressive than anything we’ve ever seen,” says Seidel. “It’s not because they’re being forced to do it. They’re actually doing it on a voluntary basis because they see the value in terms of the role that they play and the influence they can have.” So what does it all mean for recyclers? If the pact does what it is setting out to do, plastics recyclers should expect opportunity and increased profit margins once a working circular economy is established,one where products and packaging are designed for recycling and sustainable end markets are set in place. “The plastics recycling industry is going to play a really key role in making the required changes happen,” says Seidel.

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

It is progressive to talk about eliminating unnecessary or problematic packaging. It’s not reducing, it’s eliminating. Christina Seidel Recycling Council of Alberta “Plastic recyclers are front and centre, and without them, there’s no way we can achieve a continually circulating economy for plastics. Through the pact, we’re not just recycling something once, and then it goes away. We’re actually trying to keep these materials in the economy for a long time, to be recycled multiple times.” Seidel continues, “The goals of the Plastics Pact look far beyond recycling. We are not going to recycle our way out of this problem. The pact is looking at redesign, reduction and elimination, and until we go down these roads, we are not going to be able solve the plastic waste problem.” For the Recycling Council of Alberta, which in 2020 refined their vision to be more focused on circular economy, as opposed to resource recovery and recycling, their biggest focus over the past year and going forward will be the establishment of workable EPR for packaging (including plastics) and printed paper in the province. Which, incidentally, fits right in with the goals of the CPP. “A lot of our energy has been directed toward bringing EPR to Alberta, and that’s one of the key elements for making the circular economy happen. We are anticipating EPR coming to our province shortly.” For more on the implications and details behind the Canada Plastics Pact, our cover story this issue digs deep with CPP managing director George Roter.

KEITH BARKER Editor kbarker@baumpub.com recyclingproductnews.com

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NEWS ROOM

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SA Waste & Recycling, one of the largest independently owned and operated waste management companies in New England, recently started operating their new Construction & Demolition (C&D) System, located in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. USA Waste & Recycling chose Machinex to deliver their turnkey material recovery facility. According to USA Waste & Recycling, the objective was to process its own materials and obtain high purity levels, due to the rising cost of waste disposal. Jonathan Murray, director of Post Collection Operations at USA explains, “As a company we have been processing construction and demolition materials for over 25 years. This new system allows us to expand our reach further into Massachusetts, helping our customers meet their own recycling goals, increasing recycling in our state and, most of all, having a positive impact on the environment by removing materials from the waste stream and reusing them in new products.” USA Waste & Recycling’s 50 tph system is designed to sort recyclable materials such as cardboard, metal, wood, aggregates, and fines from construction and demolition waste. The Machinex system includes an ACTION TAPER-SLOT vibratory finger screen, a MACH Trommel and two cross-belt magnets. Finally, a CBI AirMax separator removes light materials from heavy ones. The ability to manually pick wood at multiple sorting stations makes recovery of a large quantity of wood possible and the dense out units are excellent at removing light weight contaminants and allowing for easy quality control of the heavy material. “Machinex distinguished itself for its responsiveness and quick results with an impressive layout, thanks to its installation and start-up teams, who finished earlier than anticipated,” says Jonathan Murray. “We really appreciate Machinex’ work and flexibility to deliver the system ahead of time. The team at Machinex was a pleasure to work with from design through installation and start up.”

AMP ROBOTICS PILOTS AUTOMATED SECONDARY SORTATION FACILITY TO INCREASE RECYCLING RATES

MP Robotics has piloted an automated facility design for advanced secondary sortation. The company-owned test facility, located in Denver, serves as an infrastructure model that economically can process and aggregate small volumes of residual waste and difficult-to-recycle mixed plastics, paper and metals sourced from residue supplied by primary MRFs. With the United States recycling less than 33 percent of recyclable materials overall – and just 9 percent of plastics – produced annually, the ability to recover recyclables from residual waste streams represents a major opportunity to increase national recycling rates. Residue contributes to the millions of tons of recyclables and billions of dollars worth of material feedstock lost to landfill despite the demand for recycled content from consumer packaged goods companies and manufacturers. AMP’s next-generation secondary sorting facilities apply advanced automation enabled by AI to economically sort through these low volumes of residue to recover mixed plastics like PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP and PS. These material streams also contain high-value recyclables like used beverage cans (UBCs) and old corrugated cardboard (OCC) that are in high demand for resale to aluminum manufacturers and paper mills. According to AMP, their secondary facilities drive down the cost of recovery while creating contamination-free, high-quality bales of recycled material for resale. AMP’s business model also introduces market certainty and new revenue streams for established MRFs by creating demand for residue that would otherwise cost businesses to dispose of. With the success of its pilot, the company plans to roll out a number of secondary facilities in other parts of the U.S. during 2021. AMP is actively seeking to expand supply partnerships with waste management companies to acquire residual waste. The company is also working with end-market buyers for the sale of its recycled bales of plastics, paper and metals.

NEW BULKPAK PROGRAM FROM TERRACYCLE DESIGNED TO HELP BUSINESSES MEET SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS

o help companies establish, implement and meet new corporate sustainability targets, TerraCycle Regulated Waste has introduced the new BulkPak Recycling Program. This new system allows companies the freedom of bulk freight recycling, with the convenience and affordability of the return-by-mail EasyPak service. Designed as an all-in-one, mixed pallet solution for numerous regulated waste streams, customers simply select the EasyPak box assortment that best suits their needs and TCRW places all the required supplies on a pallet and ships it. Within 72 hours of ordering, companies are able to provide a fully compliant regulated waste recycling program that allows for simple set up, collection and storage.

52 AVOIDABLE FATALITIES IN 2020 REFLECTS LITTLE IMPROVEMENT FOR SAFETY IN SOLID WASTE The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) reported 52 municipal solid waste industry workers killed in 2020 in the United States and Canada, with nearly 70 percent occurring during waste and recyclable materials collection. For more on the implications of this new report, and analysis from SWANA’s Jesse Maxwell, see our Safety focus this issue, page 40.

MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

NEWS ROOM

GREAT NORTHERN FIBERS MRF OPTICAL SORTER AND SYSTEM RETROFIT HAS MAJOR IMPACT ON OCC AND NEWS RECOVERY

n order to recover more value from their existing materials, Great Northern Fibers LCC of West Babylon, New York, recently decided to upgrade their fibre sorting line to a more automated design. The recycler’s fibre system was set up to alternate processing commercial fibre and residential dual stream news on the same sort line, and their incoming material is heavily comprised of OCC. Their system was built with an existing OCC screen to remove large cardboard, but a lot of small cardboard pieces were making it into their paper stream, ending up either in residue or as part of a mixed paper grade that wasn’t as valuable. To upgrade their system and recover more valuable fibre, Great Northern Fibers partnered with Van Dyk Recycling Solutions for a solution. At the end of 2020, Van Dyk installed a 2,800-mmwide (9.2 feet) optical sorter to remove small cardboard pieces in the unders of the OCC, shooting positively on OCC, and ejecting brown fibre from the remaining news stream. Results from this setup are two-fold according to Van Dyk: by removing browns from the paper, the news grade is now clean enough to sell as news; and secondly, the browns captured by the optical sorter are blended back in with the OCC and then baled. This new optical sorter is also outfitted with a Deft Air wind tunnel on its acceleration belt to stabilize paper and prevent floating. When paper lies still, the optical sorter can increase the accuracy of its picks and can also process more material at a higher speed.

$1 MILLION INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT ORGANIC WASTE DIVERSION IN MANITOBA

he Manitoba government has launched a unique $1 million Green Impact Bond that will support projects that help divert organic waste from landfills, create green jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Impact Bond is a finance tool to fund impact-driven projects, enabling the government to rapidly innovate and implement new solutions for organic waste and GHG emissions while sharing risks with the private sector. Innovative NRG, a waste-to-energy specialist, has been chosen as a service provider for this initiative, and will use its patented and proprietary technology, called Rapid Organic Conversion (ROC), to process organic waste such as animal byproducts and wastewater sludge through a gasification process.

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

According to Great Northern Fibers, the facility’s OCC tonnage has dramatically increased since their optical sorter and system retrofit and they can now maximize their advantage on currently high OCC prices. Their newly improved efficiency in cleaning up their paper lines has also allowed for the elimination of six hand sorters, and because they can now sort faster and handle more capacity, they have been able to increase their production and tons per hour.

VITACORE LAUNCHES CANADA’S FIRST RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR SINGLE-USE MASKS AND RESPIRATORS

n partnership with McMaster University and the University of British Columbia, Vitacore Industries is launching Canada’s first single-use mask and respirator end-to-end recycling program aimed at reducing the environmental impact of single-use PPE. The pilot program has officially begun in Metro Vancouver, providing PPE recycling bins at long-term care and urgent care facilities at no cost. Once collected, the single-use masks and respirators will be sterilized by Vitacore before being sent to McMaster University to be broken down and repelletized. This program provides front line workers with the opportunity to recycle their single-use face masks and CAN95 respirators and will be expanded nationally to include bins across the country.

ROMEO POWER AND REPUBLIC COLLABORATE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE RETROFIT TESTING

omeo Power, an energy technology company delivering large-scale electrification solutions for complex commercial applications, and Republic Services, have entered into a strategic alliance agreement to collaborate on the development of Romeo Power’s battery technology for use in Republic’s electric collection trucks. As part of the agreement, senior leaders from each company will sit on a steering committee that will monitor and guide the alliance. The two companies will work closely to determine the key performance metrics of Romeo Power’s battery packs that will suit Republic’s specific refuse use-cases. The two parties also have agreed to a retrofit test program in which the diesel engines and related components will be removed from two of Republic’s vehicles and replaced with electric motors and Ro-

meo Power battery packs, with a goal of delivering the retrofitted trucks by the end of 2021. “By combining Romeo Power’s advanced energy technology with Republic Services’ vehicles, we pave the way for responsible and sustainable commercial transportation,” said Lionel Selwood, Jr., chief executive officer of Romeo Power. “We look forward to working with the Republic Services team and being part of their electrification solutions.” Tim Stuart, chief operating officer of Republic Services, has also recently joined the Board of Directors of Romeo Power. “This strategic alliance is an exciting component of Republic’s fleet electrification strategy,” commented Stuart. “We believe our partnership with Romeo Power will strengthen our leadership position within our industry in both electrification and sustainability.”

LET’S JOIN FORCES!

IMPAKTOR 250 Slow Speed Shredder

Since 1983, Bandit has been providing equipment for a multitude of wood waste processing markets. Our vision since the beginning is to manufacture quality, highly productive, easy to maintain equipment providing years of dependable service. The commitment for quality, innovation and dedication is instilled in every Bandit employee and is one of the main reasons why Bandit became an Employee-Owned Company (ESOP) in 2018. These core values ensure each Bandit machine will leave the factory ready to exceed your expectations. With the most diverse product line in the industry backed by our extensive parts, sales and service team supporting our highly trained global dealer network consisting of over 235 locations, we are a force to be reckoned with! For those who have joined, we thank you. If you are wondering what this could mean for your business we have one question:

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To locate an authorized Bandit Dealer in your area please visit www.banditchippers.com or call Bandit at 800-952-0178. MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

SPOTLIGHT

INTRODUCTIONS & UPDATES

LIBS ANALYZER

MOBILE TROMMEL SCREEN

SCIAPS

LIBS HANDHELD ANALYZER FEATURES DUAL BURN TECHNOLOGY

SciAps has introduced its new generation Z-901 handheld LIBS analyzer for application in scrap metal and recycling. Similar to its new XRF platform, the Z-901 features an all-new ergonomic design, weight reduction down to about 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg), improved heat dissipation, and completely updated software and processing electronics. The Z-901 also features the first-ever “dual burn” technology, according to SciAps. Users can use either an “air burn” method or argon purge testing. Air burn eliminates the need for argon canisters and offers rapid material sorting and identification. Users in recycling can also insert a small argon canister, switch to the “argon purge” app and calibration, and obtain the higher precision and improved limits of detection that have been well-established in LIBS and spark OES technologies.

VERMEER

MOBILE TROMMEL SCREEN DELIVERS THREE-PRODUCT SEPARATION

Vermeer has updated its mobile trommel screen line with the new Vermeer TR6450 which is capable of sorting up to three product sizes at once. The TR6450 features adjustable front-fines, rear-fines and overs conveyor for efficient multi-product production, and with a 20-foot (6.1-m) long, 6.5-foot (2-m) diameter quick-change tension screen drum, can sort up to 180 cubic yards (137.6 cubic metres) per hour with 0.5-inch (1.3-cm) screens installed, for material with moisture less than 40 percent. The TR6450 trommel is powered by a 120-hp (90-kW) Cat 3.6L Tier 4 Final diesel engine, and its drum speed can be adjusted from 0 to 25 revolutions per minute based on material type and moisture content.

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

MULTI-MATERIAL SHREDDER

TANA NORTH AMERICA

SHREDDERS DESIGNED FOR VERSATILITY IN RECYCLING

The first updated model of TANA’s 440 series mobile shredders is the 440DTeco shredder, which is now more versatile, productive and easier to use. According to TANA, this updated model adds capabilities for shredding more materials than their 440 model, traditionally used especially for processing challenging waste such as mattresses, tires, plastics, cables and textiles. The TANA 440DTeco shredder uses a higher machine frame, which allows for more than 200 mm additional space between the conveyor and the rotor on track models, and more space for material flow underneath the rotor, helping especially with the pre-shredding of bulky materials. A new hopper design features a raised wall to prevent unshredded materials from falling onto the discharge conveyor, and there is a new option of 44 knives for added shredding performance.

ROBOTIC SORTER

STEINERT

UNISORT UNIBOT SORTING ROBOT DESIGNED FOR HIGH-PURITY OUTPUT

The new UniSort Unibot sorting robot from STEINERT combines reliable sensor technology with modern robotics to further increase the efficiency of recyclables sorting facilities. AI-based recognition software ensures precise detection and a new sorting principle ensures a pure plastic fraction in the final sorting step. In combination with Steinert UniSort machines of the EVO 5.0 generation, the UniSort Unibot is designed for the next generation of fully automated sorting systems. The UniSort Unibot relies on complex sorting programs facilitated by a combination of sensors made up of high-resolution NIR and colour cameras. This combination is found in other UniSort EVO 5.0 models, detects objects accurately but reliably and is unique in sorting technology, according to STEINERT.

LABOUNTY

FULL LINE OF MSD LEGEND SERIES MOBILE SCRAP SHEARS

MOBILE SCRAP SHEAR

LaBounty’s expanded MSD Legend Series mobile scrap shear lineup includes 14 models ranging from the MSD 1500 to MSD 4500R. These additions round out LaBounty’s mobile scrap shear portfolio and can be equipped with InSite telematics, which provides real-time data to optimize shear performance and productivity. Maximizing productivity and uptime, the MSD Legend Series includes enhanced jaw geometry offering up to 10 percent more cutting force than LaBounty’s previous shear offering, and the InSite advanced telematics platform provides actionable information about the shears’ condition and activity, such as job tracking, job site mapping and remote diagnostics. MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

COVER STORY

THE CANADA PLASTICS PACT:

A TRUE CALL

TO ACTION

THE TIME IS AT HAND TO ELIMINATE PLASTIC WASTE, FROM MANUFACTURING THROUGH RECYCLING BY KEITH BARKER, EDITOR

COVER STORY

t the end of January, the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) was launched with the ambitious goal of addressing plastics packaging waste and pollution with immediate action and by creating a true circular economy for all plastics. The global Plastics Pact, which involves commitments from ten nations, including the U.S. which signed on in 2020, is spearheaded by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation globally and in Canada by host organization The Natural Step Canada, a national charity dedicated to the advancement of the circular economy. The pact in general terms is meant to bring together key players through the entire plastics supply chain to collectively work toward ambitious 2025 goals to effectively tackle the disconnect between the design and production of plastic packaging and goods, and the efficiency of our plastics recycling infrastructure and end markets to keep it from ending up in landfill or the environment. Because plastic packaging accounts for 47 percent of all plastic waste, it is the immediate focus of the CPP’s collective efforts. What makes this new initiative stand out from what has come before is that the overall end-goal of the Canada Plastics Pact is not just to conduct studies and talk about plans to reduce plastic waste, but to take action as an entire industry to eliminate plastic waste through the development of a true, sustainable circular economy that would recycle all plastics and keep this valuable material in circulation for as long as possible.

“Joining together through the CPP is a diverse group of leaders from across Canada’s plastics value chain,” commented David Hughes, CEO, The Natural Step Canada. “While I am impressed by their genuine commitment to achieving a zero plastic waste economy, it is their willingness to break down barriers between each other to scale truly innovative solutions that I find most inspiring.” In total, more than 40 partners have joined the Canada Plastics Pact, representing diverse parts of the plastics value chain, from leading brands to waste management companies, government institutions and NGOs. Canada Plastics Pact partners range from key industry associations such as the Canadian Beverage Association, Recycling Council of Alberta and the David Suzuki Foundation, to huge retailers including Canadian Tire, Walmart and Loblaws, as well as massive goods and packaging producers like Coca-Cola Canada and Maple Leaf Foods. The pact has also solidified commitment from major waste management and recycling firms such as Emterra Group and Pyrowave, as well as government entities, including Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Cities of Vancouver and Edmonton.

AN APPETITE FOR CHANGE

According to George Roter, the newly appointed managing director of the Canada Plastics Pact, with respect to plastics waste we have both a problem and an opportunity. “About 3 million tons of plastics are produced every year in Canada, and only about 8 to 10 percent of that actually gets recycled and turned back into materials that get recirculated,” says Roter. “It’s a huge problem and it really requires a There’s appetite amongst industry collaborative approach and a platform that brings everyone together. I’m inspired by the scale of and business at all parts of the value the challenge, and I’m inspired by the platform that we’ve built that really allows a cross-sectoral chain. There’s appetite with the federal collaboration with the CPP.” government, with provincial governments He says that while the task at hand is a great challenge, the transformation into a system that and with stewards. And we have a system efficiently recirculates plastics over and over is in Canada that is ready to shift the whole also a tremendous opportunity for the plastics industry. By estimates of industry reports (a recent existing economy around plastics and how one by Deloitte) it is an approximately $8 billion plastics are used, from a make-waste type opportunity for Canada’s GDP. “And there is appetite for it,” says Roter. of system to one where we keep plastics in “There’s appetite amongst industry and business the economy and out of the environment. at all parts of the value chain. There’s appetite with the federal government, with provincial governments, and with stewards. And we have a George Roter system in Canada that is ready to shift the whole existing economy around plastics and how plastics are used, from a make-waste type of system to one where we The CPP is working toward four clear, actionable targets by keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment.” 2025: Roter says of particular significance to the Canada Plastics 1.) To define a list of plastic packaging that is to be designated Pact, in comparison to initiatives which have come before, is as problematic or unnecessary and take measures to eliminate the concrete commitment to action from very large corporate them; partners. 2.) Support efforts toward 100 percent of plastic packaging “When you look at the partners we have launched with, it tells being designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable; you how much this pact is really an amazing collaboration plat3.) Undertake ambitious actions to ensure that at least 50 perform that goes right from resin producers all the way down the cent of plastic packaging is effectively recycled or composted; chain to packaging manufacturers, to consumer goods product 4.) Ensure an average of at least 30 percent recycled content makers, to retailers, to recyclers, to processors. All the way along across all plastic packaging (by weight). the chain, we have representatives who are members of the The new Canada Plastics Pact also stands out with respect to Plastics Pact. the weight of the corporate and plastics industry partners who “It is significant that it’s one of the first times that all of these have signed on.

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

“We all know the high-level problems, but what are the granular, individual problems that we can act on and how do we get together and put a very clear and specific action plan in place to address those individual problems, and do so together?” Roter continues, “The purchasing power of large retailers, the amount of market power we have with some of the consumer goods manufacturers that we have in the pact is significant.” He adds that those partners that have come to the table so far have clearly expressed that they feel this isn’t just a “talk shop.”

various entities are going to be at the table, whether they are businesses or NGOs or governments, they will be sitting together, looking at the same problem, and looking at a clear set of four targets for 2025.” In some sectors, at this early stage, Roter says 20 to 40 percent of the market in Canada is represented as part of the pact. “And we’re just getting started.”

TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTION

For Roter, the first task is agreeing on an agenda. “We have amazing, ambitious goals for 2025: we want to get to the point where 100 percent of plastic packaging is designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable. We want to get to the point where 50 percent of packaging is effectively recycled or composted, and where there’s an average of 30 percent recycled content across all plastic packaging in Canada. He says task number one is to get every participant in the pact to agree on the biggest opportunities and determine a road map. Questions to answer include: What are the key outcomes? What are the milestones to aim for? What are the steps along the way? How do we organize ourselves toward really going after opportunity areas? Roter notes they have also made a commitment to be fully transparent, with a CPP progress report to be made publicly available each year. “Step number one is establishing our road map and plan for the next five years,” says Roter. “The second thing that we want to focus on are immediate actions that we can take, particularly where there is a lot of alignment already, and where we can start moving forward immediately.

In total, more than 40 partners have joined the Canada Plastics Pact, representing diverse parts of the plastics value chain, from leading brands to waste management companies, government institutions and NGOs.

“It is really obvious when we talk to the pact partners that we’ve already brought on board that they enthusiastically want us to be able to sit down and figure out what is the specific problem and how we can work together and act together to be able to address it.” One example of immediate actions that are on the table from the start is the proposal to adapt into Canada the Golden Design Rules developed by the global Consumer Goods Forum, with its focus on both increasing the overall value of PET and removing problematic elements from packaging.

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COVER STORY

Approximately 3 million tons of plastics are produced every year in Canada, but only about 8 to 10 percent of that gets recycled and turned back into materials to be recirculated.

“That’s an example of going upstream and saying, ‘If we want circularity and material circulation through recyclers, then we want to eliminate unnecessary plastic, which has to start at the design stage.’ “What we really want to do with the pact is to be able to take these Golden Design Rules that have been developed, and bring them into Canada. Let’s get everybody at the same table, look at the rules and figure out what should be our adaptation. And how do we start to implement these changes within the various companies who are part of the pact? “We want to have this kind of action be an agreed upon, harmonized set of ideas that not just consumer goods manufacturers have agreed on, but also we have agreed on, and recyclers have agreed on, and sorting facilities and MRFs have agreed on.” He adds that taking action is about the details as well. For example, “Everybody says that black plastic is a problem. True in part, but there is a market for some black plastics. Today’s machines can sort it out, so let’s actually sit down as a whole industry and figure out what about black plastic is actually a problem, and what is not a problem. And then, now that we’ve agreed on that, we can address our designs and our product choices. “Everyone in the pact clearly wants this to be a platform for action and commitment to action, not just talk.”

FROM DESIGN FOR RECYCLING TO END MARKETS Beyond the support of massive corporate partners, also very significant to the Canada Plastics Pact is the market power of the large-scale recyclers and material processors who have signed on. A major part of the action required from the plastics recycling industry, as part of making the pact commitments successful, will be to drive the collection, infrastructure, technological and market adaptations necessary for the whole plan to work. “Recyclers are only going to do so if it economically makes sense,” says Roter. “This has been a main challenge for a long time. Virgin plastic value goes up and down, and so recovered plastic has to compete against it at any given time, and the demand for recycled content is uncertain. “So if I’m a recycler, I might look at that and say, ‘I don’t know if I can make a long-term investment in hundreds of thousands

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

of dollars of capital equipment.’ “So, one of the things that we want to do is sit down and have recyclers be at the table, and tell us, ‘here is the level of investment that we would actually need to make this happen, and here is the time horizon over which we need to be thinking about it.’” He says then it would be about figuring out how to get a sense of the demand to allow recyclers to make those investments. Development of end markets with consistent, reliable demand, is definitely one key component of the Plastics Pact equation, but it also has to correspond with upstream changes. “There is a lot about the plastics recycling sector that will respond really well to good, reliable end markets,” says Roter. “Yet, it’s probably not enough. If you do establish great end markets, but the design of some of the packaging materials is such that you have items that still can’t easily be recycled or separated, then all of a sudden, your upstream supply is really not going to match your downstream demand, and that’s a problem. That needs to be addressed and changed. “One of the large producers can say, ‘We want to have a cosmetic bottle and we think those could be 50 or 60 percent recycled content, but if we switch, we are going to need a consistent, reliable source of this amount of volume of recycled plastic material at a high quality, in this location, and we want it to be produced in Canada.’ “For the system to respond to that, what is the investment level needed?” asks Roter. “How do the logistics need to line up? Do any unique changes need to happen at the MRF level?” He continues, “It’s about having this level of detailed conversation and setting action plans with a variety of different companies, so that the market signal coming from the producers actually results in changes throughout the system that are really positive.” Roter emphasizes that there are many factors involved in making this transition. For example, if there is large amounts of upstream contamination coming into the stream, it makes everything less efficient, and keeps profit margins for recyclers low. In essence, the demand signals can be strong, but unless the upstream changes are made to eliminate contamination, it will remain difficult to get the efficiency within the entire system to make it economically work. “First and foremost, I really hope that the Plastics Pact gives

a platform for the MRFs to engage more directly with producers to be able to say, ‘here’s the conversation we need to have. Here are the challenges we are facing. Here are the challenges on our demand, and here are the challenges on infrastructure investment.’ My hope is that we really become a platform that brings about a conversation that may not be happening at all, or may not be happening at enough of a high level of detail.” He says with respect to MRFs and other plastics recyclers, the overall goal is to understand the best ways to make running a recycling facility more profitable, more sustainable and more predictable. “What are the pieces that need to be in place for that to happen? That’s exactly the type of conversation that we want to be able to host for the CPP.”

ACTION AT BOTH THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the driving organizational force behind all of the global pacts on plastic now in place, has been leading the way as a foundation and think tank on global circularity for many years. “They launched the New Plastics Economy initiative as a way to instantiate what a shift to a circular economy looks like in a very well-defined industrial space,” explains Roter. “So all the global commitments are part of that. They also realized that while getting as many companies as they could get committing to these goals globally is ideal, a lot of this ends up being done at the national level, because that’s where the action needs to happen, that’s where the markets are. “So that’s really where this network of national plastics pacts comes in, of which there are 10 around the world. If we have these kinds of global aims, we have to establish what the national level action looks like, based on the very specific context within each country. “Canada has its own unique ecosystem,” continues Roter. “We have substantial resin and chemical industry here. We also have our own particular brand of decentralized federalism. Lots of factors will come into play.”

“We’re very much aligned with that broader network of nine other national pacts, learning from what’s working in other countries and in other regions, sharing knowledge, and then using that to create a Canadian plan. He notes as well that the pact is not supposed to be duplicative or a replacement for other initiatives that are already established. “We see it as very complementary to

other current initiatives, and as a way to bring a lot of those activities to the table, as a platform that’s able to align and engage stakeholders with one another,” says Roter. “We really hope to amplify and scale the work that’s already underway. “We are in the first steps of this journey. Hopefully, we’ll be having some great successes within the next year that we can share with the global pact.” RPN

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E-WASTE RECYCLING

TRIPLING E-SCRAP CAPACITY AT PREMIER SURPLUS AUTOSORT FINES IS TAKING EFFICIENCIES TO THE NEXT LEVEL FOR FAMILY-OWNED RECYCLER BY RICK ZETTLER

lectronics waste processing is extremely challenging. The material feed landscape is ever-changing with varied circuit board colours and multiple types of plastics used in electronics. “Manufacturers are producing green, yellow, blue and red circuit boards, and we even see some black circuit boards now,” comments Phillip Kennedy, VP of Premier Surplus, located in Dawsonville, Georgia. For this reason, the material recovery division for Premier Surplus manually sorted the varied material stream, ultimately focusing on the high-valued product, printed circuit boards (PCBs). “We are urban mining,” he says, “searching for gold, copper, aluminum, steel and plastics, so they are not sent to the landfill.” The company, now the largest family-owned e-scrap recycling operation in the state of Georgia, traces its origins to nearly 20 years ago, when Phillip and his wife, Stephanie,

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

worked the business out of their garage. In an era before smartphones, they teamed up to successfully bid on and purchase used electronics. He travelled to auctions and phoned Stephanie, who would research the value of items online. This allowed Phillip to know what to buy and what to bid on items. What electronics could be refurbished were remarketed on eBay, but there was one catch. They had to buy in bulk, and the pallets of electronics included many electronics that could not be resold. “We had to find a way to generate value for the leftovers,” says Kennedy. Recycling these leftover electronics was the genesis of Premier Surplus.

RAPID GROWTH Through trial and error they quickly learned the e-scrap business and became more efficient in recycling what

PREMIER SURPLUS RECYCLES UP TO 27,216 KG OF E-SCRAP DAILY, TRIPLE THE AMOUNT COMPARED TO THEIR OLD METHOD OF MANUAL SORTING.

PHILLIP AND STEPHANIE KENNEDY AT THEIR DEDICATED E-WASTE FACILITY.

could not be refurbished, even though everything was processed manually. They moved operations to a larger shed and then again to a 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-metre) facility. It is at that point that Premier Surplus added a shredder to increase electronics scrap sorting efficiency. Taking in and processing more material, the company again moved into a larger, 50,000-square-foot (4,645-square-metre) facility. Part of Premier Surplus’ growth was driven by bringing on new accounts to keep a consistent flow of materials. “We have a good portfolio of customers, which includes manufacturers, schools, governmental agencies and larger corporations,” says Kennedy. The second part of the Premier Surplus success story was finding customers to purchase recycled materials. Early on, the company discovered they needed to increase volume to reach certain customers.

TOMRA’S AUTOSORT FINES ALLOWS 95 PERCENT RECOVERY OF E-WASTE ON THE FIRST PASS.

“We spoke to smelters to see if they would accept 8,000 pounds (3,629 kg) of material a month. They required 25,000 pounds (11,340 kg) per month before they would consider us,” explains Kennedy. Around the same time, Premier Surplus noticed a change in the e-scrap material flow to smaller items such as modems, printers and telephones. Often these smaller items would be disassembled and recycled by hand, but the increase in Premier Surplus’s material volume made this impractical. “You can recycle a modem by hand pretty efficiently, but you cannot get caught up if you have thousands waiting,” adds Kennedy. The company started to process about 20,000 pounds (9,072 kg) of e-scrap per day with manual sorting, after shredding and screening. Hand sorting, however, limited growth potential. MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

E-WASTE RECYCLING

ERIC THURSTON WITH PREMIER SURPLUS' NEW AUTOSORT FINES OPTICAL SORTER.

AUTOMATED CIRCUIT The most recent expansion for Premier Surplus was a move to a 137,000-square-foot (62,142-square-metre) facility to house multiple divisions, including a new automated shredding and sorting circuit. Built to improve sorting efficiency, the circuit adds an eddy current station to the shredder and is anchored by a TOMRA AUTOSORT FINES optical sorter to increase sorting accuracy and material purity. “Our metals customers only want metals and our plastics customers only plastic. That is what AUTOSORT FINES delivers,” says Kennedy. Their new automated circuit expanded e-scrap processing capacity by 300 percent versus manual sorting. The operation now recycles up to 60,000 pounds (27,216 kg) of e-scrap every day and, in 2019, recycled 20 million pounds (9,071,874 kg) of material. Prior to selecting each component for the automated sorting system, Kennedy extensively researched different components to make sure he purchased the right solution for current and future needs. He also enlisted the e-scrap recycling expertise of Peter Prinz, owner of Prinz Consulting, who has 45 years of scrap and material recycling experience. They installed a 217-foot-long (66.1 m) circuit that includes an SSI triple-shaft shredder to effectively size-reduce and liberate material. A post-shredder screen removes fine material from the stream, and a cross-belt magnet removes clean metal from the screenings. “Premier Surplus needed a complete automated circuit with an optical sorter to take their operation to the next level,” said Eric Thurston, sales manager metals – recycling for TOMRA Sorting, Inc. “Pulling the fines from the flow at the beginning

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

We are urban mining, searching for gold, copper, aluminum, steel and plastics, so they are not sent to the landfill. Phillip Kennedy VP, Premier Surplus helps to improve the circuit’s efficiency.” The remaining material is conveyed to a Javelin eddy current machine for aluminum and copper recovery prior to sending material to the optical sorter for enhanced separation. “I recommend the best components for e-scrap processing, and over the last 16 years, I’ve found TOMRA sorting equipment excels,” says Prinz. “TOMRA offers 30 to 40 percent better recovery than other sorters, and AUTOSORT FINES will recover about 75 to 90 percent on the first pass.” The optical sorter gives Premier Surplus the ability to selectively sort plastics, lower grade PCBs, wire and metals with high purity. Premier Surplus worked with TOMRA and its plant building partner, Connecticut-based Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, to purchase and install the AUTOSORT FINES plus supporting components. TOMRA and Van Dyk technicians instructed Premier Solutions’ employees on proper sorter operation and

how to create different programs for sorting varied materials. The plant builder also provides ongoing support of the optical sorter. Mark Neitzey, national sales director for Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, said, “I’m really impressed by how well Premier Surplus knows the business and by their passion. Many of the employees know every job within the company, and they all do the work well.” According to Kennedy, beyond the technology and support, including 24-hour service if necessary, there was one intangible that drew him to TOMRA for anchoring their automated sorting circuit. “TOMRA doesn’t just make equipment. They have a work culture focused on recycling,” he says. “They are committed to the plastics crisis, sustainable technology and the circular economy.”

EVER EVOLVING FEED

Kennedy says the flexibility of AUTOSORT FINES’ technology is helping Premier Surplus earn its success, as the e-scrap material stream is constantly changing. “Manufacturers are using green, yellow, blue, red and brown circuit boards, and that is the primary product our customers want,” he says. AUTOSORT FINES combines electromagnetic, near infrared (NIR) and visible spectroscopy (VIS) technologies to selectively sort feed by colour and material composite. “Our FLYING BEAM technology evenly distributes the light over the entire belt for better recognition,” explains TOMRA’s Eric Thurston. “The sensor detects the specific wavelength of light in NIR and algorithms classify the material to decide whether to drop or eject material.” During the initial sort, Premier Surplus drops the plastic inflow and ejects circuit boards, wire and non-ferrous material. “We are getting about 95 percent material recovery on the first pass, which is better than we anticipated,” says Kennedy. According to Van Dyk’s Neitzey, “AUTOSORT FINES makes it easy for Premier Surplus to run the ejected materials for further processing, which is a huge benefit.” He says this enables the company to sort product packages, such as low-grade PCBs, wire, stainless and metals. Thurston adds, “The machine’s customer interface stores different sorting programs and allows the operator to quickly switch between programs to match the material stream.” Premier Surplus has created their own “recipes” for running batches of materials such as printers, set-top boxes or automation equipment. Now, their AUTOSORT FINES effectively identifies the material to be removed from the stream to create a good, clean final product. A year and a half into operating the new circuit, there is no second guessing that Premier Surplus made the right equipment selection for the automated circuit. “We definitely made the right choice with TOMRA. I really have to give thanks and praises to everyone that was involved in this project,” says Kennedy. “The demand for properly recycling e-waste is there. That is why the Premier Surplus team stands ready to do our part in keeping material out of the landfill and, at the same time, protecting our customers’ data and reputation.” RICK ZETTLER is an Iowa-based writer, photographer and award-winning PR & marketing consultant.

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COMMENTARY

RECYCLERS, NOT PAWNBROKERS METAL THEFT REGULATIONS ACROSS CANADA MISPLACE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DETER THEFT BY MARIE BINETTE

etal is a valuable commodity, and invariably as soon as the price of metal increases so do instances of metal theft. In recent months, a number of provinces and municipalities announced plans for new materials theft legislation. Central Canada, in particular, saw a boost in these types of laws with announcements of proposed or amended legislation coming from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. For the latter two provinces, the focus is on reducing crime in rural and farming communities that are at high risk of metal theft, often targets due to their remote settings. The common aim of material theft legislation in Canada thus far has been to combat theft by limiting cash transactions and requiring scrap metal facilities to ask for identification from sellers, thereby making it easier to track perpetrators. In many instances, this type of legislation is not tailored to the scrap recycling industry, but rather updates existing laws used to regulate pawnshops. British Columbia was the first province to enact scrap theft legislation, with regulations coming into force in 2011. Businesses in B.C. that deal in high-value metals are required to register with the province. Registered dealers and recyclers must record the details of their purchases, including the weight, type of metal, distinguishing marks on it, and where the sellers claim to have acquired it. These details must be reported to local police daily.

Though scrap metal recyclers and pawnshops are both purchasing used materials, the similarities between these two types of businesses ends there. In Alberta, the Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Regulation came into force in two phases at the end of last year. These regulations fall under the Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act. As of September 1, 2020, sellers of restricted metal and metal materials were required to provide government-issued photo ID and dealers were required to record the seller’s information and details of the transaction. From November 1, 2020 onwards, dealers were required to report restricted metal and metal materials transactions to law enforcement and all payments to sellers were

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

to be made using “traceable forms of currency.” Scrap dealers operating in the City of Calgary are also required to record all transaction information, provide it to police, and are not permitted to accept wire or cable that has been burnt or stripped. As part of a larger initiative to address rural crime, the Government of Manitoba in the fall of 2020 sought engagement on proposed scrap dealer legislation. Opening a survey to the public and stakeholders, the province said the emphasis of this legislation would be to bring “transparency and accountability to scrap metal sellers’ transactions.” Similar to the recently updated City of Winnipeg bylaws, Manitoba’s legislation would require scrap metal recyclers to collect and store personal and transactional information. The government webpage used to explain the province’s proposed law references Nova Scotia’s scrap dealer legislation, the Safe Collection of Scrap Metal Act. Although this Act passed in 2011, regulations have yet to be enacted. The City of Winnipeg recently amended their Modified Used Goods Dealers Bylaw, which categorizes scrapyards among other “Used Goods Dealers”, or pawn shops. Among other conditions, the bylaw requires scrapyards to record “the serial number, make, model number and manufacturer’s name of any manufactured used goods acquired,” and “a detailed statement of any writing, engraving and other distinctive marks.” It also requires scrap dealers to provide “regular reporting of activities to the Winnipeg Police Service.” In December 2020, the Government of Saskatchewan also chose to modify legislation aimed at pawnbrokers rather than drafting something specific to scrap dealers. The Pawned Property (Recording) Amendment Act, 2020, will require scrap metal dealers to obtain and record identification and transaction information from sellers, “which can then be transmitted to police services in the same manner as with pawn transactions.” The Act also prohibits scrap metal transactions for individuals under 18 and restricts cash transactions. As of this writing, lawmakers have not yet amended the regulations to go along with the amended act.

RECYCLERS ARE NOT USED GOODS MERCHANTS This trend in coupling pawnbrokers and scrap dealers is concerning. Though scrap metal recyclers and pawnshops are both purchasing used materials, the similarities between these two types of businesses ends there. Used items brought to a pawnbroker are meant to be resold in their current state. Material coming into a scrapyard is processed into a specification-grade commodity to be used as feedstock in the manufacturing of new products. Scrap material arrives at recycling facilities through

multiple sources and in large quantities, in a constant flow. It is sorted on the basis of its properties and graded according to quality, environmental hazards are identified and managed, and it is processed for further sale. The scale of material that comes in regularly would make it excessively time consuming and onerous to record details about distinct markings on materials. Used goods that come into a scrapyard may have been broken into their component parts or are simply too well-used to have visible identifying features. Despite the nature of the scrap metal trade, lawmakers continue to table legislation that associates scrap dealers with other used good merchants. And, despite almost a decade of regulating scrap dealers in Canada, metal theft has not ceased.

THE NEED TO SHIFT RESPONSIBILITY Canadian metal theft law does not vary in its approach; onus falls on the scrap metal dealer to deter theft. There is also an expectation that scrap dealers assume a surveillance or law enforcement role by being required to record and transmit their customers’ personal information. Without increasing penalties for criminals or including any requirement for the general public or enterprise to provide reasonable protection of personal property or critical infrastructure, how will these laws deter thieves? Since 2005, CARI has promoted a two-pronged approach that does not centre on recyclers and which would shift the responsibility to all stakeholders in preventing scrap metal theft by securing and marking material, and by increasing penalties for

the perpetrators of these crimes. Scrap dealers do maintain business records with simple contact information of sellers and are willing to assist a specific police investigation into an individual or particular theft. In 2006 CARI partnered with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) to create the current Canada–U.S. multi-platform alert system, www.scraptheftalert.com, which some American jurisdictions now require scrap metal dealers to use. This system is designed to help track stolen materials, is available at no cost, and is open to members of law enforcement and utility companies as well as scrap metal dealers in Canada and the U.S. But recyclers are not an arm of law enforcement. To increase the likelihood that thieves will be identified, charged and convicted, law enforcement must have the resources and the tools to prosecute the criminals. Additional resources must be allocated to law enforcement agencies to respond in a timely manner to reported thefts, and to respond to metal dealers’ reports of suspicious sellers or recovery of suspected stolen material. MARIE BINETTE is the former director of communications for CARI. CARI and its members are committed to combatting metal theft and we urge all stakeholders to work together to create laws that truly lower instances of theft.

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AUTO RECYCLING

BUILDING THE CANADIAN AUTO SHREDDER MAP Q&A WITH STEVE FLETCHER, AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLERS OF CANADA BY KEITH BARKER, EDITOR

In 2020, Steve Fletcher, managing director of Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC), based out of London, Ontario, compiled a list of 35 active auto shredders across the country. Preliminary findings of the Canadian Auto Shredder Project indicate that while the big shredder installations don’t come and go quickly, there has been an explosion of smaller shredders springing up across the country in recent years. We caught up with Steve Fletcher to ask about the significance of this development and the importance of solidifying the information surrounding this integral part of the scrap recycling industry and building the connection between the industry and our domestic auto shredder capability.

Keith Barker

How did the Canadian Auto Shredder Project begin?

Steve Fletcher

Back in February of 2020 I was contacted by a researcher preparing a report and gap assessment for Canada on resource recovery. The work was for NRCan in preparation for the World Circular Economy Forum that was to be held in Toronto in September 2020. Part of the request was for data on metals recycling related to end-of-life vehicles. They included a list of auto shredders and asked me to confirm whether the list was current or not. A quick review showed that some of the shredders on the list had actually shut down, and I was aware of some new shredders coming online. I reached out to Tracy Shaw at CARI and she said that her list wasn’t much better. A U.S.based recycling publication was also publishing a list of shredders in the USA and they had a Canadian section, which I could tell was slightly out of date.

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

Who did you collaborate with and how did the list eventually come together?

After seeing a few reports and articles listing the shredders in Canada and how those lists were out of date, I reached out to Mario Venditti from Triple M Metals, who is often very helpful to me in understanding the downstream auto shredder business, to see if he had a better list. He updated some new facility information, and some closures. Mario was also newly on the Board of Directors with CARI, so I thought it would be a great project for ARC and CARI to further collaborate. He, along with Tracy Shaw at CARI, helped fill in some blanks, corrected some names and addresses and highlighted new and closed shredders. The generation of the Canadian auto shredder list has helped cement the relationship between ARC and CARI. While we are both national associations that represent recyclers, ARC’s focus is on ELVs and generally the parts-oriented businesses within, while CARI represents many recycling sectors – with one of the largest being the metal recycling sector. Our industries overlap and thus we need to cooperate and collaborate as opportunities and challenges arise.

We now have a comprehensive list of 35 auto shredder operations across Canada. The current list of shredders is posted with contacts and a national map on the ARC website, with links to a bit of additional education about shredders courtesy of ISRI.

Why is the Canadian auto shredder list important to ARC members?

From our membership perspective, we want them to know who is actively in the business buying car bodies so they understand the options that are before them for disposing of ELV hulks. The more options available, the more likely they will be able to move flattened, depolluted hulks off of their property, opening space for a newer vehicle and more parts. In the 2008 financial meltdown, many of our members were caught with inventory that they couldn’t find buyers for. While we haven’t heard of markets completely drying up in the pandemic, it is always helpful to know your options.

How important is it to educate the entire industry and consumers about auto shredders?

It is a good time to educate the public, regulators, OEMs, and suppliers on the role these shredders play in the overall auto economy. We have begun some education on the shredding of vehicles for ferrous and non-ferrous recovery, but there needs to be a lot more and I am working with CARI on it.

What were some of the challenges in compiling the Canadian auto shredder list?

Data in our industry is usually pretty hard to track down or quantify. There are not a lot of researchers, few direct Stats Canada statistics, and generally not a lot of work in measuring industry inputs or outputs. I took this as a project to help update my understanding of the industry and create information that could be quantified. How hard could it be to count and document auto shredders?

Did you discover any interesting trends?

One trend we discovered as we compiled the list was the preponderance of new smaller shredders. These are not only less capital intensive to set up and operate, but they are also somewhat simpler to obtain regulatory approval to establish. We see further growth in the installation of these smaller shredders,

but at some point over-saturation will take place. Those aligned to buyers of shredder output will be well-poised for long-term success. Also, the Federal government has initiated some studies about hard-to-recycle materials that exist in ELVs, most notably plastics. Our understanding, based on information from our global contacts, is that the application of post-shredder technologies is the most efficient way to manage these problem materials.

Where to from here?

While the auto shredder industry may require better regulation, we don’t want to point fingers at shredders and say “go regulate them.” With ELVs it requires the complete supply chain to be successful in order to move the environmental needle – so OEMs, repairers, parts suppliers, auto dismantlers and auto shredders need to work together. CARI and ARC have scheduled some direct talks, with a number of areas of concern and interest now on the agenda. What better way to start this process than to identify where auto shredders exist and to start the dialogue? RPN

The complete Canadian auto shredder list can be found on the ARC website at http://bit.ly/shredder-project STEVE FLETCHER is the managing director of the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC), based out London, Ontario. As the national voice of the automotive recycling industry, ARC brings together automotive recycling associations and interests from across Canada and provides a forum for the channelling of information and addressing nationwide concerns. Visit www.autorecyclers.ca.

MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

WOOD RECYCLING

FAMILY-OWNED WOOD RECYCLING COMPANY DOUBLES PRODUCTION WITH SWITCH TO

TUB GRINDERS BY KENNEDY PHILLIPS

f there is one thing successful business owners know, it’s that having the right equipment to do the work at hand is essential to operating efficiently. For companies like Pine Products, a full-service landscape supply company based in Waconia, Minnesota, it’s why they have worked so hard to get their fleet mix right. Established in 1991 by father-and-son team Ron and Larry Dubbe, Pine Products was initially a business that delivered bulk sawdust to dairy farms for animal bedding. Over the years, the company, which is now run by Larry’s sons Aaron, Tyler and Ben, has kept true to its original model and continues to provide bagged and bulk pinewood shavings to area stores, farms, ranches and businesses. But they also saw an opportunity to do something with the wood waste created by area lumber mills and construction businesses, as well as the excess of pallets from their own operations, and raw materials from land-clearing project sites like brush, logs and stumps. Recently, Pine Products expanded their operations to include the manufacturing and selling of mulch made from recovered organic materials.

FROM SMALLER GRINDERS TO TUBS Taking on this new venture required the company to invest in new equipment to grind and process wood in order to turn it into a usable commodity. “We started with a smaller grinder because we didn’t have as much volume of materials to grind in the beginning,” said Ben Dubbe, who oversees the company’s marketing, sales and finances as the company’s president. “As our operations grew, we knew we needed to find a high-production equipment solution that could handle grinding a wider range of wood waste material.” After talking with users and machinery producers, tub grinders caught the company’s attention, and they called RDO Equipment Co. Vermeer for a demo. According to Dubbe, RDO allowed Pine

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

ACCORDING TO BEN DUBBE, VERMEER TUB GRINDERS HAVE HELPED THE PINE PRODUCTS TEAM INCREASE PRODUCTION RATES WHILE IMPROVING OVERALL QUALITY OF THEIR MULCH.

Products to demo a Vermeer TG7000 tub grinder with a loader for a decent amount of time. This worked much better for Pine Products than watching a machine at the factory or on someone else’s yard. He said the RDO team also took the time to educate the Pine Products crew, really going through what this type of machine could do and making sure everyone understood how to properly operate it. “When we first demoed that machine, we were a bit intimidated by it,” Dubbe said. “It was a good chunk of money, and we

We try to be as competitive as possible with our labour rates to make sure we hire quality employees, and we will pay extra for employees who are a good fit and productive. Having knowledgeable tub grinder operators who know how to appropriately fill and safely run the machines on staff can reduce a very large chunk of our cost inefficiencies. It’s an investment that saves us time and money. Ben Dubbe President, Pine Products

Dubbe noted, their grinding crews often get into different species and separations of barks, which means there’s some really high-end stuff they have for specific needs and uses. They also get more basic, run-of-the-mill materials to grind, like a city brush pile someone wants to get rid of. “Once we started processing our own materials and changing our fibre source, getting more into logs and brush, as well as going off site and finding jobs to produce our own materials, we needed a high-horsepower, large-capacity machine that had the ability to grind whatever we put in it at a high level of production. “We’ve really gone from A to Z on the level of material quality we take in,” he continued. “No matter what we put in our Vermeer tub grinders, the primary grind is a larger shred with fewer fines, and the final product also has fewer fines.”

A LONG WAY

TOGETHER wondered if we were going to be able to use it. It didn’t take us very long to realize what the tub grinder was capable of. Once we started punching the numbers on production and running costs, we decided to purchase it.” Even though Pine Products had had a lot of success previously in growing their business with their smaller grinders, once they tried higher horsepower tub grinders, Dubbe said they were hooked. Since investing in their first machine they have found they are best suited for their operation and now they currently run Vermeer TG5000 and TG7000 models – and have doubled their production rates.

SUCCESS WITH TUB GRINDERS

According to Dubbe, their success with Vermeer tub grinders has been based on the machines’ production rates in producing quality mulch with limited fines. “When we first started in landscape, we purchased most of the raw materials and brought everything in – smaller grinders worked well for that,” he said. But using tub grinders enabled Pine Products to open new doors and begin sourcing materials from more than one place, as well as take in supplies from new vendors. For example,

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MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

WOOD RECYCLING

THE GRAPPLE LOADER ON PINE PRODUCTS’ TG7000 ALLOWS FOR SINGLE-PERSON OPERATION, HELPING REDUCE LABOUR COSTS AND INCREASE EFFICIENCY. In most cases, Pine Products not only does the first grind but also the regrind work to resize the material for whatever they need to produce. On the single grind material, the company uses either 6-inch or 7-inch (15.2-cm or 17.7-cm) minus screens on their tub grinders, and on the regrind, they use 2-inch (5-cm) minus screens. Then they screen ground products through Vermeer TR626 trommel screens. This process removes fines and dirt for a desirable end product. “We’ve really honed in the process to make a better product faster,” said Dubbe. “It makes a big difference in our operational efficiencies to control costs and increase customer satisfaction.”

MANAGING OPERATING COSTS FOR YEAR-ROUND PRODUCTION Pine Products keeps their Vermeer tub grinders busy throughout the year, running daily until it freezes, slowing a bit in the colder months, but picking right back up again as soon as the temperatures warm up. One practice that has enabled yearround production for so many years is carefully and skillfully managing their operating costs – including labour, machine setup, maintenance, and yard configuration – as well as being as efficient as possible with their equipment. “The bigger the company gets, the less time we have, so time and resource use are really important,” said Dubbe. “We try to be as competitive as possible with our labour rates to make sure we hire quality employees, and we will pay extra for employees who are a good fit and productive. Having knowledgeable tub grinder operators who know how to appropriately fill and safely run the machines on staff can reduce a very large chunk of our cost inefficiencies. It’s an investment that saves us time and money.” Machine setup is critical to Pine Products’ operations being efficient, especially as the company likes to recoup their investment within four years. For example, their tub grinders overall

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

consume less fuel and have a lower cost of operation than the grinding equipment the company used to operate. And when it comes to machine maintenance, Dubbe said the company does its best to be preventive and make sure they have most wear parts on hand. “We try to use our slower times of the year to go through machines and make sure they are up to par. We depreciate the machine over the life expectancy but always account for replacement costs, regardless of the machine age.” Working with the right vendors is also critical. “RDO’s ability to provide the necessary parts for our Vermeer tub grinders has helped keep Pine Products’ costs down and made sure our company keeps producing,” said Dubbe. “Having people knowledgeable about the equipment we run is great because they can typically walk us through a problem over the phone in a quick fashion and get us back up and running quickly.” Their yard configuration is also extremely important in controlling the company’s costs. For example, Dubbe explained that they position their tub grinders as close to the piles as possible to decrease the loader’s drive time and wear. When the materials need to be transported, they also work to position the loading ramps close to the piles for quicker load times. At the end of the day, Pine Products works to produce quality products they can profitably sell their customers. “We have really formed our business model around production,” concluded Dubbe. “We’re a little disappointed in ourselves that it took so long to switch to tub grinders, because having the right equipment in our fleet saves time, fuel and wear and tear on the machines, and it allows one person to get more done in a day. As a result, business has been good, with solid growth through the years.” KENNEDY PHILLIPS is a product marketing specialist at Vermeer.

TUB GRINDERS HAVE OPENED NEW DOORS FOR SOURCING RAW MATERIAL AND SELLING MULCH FOR PINE PRODUCTS.

MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

EQUIPMENT ROUNDUP

STATIONARY PRE-SHREDDERS FOR PLASTICS RECYCLING

WEIMA AMERICA INC.

The WLK 15 single-shaft shredder is WEIMA’s most common pre-shredder for plastics recycling applications. These machines are highly customizable and are ideal for use in conjunction with a granulator, or as a standalone unit. According to WEIMA, the WLK-15 is equipped with large infeed openings and hopper capacities, and are incredibly versatile, with a variety of rotor types, knives and screen sizes available, specified to suit various types of plastic. In addition, the WLK series rotor, which shreds material until it can fall through the desired screen size, can be “chilled” by running water through its centre to process plastics with low melting points.

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

In today’s volatile markets for recycled plastics, where demand for extremely high purity is the norm, and many overseas markets are closed to all but the purest of recovered material, recyclers more than ever need to produce uncontaminated, homogeneously sized product, with more efficiency, and with higher average throughputs. At the MRF or other recycling facility, adding in a pre-shredder when processing plastics can improve wear life substantially on a primary shredder’s costly castings, protect against unshreddable or explosive materials, and reduce peak power loads.

HERBOLD MECKESHEIM USA

Herbold’s EWS 60/210 single-shaft shredder, introduced in 2019, is specifically designed for the pre-shredding of baled, bulky or other hard-to-process plastics including film, agricultural film, mixed plastics, and die drool. Units can process up to three tph, and feature wet or dry capability. Because the EWS 60/210 is often used in the first stage of a plastics recycling line where foreign bodies are commonly present, these units feature a well-protected rotor with bolted armor plating to eliminate the need for frequent re-welding. Plus, an integrated clutch mechanism protects the rotor and other key components if an unshreddable foreign body should enter the destruction chamber. In operation, large items or bundles are fed into the unit’s hopper by a forklift or optional infeed conveyor. Material falls onto the 23-1/2inch diameter rotor and a feed guide device helps it maintain positive engagement with the rotor for maximum shredding efficiency.

SSI SHREDDING SYSTEMS

SSI’s PRI-MAX line of primary reducers and shredders is ideal for pre-shredding and primary shredding of plastics and a wide range of materials. The PRI-MAX PR4200 (shown here) uses a hydraulic drive which offers maximum drivetrain protection, quick reversals, and high versatility in tough applications. These machines feature aggressive cutters that grab, pierce and break material while processing in both forward and reverse. Plus, a patented cartridge table design allows the entire assembly to be replaced without the need to remove the drive group, bearings or hydraulic connections, and a stackable shaft is removable and reusable with configurable wear parts that can be replaced when needed. Application-specific feed hoppers are available, as well as multiple output size options for shredding a wide variety of material to required specifications and an advanced Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) which constantly monitors machine operation.

MARCH 2021 | recyclingproductnews.com

EQUIPMENT ROUNDUP METSO OUTOTEC

Metso’s M&J PreShred uses an open cutting table to reduce wear to the bare minimum and allows for bi-directional shredding that results in a consistent flow of shredded material onto downstream conveyors. According to Metso, bi-directional shredding allows for equal speed and torque which reduces wear and improves shredding capability and capacity. Plus, this machine’s asynchronous system keeps waste constantly moving and includes an aggressive knife design, no pushing device required; a central lubricating system as standard; and a power pack and cutting table that can be mounted separately to keep more delicate components away from dust. In addition, these shredders feature automatic reversal if knives encounter large or tough steel or cement objects and a user-friendly PLC control system.

VECOPLAN LLC

Vecoplan’s VAZ single-shaft shredder features low speed, high torque and double side walls that allow material to freely fall, providing a longer life cycle on bearings. A range of rotor options are available for material adaptability, and screens swing up for easy rotor access, and easily rotate to prolong life. VAZ single-shaft shredders are available in multiple sizes and duties to accommodate most recyclers’ operations. Additional key features include adjustable counter knives to maintain optimal cutting tolerance and user-friendly controls for easy operation.

UNTHA

UNTHA recently launched the UNTHA CR – a high-performance single-shaft plastic shredder, specifically engineered for complex applications. The CR shredder has been designed with flexibility in mind, and is highly configurable for pre-shredding of difficult plastics and to process post-consumer plastic bales and almost everything in between (e.g. mixed rigid plastics, agricultural film and more). These shredders combine versatile cutters and a sturdy direct-drive system with hightorque motors (75, 90, 110 or 132 kW). The drive system includes a safety clutch, and internal pusher system for high throughputs, and because it is direct-drive, it eliminates the need for a belt, which means reduced wear and maintenance.

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

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COMMODITY FOCUS

OCC VOLATILITY IS OFF THE CHARTS BY SHARON LEVREZ

ecycled paper, and old corrugated containers (OCC) in particular, has always been a volatile commodity. Over the past few years, the market has seen boosts in demand from rising recycled containerboard production, followed by a sharp fall in export opportunities as countries, including China, introduce quality restrictions on imports and then supply-side disruptions. All this has naturally led to major swings in pricing. A comparison of OCC volatility versus other more liquid, mature commodity markets over the last five years, shows OCC is the leader of the pack. Monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual volatility outstrips that of Brent crude, copper and cotton. Quarterly volatility stands at a whopping 31.36 percent. The volatility in 2020 was off the charts as was the case with many other commodities. Who can forget U.S. crude oil prices going negative for the first time in history back in May, after demand for oil almost dried up? Prices of industrial metals such as copper and zinc also slumped, only to recover following the temporary shutdown of some mining activities.

OCC TRUMPS THE LOT

Monthly OCC volatility from January to October 2020 stood at 37.45 percent, compared with 31.43 percent for Brent and just 6.52 percent for copper, according to Fastmarkets data. Although prices appeared to have stabilized last autumn, there remained much uncertainty in the market. Further demand disruptions loomed notably with China’s ban on all imports of recovered paper due to take effect from January 1, 2021. Indeed, as of October 2020, many market watchers expected this to trigger a drop in prices, and the forward curve for pulp and paper exchange NOREXECO’s OCC futures contract showed a Euro10/tonne drop between December 2020 and Q1 2021. In fact, quite the opposite happened. The resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in October/November 2020 and new lockdown measures across Europe led to renewed supply restrictions, pushing prices higher. Far from the expected drop, Q1 2021 has seen a strong rally in OCC prices. By the end of February 2021, Fastmarkets FOEX’s PIX OCC 1.04 dd index had risen by 60 percent compared with the levels of October 2020. Buyers would have benefited from locking in their costs back in the autumn. Now more than ever, buyers and sellers of OCC need to look at managing their exposure to price swings.

YEARLY PRICE CHANGES IN OCC: JANUARY 2007 – JANUARY 2020

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

SHARON LEVREZ is price assessment manager for Fastmarkets Forest Products.

RECOVERED PAPER MARKETS KEY POINTS 1 RECOVERED PAPER PRICES ARE HIGHLY VOLATILE The volatility in recovered paper prices can rival those of many other, more liquid commodities. It can at times be more volatile than pulp, cotton, copper or Brent crude.

FIVE-YEAR VOLATILITY FOR SELECTED COMMODITIES

2 COVID-19 HAS HAD A MASSIVE IMPACT ON SUPPLIES The volatility in 2020 has been unprecedented. The COVID-19 pandemic slashed collection rates, virtually wiped supplies of grades collected in schools and offices and disrupted international trade flows. OCC prices have ridden a roller-coaster ride, and one that it seems, like the pandemic, is not over yet. 3 CHINA IS SET TO BAN ALL IMPORTS China, a key buyer of recovered paper from Europe and the U.S., is due to ban imports in 2021. This will undoubtedly trigger further price volatility and changes in trade flows. 4 THE NEED TO HEDGE HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER In this environment, it is becoming more important that market participants manage their risk. One solution for this is to use futures contracts to lock in prices. NOREXECO, The Pulp and Paper Exchange, launched the world’s first recovered paper futures in October 2020. So how might market participants use futures to bring predictability to their balance sheets?

C O M PAC T

P OW E R • • •

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This article is excerpted from the December 2020 RISI Fastmarkets Market Insights report, Old Corrugated Containers: A new era dawns.

I N T E G R I TY I

Q U A L I TY I

R E L I A B I L I TY I

VA L U E

SAFETY

52 AVOIDABLE FATALITIES IN 2020 REFLECTS LITTLE IMPROVEMENT FOR SAFETY IN SOLID WASTE COLLECTION VEHICLE ACCIDENTS REMAIN MAIN CAUSE, PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES ON THE RISE, ACCORDING TO SWANA SAFETY SUMMIT BY KEITH BARKER, EDITOR

he Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) reported 52 municipal solid waste industry workers killed in 2020 in the United States and Canada, with nearly 70 percent occurring during waste and recyclable materials collection. This data was shared at SWANA’s virtual Safety Summit on February 25. According to Jesse Maxwell, SWANA’s Advocacy & Safety senior manager, who led the review of the 2020 Safety Statistics Report, “The 2020 data tells us that while the past year was certainly unusual for everyone, due to the pandemic, from the perspective of worker fatalities, we ended up looking fairly similar to 2019.” He also noted that fatality numbers for 2020 don’t include any recordable COVID-19 deaths, and that the total number of 52 solid waste industry fatalities

for 2020 may change if those become added later. “Overall, we can see a pattern emerging over the years where we normally start off the year with a higher number of worker fatalities,” said Maxwell. “There's a drop sometime in the spring, the numbers start to increase in early summer, and then again in early fall, with a dip into late fall and into winter. Then at the beginning of the next year, this pattern starts all over again.”

MAIN CAUSES OF SOLID WASTE FATALITIES

According to Maxwell, one of the most important takeaways from the Safety Summit presentation on February 25 is the data showing the causes of worker fatalities in 2020. “The number one cause of worker death this past year

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

There continues to be too many avoidable fatal incidents in and involving the solid waste industry. This trend has continued into 2021, with 17 fatal incidents recorded in the first two months of the year. We can and must do better. David Biderman SWANA Executive Director & CEO was a vehicle accident in which the worker was the only one involved. This is not being struck by another car or truck, but losing control and going off the road, often striking a tree or a pole. Though the underlying causes vary, and it isn’t always clear in these cases, it seems reasonable to assume that speeding and distraction are likely feature factors. “The second most common

cause of death on the job was being struck by one’s own waste truck, or by a co-worker. This represents a combination of helpers being out doing collection and being struck by their truck, or another driver on the worksite. This usually involved getting out of the cab for some reason, and then being struck by a truck when it rolls.” Overall, collection-related fatalities remained steady in 2020 compared to 2019, and were only slightly different from 2018 numbers. Based on worksite or location of fatalities, there were some positive numbers showing declines, including fatal incidents at landfills which fell from 11 in 2019 to four in 2020. Material recovery facilities (MRFs) similarly saw a drop in worker deaths from four in 2019 to one last year, while fatalities at transfer stations increased from one in 2019 to three in 2020. “As is the norm, the majority of fatalities in 2020 occurred when a worker is out on a col-

lection vehicle. This is the same trend that we see year after year.” Also notable in 2020, Maxwell pointed out, were the number of workers who were killed while doing mechanical work on a truck or a piece of equipment. “This is not an area we talk much about normally, but there’s obviously a need for us to focus on this as an area of concern, and to discuss ways of making work safer at the garage.”

PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES ARE UP IN SOLID WASTE In addition to worker fatalities, SWANA also tracks events in which a member of the public is killed in a solid waste related incident. In 2020, 76 members of the public in the United States and Canada were killed in collisions with a solid waste collection vehicle, with about 62 percent being vehicle collisions. The past year saw slightly fewer fatalities than 2019 when there were 80, which was a decline from 2018 when 101 members of the public died. “Most of the deaths we see represent a collision with a solid waste industry vehicle, generally the most common cause by far,” said Maxwell, adding that 2020 saw slightly fewer third party fatalities than the previous year, 2019, which was a huge drop from 2018. “Hopefully we’ll continue to see this as a trend that continues to go down. “I do want to point out that in 2020 about 17 percent of public deaths were the result of pedestrians being struck by a waste vehicle. In 2019 that was 16 percent and in 2018 it was about 11 percent. We are seeing an increase in pedestrian fatalities.”

NEW GOOGLE MAP DIGS DEEPER INTO SOLID WASTE INDUSTRY FATALITIES Near the end of the Safety Summit presentation Maxwell shared a screen capture of a new, interactive Google Map showing the locations of fatalities which occurred. Through this new resource, SWANA members can look closer at each fatality, find out basic information including whether it’s a public or private incident, age of the victim, location of the incident, and other information, which can help in building effective safety strategies going forward. According to SWANA’s data, at the state level, in 2020 New York had the most fatal incidents with 15, followed by California with 12, Texas with 11, Pennsylvania with nine, and Florida with eight. New York and California have both been in the top five states in number of fatalities for the past three years. In Canada, one fatality was recorded in Saskatchewan and three in

Ontario for 2020. On the new map, Maxwell concluded, “You can see the locations for all 2020 fatalities. You can also see a list of the top eight states and provinces with the most incidents in 2020. Population plays a major role in fatality numbers. A city’s size is a pretty good indication of the number of incidents you are likely to have.” One other notable safety resource from SWANA is their new weekly Safety Matters eNewsletter, now sent to all members, with the goal to make relevant safety guidance easily accessible to frontline employees and workers in solid

waste management and recycling at all levels. SWANA is encouraging members to use it at safety meetings and toolbox talks to remind workers of safety hazards associated with solid waste management and how to avoid them. “SWANA is proud to provide this important new addition to our growing menu of safety resources and member services,” said David Biderman, SWANA executive director & CEO. “Our Safety Matters newsletter will be a powerful tool that will help haulers, disposal facilities, and municipal agencies in the United States and Canada reduce accidents and injuries.” RPN

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LAST WORD

THE CANADA–U.S. PLASTIC WASTE EXPORT DEAL VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW BY SABAA KHAN AND KAREN WIRSIG

new legal analysis published by the Center for International Environmental Law highlights major inconsistencies between Canada’s legal obligations under the Basel Convention and an agreement the Canadian government has signed with the U.S. The agreement allows plastic waste trade to continue without the transparency and accountability Canada agreed to under the Basel Convention – a global treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from hazardous wastes. The government has signalled it wants to tackle plastic pollution, spearheading the global Oceans Plastic Charter, ratifying recent amendments to the Basel Convention addressing plastic wastes, and proposing a ban on some non-essential single-use plastics. It must ensure Canada’s waste-export arrangements comply with Basel Convention requirements and do not provide back door pathways for harmful plastic wastes to enter the global environment.

The Canadian government must ensure Canada’s waste-export arrangements comply with Basel Convention requirements and do not provide back door pathways for harmful plastic wastes to enter the global environment. Sabaa Khan Recent amendments to the Basel Convention allow exports of clean, sorted, uncontaminated and unmixed plastic waste without prior notification or consent requirements. Enhanced controls are required for other plastic waste exports. But because the U.S. has never ratified the Basel Convention and does not regulate plastic waste exports, environmental groups are concerned that contaminated Canadian waste exported to the U.S. could be shipped to other countries without environmental controls – the type of scenario Basel is designed to prevent. Canadians throw away three million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Government must urgently address plastic waste at its source. It has been more than a year since Environment and Climate Change Canada published its draft science assessment concluding that plastics are harming the environment. The longer we

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

wait for regulation, the more plastic enters the environment. In the House of Commons in February government MPs opposed a private member’s bill that would ban some plastic waste exports. Bill C-204 nevertheless survived an initial vote with the support of all four opposition parties and will now be reviewed by a parliamentary committee. The bill should be strengthened to fully implement Canada’s Basel Convention obligations, the groups say. According to Emily Alfred, waste campaigner from the Toronto Environmental Alliance, “Canadians want an end to the unfair dumping of our plastic waste into other communities. We need transparency and accountability so that we can have confidence about where our recycling is actually going.” The David Suzuki Foundation and Environmental Defence, along with the Basel Action Network, the Center for International Environmental Law, Friends of the Earth Canada, RightOnCanada.ca, Surfrider Foundation Canada and the Toronto Environmental Alliance, are calling on the Government of Canada to honour the Basel Convention and act quickly to curb plastic pollution. These groups are also calling on the government to implement the proposed ban on non-essential single-use plastic items by end of year, as promised, and to move ahead with further measures to address plastic pollution in Canada. To bring Canada into compliance with its legal obligations under the Basel Convention and reduce plastic waste pollution, we are calling on the government to: • Amend its arrangement with the United States to specify that it exclusively applies to non-hazardous plastic waste as specified under Annex IX of the Basel Convention. • Confirm listing of “manufactured plastics” on Schedule 1 of CEPA, as the government proposed in October 2020, to enable regulatory action, and ban non-essential single-use plastics. Expand the proposed “integrated management approach to plastic products” to address plastic waste trade by: • Restricting the export of plastic waste categorized under Annex II of the Basel Convention for recycling or recovery purposes. • Subjecting all exports of plastic waste categorized under Annex II of the Basel Convention to the procedure of prior informed consent. SABAA KHAN is the David Suzuki Foundation’s director general for Quebec and Atlantic Canada. KAREN WIRSIG is plastics program manager with Environmental Defence.

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NEXT ISSUE

THE STORY BEHIND LI-CYCLE, THE MISSISSAUGABASED INNOVATOR IN LITHIUM-ION BATTERY RECYCLING

FOCUS ON HAULING & COLLECTION

ADVERTISER INDEX

E RID

American Baler..........................................39

Bandit Industries....................................... 13

GE RA E OV XC 3 S / NE ED AD NGI QUIR E H LE E ZLE IESE OR R Z NO D AT • 3 4 HP ENER •7 OG •N

BKT Tires.......................................................... 31 Buffalo Turbine......................................... 46 Bunting Magnetics................................. 25 CP Group......................................................... 21 Diamond Z.................................................... 37 ECO Green Equipment........................ 37

DUST

E-Crane International USA.................45 Gensco Equipment................................. 33 Herbold............................................................19

G DU AS • ST DI & O ESE DO L • R C EL ON ECT TR RI OL C EQ UI PM EN T

Industrial Magnetics, Inc.....................45

recyclingproductnews.com | MARCH 2021

Kensal Carbide...........................................47 LeFort America..........................................27 Liebherr.......................................................... 48

E BIN

BU FFA LO TU RB IN E.C OM

O FAL

Industrial Netting.....................................45

OverBuilt Inc.................................................41 PMR Inc...........................................................43 R.M. Johnson Co...........................................9 SENNEBOGEN..............................................3 Van Dyk Recycling Solutions...............7 WEIMA America, Inc.................................2

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