Volumne 22, No. 2
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Selected Articles:

Transportation Cabinet District 1 Recycling Program Eliminates Landfill Diposal  
Japanese Firm Develops Aluminum Bottle
APR Pushes for Use of Post Consumer Plastics
The Can -- A Brief History
Slowing Economy Doesn't Stop Steel Recycling
Metal Cans: A Signaficant Impact on Economy
NAPCOR Produces PET Recycling Process Video
Curbside Collection of Recyclables Still the Best Approach

Transportation Cabinet District 1 Recycling
Program Eliminates Landfill Disposal 

A decade ago, when large scale comprehensive recycling programs were being developed,  the conventional wisdom was that to successfully conduct such a program a substantial amount of tax money would have to be spent.

Today the only words true in that sentence are “conventional wisdom was”.

Conventional wisdom today demonstrates a 12 county area which is not only self-supporting but is showing a profit.  Big time.

And it has become self-supporting basically by being determined to use existing facilities, combined with new ideas.

The idea goes back to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 1 Department of Highways, which proposed in February, 2000, a pilot recycling program “to attempt to eliminate disposal in landfills by recycling all of its waste,” including all metals, glass, plastics, paper and cardboard, used oil and old tires.  Wood waste and other organics would be composted.

All materials that could be markets would be sold, and all other material would be delivered to an appropriate recycling facility.  All funds generated from the sale of recycled materials would be used to cover the cost of the program, with the excess earmarked for other litter abatement activities.

Estimates were that the program would operate at an initial $9,000 deficit due to start-up costs.

The plan was put into practice in August, 2000, and concentrated on metals, office paper and cardboard for which markets could be found. the process, Recycling Project Superintendent Craig Cope developed a market for the plastic contained in infant car seats, and as a result all seats confiscated by the Drive Smart Kentucky infant Car Seat inspection program are now being dismantled and their component parts recycled.

In the first six months of operation, the project recycled more than a million pounds of material and generated $20,800 in revenue and also saved an additional $10,000 in landfill fees.

The program is astounding simple.   Waste generated by 400 employees in the district in its administrative offices, repair garage, 12 county garages, sign shop, three resident engineer offices, several special crews and the litter picked up off of 2,803 miles of road were the initial targets.  State owned trucks picked up the material and transported it to a sorting center in Paducah.

Added since the program started have been the city of Paducah, Crittenden County schools and several businesses and individuals.

Three one-ton trucks and a fork lift, manned by three men, are now used to replace the approximately 20 dumpsters which were being rented. This alone has saved not only the cost of the dumpsters and service, but some 830,000 annually in tipping fees.  In addition, the district had been paying to dispose of paint barrels, used motor oil, tires and pallets, all of which are now being handled within the program.

Items now being sold include paper, metal, plastic, glass, toner cartridges and recappable tires.  Wood and organic material and non-marketable paper are chipped and composted then given away or sold, and large trees are cut into firewood and given away or sold. Scrap tires are ground and used as mulch, fill or fuel.

The district has purchased a special fuel oil furnace and a fire chamber furnace to burn tire waste and other fuels. To collect and transport used oil over the 12-county area and dispose of it had been costing the district about 84,000 a year. That expense is now gone, and in addition the natural gas bill which had been running about $2,500 a month has been reduced to 8800 a month — a total saving of $10,800 a year.

Cope says the program will not only be self-supporting this year but will show a profit, including some $46,000 from sale of materials and an additional $25,814 saved.

Labor for sorting the materials comes from half a dozen inmates in the McCracken County jail, who are also receiving on the job training so they improve their chances of employment once released.

District 1 includes Marshall, Calloway, Graves, Trigg,Lyon, Livingston, Crittenden, McCracken, Ballard, Fulton, Hickman and Carlisle counties.

Cope can be reached at 270-898-2431.

 Japanese Firm Develops
Aluminum Bottle

It is reported in the Kentucky Recycling and Marketing Marketplace that a Japanese company recently developed an aluminum bottle with a twist off cap.  This resealable bottle addresses one of the primary complaints among consumers with aluminum cans…portability. 

Unlike many other beverage containers, the bottle and cap can be recycled together.  The aluminum bottle also extends shelf life of beverages by providing a complete barrier for gas and light.

Drinks such as carbonated beverages, fruit juices, isotonic drinks and alcoholic beverages are sold in the new bottles.

COMPANIES IN APR  LOCATED NEAR KENTUCKY:

Phoenix Technologies, L.P.  1098 Fairview Avenue, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402.  Contact Jean Bina @ (419) 353 RPET.   The company utilizes technology developed by Plastic Technologies to pelletize recycled post consumer PET flake for direct sale and reuse back into consumer packaging.  Has been in continuous operation since December 1992 with a production capacity of more than 45 million pounds.

Signode Plastic Recycling Alliance, 7080 Industrial Road, Unit #2, Florence, Kentucky 41402.  Contact John Aidoo @ (859) 727-7412 or Jim Arlinghaus @ (859) 342-6400.  A unit of Illinois Tool Works and a major recycler of post consumer PET material.  The company prefers green PET material, but will also buy clear and mixed material.

For more information about APR and its member companies contact Headquarters APR at 1801 K. Street N.W., Suite 701L, Washington D.C. 20006.  Phone (202) 974-5419., Robin Cotchan, Director

The story of the can begins in 1795 when the French Directoire offered a prize of  12,000 francs to anyone who could present the government with a new, effective means of preserving food.  Nicholas Appert, a Parisian who had worked as a candy maker, chef, brewer, pickle maker and vintner had an idea.  Why not pack food in bottles like wine?

For the next 15 years, he researched and tested his idea.  Finally, after partially cooking food, sealing it in bottles with cork stoppers, and immersing the bottles in boiling water, he arrived at his theory…if food is sufficiently heated and sealed in an airtight container, it will not spoil.

Appert demonstrated his theory to Emperor Napoleon Bonapart by sending samples of preserved foods to his army.  Napoleon had said, “An Army marches on its stomach.”  Looking at his military career, we know that he had learned through hard experience that it does:  scurvy and hunger disabled many more of Napoleon’s soldiers than combat itself. 

Appert’s samples, including partridges, vegetables and gravy were sent with soldiers to sea for over four months.  When opened, 18 different kinds of preserved foods were tasted.  Appert wrote “everyone of which had retained its freshness and not a single substance had undergone the least change at sea.”

Appert was awarded the 12,000 francs by Emperor Napoleon Bonapart himself.

The British responded directly to this development.  If Napoleon’s troops were able to extend their marches by carrying preserved nutritious supplies, His Majesty’s forces must be prepared to do likewise.  In 1810, King George III granted Peter Durand a patent for his idea of preserving food in “vessels of glass, pottery, tin, or other metals or fit materials”.

Durant wanted to surpass Appert’s invention so he elected to try tin instead of glass.  Like glass, tin could be sealed airtight.  But tin was not breakable and was much easier to handle.  Thus, he replaced the breakable glass bottle and less than dependable cork stopper with a cylindrical tin canister fashioned out of tin plate which is simply iron coated with tin to prevent rusting and corrosion.

Durand himself did no canning, but two other Englishmen, Bryan Donkin and John Hall used Durand’s patent.  After experimenting for more than a year, they set up a commercial canning factory and by 1813, were sending tins of food to British army and navy authorities for trial.

As people and goods were transported across all parts of the world, the can industry expanded into new territories.  Thomas Kensett who might be fairly called the father of the can manufacturing industry in the U.S.  set up a small plant on the New York waterfront in 1812.  He canned oysters, meats, fruits and vegetables in the United States.

Beverage cans made from aluminum were first introduced in 1965. 

(The Can Manufacturers Institute provided this interesting history.)

Despite the sluggish economy, steel recycling rates advanced and steel continued its reign as North America’s most recycled material.  The Steel Recycling Institute reports that the steel industry recycled nearly 66 million tons of scrap in 2001 resulting in an overall steel recycling rate of 67.8 percent.

In the case of automobiles, there was a significant increase in the recycling rate to 101.9 percent from 95.4 percent in 2000.  High strength steels are the fastest growing materials utilized in new vehicle production.  Because these high strength steels provide more protection with less mass, the steel industry recycled more steel from automobiles than was utilized in the production of new vehicles, thus resulting in a recycling rate greater than 100 percent.

The steel recycling rate for construction and demolition debris remains at a very impressive 95 percent for structural beams and plates. 

When it comes to the household, appliances continue to be collected for recycling from curbs across America.  The appliance recycling rate exhibited a slight increase.  In addition, steel cans continue to fill curbside bins in communities across the United States.  In the U.S., 202 million Americans have easy access to steel can recycling.

Metal Cans: A Significant Impact on Economy 

This is the story of the metal can, from the days when it was laboriously made by hand in crude workrooms at a rate of 10 cans a day to the present day when high speed machinery produces 2,500 cans or more per minute on a single production line.  The story of this valuable container encompasses explorations, discoveries, wars, peacetime progress, world health improvements and technological advances.  Dating back over centuries the can has evolved to meet ever changing market demands around the world.

The metal can is a simple package that protects its contents against the ravages of time and nature.  It requires no special handling precautions since it is rigid and unbreakable.  It has proven so successful because of these characteristics that it is impossible to imagine modern society without it. 

Today, cans are used most commonly to package carbonated beverages and freshly harvested fruits and vegetables.  Beer and soft drink cans keep beverages flavorful, fresh and carbonated for long periods of time.  Cans ensure uniformity of product quality.  Your favorite beverage will taste the same whether you buy it in Oregon, Florida, Maine, Kentucky, or California. 

Cans are also used to store fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and ready to eat meals, giving us access to nutritious foods year round.

The can has assumed major economic responsibilities.  Many Americans have come to rely on the can industry for their livelihood.  For example:

• The can industry contributes more than $8 billion to the U.S. economy by providing jobs, paying taxes, and purchasing local goods and services.

• Approximately 133 billion cans are produced each year in the United States.

• There are more than 200 can manufacturing plants in 38 states

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) the trade association for the PET plastic industry in the United States and Canada has completed production of a video about the PET recycling process.

The comprehensive video shows the lifecycle of a PET bottle . . . from pellet to container to end use products like fiber for carpet and apparel, new bottles, sheet, furniture and car parts.  Bottle creation, collection, sortation, and reclamation are depicted and explained in the ten minute video which will be distributed free of charge by the association.

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic is the type of plastic with the #1 code on or near the bottom of the container.  PET is commonly used to package water, soft drinks, sports drinks, salad dressing, peanut butter, condiments and various household cleaners.

For more information or to request a copy of the video, please visit www.napcor.com or call 828/236-9006.

Curbside Collection of Recyclables
Still The Best Approach

Curbside collection is a great way…and perhaps the best way to collect recoverable materials.  The most successful curbside programs recover the greatest proportion of available recyclables. 

In a recent survey taken in a large American city, residents noted that communications with the public about the program is very important.  And, the importance of communications does not diminish as the program ages.  New and not so new residents said that more information about what and how to recycle would increase participation.  Most people reported that recycling information received by mail or as a utility bill stuffer is the most effective.

Education about the benefits of recycling also tends to increase participation.  There is a strong relationship between the intensity of a person’s belief about the benefits of recycling and participation in the recycling program.  Those with the strongest beliefs about the benefits of recycling put out almost all of their recyclables.

So, in order to increase the bottom line of your recycling operation, information and education is key to high participation rates.  According to Resource Recycling, once the infrastructure is in place to collect and process recyclables, a quicker return on investment is realized by a higher participation

Anheuser-Busch Recycles 350,000 Tons Of Aluminum

Anheuser Busch Companies Inc., the world’s largest brewer recycled more than 700 million pounds or 350,000 tons of aluminum cans in 2001 according to the company’s 2001 environmental Health and Safety Report

The report states that the number of cans Anheuser-Busch recycled was more than 25 percent greater than the number of cans the company shipped during the year.