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TRENDS & UPDATES
13recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2019
re-gen waste Invests mIllIons to meet
waste-to-energy demand
re-gen waste has
invested £5 million
(us$ 6.4 million) in
expanding its facility in
Newry, Northern Ireland.
The expansion support-
ed 20 construction jobs
and will create at least
30 permanent positions
when the project is com-
pleted next month.
Re-Gen provides mixed dry recycling and municipal solid waste col-
lection and processing services for public authorities and private
companies across the island of Ireland and the UK. It also recovers
energy from ‘unrecyclable’ household waste that was previously
sent to landfill.
The company currently exports over 80 000 tonnes of solid recov-
ered fuel annually to waste-to-energy plants across Europe. With
the investment, Re-Gen Waste will be able to manufacture higher
calorific value pellets and baled material for the cement and steel
industries. This output will be shipped abroad from local ports.
‘This is an incredibly important area of our work, as our throwaway
society is generating in excess of 27 million tonnes of mixed house-
hold waste per year in the UK alone,’ says managing director
Joseph Doherty.
Today, there are more than 2430 waste-to-energy plants in opera-
tion worldwide, capable of treating 360 million tonnes of material in
one year. Around 410 of these facilities are in Europe. The global
WtE market is projected to be worth US$ 42.7 billion (EUR 38.3 bil-
lion) by 2024, up from US$ 28.4 billion in 2017.
+49 221–4984–153 www.steinertglobal.com/waste-recycling
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SORTED
COMMERCIAL AND
PACKAGING WASTE
what Is the Best way to deal wIth modern-day
PackagIng?
recyclass, a Brussels-
based initiative dedicat-
ed to improving the rec-
ylability of packaging
products, is making
headway regarding plas-
tic film.
RecyClass carried out
tests on the compatibility
of the ethylene vinyl
alcohol (EVOH) barrier in
polyethlene (PE) film with
the recycling process.
The findings show that
EVOH with a threshold of
up to 5% of the total
weight of the PE film has
a slight impact on the
recycled material.
However, above this
limit, an immediate
impact on the extrusion process was observed. One of the results includes
increased yellowing of the material as well as a net increase of haze and gels &
specks and a frequent bubble breakage.
RecyClass design for recycling guidelines for PE films, as well as the RecyClass
tool, will be updated on the basis of these new findings. Accordingly, an EVOH
concentration below or equal to 5% by weight will be considered as having limit-
ed compatibility, and an EVOH concentration above 5% by weight will be treated
as ‘not compatible’ with recycling.
Consequently, within the RecyClass grading system (on the energy efficiency scale
from A to F), EVOH with a threshold of up to 5% of the total weight of the PE film
can be ranked maximally as class B1. This class implies that a package has some
‘minor’ recyclability issues.
‘Today, the industry is actively working on innovative packaging solutions that are
not disruptive to the recycling processes,’ RecyClass observes. ‘By evaluating the
new packaging technologies and providing advice on design we hope to help the
industry to ensure recyclability of products on the market.’
The tests were carried out in independent laboratories that run analyses on differ-
ent samples.
governor Puts us$ 1.5
mIllIon towards state’s
recyclIng
US governor Jim Justice announced big invest-
ments in West Virginia recycling companies at
the annual Educational Conference on Litter
Control & Solid Waste Management. The total
sum exceeds US$ 1.5 million (EUR 1.35 million).
The Recycling Assistance Grants will go to 27
local governments, educational institutions, and
other businesses across West Virginia. The
investments provide funding for recipients to
start, expand, or upgrade a variety of recycling
programmes throughout the state.
‘If you just go outside and look, we have the
most pristine air. With these grants, we can
continue to clean West Virginia up more and
more and more,’ Governor Justice said. ‘I want
everything pristine in West Virginia. I want our
grandkids to be able to continue enjoying all
the natural goodness we’re blessed with in our
great state.’
Who will receive what? The biggest investments
go to:
• Marion County Solid Waste Authority;
US$ 143 551
• Mason County Solid Waste Authority;
US$ 95 874
• Roane County Solid Waste Authority;
US$ 111 412
• Sunrise Sanitation Services; US$ 75 000
• Harrison County Recycling Center;
US$ 70 574
• Goodwill Industries of Kanawha Valley;
US$ 68 213
• Pleasants County Solid Waste Authority;
US$ 69 510
• Latrobe Street Mission; US$ 69 00
• Knighthorst Shredding; US$ 67 000
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