The “Market Dislocation: Where is the Market Post-Coronavirus?” session will cover topics including macro and structural changes in environmental services, volumes, competition, business models, and more.

Although the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have drastically changed almost every facet of the industry, the waste and environmental services market has continued to perform well as investors flock to resilient industries with strong growth prospects.

According to the Environmental Services banking team at the New York office of Japan-based Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), despite a reduction in waste volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic, “the waste management industry has proven strong, with increasingly agile companies operating in what has historically been a resilient business.”

With the waste management industry seen as a ripe opportunity for continued consolidation, Waste Today’s 2020 Corporate Growth Conference will highlight the current waste and environmental services markets during its “Market Dislocation: Where is the Market Post-Coronavirus?” session.

Taking place on Oct. 14 at 12:25 p.m. EST, the panel discussion will cover the topics of macro and structural changes in environmental services, volumes, competition, business models, and more.

Brown Gibbons Lang & Co. Managing Director and Principal Effram Kaplan will moderate the session, which features speakers Bob Cappadona, president and COO of Veolia North America; Pat Dovigi, founder and CEO of GFL Environmental; and David Stanton, president of Clean Earth.

To register or for more information on this year’s Corporate Growth Conference, click here.

Magazine will ally with Davis Index on three-times-per-year print and digital supplement.

The Valley View, Ohio-based Recycling Today Media Group has announced the creation of a new supplemental publication titled Scrap Recycling. The new publication will carry the tagline “Dedicated to the business of scrap management and recycling” and will be distributed in print along with the group’s flagship title, Recycling Today, three times in 2021. Its content also will be available online at www.RecyclingToday.com.

The media group says the new supplement will build upon Recycling Today’s 57 years of covering the scrap and recycling industry. Topics to be covered include analysis of global scrap metal flows, volume and pricing trends, processing and melt shop technology and company profiles.

In conjunction with the launch of Scrap Recycling, the group has announced a collaboration agreement with Davis Index. With North American headquarters in Toronto and offices worldwide, Davis Index produces a range of ferrous and nonferrous pricing indexes used by scrap dealers, brokers, generators and consumers, plus original equipment manufacturers worldwide. Analysts from Davis Index will contribute exclusive editorial features to each issue of Scrap Recycling.

“We’re excited to introduce this new publication,” says Jim Keefe, Recycling Today publisher. “We know that our readers across the scrap processing and auto recycling space, as well as other recyclers handling metals, benefit from our coverage of the industry. Our collaboration with Davis Index allows that coverage to become deeper and to integrate more real-time market intelligence. Sean Davidson and the team at Davis have built some powerful tools for the metal recycling industry and will add great value to this new publication.”

Sean Davidson, CEO of Davis Index, says, “Davis Index is excited about bringing its market insights to Recycling Today’s audience. We have built our platform to serve the recycling industry and look forward to Scrap Recycling becoming a meaningful asset to the industry. We will focus our efforts on detailing the supply and demand fundamentals affecting prices across various metal groups. These reports from our team of industry experts will deliver actionable outlooks.”

Scrap Recycling will debut in January 2021 with additional issues in June and October. For decades, Recycling Today has published its annual scrap metals supplement in January. This new publication will build upon that established advertiser- and reader-supported supplement.

Founded in 1963 as Secondary Raw Materials magazine, Recycling Today publishes a monthly print edition and annual buyers’ guide. Its portfolio includes a twice-weekly e-newsletter and the targeted e-mailed products Auto Shredding News, Electronics Recycling Report, Plastics Recycling Report, Recycling Today Global Report and the Mexico and Latin America Business Monitor. RecyclingToday.com hosts thousands of users monthly viewing hundreds of thousands of pages. The Recycling Today Media Group is a business unit of GIE Media Inc.

Davis Index describes itself as the world’s leading provider of scrap pricing data and market intelligence. The company says its “robust methodologies ensure delivery of the industry’s most accurate scrap prices, helping companies improve and secure margins.” Davis Index says it publishes more daily scrap prices, steel prices and base metal prices than any existing price reporting agency.

Consisting of five integrated processing modules to process 40-50 bales per hour, WSM says the system delivers process ready feedstock for large scale biofuel, bio-refining, bio-power and agricultural feed operations.

West Salem Machinery (WSM) has introduced its Bale Processing System, an automated, high-volume processing system for baled agricultural residuals. Consisting of five integrated processing modules to process 40-50 bales per hour, WSM says the system delivers process ready feedstock for large scale biofuel, bio-refining, bio-power and agricultural feed operations.

Bulk receiving, singulating, orientation and inspection are the first stage of the process. The unique quality control (QC) inspection station with reject option provides an added layer of protection, while WSM’s Bale Destringer removes twine, with an adjustable opening to handle various sized rectangular bales.

In addition, the company says the built-in disposal system removes string from the processing line. WSM’s Bale Chopper deconstructs the bale and performs the initial size reduction.

The Screening/Cleaning System can reduce maintenance by pre-screening dirt, grit, ferrous metal, and other contaminants from chopped fiber and classifies sized material prior to milling for reduced power consumption.

Operators can produce process-ready feedstock, sized to work with your conversion technology, with WSM’s massive Super Shredders. The high capacity and high efficiency machines, suitable for 24/7 operations, ensure users the finished product they need.

For more information on the Bale Processing System, contact WSM at info@westsalem.com.

Wastequip WRX is a turnkey service center offering parts, service and installation for most types of waste-handling equipment.

Wastequip, Charlotte, North Carolina, announced it opened its second Wastequip WRX (pronounced “works”) facility Oct. 9. Its inaugural Wastequip WRX facility was opened in Pompano Beach, Florida, in July. Its second facility is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

According to the company, Wastequip WRX is a turnkey service center offering parts, service and installation for most types of waste-handling equipment. The business specializes in the company’s Mountain Tarp and Pioneer tarping systems, Galbreath hoists and Amrep refuse trucks, and Go To Parts OEM and aftermarket parts.

“As Wastequip began to formulate expansion plans for its Amrep brand, the company knew that service and support would be key to its hauler and municipal customers,” Wastequip CEO Marty Bryant says. “Despite having a robust dealer network—which we will continue to maintain—Wastequip sought to provide current and new customers with additional and convenient options.”

All service at these facilities is performed by factory-authorized and -trained technicians. Several more Wastequip WRX locations will be opening across the U.S. in the coming months, the company says.

WSU researchers developed a process that pulverizes drywall scrap from construction and demolition to turn it into a usable building material.

Washington State University (WSU) has received a commercialization grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust that will go towards developing nonstructural building materials made from recycled gypsum drywall, WSU reports. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust helps support community-focused organizations in the Pacific Northwest through grants, enrichment programming and other resources. WSU will partner with Mill Creek, Washington-based DTG Recycle on the initiative.

According to WSU, researchers “developed a unique process that pulverizes the drywall scrap and turns it into a useable building material. The waste is mixed with water and carbon-neutral binders and pressed into building blocks using a low-energy compaction process. The blocks can be made on-site using portable machines or off-site using existing machinery at conventional masonry plants and can use up to 90 percent of the drywall waste.”

According to DTG Associate General Counsel John Martin, both demolition and clean drywall scraps can be used during this process; however, contractors supplying this material from demolition projects have to confirm the material is clean from contaminants that could be harmful to human health or the environment.

According to WSU, the blocks are durable, fireproof, weigh half as much as conventional concrete blocks while providing 10 times the insulation value. The blocks can also be formed in different colors and shapes and be used as tiles, panels or pavers. WSU researchers originally developed the building material technology in 2017 to help reduce waste to landfill, create affordable building material and lower housing costs.

With this grant, WSU researchers will work with DTG Recycle to build a full-scale wall assembly that will serve to demonstrate the use of the building material in real-world applications.

"Our development team has been working with WSU on this since August 2018," Martin says. "The public response so far has been phenomenal, and we’re excited to facilitate the growth of this highly sustainable technology."

DTG CEO Tom Vaughn says that because of the company's current gypsum drywall recycling initiatives, it is prepared to process incoming materials for this project.

"DTG Recycle is uniquely positioned to work with WSU on this project in that we currently perform the front-end portion of the process already (i.e., collection, transportation and grinding to produce gypsum powder)," Vaughn says. "We will be scaling up the WSU technology and producing the drywall block internally and then will leverage our existing customer database which includes numerous architects and general contractors to achieve a rapid launch of the new product. For many of our customers, we envision drywall scraps from their larger projects being turned into drywall blocks and then re-incorporated into those same projects."

On a larger scale, Vaughn says this new technology could help diversify the number and type of off-take customers for gypsum recyclers. He notes it is also an example of how C&D recyclers can take a proactive approach to finding end markets for incoming materials. 

"We believe C&D recyclers must be leaders in new end product development. If you rely on third parties to determine your commodity off-take destiny, you are increasing your risk profile. New technologies, such as the drywall waste block that allow you to vertically integrate your services and diversify your revenue stream are key to a secure future," Vaughn says.