Shredding system to help public agency cope with increase in scrap tires.

Sarasota, Florida-based CM Shredders says it has helped install one of its high-capacity automated tire shredding system at Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) Waste Solutions facility in Suffolk, Virginia.

SPSA is a regional solid waste collection and disposal agency for more than 1 million residents in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. In the past four years, the inbound tire flow into the SPSA tire processing facility has doubled, and the percentage of truck tires has increased significantly, according to CM Shredders.

The agency’s previous tire shredder, also a CM unit, was in reliable operation for nearly 20 years, says the firm. “The management team at SPSA decided it was time to replace that shredder and an invitation for bid went out to several shredder manufacturers, according to CM.

CM Shredders was awarded the replacement contract and has installed a new tire shredding system that can process passenger car, semi-truck, and light OTR (off the road) tires. The new system includes a new CM HT 250 (high torque) hybrid primary shredder that, during a test, processed in excess of 30 tons per hour, according to CM. 

“An array of cameras and advanced sensors are custom programmed to communicate with both the shredder and the conveyance systems allowing the machine to self-meter at high volumes,” says Mario Vazquez, CM Shredders sales and marketing director. “The operators can view the live camera feeds remotely and can focus on other tasks as the machine keeps an optimal speed and capacity on its own,"

Vazquez continues, “With high capacities and automation come greater chances of a foreign object such as rocks and rims making it through initial screening protocols.” For added protection, the CM system has what it calls an extreme impact protection system.

Using electrical controls, that system provides a torque limiting function that can instantaneously detect and respond to an extreme impact and “is much more efficient than an old-style mechanical system,” according to CM Shredders.

“I’ve dealt with machinery all my life, and this is the most impressive piece of equipment I’ve ever been a part of purchasing,” says Dennis Bagley, who serves as SPSA’s deputy executive director. “The new machine can shred and process four times as many tires as the old shredder, and the old shredder was no slouch. We are very proud of our new facility and of the fact that every scrap of rubber will be recycled - mainly used for TDA [tire-derived aggregate] or at the landfill [for civil engineering purposes].”

Environmental company partners with high-temperature plasma technology provider to close loop on variety of batteries.

Indianapolis-based Heritage Battery Recycling LLC and smelting technology provider 6K have announced a development agreement to produce new cathode material from recycled batteries. The companies say Heritage will use its established infrastructure to collect, store and process end-of-life batteries, and Massachusetts-based 6K will provide its high-temperature plasma technology to manufacture cathode-grade battery metals from the scrap materials.

The name 6K represents 6000 degrees, the temperature of the surface of the sun and the operating temperature of 6K’s UniMelt system, which the firm calls the world's only production-scale microwave plasma system.

The company says it is currently sampling customers and developing products that can be used by makers of NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) and LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, plus silicon dominant anode and solid-state electrolyte materials.

“This agreement represents the first true circular economy approach to battery recycling,” says Aaron Bent, CEO of 6K. “An approach that is both sustainable and cost-effective and most importantly can be domestically produced. It is clear that we need to recycle materials in order to ensure the sustainability of our domestic battery supply chain, and Heritage is the perfect partner in this endeavor. Their operational expertise has been demonstrated over the past 50 years of offering safe and compliant solutions to their customers, and this partnership will greatly accelerate deployment of 6K’s cathode product into the market.”

Heritage Battery Recycling, Heritage Environmental Services and Heritage Crystal Clean will all contribute to build a national collection network for sourcing spent battery feedstock, the firms say.

“6K is a leader in the materials management field and are the perfect partner to work with on creating a circular, sustainable solution to produce cathode material for new batteries,” says Shane Thompson, president of Heritage Battery Recycling. “This is a breakthrough, as 6K’s process is massively less energy, water- and carbon-intensive. It will redefine how we produce batteries.”

State and federal officials claim Arbor Hills Energy exceeded the facility’s permitted SO2 emissions limits.

A settlement has been reached between the U.S. Justice Department, the state of Michigan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Arbor Hills Energy LLC over reported Clean Air Act violations at a Salem Township landfill.

As reported by ClickOnDetroit.com, Arbor Hills Energy has agreed to significantly reduce –if not virtually eliminate—its sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions at its landfill gas-to-energy facility to resolve the alleged violations.

State and federal officials claim Arbor Hills Energy had several Clean Air Act violations, including exceedances of the facility’s permitted SO2 emissions limits. This pollutant causes harm to human health and the environment once emitted into the air, including premature death, heart attacks, respiratory problems and adverse environmental effects.

“This settlement makes important progress in improving air quality near the AHE Facility,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “My office is also addressing air pollution from the adjacent landfill in the case I filed on behalf of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in 2020 against the landfill owner. Combined, when completed, this work will dramatically improve the impact both facilities have had on the surrounding communities.”

The facility converts landfill gas (LFG) into electricity by burning it in four gas turbines. Under the settlement, Arbor Hills Energy will either construct a renewable natural gas facility that converts LFG into pipeline quality natural gas and would virtually eliminate SO2 emissions or install a sulfur treatment system that achieves a 64 percent reduction in SO2 emissions by March 2023.

Arbor Hills Energy will also pay a civil penalty of $750,000, according to ClickOnDetroit.com, which will be split evenly between the U.S. and Michigan. 

Former National Grid executive and financial expert is newest independent director.

Clean Harbors Inc., Norwell, Massachusetts, announced Sept. 10 that Marcy Reed has been appointed to the company’s board of directors.

Reed worked for more than 30 years for London-based National Grid and its predecessor companies before retiring in early 2021. For the past decade, she served as president of National Grid Massachusetts and the company’s executive vice president of U.S. energy policy and social impact.

The appointment of Reed expands the company’s board from nine to 10 members.

“Marcy is an accomplished senior executive whose expertise across multiple disciplines, including finance, corporate strategy, operations, enterprise risk and external affairs, makes her a valuable addition to our board,” Alan McKim, chairman, president and CEO of Clean Harbors, says. “She possesses a rare public company skillset as a strategic leader, finance executive and board member with one of the nation’s largest investor-owned utilities. In addition, she brings a unique perspective on sustainability and regulatory solutions to address climate change—issues that align with our organizational values. We look forward to benefitting from Marcy’s background and insights as we continue to execute our growth strategy.”

Reed was appointed as a Class II director whose term will expire at Clean Harbors’ 2024 annual meeting of shareholders. She will serve on the audit committee and the environmental, health and safety committee. A certified public accountant since 1988, Reed is a qualified financial expert as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Reed joined National Grid in 1988. She served as head of investor relations, senior vice president business services, senior vice president finance, and senior vice president corporate affairs before being named president of National Grid’s Massachusetts business and EVP U.S. policy & social impact in 2011. A frequent speaker on topics such as leadership, energy policy, innovation and the evolving energy paradigm, she has been recognized with numerous leadership and philanthropic awards, including being named three times as one of Boston’s Top 100 Leaders.

She serves as an independent director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and is on the board of Northeastern University, chairing the audit committees of both entities. She also is a board member of Qualus, a private equity-backed electric power engineering company. 

Reed previously served as board chair of The Partnership Inc., an organization working to build racially diverse leadership pipelines. She earned a bachelor’s in economics from Dartmouth and a master’s in accounting from Northeastern University, and holds executive education certificates from Wharton and INSEAD.

While no sanitation employees lost their lives during the attack, in the 20 years since, approximately 100 DSNY personnel have died of conditions related to their service.

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) gathered for a private ceremony Sept. 9 to honor members of the department who lost their lives due to their service on and after 9/11. During the aftermath of the attack on New York City, approximately 3,700 DSNY employees were involved in clean-up, debris removal and processing at ground zero, at Fresh Kills landfill, and at other sites around the city. While no sanitation employees lost their lives during the attack, in the 20 years since, approximately 100 DSNY personnel have died of health conditions related to their service to the city during that period, DSNY says.

“We can never forget that the horrors of 9/11 didn’t end when the sun set that day. They continued for weeks, and they are still with us now, 20 years later. We owe it to these hardworking New Yorkers and their families to remember their sacrifice,” Edward Grayson, commissioner of the DSNY, says.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the DSNY’s sacrifices around 9/11, Grayson unveiled a permanent memorial plaque in the lobby of DSNY headquarters before the names of those lost were read aloud by current department leadership and staff.

In addition, the Sanitation Foundation—the official nonprofit of DSNY—launched a digital 9/11 exhibit at dsnyremembers.org. This exhibit tells the story of DSNY's contributions to the recovery effort, using personal interviews, never-before-seen archival footage, data visualizations, and resources for further learning.

Within the first 24 hours of the attack on New York City 20 years ago, 1,500 Sanitation Workers were deployed to ground zero to aid the recovery effort with debris removal, and the department dispatched more than 150 pieces of heavy machinery from its fleet to facilitate the process. This allowed some key downtown institutions to reopen as early as the following Monday.

Sanitation served at ground zero and lower Manhattan for 39 weeks, facilitating the city’s recovery. Materials management experts at Fresh Kills landfill processed as much as 17,500 tons a day, which led to the positive identification of more than 300 victims and secured evidence and artifacts, in coordination with more than 25 city, state and federal agencies. 

DSNY’s operations continued at Fresh Kills for 317 days after 9/11. A core team of approximately 200 employees, many trained in sophisticated crane equipment, worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week, with no days off until Thanksgiving 2001.

“Every single member of our department should be proud of the role we played in protecting the city after 9/11, and 20 years on, we must all remember those who are no longer here to share that pride with us,” Grayson adds. “They will always have a special place in our building and in our hearts.”

Photos of the Sept. 9 memorial event and the memorial plaque may be seen online, and a video of the event was shared on DSNY social channels on Sept. 11.