Graniteville, South Carolina-based passenger/light truck radial tire plant certified for its use of sustainable raw materials.

Bridgestone Americas, Nashville, Tennessee, has announced that its Aiken County, South Carolina, passenger/light truck radial tire manufacturing plant has received International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus recognition for its transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials in its products. 

The plant uses bio, bio-circular and circular-based material in its tires to replace synthetic rubber, in line with the company’s goal to produce tires made from 100 percent sustainable materials by 2050. 

According to Bridgestone, the ISCC Plus certification of the Aiken County facility supports the “Ecology” and “Energy” values of the company’s E8 Commitment, which establishes eight values starting with the letter “E” to show its commitment to sustainability. 

“Step by step, we are working to overcome the technological and market barriers to fully sustainable and renewable tires made with bio-sourced and recycled materials,” Chief Technology Officer and Group President Nizar Trigui says. “This ISCC Plus certification for our Aiken County plant is an important mile marker in our journey to become a leading sustainable solutions company.” 

Certification is determined using the ISCC Plus mass balance approach, where certified and noncertified materials are mixed physically but kept separate in the bookkeeping. The method is used to keep track of biological, circular and renewable materials through complex manufacturing systems and allows the certified entity to ensure that the amount of sustainable material manufactured matches the amount of certified content in the end products.   

The plant spans 2.78 million square feet, employs 1,740 people and began producing passenger and light truck radial tires in 1997. The tires equip standard passenger vehicles and light trucks for original equipment and retail. 

In 2021, Bridgestone announced the facility would be powered by its first ground-based solar array, consisting of eight acres of solar panels that it says generate enough electricity to power more than 200 homes while reducing 1,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. 

The company is repurposing a former call center to provide ITAD refurbishment services.

Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR), an electronics recycler headquartered in Pontiac, Illinois, has announced plans to expand its services in Pensacola, Florida.

ATR is repurposing a former call center in Pensacola by turning it into an information technology asset disposition (ITAD) refurbishment center. The company says it plans to convert more than 300 cubicles in the facility into state-of-the-art testing and repair production. The company also plans to use the Pensacola facility to expand its mobile device and telecommunications platforms.

According to ATR, the former call center was built in 2001 to serve a large financial institution headquartered in Alabama. The property includes energy-efficient HVAC, LED lighting, a 1,000-kilowatt full-facility generator, gated security and modernized production lines. The company says it also is in the process of hiring both hourly and management positions for the Pensacola facility.

“The refurbishment center expansion and labor force increases are necessary to align ATR with growing volumes of repairable IT assets coming from our southern region,” says Ken Ehresman, chief operations officer at ATR. “This investment demonstrates ATR’s commitment to improve efficiencies, reduce liability and increase our client returns.”

ATR, which began operations in 2002, offers eight locations to meet the needs of business-to-business customers seeking ITAD solutions.

The company will begin providing curbside collection services to Tukwila, Washington, Nov. 1, 2023.

Recology King County has been awarded a 10-year curbside recycling, compost and garbage collection contract for the city of Tukwila, Washington.

Tukwila City Council approved the contract Sept. 19, and Tukwila Mayor Allan Ekberg is expected to sign the contract shortly. Once approved, Recology King County will begin servicing the city Nov. 1, 2023.

“We are excited to continue growing with sustainably minded communities in Washington, including the city of Tukwila. This new contract will provide the superior collection services that Tukwila’s residents and businesses deserve,” says Anthony Brocato, general manager for Recology King County.

According to a news release from Recology, the Tukwila City Council chose Recology King County for the contract because of the company’s high level of service, diversion programs, community outreach and education.

Under the contract, Recology King County will provide the city with a variety of services, including:

Recology, headquartered in San Francisco, provides materials collection, processing and community outreach services to customers across the West Coast.

Lighter jars made of recycled plastic will be used for M&M’s, Skittles and Starburst brands.

Evansville, Indiana-based Berry Global is partnering with Mars Inc., McLean, Virginia, to launch polyethylene terephthalate (PET) jars for the large-format sizes of its popular M&M’s, Skittles and Starburst treats. 

The easy-grip jars will come in 60-, 81- and 87-ounce sizes and include 15 percent postconsumer resin (PCR) while being lighter in weight. 

Berry is producing the jars at one of its manufacturing facilities, using a single-pellet, food-grade resin to ensure a clean, consistent substrate sourced from mechanical recycling. The company says the new containers will eliminate around 300 tons of virgin plastic per year, while the 81- and 87-ounce jars will save 374 metric tons of carbon dioxide due to a 10-gram reduction in their weight. 

The new jars are the latest initiative from Mars, which says it is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to design more sustainable packaging.   

“At Mars, we want to contribute to a circular economy where packaging material never becomes waste, but is recycled, reused or composted,” Mars Wrigley North America Vice President of Research and Development Justin Comes says. “We have set an aggressive, science-based strategy to innovate our packaging and this change to 15 percent PCR for these large-format jars is a significant step towards a more sustainable future.” 

Reducing litter, enabling the reuse of materials, creating jobs and lowering greenhouse gas emissions are top reasons for support of recycling refund programs.

A public opinion poll found that 81 percent of Americans support recycling refund programs. Washington-based Lincoln Park Strategies conducted the poll, which surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults in June 2022 with a 3 percent margin of error.

According to the survey, support for these programs was strong and consistent across all political and demographic groups. Residents of states with existing recycling refund programs expressed the highest level of support at 90 percent. Currently, 10 states plus Guam offer recycling refund programs in the United States.

The survey indicated that 87 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of Independents support recycling refund programs. Reducing litter, enabling the reuse of materials, creating jobs and lowering greenhouse gas emissions were the top reasons respondents expressed support for recycling refund programs.

Also, 72 percent of respondents support redemption programs that incentivize companies to use materials with high economic value. Most respondents, 72 percent, also reported that it is important to recycle all types of materials.

Additionally, of the respondents who have redeemed deposits before, 69 percent reported that if redeemed at a retail location, they would spend all or some of the deposit refund at the retail location where they received the redemption.

According to a news release from both Arlington, Virginia-based Aluminum Association and the Washington-based Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), several organizations have endorsed www.RecyclingRefundsWork.org as an informational microsite on recycling refund programs. Groups that have endorsed the site include the Aluminum Association, the American Conservation Coalition, the American Consumer Institute, CMI, ConservAmerica, Consumer Action, National Consumers League, National Recycling Coalition, Rainey Center Freedom Project, Reloop, U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Virginia Bottle Bill Organization.

“It’s clear that Americans overwhelmingly support efforts to grow the economy, improve recycling and reduce litter and greenhouse gas emissions through recycling refund programs,” says Charles Johnson, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association. “During a time when few public policies enjoy such strong bipartisan support, lawmakers should act – pursuing well-designed recycling refund programs at the state and federal level.”

“The economic and environmental benefits that a modern, high-performing nationwide deposit return delivers are well-documented: 188 billion additional containers recycled each year; more than 150,000 additional direct and indirect jobs created; and a carbon impact equivalent of removing 2.4 million cars from the road annually,” says Elizabeth Balkan, director at Reloop North America. “These are only possible with a 90 percent collection rate and adhering to clear guiding principles. We at Reloop are committed to supporting responsible, effective policy, and efforts such as this bring us all one step closer to that objective."