The EZR Pre-Shredder that Rochester Iron and Metal operates features shrink discs made by MAV S.p.A.

Buffalo, New York-based Wendt Corp., the U.S. distributor for MTB Recycling of France, sold an EZR Pre-Shredder to Rochester Iron and Metal, Rochester, Indiana, in 2021 that features shrink discs made by MAV S.p.A.

The scrap metal processor worked with Wendt to install a 60-inch automobile shredder in 2012. After that machine had an incident with an unshreddable in 2018, causing multiple days of downtime, Rochester Iron & Metals President Jason Grube has said he decided to make some changes to the way the business operates, including the installation of the EZR Pre-Shredder.

The preshredder uses low-speed, high-torque technology to homogenize hammermill feedstock, allowing the primary shredder to achieve full-box shredding, increasing tons per hour while decreasing the wear on castings, according to Wendt. Operators also have the ability to catch and remove unshreddables prior to the material going to the primary shredder, reducing the chance for catastrophic failure. They also can puncture explosive containers without creating an ignition source, helping to reduce the number of explosions in the hammermill shredder, the supplier says. 

In addition to these benefits, the EZR offers energy efficiency by using synchronous high-torque electric motors that feature shrink discs made by Italy-based MAV, a product line of Fenner Drives.

The MAV 3208 shrink discs, which are mounted on the extraction and feeding rotors, helped to achieve electrification of the unit. The shrink discs connect the gearbox’s hub to the rotor’s shaft, allowing MTB to use gearboxes with hollow, low-speed shafts and a compact design, saving weight and space in the EZR.

The MAV shrink discs have a clearance-fit mounting and require no keyway making, them easier to install and remove, according to the company. In addition, the high contact pressure between the parts creates a stronger connection and a longer useful lifetime, especially in applications like shredders, with shock or reversing loads. It also eliminates fretting corrosion.

Previous generations of preshredders relied on hydraulics because of the large amount of power required, MAV says. In addition, the electric units have a smaller footprint and are less complex than hydraulic models.

“We are basically going to become an 80-inch mill without the installation costs,” Dan Zeiger, controller for Rochester Iron and Metal, said when the addition of the preshredder was announced. “From a financial perspective, the payback estimations are in months, not years.”

Lawmakers are pushing for an increase in sustainability amid reports stating the U.S. has a national recycling rate of 32 percent.

Congressmen Joe Neguse of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennesee and Bill Foster of Illinois have introduced legislation to identify national composting infrastructure challenges and improve recycling data measurement and reporting. Called the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCAA), the bill is designed to fill information gaps in America’s recycling and composting systems.  

“To support American sustainability and ensure that we are doing all we can as a nation to help protect our environment, we must promote recycling and waste reduction in our communities, empowering individuals to make conscious decisions that have a real, cumulative impact on our environment,” says Neguse. “This bill will ensure that Americans have the resources and information needed to support recycling efforts. It also increases government support for these processes, moving our nation toward sustainability.”  

The RCAA would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collect and publish data on recycling and composting rates across the country to provide an accurate reflection of performance nationwide and at the state level.  

identify national composting infrastructure challenges by requiring the EPA to work with state, local and Tribal governments to assess the capability of the United States to implement a national residential composting strategy.   

improve recycling data measurement and reporting by creating a comprehensive baseline of data on the U.S. recycling system.   

assess end markets and diversion by directing the EPA to prepare a report on the end market sale of all recyclable materials and compostable materials collected from households and publicly available drop-off centers.  

evaluate federal recycling practices by asking the Government Accountability Office to examine the recycling practices across the federal government and issue a report that documents the annual recycling rates of federal agencies.  

establish recycling and composting best practices by using improved data collection and reporting. The RCAA would establish voluntary guidelines for state, local and Tribal governments to enhance recycling and composting efforts. 

“It’s important to understand how successful the different recycling programs are before making policy decisions,” says Billy Johnson, ISRI’s chief lobbyist, in a statement on ISRI’s website. “Collecting data on recycling and composting programs around the country will help legislators get the information they need to make good policy decisions.”  

In March, a similar bill was introduced in the Senate. The Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act would establish a pilot rural recycling program at the EPA. The goal is to fund eligible projects that significantly improve access to recycling systems in underserved communities through a hub-and-spoke model for recycling infrastructure development.  

ISRI says it intends to help the RCAA move forward as well as its counterpart legislation in the U.S. Senate. The House Energy & Commerce Committee intends to hold a hearing June 30 to discuss recycling and the RCAA bill. ISRI says it will keep members updated on any changes.  

Austria’s Heinzel Group says it has purchased a UPM newsprint mill in that nation and is considering the conversion.

Laakirchen, Austria-based Heinzel Group says it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Finland-based UPM to acquire UPM Kymmene Austria GmbH and its subsidiaries in Steyrermühl, Upper Austria. The deal is contingent on approval from relevant regulatory authorities.

“Together with Heinzel's Laakirchen Papier AG, which is located less than 3 kilometers from the Steyrermühl paper mill, the site will become a hub for sustainable packaging papers and renewable energy with [the anticipated] closing of the transaction on January 1, 2024,” states Heinzel Group.

UPM currently operates one paper machine for newsprint production at the site, plus a sawmill and a residue incineration plant co-owned with Heinzel. UPM says it plans to continue operations as they are until the end of 2023, when it will cease the production of graphic papers in Steyrermühl.

Heinzel Group says it will use the time between signing and closing of the transaction to evaluate and, if feasible, plan and prepare a conversion of Steyrermühl’s capacity to the production of packaging papers. This evaluation will include not only the paper machine that is currently running but also a second paper machine at the site that was idled by UPM in 2017, the Austrian buyer says.

Currently, Heinzel Group produces a range of papers for flexible packing (kraft papers) and rigid packaging (containerboard) at its sites in Pöls, Laakirchen and Raubling, Austria. On its website, the company says it uses some 975,000 metric tons per year of recovered fiber to help supply its mills.

“In Steyrermühl, we will be looking at complementing our existing products; we see great potential in the fast-growing markets for sustainable packaging papers,” says Heinzel Group CEO Sebastian Heinzel.

Additionally, Heinzel Group says it will consider developing Steyrermühl into a supply center for heat and energy for both the Laakirchen paper mill and the wider Laakirchen community. “The recent developments in Europe have shown us all how important it is to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and gas,” Heinzel Group Chief Operating Officer Kurt Maier says.

“At our neighboring Laakirchen mill, we have successfully shown that there is a future after the end of graphic paper production, and this future is based on sustainable packaging papers and green energy,” says Thomas Welt, CEO of Laakirchen Papier AG.

Heinzel Group operates paper and board production companies Zellstoff Pöls, Laakirchen Papier, Raubling Papier and Estonian Cell and trading companies Heinzelsales, Europapier and Bunzl & Biach.

Steel and scrap company’s net earnings rose 140 percent compared with the same quarter in 2021.

Irving, Texas-based Commercial Metals Co. (CMC) says its net earnings of $312.4 million earned in the quarter ending May 31, represent a 140 percent increase compared with the $130.4 million earned in the same timeframe in 2021.

During the March 1 to May 31 period this year, which represents the third quarter of CMC’s 2022 fiscal year, the company says it garnered $483.9 million in “core earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), representing a 110 percent increase year on year.”

“Margins over scrap in North America and Europe reflect strong market conditions and favorable customer sentiment,” according to the company, which also cites “continued strength in [the] North America downstream pipeline, with record bid activity and backlog levels on both a volume and price basis” as a reason for optimism.

Barbara R. Smith, board chair, president and CEO of CMC, says, “The third quarter was another remarkable financial result for our company, underpinned by strong operational execution and robust market conditions across our key geographies. Our team produced record quarterly adjusted EBITDA that nearly matched the best annual performance in the history of CMC's Europe segment.”

Smith also praises CMC employees at its steel mill complex in Poland for humanitarian efforts made in response to Ukrainians fleeing that nation’s invasion by Russia. “CMC employees in Poland have opened their homes and communities in a heartfelt grassroots effort to assist refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine,” she remarks.

CMC, an operator of several scrap-fed electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills, says demand for its finished steel products in North America was robust during the quarter, with several key internal and external indicators pointing toward continued strength. “Steel products have experienced five consecutive quarters of year-over-year margin expansion, while margins on raw material sales have grown for nine consecutive quarters,” states the firm.

In the March to May 2022 period, the average selling price for steel products increased by $316 per ton compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2021, while the cost of scrap used rose by $103 per ton. “The result was a year-over-year increase of $213 per ton in margin over scrap,” says CMC.

In Europe, the company faced supply constraints, but CMC writes, “As a result of continued strong demand and constrained supply in the wake of trade sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the average [steel] selling price increased by $303 per ton compared to the prior-year quarter, while the cost of scrap utilized rose $154 per ton. The result was a year-over-year increase in margin over scrap of $149 per ton.”

Looking ahead, Smith remarks, “We anticipate strong financial performance to continue in the fourth quarter. Robust demand for each of CMC’s major product lines is expected to persist, augmented by our growing downstream backlog and solid levels of new work entering the project pipeline. Margins over scrap in both North America and Europe should remain at levels near those of the third quarter, driven by favorable market conditions across our geographies.”

She adds, “The expected early calendar 2023 startup of our Arizona 2 micromill will provide CMC with a greater flexibility to capitalize on these anticipated favorable demand conditions.”

California company says it helped divert 1.3 million tons of recyclable and compostable materials from landfills last year.

San Francisco-based Recology says information gathered for its 2022 Sustainability Update includes that last year, “In partnership with industry peers, Recology collected and processed more than 1.3 million tons of recyclable and compostable materials, including more than 735,000 tons of organic materials.”

The company calculates its recycling and composting activities of Recology and its partners “avoided 1.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gas equivalents in 2021, which is nine times more than the emissions generated from the company’s own operations.”

Regarding the curbside recyclables and organic material collected, Recology CEO Sal Coniglio comments, “All of that is material that’s been diverted from the landfill. By recovering recyclable materials and turning food scraps and yard trimmings into rich compost for farms, we’re helping this material achieve its highest and best use.”

Other 2021 activities highlighted in the report include that Recology has been involved in commercial-scale composting for 25 years, with Recology saying it helped pioneer that activity.

The company says last year it also engaged in “maintaining commitments to maximize resource recovery and address climate change through the expanded use of renewable fuels, carbon-free electricity and more.”

Recology says it continues to expand its organics processing services. In California, the company says it is helping communities meet the organic waste recovery targets and other requirements of SB 1383, the statewide law requiring all municipalities to reduce landfilling of compostable materials by 75 percent by 2025.

“We continue to push the boundaries of resource recovery, investing millions in our composting facilities in Oregon and California and positioning ourselves to help jurisdictions meet the requirements of progressive organics recovery legislation,” says Coniglio.

The report also indicates Recology powered nearly 83 percent of its collection fleet with renewable or alternative fuels in 2021, an improvement from 80 percent in 2020. “This achievement is owed to a company-wide transition to more sustainable fuels including renewable diesel (R99) and renewable natural gas,” the firm says.

“When I look at 2022 and beyond, I see opportunity,” Coniglio says. Among those, he lists an “opportunity to further invest in resource recovery, to keep materials out of landfills and to support the circular economy.”