NICHE MARKET
39recyclinginternational.com | January/February | 2021
a non-waste fuel that generates
‘clean’ electricity and represents a
sustainable replacement for coal as
feedstock for the cement industry
and other energy-intensive consum-
ers. St. Peters says the key to
NuCycle’s fuel source is that it has a
British Thermal Unit (BTU) value of
between 9 500-10 500 BTU, similar to
coal. ‘An added benefit is that we
don’t include any chemicals in our
process. Our product is virtually mer-
cury free, chlorine free, and sulphur
free. That makes it a lot more environ-
ment-friendly than relying on tradi-
tional coal.’
Big plans ahead
NuCycle’s first recycling plant for
these signs is designed to process up
to 30 tonnes per hour at full capacity.
‘We began operations in March of
2019 and are still ramping up. We are
currently sending approximately 120
tonnes per day of material to cement
manufacturer Cemex in Brooksville,
Florida,’ St. Peters says.
The idea for FuelCubes dates back to
2004 when NuCycle was trying to find
a solution for various waste materials
that had a reputation for being diffi-
cult to recycle. ‘For example, we col-
lect waste as well as pre-consumer
materials from supermarkets Walmart
and Publix. We also work with furni-
ture outlet Rooms to Go, cookware
brand Williams Sonoma, and even
NASA, to name a few clients. I’m glad
to say that companies really like our
recycling programmes and so we con-
tinue to grow.’
The US recycling community has also
voiced support for NuCycle’s efforts.
‘All in all, we are eager to take
FuelCubes and our other recycling
projects to the next level,’ St. Peters
reports. ‘We are currently in the pro-
cess of setting up five additional
re cycling plants throughout the coun-
try in the next three years.’ This means
that the political yard signs amassed
during the 2024 elections are likely
to yield even more FuelCubes than
this time around. That’s worth voting
for.
Fotobijschrift
NuCycle’s first recycling plant for voting signs is designed to process up to 30 tonnes
per hour at full capacity.
Biden’s impact on recycling?
The Biden administration and Congress both want large infrastructure
spending packages to improve the nation’s transportation and communica-
tion systems, according to Billy Johnson, chief lobbyist of the Institute for
Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). Such packages could benefit the US recy-
cling sector, ISRI believes, potentially increasing recycled content in building
materials and also funding more studies into the use of recycled materials.
Meanwhile, more than 550 community and environmental advocacy groups,
led by the Center for Biological Diversity, are urging the new president to
take action to reduce plastic waste. They believe it could make a huge dif-
ference if Joe Biden exercises his federal powers by putting an end to gov-
ernment buying of single-use plastic products and driving a shift towards
reusable items. Advocates have also asked Biden to veto any sections of
spending bills that support chemical recycling, incineration or waste-to-
energy and to place a moratorium on the construction of new incinerators.
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