UPDATE: APR Declares PVC Recycling Unfeasible

WORLD WASTES STAFF

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bottles should not get a second chance on life, according to the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) and the Vinyl Institute, Morristown, N.J.

"We are being told that it is not economically feasible to convert PVC bottles into pellets," says Gary Pratt, APR board member and president of P&R Environmental Industries, Youngsville, N.C.

PVC packaging is said to contaminate the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density olyethylene (HDPE) bottles, and its removal is costly for recyclers and reprocessors.

"The whole plastics recycling industry would run more smoothly if PVC was not part of the post-consumer packaging waste stream," says Steve Babinchak, president of St. Jude Polymer Corp., Frackville, Pa., taking into account capital costs invested in sensors, the cost of testing to determine quality levels and the number of shipments from recyclers each year that are rejected because of PVC contamination.

Recently, Dean Foods, a Midwest dairy based in Franklin Park, Ill., began using shrink PVC labels that are difficult to completely remove from milk bottles.

"PVC was chosen because of the bottle shape we were using - PVC adhered best," says Dave Rotunno, director of marketing and advertising. "At the time, we were not aware that most recyclers couldn't handle PVC in the system. We're working with suppliers to find a suitable solution. And in the interim, we're asking customers to remove the label before recycling."

The APR's Market Development Committee and the Vinyl Institute were scheduled to meet in June to discuss possible solutions so that PVC can be used and recycled effectively in the future. The association also has plans to begin a study documenting the costs of removing PVC from the recycling waste stream.

Agreement The city of Rochester, Minn., has selected Rust Environment and Infrastructure, Greenville, S.C., to implement a response action plan for the Rochester Sanitary Landfill in Olmsted County.

Awards Portman Equipment Co., Cincinnati, has received GNB Technologies' Environmental Award for recycling batteries.

Richard DeYoug, chairman, president and CEO of American Disposal Services Inc., Burr Ridge, Ill., has been selected as Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in the Services category for the Illinois/Northwest Indiana region.

Environmental Resources Management, Exton, Pa., was ranked as the third largest of the "Top 20 Hazardous Waste" consulting firms in the Engineering News-Record "Top 500 Design Firms" 1997 listing.

Contracts Earth Tech, Long Beach, Calif., has been awarded two contracts valued at $11 million for remediation services at two Pennsylvania Superfund sites.

CH2M Hill, Denver, has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the prime contractor for the 10-year, potentially $300 million Region IX Response Action Contract for remedial design and remedial action at Superfund hazardous waste sites in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and approximately 140 Tribal Nations.

Increased Production Freightliner, Portland, Ore., has doubled daily production of Class 8 over-the-highway trucks manufactured in Mexico for U.S. export.

Initial Public Offering Waste Connections Inc., Roseville, Calif., offered 2 million shares of common stock at $12 per share at its IPO on May 22, 1998.

Merger USA Waste Services Inc., Houston, has merged with TransAmerican Waste Industries Inc.

Negotiation Bedminster Bioconversion Corp., Marietta, Ga., has completed negotiations to provide Marlborough, Mass., with a waste recycling system.