Tuesday, September 24, 1991

Recycling Flourishes in America and Abroad: Attwoods and Mindis Provide Recycling Services

The solid waste problem is not unique to one or two states or even to the United Stats only; other countries, such as the United Kingdom, are encountering similar challenges and implementing similar solutions - namely, recycling. Attwoods, Inc., under the banner of Community Recycling, is providing a range of recycling services to a number of communities in the United States and Europe.

A British company with United States operations headquartered in Coconut Grove, Florida, Attwoods has developed more than 45 recycling programs in the United States, more than doubling last year’s total.

Municipal programs are tailored to each community’s unique needs. Such programs may include all or some of the following: (1) source separated or commingled material collection, (2) collection from single family residences and /or multiple dwelling units, (3) the establishment of buyback or drop-off centers, (4) the construction and operation of materials recovery facilities, and (5) the implementation of community information and education programs.

These five aspects of Attwoods’ recycling programs were especially important in obtaining the largest single curbside recycling contract in the United States. That program is located in Dade County, Florida.

In addition to Dade County, Attwoods also has recycling programs in Florida’s Palm Beach, Duval, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, and Broward Counties, as well as in communities in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

Recently, Attwoods was awarded the largest single curbside recycling contract in the United Kingdom. The contract with Wet Sussex County Council is to handle source-separated curbside steel and aluminum food and beverage cans, newspaper, and plastic and glass containers. Attwoods has set up a materials recovery facility in West Sussex to handle the materials. Phased in over 12 months, the program will eventually serve 100,000 single-family residential
units in three areas: Adur, Worthing, and Arun District Councils.

“We believe that recycling should be a part of handling the solid waste that is generated in America, in Europe, and everywhere else,” said Richard Curry, Director of Marketing for Attwoods’ U.S. operations. “For this reason, Attwoods is prepared to provide more than just recycling services. We also provide educational services and will often build MRFs to process the materials.”

In the United States, the materials are first processed in one of Attwoods’ MRFs or in a MRF operated by another company. After being processed, the materials are often shipped to Mindis International, an Atlanta, Georgia-based company Attwoods acquired in 1989. Mindis, the recycling division of Attwoods’ U.S. operations, has a network of approximately 20 facilities in four states in the Southeast that market and supply recyclables to end users. Mindis
recycles over one billion pounds of recyclables annually.

Mindis markets its products through a central salesforce of product specialists to a wide range of users, including steel mini-mills, copper and aluminum mills, newsprint deinking plants, and glass and plastics manufacturers.

Friday, September 13, 1991

Mixed Waste Processing, A Recycling Option TRI State Leads The Way

Curbside recycling programs, drop-off collection sites, and multimaterial buyback centers - most consumers consider these programs their only choices for recycling materials. But there are other options.

Tri-State Recycling and Transfer operates a mixed waste processing facility in Galena, Kansas. Located in a 28,000 - square foot enclosed building, the facility takes in 200-300 tons of municipal solid waste each day. Recyclable materials are removed from the solid waste stream, processed, and sent to end markets.

“Because of the solid waste problems that exist, we need to bring waste into a new realm of processing,” said Duane Snapp, founder and member of the board of Tri-State Recycling and Transfer. “A mixed waste processing facility is the natural direction for solid waste to go. Recyclable materials do not have to be separated, and communities and waste haulers do not have to invest in recycling trucks. Instead, all solid waste comes here. It’s much more cost-effective.”

The recyclable materials that are extracted include: steel and aluminum cans; glass and plastic containers; several types of paper; corrugated cardboard; scrap steel, aluminum, copper, and brass; rags; and polyfilm.

The steel cans and other steel items are removed from the solid waste magnetically before the other materials, which are then hand-sorted.

The steel cans and other steel items are removed from the solid waste magnetically before the other materials, which are then hand-sorted.

Public service announcements have made consumers in Galena, Kansas aware that they are recycling “automatically” when they place recyclable containers in with their garbage. Consumers are encouraged to remove the steel lids from the glass containers so that the steel lids and the glass containers are more easily sorted for recycling.

Once sorted, the steel cans are baled and shipped to various end markets, where they are recycled.

Communities in the Midwest that are considering establishing waste processing facilities like Tri-State Recycling may be interested in a newly formed consulting firm called Duane Snapp Company. The firm was founded by Duane Snapp, former president of Tri-State.