Sacramento, CA— As part of an ongoing statewide
effort to maximize beverage container recycling opportunities, the state
Department of Conservation has awarded $10 million in grants aimed at
“closing the recycling loop” through better recovery and re-use
of beverage containers in new products and packaging.
In all, 12 projects are slated to receive funding to
increase the recycling rate of California Refund Value (CRV) beverage
containers through (1) new and expanded end-uses for aluminum, glass and
plastic beverage containers and (2) improved supplies and quality of recycled
feedstock for use in manufacturing. The grant program also aims to stimulate
job creation in the state.
The grant funding supports a variety of projects including
the development of a new reclamation facility to process an additional
60 million pounds of PET (clear plastic) annually that can be used for
in manufacturing new plastic bottles. Other projects include recycled
glass processing systems, improved glass sorting technologies and expanded
curbside recycling programs.
•Allan Co., Baldwin Park: Project will include
the installation of two optical sorting systems to color-sort broken
glass processed in a materials recovery facility. Grant award amount:
$211,500. Contact: Steve Young: (626) 962-4047.
•Arcata Community Recycling, Humboldt County:
Install new processing line at a materials recovery facility to handle
30 tons per day of commingled beverage containers. Will allow rural
communities to consolidate & expand curbside services and recycling
opportunities. Grant award amount: $981,340. Contact: Mark Loughmiller
(707) 822-4542 Ext. 210.
•CA Waste Solutions, Inc., San Jose: Increase
volume & quality of single-stream curbside-collected glass. Will
install state-of-the-art Titus Fines Recovery System at a materials
recovery facility to separate broken glass “fines” from
other materials. Will recover additional glass now lost in processing
& increase scrap value. Grant award amount: $231,854. Contact: Brian
Jones (408) 292-0830.
•Center for Environmental Economic Development,
Humboldt County: Expand markets for low-value broken glass by helping
brick & tile manufacturers & others use recycled feedstock.
Will develop a multi-pronged Recycled Glass Feedstock Conversion Project,
including market research, technical assistance & outreach to manufacturers,
product distribution support, and an awards program. Grant award amount:
$191,895. Contact: Daniel Ihara (707) 822-8347.
•Cold Canyon Processing Facilities, San Luis
Obispo: Install a General Kinematics De-stoner to recover broken glass
from materials recovery facility residue (currently landfilled). Grant
award amount: $69,500. Contact: Tom Martin (805) 543-2910.
•eCullet, Inc., Menlo Park: Develop a large-scale,
commercially viable recycled glass processing system to remove contaminants
and optically sort flint, amber and green fractions from heavily contaminated
mixed-color broken glass. Production unit will be capable of processing
residue from a large materials recovery facility (MRF) and producing
furnace-ready cullet. Unit will process MRF residue on site or at another
facility at 24 tons per hour or faster. Grant award amount: $640,000.
Contact: Farook Afsari (650) 233-6650.
•IMS Recycling, San Diego: Install 3 state-of-the-art
optical sorting systems at a materials recovery facility to increase
recovery of California Refund Value containers (all materials) from
paper stream and from container stream. Grant award amount: $293,791.
Contact: Mike Howard (619) 231-2521.
•Plastic Recycling Corporation of California,
Sonoma: Build a comprehensive reclaiming system for clear plastic using
European technology. Plant will be patterned after existing state-of-the-art
plant in France. Total capital cost of plant including equipment, building
improvements & engineering will be $20+ million. Grant award amount:
$4,908,707. Contact: Patty Moore (707) 935-1997.
•SF Recycling & Disposal, San Francisco:
Increase volume & quality of single-stream curbside-collected glass.
Will install state-of-the-art Titus Fines Recovery System at a materials
recovery facility to separate broken glass “fines” from
other materials. Will recover additional glass now lost in processing
& increase scrap value. Grant award amount: $265,508. Contact: Maurice
Quillen (415) 330-1400.
•Strategic Materials, Inc., San Leandro: Expand
color-sorting capabilities by the Beneficiating Processor (final Processor
that produces furnace-ready feedstock), to upgrade broken mixed-color
glass to manufacturing specifications for containers & fiberglass.
Grant award amount: $1,275,000. Contact: Tex Corley (281) 966-5700.
•Sun Valley Paper Stock, Inc., Sun Valley: Install
“air knife” system to increase recovery of glass from a
materials recovery facility, especially glass “fines” less
than 1/4 inch in size. Grant award amount: $45,205. Contact: Leonard
Lang (818) 767-1323.
•Talco Plastics Inc., Long Beach: Expand high
density polyethylene plastic (HDPE) recycling by installing equipment
to increase reclaiming capacity by 33%; reduce processing costs to better
compete with virgin HDPE. Will increase production by 3 million pounds
in first year. Will provide feedstock for vertically integrated manufacturing
of home & garden products as well as outside customers. Grant award
amount: $885,700. Contact: Stan Kezar (562) 630-1224.
