The coalition of companies will work together to bolster PET recycling efforts.

The Recycling Partnership has launched its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) Recycling Coalition, an initiative informed by industry knowledge and expertise to improve PET circularity. Its work will focus on addressing four key opportunities to increase recycling of this valuable material:

PET is in high demand for use in textiles such as clothing and carpet (where it is known as polyester) and it’s the most common type of plastic utilized in liquid bottles and food packaging today, The Recycling Partnership says.

While eliminating unnecessary usage is an important component of circularity, increased PET recycling is another critical step in advancing circularity. Company commitments and recycled-content mandates in proposed U.S. legislation also are leading to skyrocketing demand for recycled PET even though supply is currently limited.

Most Americans with recycling access are able to recycle PET bottles, but just 54 percent can recycle other types of PET packaging like plastic egg cartons and fruit containers, according to The Recycling Partnership. Additionally, the recycling rate for PET bottles was only 26.6 percent in 2021 and as much as 17 percent of bottles that are recovered are lost at material recovery facilities (MRFs) due to sortation challenges. There is the potential to increase recovery and reduce plastic waste and help make progress toward packaging circularity goals by supporting solutions identified by the PET recycling coalition, the organization says.

The PET recycling coalition will make grants to recycling facilities for sorting equipment and related capital needs. These upgrades will improve PET bottle capture, deliver more rPET for use back into bottles and thermoforms, increase the acceptance of nonbottle rigid items in community recycling programs and strengthen recycling opportunities for pigmented and opaque PET. Through grants, technical assistance and knowledge sharing, the coalition envisions a thriving PET recycling system that captures significantly more material, enabling more circular PET packaging with increased amounts of recycled content, The Recycling Partnership says.

“The Recycling Partnership is dedicated to building a stronger U.S. recycling system, including material-focused efforts such as the PET recycling coalition. The success of these material-specific coalitions shows us that when we take a systems approach, we’re able to not only lift up that targeted material but all the other recyclables in the bin as well,” says Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership, which is based in Falls Church, Virginia. “We encourage all companies that use PET to join the coalition and be part of the solution.”

The PET Recycling Coalition is part of The Recycling Partnership’s Pathway to Circularity initiative and aims to advance the circularity of all packaging. The coalition is supported by and open to members representing all segments of the material’s value chain, including founding steering committee members Eastman, Indorama Ventures, Procter & Gamble and the Walmart Foundation.

“Eastman is deploying technology that transforms plastic ‘waste’ into valuable feedstock. And while making waste valuable improves the economics of recycling, we know technology alone cannot solve this crisis. Our country needs substantial innovation and investment in its recycling ecosystem,” says Scott Ballard, Eastman plastics division president. “We are excited to partner with leaders across the value chain to catalyze the change that will get all forms of PET, not just clear bottles, into our recycle stream. Together, we can create a circular economy, leave fossil feeds in the ground and do it with a lower carbon footprint.”

“Recycled PET is an extremely useful material when used and reused responsibly,” says Mark Agerton, group scientist from Procter & Gamble’s responsible packaging R&D team. “This PET coalition is a partnership to help provide the essential funding and innovations needed to increase recycling rates and drive true circularity of nondesired plastics.”

“The Walmart Foundation is committed to programs that enable system-wide transformation – and this effort is a critical element of scaling on the infrastructure needed for PET circularity. The Walmart Foundation looks forward to working with the coalition on transforming the recycling sector – and setting the foundation for designing a more circular economy for all,” says Julie Gehrki, vice president of the Walmart Foundation.

“PET is made to be remade. We are a proud member of The Recycling Partnership, and by joining this coalition our goal is to ensure PET never becomes waste and stays in the circular economy,” says Muthukumar Paramasivam, business head, PET & aromatics Americas at Indorama Ventures.

Additional founding members include The Coca-Cola Co., Danone, The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation and Niagara Bottling. The coalition set an initial funding target of $25 million over five years and is seeking additional supporters.

The PET Recycling Coalition is aided by an advisory committee of industry leaders, including the American Beverage Association, Association of Plastic Recyclers, Closed Loop Partners, Foodservice Packaging Institute, National Association for PET Container Resources and RRS. In addition to serving on the advisory committee, RRS will serve as the coalition’s technical partner and inform the coalition’s strategy with supporting research.

“We are pleased to continue our work to build PET packaging recycling by supporting this important collaborative effort,” says Resa Dimino, managing principal at Resource Recycling Systems, Ann Arbor, Michigan. “The PET recycling coalition builds on the important actions of the Foodservice Packaging Institute, the Association of Plastic Recyclers and other industry leaders to optimize the mature market for recycling PET bottles, while building the recycling infrastructure for newer entrants to the recycling market, such as PET cups, clamshells and colored bottles.”

The recycling centers will support various Arca services, including residential appliance recycling programs.

Arca Recycling Inc., Minneapolis, a wholly owned subsidiary of JanOne Inc., will open three recycling centers in June and July to support growth in its recycling business and help Arca better serve its customers across North America.

The recycling facilities are in Kent, Washington; Tulare, California; and Hainesport, New Jersey. The company says the facilities will have the capacity of 100 units per day based on one shift. They will focus on appliance recycling for Central California, the greater Seattle area, Northern New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia area.

The company says it chose these locations to better serve our existing contracts with utilities to provide appliance recycling services for their customers. It also wants to establish presence in markets where it see a need for commercial appliance recycling services. The facilities will create 12 jobs between the three facilities and primarily serve the residential and commercial district.

The Hainesport, New Jersey center will be equipped with advanced appliance processing equipment, a technology that reduces the size of recyclable material by compaction and baling. Compacting materials recovered from appliances allows Arca Recycling to transport these materials more efficiently, reducing its carbon footprint and will provide cost savings on labor and transportation.

These recycling centers will support a range of Arca's services, including residential appliance recycling programs implemented on behalf of major electric utilities, Energy Star appliance replacement programs and appliance recycling on behalf of Arca's commercial clients.

Three telehandlers keep recyclables moving for Polish waste agency ZZO Wlodawa.

Three telehandlers made by Bobcat are helping ZZO Wlodawa, an intermunicipal waste management organization in eastern Poland, manage a recycling process serving some 24,000 people in seven cities near Poland’s border with Ukraine and Belarus.

Bobcat, based in the U.S., says the ZZO Wlodawa operation runs 24 hours a day, six days a week. The telehandlers “play a key role in the proper functioning of the operation,” says Bobcat and the waste management agency.

“The Bobcat telehandlers are perfect for our conditions,” says Krzysztof Chilczuk, board chair of ZZO Wlodawa. “They are compact, easy to operate and offer a high lift height. Disposal of [materials] on the sorting line is organized in such a way that the loader must rotate through 90 degrees in a small space. This is an easy job with these machines.”

The agency’s first Bobcat telehandler, a TL470 model with a maximum lift height of seven meters (nearly 23 feet) and a load capacity of 3.5 metric tons, was delivered to the plant in Wlodawa in 2013. So far, it has worked more than 20,000 operating hours and is still in use.

“It has never had a serious breakdown and we have never repaired the engine in it,” Chilczuk says. “There was once a problem with the fuel pump, but it was not the fault of the manufacturer, but rather the fuel itself,” he adds.

In 2018, the agency bought a second Bobcat machine, a TL35.70 model, with the same operating parameters as the older machine. That machine is now approaching a total of 5,000 operating hours. Having positively evaluated the first two machines, management of ZOO Wlodawa added a third Bobcat telehandler to the fleet in August of last year. Again, a TL35.70 model was chosen, but this time with a slightly different specification.

Chilczuk explains the choice of this newest machine as follows: “Telehandlers with these working parameters meet our needs and working conditions well. However, the two older machines have 20-inch wheels. When considering the purchase of another telehandler, we wanted it to be equipped with 24-inch wheels. As a result, it has a greater ground clearance and is even more efficient when working in a landfill. In addition, when loading on the processing line, the operator can drive more boldly directly into the waste heap. The new machine also has more features, which include, for example, air conditioning, an air-cushioned seat, cab protection and also a reversing warning system that does not beep, but provides the white noise sound we really wanted.”

At ZZO Wlodawa, there is no division of tasks between the Bobcat telehandlers—each machine is used for all tasks involved, according to Bobcat. The sorting area operates 24 hours a day, so the telehandlers change with the operators. In addition to loading material onto the processing line, the machines are used for pushing and stacking material to maximize the use of available space.

The Bobcat telehandlers also are used to unload composting bins and to create compost piles and turn them over for aeration.

At ZZO Wlodawa, Bobcat telehandlers are used additionally to maintain the currently operated landfill and to rehabilitate a landfill that has already been closed. To perform the variety of tasks, in addition to a universal bucket, two high-volume buckets, pallet forks and a bale grab, the ZZO Wlodawa range of attachments also includes a sweeping brush.

Chilczuk praises the Bobcat telehandlers for their performance, good visibility and versatility, with Bobcat saying he credits them for never having a job “that they cannot do” at the ZZO Wlodawa facility.

The funding will develop several new initiatives, including programs for solid waste infrastructure, toolkits for model recycling and educational campaigns.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $375 million in funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for recycling, reuse and waste prevention programs. The EPA published three requests for information (ROI) seeking input on the design of these new materials management initiatives, the first step in the process to implement the largest EPA investment in recycling in 30 years.

“Too many communities are burdened by pollution and the negative environmental and health impacts that result from poorly managed waste,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan says. “This unprecedented investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will transform recycling and solid waste management across the nation, create good-paying jobs and advance our bold environmental agenda as we work to build a better America.”

The $375 million in funding will develop several new initiatives, including a solid waste infrastructure for recycling grant program, a recycling education and outreach grant program and a model recycling program toolkit. It also will provide funding to compile best practices for battery collection, recycling and labeling guidelines.

Through education and outreach grants, the EPA can fund projects like public service announcements, advertising campaigns and the development and dissemination of recycling program toolkits. These activities enable the agency to improve consumer education and outreach on how to correctly recycle, reduce contamination in the recycling stream, produce higher quality recycled materials and advance a circular economy. A circular economy reduces material use, redesigns materials to be less resource-intensive and recaptures “waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials and products.

ROIs are the first steps in developing these grant programs and guidance. Through the ROIs, the EPA is asking all interested individuals and organizations to share their perspectives on resources, opportunities and barriers related to reducing, reusing and recycling infrastructure, education and outreach programs and battery recycling and collection.

To access the ROIs and learn how to comment, visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Transforming U.S. Recycling and Waste Management webpage.  

Additionally, the EPA is initiating a national effort to engage stakeholders across the country to inform the development of these new programs, hosting virtual meetings and feedback sessions in all 10 regions and nationally. The EPA is targeting community groups and environmental justice organizations around the country as part of this outreach plan.

For more information about EPA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds, click here.

Recycling and waste company receives purchase offer from U.S.-based Energy Capital Partners.

United Kingdom-based waste and recycling firm Biffa PLC says it has received an offer to be acquired by New Jersey-based equity fund Energy Capital Partners Management LP (ECP) and its affiliates.

The board of Biffa has announced receiving “a series of unsolicited and indicative proposals from affiliates of ECP on behalf of funds and other investment vehicles managed and/or advised by ECP and its affiliates to acquire the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of [Biffa].”

ECP’s most recent proposal, says Biffa, concerns a possible offer at a price of 445 pence ($5.57) per Biffa share in cash. That proposal, the Biffa board says, is “subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of customary pre-conditions, including satisfactory completion of due diligence.”

The board of Biffa says it has carefully evaluated the proposal together with its financial adviser, Rothschild & Co., and has concluded “that should a firm offer be made on the same financial terms as the proposal, it would be minded to recommend it to Biffa shareholders, subject to the agreement of other customary terms and conditions.”

The board has thus granted ECP access to due diligence materials.

Last year, Biffa acquired material recovery facilities and other assets from Viridor Waste Management Ltd. That transaction helped make Biffa “one of the largest recyclers of postconsumer materials in the U.K.,” the company said at the time.

On its website, ECP lists 45 companies in its past or present portfolio, including scrap tire processor Liberty Tire. For several years, ECP also owned waste-to-energy plant operator Wheelabrator Technologies.