The city has partnered with the Foodservice Packaging Institute to include paper cups to its curbside recycling program.

The city of Atlanta is adding paper cups to its curbside recycling program through a partnership with the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI), Falls Church, Virginia.

According to a news release from FPI, Atlanta’s curbside recycling program is the 11th to partner with FPI to recycle paper cups. The cups collected in the curbside recycling program will be recycled and sorted at a material recovery facility. FPI reports that the recycled paper, including the paper cups, will be sent to paper mills to make new recycled-content products.

“Atlanta is committed to growing its opportunities for recycling,” says Kanika Greenlee, program management office for Atlanta’s Department of Public Works. “FPI’s grant helps us educate our community, which includes over 98,000 households in the city of Atlanta, to participate in paper cup recycling. We encourage residents to clean and empty their paper beverage cups, like coffee and soda cups, and place them in their recycling cart or drop them off at one of the county’s recycling centers.”

To increase awareness about this new recycling initiative, Atlanta is launching an outreach campaign featuring a recycling education video, social media content and outdoor advertisements with support from a communications grant from FPI. The campaign will highlight the addition of the paper cups and remind residents that all recyclables should be clean and empty when placed in curbside recycling carts.

“Atlanta is a leader in its recycling efforts by adding paper cups to its program and raising awareness of recycling foodservice packaging items,” says Natha Dempsey, president of FPI. “We are proud to partner with the city and our FPI members to support this partnership to enable residents to recycle rather than dispose of these items.”

Containerboard and boxboard production were up in the third quarter of 2021 compared with the prior year.

Containerboard and boxboard production in the United States in 2021 continues to outpace last year’s performance, according to the Washington-based American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA).

Total containerboard production in the U.S. in the third quarter increased 9 percent compared with the same three months of last year. Output is up 7 percent year to date, says AF&PA.

The containerboard mill operating rate averaged 95.6 percent in the third quarter of this year, up 1.7 points from the third quarter of 2020. The year-to-date average operating rate is up 1.5 points in 2021 compared with last year.

Overseas demand for U.S.-made containerboard enjoyed a bump, with AF&PA reporting that in this year’s third-quarter exports of containerboard increased 10 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Year-to-date, however, containerboard exports are down 15 percent compared with 2020.

Production figures for boxboard also are showing an increase, although recycled-content boxboard production lags the gains enjoyed by boxboard made with other materials.

Recycled-content boxboard production in the third quarter increased 1 percent compared with last year’s third quarter, while year to date it is down 1 percent.

Solid bleached boxboard production in the third quarter, meanwhile, increased by 10 percent compared with last year’s third quarter. It is up 1 percent year to date. Unbleached kraft and gypsum board production this year’s third quarter increased 5 percent compared with last year and is up 5 percent year to date.

Automated sorting and conveying equipment from German company on the job at FCC plant in Spain.

Spain-based FCC Medio Ambiente has worked with Germany-based Stadler to complete the renovation of its CITR (Centro Integral de Tratamiento) material recovery facility (MRF) and waste treatment plant in El Campello, Spain. FCC Medio Ambiente chose Stadler for the renovation “based on the long-standing relationship between the two companies,” states Stadler.

FCC Medio Ambiente, part of the FCC Group, has been managing the plant since April 2009. Stadler calls CITR “a large facility that manages extreme variations in waste input.” It serves 52 municipalities in the region.

“The size of the facility, the short time in which to complete the works, and the added complexity of having to carry out the refurbishment while the plant was in operation, were factors that drove our decision to choose Stadler,” says Javier Cerezo, technical manager of FCC Medio Ambiente.

Policarpo Caballero, Stadler project manager, says, “It has been a challenge for several reasons: the project was implemented in five different phases, and we have had to adjust to the existing infrastructure. In a new project, it is easier to fit everything in because you start from scratch. In this case, precision has been critical in installing our equipment without damaging the existing machines.”

Cerezo says, “The waste treatment sector in Spain has been in constant evolution for many years now, and it will continue to do so in order to address the challenge of the European objectives. With new technologies such as Stadler’s it is possible to extract more materials, with better quality, from the processed waste, as well as producing compost or alternative fuels.”

Over the course of three months, Stadler says it replaced technology that had become obsolete with “the latest generation equipment and leading brands in the waste treatment sector.”

The CITR has been refurbished to achieve “greater recovery of materials, the treatment of organic waste from separate collection and a more careful management of odor emissions. In addition, a facility such as the CITR has a key role to play in the circular economy,” says Cerezo.

The five phases of the project consisted of the installation of the new equipment in five areas of the facility: compost, refining, biomethanization, municipal solid waste (MSW) and selective organic collection. Stadler supplied and installed two trommels for screening closed bags and bottles of different from bulky waste after passing through a shredder.

The integration of a solid recovered fuel (SRF) production line for cement is another element of the refurbished plant. Says Cerezo, “This line incorporates, among other processes, a low-temperature drying stage to guarantee the required humidity. The plant has been fitted with the equipment needed to produce SRF practically to demand, as it is able to control parameters such as composition, granulometry and moisture content.”

“In short, the aim was to recycle more and better, reducing the environmental impact,” says Ana López of FCC Servicios Ciudadanos. “It was an automated plant with optical separators, but with old models that did not work properly. The plant’s technology had become obsolete and had reached the end of its useful life. New equipment with the latest technology was needed to achieve the desired byproduct treatment and recovery objectives.”

“Everything went very well, the work was completed on time, all thanks to our excellent fitters and good coordination with FCC Medio Ambiente,” Caballero says.

Cerezo adds, “The teams from both companies have been able to coordinate perfectly and adapt to the changes.” Of Stadler, he says, “Its experience in the design of waste treatment lines has been of enormous help in modernizing the CITR. I recommend Stadler for its seriousness, professionalism, the quality of its equipment and of the machinery installed, among other reasons. Without a doubt, Stadler has proven to be a reliable supplier of waste treatment plants.”

Industry association offers look at status of waste-to-energy in Europe in October 25 online program.

The Brussels-based European Suppliers of Waste-to-Energy Technology (ESWET) organization is hosting an online event Monday, October 25, to discuss the role of waste-to-energy (WTE) technology in the future of handling difficult to recycle materials.

ESWET says the “Waste-to-Energy: The Beauty or the Beast?” program will bring together both “supporters and opponents of the technology at the same table.”

Topics discussed by panelists will include: what will European waste management look like in the next 30 years?; can we avoid the generation of non-recyclable waste?; can WTE become carbon neutral thanks to the integration of carbon capture and storage (CCS)?.

ESWET says panelists include “experts from the waste management industry, consultancies and the NGOs most active on the topic.” The session takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central European Time (8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States).

Organizations and companies represented by speakers and panelists include ESWET itself; the Brussels-based European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD); the Oslo-based Bellona Europa foundation; and Brussels-based NGO Zero Waste Europe.

More information on the event, including how to register at no charge, can be found on this web page.

California Milk Advisory Board says it will publicize collection of HDPE containers for recycling.

The Tracy, California-based California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has launched a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the recyclability of milk jugs made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. The “Recycle the Jug” campaign is designed to “drive sustainable behavior change across the state by addressing misconceptions to ensure plastic milk jugs make it into the recycling stream,” the CMAB says.

A 2021 study conducted by a dairy industry coalition showed that while 70 percent of California consumers said recyclability is important to them, nearly half (47 percent) found the milk jug “difficult to recycle,” and 32 percent of those consumers reported they did not trust it will actually be recycled, the CMAB says.

Securing adequate supplies of recycled-content HDPE are poised to become more important in California, where a bill signed into law by California’s governor last year has set targets on the use of recycled content in packaging.

“California consumers are dedicated to doing their part to recycle, but many don't understand that the HDPE used for plastic milk jugs is one of the most widely accepted plastics in recycling programs across the United States,” says John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. “It’s highly desirable by recyclers because of its value and ability to be turned into new materials. We want to encourage consumers who buy milk in the jug to make sure that jug makes it to the recycling bin to help keep plastic out of landfills.”

CMAB says it will work with the dairy, retail and recycling industries to have the Recycle the Jug campaign encourage consumers to take three steps to recycle their plastic milk jugs: “Pour it. Cap it. Bin it.”

“HDPE is a valuable resource for recyclers because it can go into a variety of materials, from plastic lumber to packaging for products like milk,” says Tim Dewey-Mattia of Napa, California-based Napa Recycling & Waste Services. “Because natural HDPE doesn’t have color added, recyclers can add any type of ink or color when reused. Milk jugs are easy to recognize and sort at recycling centers, so consumers can have confidence that their milk jug will actually be recycled. And that reduces the use of virgin materials, saves energy and saves money for both consumers and recycling companies.”

A new Recylethejug.com website has been created in collaboration with the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) to provide information on the recycling of milk jugs and other containers. 

Yin Woon Rani, CEO of MilkPEP, says, “Dairy processors are constantly exploring ways to provide milk in the most convenient, sustainable packaging – using more recycled HDPE is one example. More recycled content means lower costs for packaging manufacturers and that’s what this campaign encourages. The more consumers put their milk jugs into the recycling bin, the more responsibly made packaging we can make, and that’s something consumers can feel good about.”

The CMAB, which has ties to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farms.