Waste Management Launches Big Green Initiative
Waste Management plans to spend hundreds of millions between now and 2020 to increase energy production from landfill waste, increase recycling, improve the fuel efficiency of its fleet and set aside land next to landfills for wildlife habitats. The company views this sustainable growth initiative as an investment in both its future and its bottom line. For example, the company already converts enough methane gas to electricity at 104 of the 283 landfills it owns or operates to power 1 million homes each year. Recently, the company announced plans to spend $400 million to add gas-to-energy equipment to 60 more landfills by 2012. The company will continue to spend $500 million per year for the next ten years on new more fuel efficient trucks. The new plan also calls for increasing its recycling rate from 8 million tons per year currently to 20 million tons per year by 2020. Finally, the company will expand its acreage set aside for wildlife habitat from 17,000 acres at 24 landfills to 25,000 acres across 100 sites by 2020...Read More »
Waste Management's Caldwell to Chair Keep America Beautiful Board
On the heels of its just announced "sustainable growth initiative," Waste Management, Inc. said that Barry H. Caldwell, senior vice president, government affairs and corporate communications has been elected to chairman of Keep America Beautiful's National Board of Directors. He assumes the chairmanship vacated by Ralph Scozzafava, formerly of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company...Read More »
New York's Big Waste Plan Hangs on State Assembly
New York City's ambitious new solid waste plan, passed amid some controversy last year, now faces a final hurdle at the state Assembly. The plan calls for increased reliance on the shipment of waste out of the city via barge and rail instead of trucks and calls for the construction of new waterfront transfer stations. Two stations were planned for Brooklyn, one for Queens and another on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The plan also proposes two more waterfront stations in Manhattan to handle commercial waste and recycling. One of these, a station on Gansevoort Street requires the approval of the state Legislature because of its proximity to the Hudson River Park. Here it faces opposition from angry state assemblymembers from Manhattan's West Side suffering from NIMBYism. The entire waste plan would have to be reconfigured should the Gansevoort facility proposal fail...Read More »
STB Will Consider Abuse of Unregulated Rail Waste Site Exemptions
The Surface Transportation Board is set to decide whether to tighten procedures that critics argue allow rail carriers and other businesses to establish essentially unregulated waste transfer stations along rail property. Several companies, particularly in the Northeast, have set up rail lines or constructed facilities along rail lines employing what is called a "class exemption" to avoid federal environmental review and state and local regulations. The STB said last week that it will consider asking those who file such exemptions whether they intend to move waste or construction and demolition debris. Such unregulated facilities, according to the major waste management associations and others, give them an unfair competitive advantage and poses risks to the environment...Read More »
Waste Companies Concerned SPSA Will Employ Flow Control
Five major waste companies that do business in southeastern Virginia and North Carolina are said to be pooling resources in opposition to the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA). That agency has been considering the use of flow controls to keep wastes generated within its eight member municipalities and the associated revenues to themselves. This would help them avoid having to charge their members much higher fees and free them from having to continue receiving a million tons of out-of-state wastes per year. In response, a coalition of firms including Waste Management, Waste Industries USA, Republic Services, Allied Waste and Bay Disposal argue that flow controls would create a monopoly price scheme that would dramatically increase commercial rates. SPSA, which has had financial troubles and more than $240 million in debt, counters that flow control would allow it to lower its disposal rates to the mid-fifties from $100 per ton that it charges now...Read More »
Heritage Environmental to Build First Arc Furnace Dust Recycling Facility
Indianapolis-based Heritage Environmental Services LLC in partnership with Nucor Corp. , based in Charlotte, N.C., will invest $30 million to construct a first-of-its-kind recycling facility in Blytheville, AR. The facility operating under a new company called PIZO Operating Co. LLC will recycle electric arc furnace dust from the nearby Nucor Hickman and Nucor Yamato steel plants. The process utilizes a proprietary technology called PIZO (short for pig iron, zinc and oxide) to convert the dust into crude zinc, oxide, pig iron and slag which can then be recycled...Read More »
Waste Industries USA, Inc. Acquisitions Will Add $3.1 Million in Sales
Waste Industries USA acquired three businesses in Atlanta and eastern North Carolina that will add about $3.1 million in annual revenues. The acquisitions include Sanitech/AWD, LLC, a private residential waste hauler that operates in the west Atlanta. Its volumes will be internalized to Waste Industries' Grady Road Landfill. Also purchased was Saunders Superior Services, Inc. in the Wilmington, NC whose operations will tuck into the company's already significant operations there, and Tyson Sanitation Services, Inc. whose operations will tuck into the company's Wilson and Rocky Mount operations...Read More »
Transload Acquires Allied landfill in Alabama
South Orange, N.J.-based TransLoad America Inc. is acquiring another landfill, this one in Brundidge, Alabama from Allied Waste Industries. The 500 ton-per-day landfill is located 60 miles southeast of Montgomery and is permitted to accept up to 7,500 tons per day. TransLoad plans to bale and shrink-wrap waste from its transfer stations in the Northeast for shipment by rail to Brundidge. Last year the company acquired the Central Wastes landfill in Ohio for the same purpose and as a part of the company's ambitious national waste-by-rail strategic plan...Read More »
Company Proposes to Build Plasma Plant in New Orleans
A relatively new company called Sun Energy Group LLC plans to spend $441 million to construct a plasma gasification plant in eastern New Orleans, LA. The plant, which could be operating by 2010, would process 2,500 tons of waste per day and generate 138 megawatts of power. Sun Energy recently filed an application to receive Gulf Opportunity Zone bonds for the project, but has not yet applied for the state permits necessary to build. The man behind the project is D'Juan Hernandez its president and CEO, a former executive of NRG Energy...Read More »
RecycleBank Expanding to Northeast, Wins Endorsement from Coke
RecycleBank, which creates incentives to recycle through partnerships, has expanded its service area into municipalities throughout the Northeast. It is just the beginning of the company's plan to grow throughout the country. Recently Shaw's Supermarkets joined the growing list of retailers partnering with RecycleBank on the program. The company also received a strong endorsement from Coca Cola which last week invested $2 million in the venture. Currently, RecycleBank's list of reward partners consists of more than 300 local and national retailers...Read More »
EQ Industrial Services Plans to Quit Apex Site
EQ Industrial Services has decided to relinquish its permit for the Apex hazardous waste processing and storage facility that caught fire back in October 2006. The company also agreed to pay $400,000 in fines and reimbursements. A report by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said the fire was fueled by unspent oxygen generators that were stored at the plant by mistake. The resulting blaze caused town officials to evacuate 16,000 residents at the time...Read More »
Startech Environmental Corp Reports Strong Third Quarter
Startech Environmental Corp., which makes a plasma converter system for the destruction of wastes, reported strong third quarter financial results that include an expansion of shareholder equity to over $5 million and cash on hand of about $10 million after generating sales of about $25 million...Read More »
Covanta to Announce Third Quarter Earnings on October 24
Covanta Holding Corp. will release third quarter earnings at the close of markets on October 24 and host a conference call the following day at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern) to discuss those results...Read More »
Waste Services, Inc. to Announce Third Quarter on October 30
Waste Services, Inc. plans to release third quarter earnings at the close of markets on October 30 and to conference call the following day at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern) to discuss those results...Read More »
Separation and Sorting Company S+S Expands To US
European separation and sorting company, S+S Separation and Sorting Technology GmbH, is expanding in the US with the opening of a new facility in Tucker, Georgia. The new corporation, S+S Inspection Inc., will provide sales and service for the wide range of S+S equipment throughout the US...Read More »
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