E-cycling in Virginia

The state of New York passed a law last year that requires electronics manufacturers to recycle old products turned in by customers, including TVs, computers, and phones.  It doesn’t go into effect until 2012, but the Electronics Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act is expected to create a lot of revenue for local recycling companies.    

 

In 2008, Virginia passed a similar law, but it only applies to computer manufacturers.  

 

Tell us what you think--could Virginia benefit from something like the Electronics Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act?   Should the commonwealth amend its current e-cycling law to include other electronic products?

For a list of states with e-cycling laws, check out this pdf from ecyclingresource.org.  

Can you recycle a vending machine?

They’re a fixture in so many businesses around the country: vending machines.  Whether you’re at work, school, or the gym, you probably pass by one at least once a day.  

But have you ever wondered if vending machines can be recycled?

The answer: absolutely.

At first, recycling a vending machine might seem like an impossible task and in fact is often done incorrectly.  However, here is a list of just some of the materials that can be recycled from a single vending machine: 

The bulbs

 The coin and bill changer

·           The compressor, which is made of steel and copper, and contains oils.

The radiator, which is made of multiple materials such as steel, copper and aluminum. 

The circuit board

      

The motor

Refrigerants. These are the gases which keep the contents cold.

 The advertisement on the front of every vending machine is printed on a polycarbonate sheet.

The key to recycling these machines and others like them (such as refrigerators and air conditioners) is attention to detail. Simply crushing them and grinding them at a standard scrap yard doesn't do the trick because the gases, oils, bulbs and related nasties need to be treated first. The cool part is when done properly, these hazardous components are easily recycled.

How do you make sure the recycling is being done right? Make sure the facility you are using is certified to evacuate refrigerants, and ask to see documentation verifying where everything went. Your efforts on this front reward the good guys and of course ensure a healthy environment.

Does Zero Waste Exist?

Recently I was driving down the road and heard an ad from Subaru claiming their plant in Indiana is a zero waste facility. Could this be true?

http://green.autoblog.com/2006/10/31/subaru-zero-waste-factory-wins-epa-award/

We frankly don't see it as possible. One reason is not every material that comes out of these plants are technically recyclable. For example, the carpet used in cars is a hybrid type that has no markets. We also are all too aware that suppliers may be taking stuff back and saying the materials are recycled when in reality its not happening.

When we visited the Subaru website, turns out they are not claiming zero waste but zero waste to landfill. Is this true?

http://www.subaru.com/company/environment-sustainability.html

Clearly they are sending stuff to waste-to-energy facilities. Point of fact is the US Green Building Council doesn't allow projects to count waste going to these kinds of facilities as diversion because its really not. Its waste reduction. The burnt garbage, now in ash form, does indeed go to landfill. So how is this zero waste or no landfill.

So while we question the claims, we support the goal. The creation of waste by manufacturers points to inefficiencies, which we all pay for when we buy their products. Movings towards less waste is admirable and desirable. But lets not get ahead of ourselves with undeserved accolades.

Carpet Recycling 101

Not a day goes by that we don't get a call, email, or now Tweets asking us questions about carpet recycling. People are fascinated by it in ways that continues to surprise us. So we decided it was time to write a blog about it.

We should start by telling you that almost every ounce of carpet is made of plastic. That's right - the fibers you walk on are plastic! Very rarely do we run across carpet without plastic fiber. Care to guess non-plastic fiber type? Wool.

Here are the steps we perform to recycle carpet:

1. Collect it. This used to be more difficult than you can imagine because the carpet needed to be kept clean and dry due to the technology that is used to identify fiber type. Now with much better equipment we use open top dumpsters and customers can mix their carpet scrap with other waste materials.
2. Separate it from other materials. Most of the time our customers do NOT separate their carpet waste by type nor do they keep the carpet separate from other debris. And this is ok with us. When we get the loads, first we use an excavator to pick up debris and feed it into our conveyor system. Carpet ends up on our main sort line where workers drop all carpet and pad into a bin separate from other materials.
3. Spread and Sort. We then use a loader to move the carpet from the bin to a place on our plant floor where we can spread it out and access each and every piece. We then use a hand held computerized identifier than analyzes the fiber from each carpet roll or tile. Once we know what it is, we create piles for each grade.
4. Package it up. After we have piles with sufficient volumes of each type of carpet or pad, we then package the materials as required by our customers. Typically broadloom (rolled) carpet is baled so that each bale weighs in excess of 1000 lbs. Carpet tile is usually stacked on pallets and then wrapped in plastic. Its important that we examine each piece as we package to make sure no contamination, such as wood or non-recyclable carpet, makes it into the finished product. Currently we separate carpet into 10 different grades!
5. Store, Market & Ship. We keep at least 40,000 lbs of each grade on hand before shipping. Markets for us are as far away as central China, Europe, and South America. Customers for this material want us to ship as much as possible on a load to lower their overall cost.

What happens to the carpet next? Stay tuned for future posts.

A Fair Question....

The other day I ran across an intriguing sounding video, titled "How will the Sustainability Impact the Solid Waste Movement." Here is a link: http://bit.ly/m9Gsiv

Unfortunately when I watched the video it seemed like the usual industry patter. But I still think its a great and fair question that we should strive to answer.

The answer is probably highly variable, depending on who you ask. The Ace answer is people are definitely more interested in recycling than in years past, but problems with the US economy and the lack of policing on the green washing front is, to some extent, taking the edge off what should be wonderful times for those of us in the recycling space.

Over time the economy will recover and it won't be a moment too soon for all of us. There are also movements to certify facilities like ours, thus helping to remove false claims. I think the most promising of these has been put forth by the Construction Materials Recycling Association. Our fingers are crossed.

We'd like to hear what you think....

Is recycling good??

Most everyone we talk to agrees that recycling is great. Yet some building professionals don't always agree. Who is right?

The arguments against do have some validity. I read a post today where people were pointing out that recycling carpet pad (plastic) into new carpet pad means the chemicals associated with the older, potentially more noxious pad is brought into the newer, less problematic formulation. And this then compromises indoor air quality which can be a serious issue especially for those people with immune system sensitivities.

But if old pad can't be recycled into new and there are no other viable markets, is it better to ship all this material to landfills? Doesn't that impose a much more significant cost? Or is there a middle ground here where recycling can continue to exist as a great outcome with little to no negative effect? We know there is.

Old carpet pad can and should continue to be recycled into new product but should be labeled as having the recycled content and noting that such content may be a hazard to some users. There also should be pad offered to the market that offers an alternative therefore providing a true choice to consumers. A win win.

Other materials have similar tradeoffs but we think there is never a good argument against recycling. What do you think?

Help is on the way!

Ace has invested millions of dollars and employs many full time workers to have the capability of recycling construction debris. And with all of that investment and effort we are able to do great things, yet one of the things we have been unable to do properly is tell our story.

Why?

It's because there is no federal, state, local or private sector means to verify a company's recycling claims. A fact. So we end up competing agains landfills, a man and a truck, and other far less capable recycling operations that make wild and unverifiable claims about how much recycling they were able to achieve. Up to this point, the market perversely rewards this behavior because these folks give the market what it wants: high recycling rates at low cost (no overhead).

Facilities like ours have been clamoring for years now for somebody to step up and setup a system of independent verification. These cries for change have fallen on deaf ears. Until now.

The Construction Materials Recycling Association recently announced it is creating a program called Certification of Real Rates (CORR) to solve the problem. We of course hope its implemented and produces the kinds of results necessary to reward actual recycling from the normal business as usual.

Want to read more? Check out: http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/arcshow.html?id=11051600301

What to do with all that rain water?

In our last blog post, we talked making a rain garden. But what else can you do with collected rainwater? We've made ourselves a little list:

• Toilet flushing
• Car washing
• Pools
• Water a food garden

Some of these uses are more difficult than others to put into action. For example, we imagine flushing with rain water would involve pumps, valves, and duplicate piping and probably works best "wired" to one specific toilet in a house. But certainly fun to think about doing for sure!

At Ace we've put into action another use for rain water not listed above. We realize this might not be interest for home use (unless your kids are as messy as mine!) but its great for facilities like ours - dust control. We modified our downspots and piped ~ 30% of our roof surface area into an existing underground holding area. If you take a peek at the picture below you see a conference below with a white wall at the far end. This wall was poured to separate the water we hold, which can be up to 45,000 gallons at capacity, from our meeting space! Any overflow spills over the wall, flows under our raised conference table, and out a drain at the far end. The water we do use is pumped up to a room where 3 high capacity pumps move the water into our plant to be sprayed in areas where dust is created.

The point here is that collected rain water can be put to productive use, whether at home or work. You just need to creatively look at how and where you are using water and then start collecting that water!

Want to make your own rain garden?

Every garden needs rain to thrive.  So what is a “rain garden” exactly?    And what makes it different from a regular garden? 

A rain garden is “a planted depression that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas the opportunity to be absorbed."

There are a few advantages to having your own rain garden.  First, it will redirect precipitation, so that nearby storm drains don’t overflow when there’s a downpour.  As a result, your local water supply will also be cleaner, because it won’t take in as much runoff. 

Next, a rain garden is easy to maintain.  You don’t have to worry so much about watering your plants.  Instead, the set up of the garden does most of the work for you, collecting precipitation as it falls.    

Finally, it just looks nice!  A rain garden provides a splash of green in an otherwise concrete landscape. 

There are a couple things to consider, though, before making your own rain garden.  First, you can’t just plant anything that you want.  You should choose vegetation that can tolerate very wet soil for periods of time.  It’s also good to use plants native to your area, so that your rain garden blends in with the surrounding landscape. 

For directions on how to make your own rain garden, visit some of these websites:

http://www.socwa.org/nature/PDF/Rain%20Gardens.pdf

http://www.uri.edu/ce/wq/NEMO/Publications/index.htm#RainGarden

http://www.sustainability.uconn.edu/pdf/raingardenbroch.pdf

And don’t forget to check out Ace's Facebook and Flickr pages for pictures of our very own rain garden!

Connecting Memorial Day and Recycling

On Memorial Day, we remember all of those who have served our country and given the ultimate sacrafice. These days we tend to focus on the current conflicts though I naturally think back to Pearl Harbor and the beginnings of World War II. Why?

After the Japanese brought us into that war and we suddenly needed to gear up war time production of everthing from bullets to tanks, the US government issued a call to citizens to collect all sorts of materials necessary for the massive manufacturing effort. This early recycling drive planted the seeds for an industry that has evolved and grown even as wars have come and gone.

So today we would ask that you honor the brave men and women who have died for our freedoms by re-committing yourself and those around you to your recycling efforts at home, school and work.

Recycling turns trash into jobs!

Sounds provacative, right? But I see iterations of this headline on a very regular basis from around the country. The title of the blog today is verbatim from a Star Tribune (Minnesota) article published on June 1st. Check it out for yourself: http://www.startribune.com/business/120993779.html

The reason I bring it up is because here in the state of Virginia recycling is treated as a necessary evil, or at least that's how it feels. Clearly a more regulatory friendly environment and maybe some tax incentives would allow us to grow the industry here, and add real -green- jobs as we go.

But in spite of a persistently high unemployment rate, will it happen? Not anytime soon. Virginia continues to be landfill friendly with little on the horizon to indicate a change in direction.

Hopefully operations like ours will show a new direction that those in a position to create change can use!

The connection between obesity and construction debris!

Occassionally in this space we will talk about issues that are not directly about construction waste, but more generally about sustainability, which sometimes will include good and bad examples we see. Today's blog is such an example.

There is a lot of conversation these days about obesity, and the corporatization of food production. Tied to this issue is how to produce and distribute food sustainably. Needless to say, food can be enormously complicated and it can be difficult to know where to start if you feel compelled to be part of a solution.

I recently came across what I see as one aspect of a solution, which is improving the training of our city youth in healthier diets and food production. When you think about it, these kids are at the biggest disadvantage as a consumer because they are almost completely separated from food production. Food can appear to just show up on the plate ready to eat, which is oddly parallel to trash in the sense that in cities, trash placed curbside just magically disappears. Educate these kids and change behaviors with them and you have a good shot at a better future.

So if you want to be part of the solution, I'd encourage you to check out a program called Foodprints. These folks are already doing great work and want to build a teaching kitchen in a school. If that works, the sky is the limit. You can easily donate a small (or larger) amount of money and see direct and real results. Here is a link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/547484901/build-the-foodprints-kitchen-at-watkins-elementary-0

Where is the construction waste?

I'm sure if you've glanced at a newspaper or network news in the last couple of days, you've heard housing starts are at the lowest level since 1960 and 75% lower than just 5 years ago! Concurrently we are seeing federal, state and local governments trim budgets which is further tightening the construction market.

So what does a recycler of construction debris do?

Since we can't very well go out and generate waste ourselves, we've instead focused on tightening our operations and running extremely efficiently. We believe in the short term this will enable us to offer tremendous value to our customers (single stream construction debris recycling at competitive costs) and in the long term, will make us competitive for when the market revives.

One of the bottom lines of this extended downturn is its a buyers market. If you have a project planned but are not quite sure if now is a good time to start, keep in mind that it is unlikely that it will be quite this affordable for years to come! Ironic.

Recycling might have saved Bin Laden!

Yes, its true. MSNBC reported on its morning Joe program that one of the things that raised suspicions about the Bin Laden compound was the lack of garbage pickup. Everything was burned instead.

This raises an intriguing question: if the Bin Laden compound had contracted for garbage and recycling services, would he have been caught and killed? Could recycling have saved his life?

We here at Ace Recycling are glad Bin Laden is now dead and gone, but please don't make the same mistake he did. Recycle today :)

Richmond Getting on Sustainability Bus!

If you work in the green realm in or around the city of Richmond, you already know the city hired a very capable person as Sustainability Manager in Alicia Zatcoff. Now we hear she is putting together a group to develop a plan called "RVA Green: A Roadmap to Sustainability."

The plan will involve stakeholders in economic development, energy, environment, open space and land use, and transportation. If you haven't heard about this, definitely plan on becoming involved.

The first meeting will be June 9th 2011 at 1pm over at the Carillon at Byrd Park.

http://www.richmondgov.com/sustainabilityplan/RVAGreen.aspx

Hope to see you there!

Ryan goes public!

Earlier this week Ryan Schulze, our trusty and capable facility manager, spoke at the annual meeting of the Virginia Recycling Association. He talked about our plant, and despite technical difficulties with the computer that attempted to show his PowerPoint, the feedback was very positive.

Most of the people that attend this conference are industry professionals, with a few recycling fans sprinkled in. The highlight was a tour of Waterway Recycling, a company that takes in barge loads of construction debris. Seems they focus on concrete, unlike Ace that recycles the full spectrum of debris.

Many of the questions were about markets, as is usually the case. People are always amazed that we recycle so much carpet, for example. Future blogs will address this area for sure.

http://vrarecycles.org.dnnmax.com/Conference/tabid/58/Default.aspx

Nervous? Not us.

Today is the first day of Blogger school for us here at Ace. So while we have some first day jitters, we are excited more than nervous. We see this posting platform as a way to better connect with people interested in recycling and some of the innovative developments in our world.

In the coming days, months and years, staff here at Ace Recycling will be posting essays about issues near and dear to our hearts, or sometimes stuff that's just fun!

In the meantime please check out our Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ace-Recycling/206697086037550