The 2.5-mile trail located at T.O. Fuller State Park is one of the longest rubber-bearing trails in the U.S.
Officials from Tennessee State Parks and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) have unveiled a new hard-surface walking and biking trail made from rubber crumbs derived from tires. The 2.5-mile trail located at T.O. Fuller State Park is one of the longest rubber-bearing trails in the U.S.
According to a release, the tires had been illegally dumped in the area around the park and were gathered by volunteers and local contractors. The tires were then transformed into crumbs by Patriot Tire Recycling in Bristol, Tennessee—the only facility in the state with the ability to recycle tires in such a way.
Once the tires were recycled into crumbs, the material was brought back to the park for construction of the trail. The crumbs are between one-quarter inch and three-eighths inch in size.
The project, which began with collection in 2019, was funded by a Tire Environmental Act Program grant of $250,000 from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), a special litter grant of $200,000 from TDOT, and a Federal Highway-Recreational Trails Program grant of $280,000 from TDEC’s Division of Recreation Resources.
“This is a quintessential example of recycling in full circle, collecting dumped material then converting it into positive use,” said David Salyers, commissioner of TDEC. “It’s exactly the kind of responsible environmental activity Tennesseans can be proud of, where an area can be cleaned up then have people enjoy the benefits in a new way.”
The trail largely replaces worn cart paths from an old golf course, with new connections making for a modern loop trail design.
Workers cleaned up over 24,000 dumped tires, including passenger, commercial truck and heavy equipment tires. The cleanup had 450 registered volunteers and saw 10,000 tires collected in one day. The project was a partnership between the TDEC, TDOT, the city of Memphis, Shelby County and Memphis City Beautiful.
Funds were raised through investors, including the Urban Innovation Fund and Closed Loop Partners.
Solarcycle, an Oakland, California-based solar system recycling platform, has announced it has raised $6.6 million in growth funding from renewable energy and circular economy investors SolarCity (acquired by Tesla in 2016) founders Peter and Lyndon Rive, former CEO of Sunpower Corp. Systems Tom Dinwoodie, Urban Innovation Fund and Closed Loop Partners.
“At Solarcycle we are driven by the urgent challenge to maximize the sustainability of the raw minerals needed to power the clean revolution,” Solarcycle CEO Suvi Sharma says. “It is exciting to have the financial backing of investors who helped launch and scale the solar industry, as well as venture funds specializing in creating the needed infrastructure for the circular economy.
“This funding will allow us to scale our advanced recycling operations in North America, enabling us to start handling the millions of solar systems that will be retiring in the coming years.”
Julie Lein of Urban Innovation Fund says of the project, “Solar energy is the fastest-growing energy source in the U.S. But with more solar panels comes more waste. Solarcycle has an exciting vision to transform the way we recycle and re-use solar panels—and they have the right team to pull it off.”
According to Solarcycle, increasing amounts of solar panels are being replaced with newer versions. The older panels contain high-value metals like silver, aluminum and high-grade silicon. For Peter Rive, co-founder and chief technology officer of Solarcycle, this is a large reason why he invested in the company.
“I was involved with commissioning the first wave of large and utility-scale solar installations, and I am excited to be involved with Solarcycle,” says Tom Dinwoodie, co-founder of Sunpower. “I firmly believe the transition to a renewable economy must be coupled with full attention to developing a circular economy for addressing the mineral scarcity and looming waste problem coming our way. The team at Solarcycle is well-positioned to turn this emerging problem into an opportunity, and I welcome them bringing their technical insight and innovation to address the recycling needs of the industry.”
Solarcycle, which was founded in 2022, aims to offer asset owners a low-cost, eco-friendly and comprehensive process for recycling retired solar panels and technologies and repurposing them for new uses. The company says it uses proprietary technology to extract valuable metals such as silver, silicon, copper and aluminum.
Twenty-year veteran Barlow, under whose leadership Paradigm has seen a seven-fold increase in sales, will take a larger role at the software company.
Paradigm Software, a technology provider for the weighing industry, has promoted Jackie W. Barlow II to president and chief operating officer (COO) to continue the company’s legacy of service and innovation.
Paradigm CEO Phil Weglein says Barlow is well-suited to the new position and has a record to prove it.
“Since Jackie joined Paradigm, he has helped guide the company to a six-fold increase in employees and a seven-fold increase in sales,” Weglein says. “He has worked through multiple product upgrade cycles and launched many new product modules.”
Barlow is a long-standing member of the Paradigm family, first joining the company as a support manager in 2000. During his tenure, he has played an integral role in the company’s rapid growth and expansion, culminating in his most recent position as vice president and COO, where he was responsible for business development, product demonstrations, contract negotiations, human resources, strategic partnerships and the daily management and financial oversight of the company.
“Paradigm, from its inception, has been fully committed to providing our customers with technology and products that are second to none,” Barlow says. “My 22 years of experience with the company have not only given me tremendous pride in Paradigm’s past accomplishments, but also a clear vision of what needs to happen moving forward. I’m surrounded by amazing leaders and team members—our future is very bright.”
Among the leaders in the industry since 1991, Paradigm offers comprehensive solutions for capturing weights, invoicing, receipt of payment and regulatory reporting. In combining strong software and customization with an industry leading staff, Paradigm is poised for another 30 years of service to the weighing industry.
ABM invests in Recycle Track Systems to form waste and recycling operations partnership.
Recycle Track Systems Inc. (RTS), a waste and recycling technology manufacturer based in New YorkCity, has announced that it has entered a strategic and operational partnership with ABM, a provider of integrated facility services and solutions also based in New York City.
"I am very excited to partner with ABM, which will allow us to provide our offering of solutions to more customers worldwide and continue our mission of promoting transparency within the waste and recycling industry,” says Greg Lettieri, co-founder and CEO of RTS. “We look forward to working together to increase our collective impact on promoting sustainability and responsibility throughout our respective industries."
Under the partnership, ABM will offer its clients RTS' full suite of on-demand waste removal and materials management solutions. This includes reporting on clients' waste habits, analysis and insight into recycling practices, waste pickup optimization and tracking, and development of zero waste and circular economy programs in alignment with net-zero goals and targets.
ABM will also make an investment in RTS to minimize climate impacts by increasing environmental transparency and reducing waste. RTS will support ABM in leveraging the RTS sustainability platforms, including ZeroWaste.com and RecycleBank, which serve as one-stop solutions for sustainability resources and provide incentives to haulers and municipalities to deploy best practices in sustainability and minimizing waste.
"Helping our clients deliver and manage sustainability across their facilities is core to our mission and we are focused on providing them with data and insights-driven solutions for making the greatest possible positive environmental impact,” says Josh Feinberg, chief strategy officer of ABM. “We are proud to partner with RTS to provide ABM's clients with access to innovative tools that will create real-time transparency into daily waste removal and enhance their waste practices overall."
The North Carolina-based waste company has acquired the assets of fellow North Carolina firm Capital Dumpster Service.
Meridian Waste, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based solid waste services company, announced it has closed on the purchase of Capital Dumpster Service LLC located in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
According to a release, the acquired assets from Capital Dumpster Service include three frontload trucks, four roll-off trucks, one automated sideload truck, multiple frontload and roll-off containers, 95-gallon carts and corresponding commercial contracts. Meridian Waste will transfer the assets and operate out of its existing hauling location, co-located with its Triad Transfer Station (formerly known as the Chatham Waste & Recycling Transfer Station).
The acquisition helps to bridge and densify collection routes between the greater Raleigh and Greensboro market areas, Meridian says.
“North Carolina continues to offer great organic growth and acquisition opportunities for Meridian Waste,” says Walter “Wally” Hall, CEO of Meridian Waste. “Capital Dumpster Service represents our seventh North Carolina company acquisition since January 2020.”
He adds, “The diversification of the collection business by adding more frontload routes is key to our strategic plan. We are continuing to enhance our vertical integration within the company’s construction and demolition waste disposal assets in North Carolina, and our municipal solid waste disposal asset in southern Virginia.”
The terms of the asset purchase agreements remain private. This marks Meridian Waste’s 23rd acquisition since the company transitioned to private stock under the ownership of Warren Equity Partners in April 2018, according to Meridian Waste.