The Punch Cutter III removes sidewalls from off-the-road tires for recycling applications.

Eagle International, a manufacturer of tire shears, derimmers, bead removers and sidewall cutters that is based in Lyons, Nebraska, has released the Punch Cutter III for the off-the-road (OTR) tire recycling market. Eagle International’s third installment of the Punch Cutter line cuts away sidewalls from OTR tires up to 70/70-57 in size. The scrap tire is loaded onto the machine and lifted into place, and then a 10-inch blade punches through the thick rubber on the outside edge of the tread.

“Removing the sidewalls from OTR tires presented a particular challenge that we were excited to tackle,” says Joe Brehmer, president of Brehmer Manufacturing Inc., the parent company of Eagle International. “We know that this machine can help recyclers make better use of end-of-life OTR tires and create more sources of revenue.”

According to a news release from Eagle International, recyclers can expand their capabilities with the Punch Cutter III when it is used in conjunction with Eagle’s OTR Downsizing System. The Punch Cutter III removes the sidewalls and gives access to the tread for reuse. Then Eagle’s OTR Debeader pulls the steel bead from the sidewalls for scrap. Finally, the Eagle Titan II or Titan Plus cuts the sidewall into smaller pieces for shredding or pyrolysis.

“There are a lot of materials to extract from an OTR tire,” says John Tejkl, sales representative for Eagle International. “Since the makeup of the rubber is different in OTR sidewalls than in the tread, the tread is much more desirable feedstock for downstream processing. But several different parts of the tire create value once extracted. Now that we’ve developed an easier way to separate the tread from the sidewall, it opens up even more possibilities.”

Eagle International has been building hydraulic-powered tire recycling equipment since 1991.

The packaging certification verifies the plastics are recyclable into Trex composite decking.

To help retailers clarify the recyclability of their packaging, Trex Co., Winchester, Virginia, has introduced a free package labeling initiative as part of its NexTrex Retail Recycling Program.

Trex says the NexTrex label is available for free to brands that have had their packaging tested and verified as acceptable for recycling into Trex decking, which contains 95 percent recycled material. Trex says it will work with brand owners and companies to encourage promotion and participation at the retail level by positioning NexTrex bins and signage in stores to drive awareness and engagement in the plastic drop-off program.

“This new labeling option brings our NexTrex recycling initiative full circle by allowing brands that sell products in recyclable packaging to inform consumers about how to easily and responsibly dispose of packaging material while also promoting their commitment to sustainability and involvement in the largest store drop-off program in the country,” says Dave Heglas, senior director of supply chain excellence for Trex. “With the NexTrex label, consumers know exactly where their recycled plastic is headed and that it will one day be transformed into beautiful Trex decking.”

To qualify for the certified NexTrex label, the company says the product packaging must be tested to ensure that it meets the criteria for use in the Trex manufacturing process. Packaging designers, producers and brand owners can simply send in a packaged product sample, and Trex will provide a comprehensive report assessing three areas for acceptance: (1) package/film recyclability, (2) affect/risk of product contamination and (3) affect/risk of nonrecyclable “look-a-like” package contamination, so they can make adjustments as needed to meet recyclability standards and/or select appropriate recycling methods. Once packaging is validated by Trex, a Certification of Acceptance will be issued to the brand owner, and the brand will be authorized to use the NexTrex Recycled Packaging Label.

“By giving recycled plastic film a second life as high-performance, low-maintenance composite decking, Trex is providing a solution to manufacturers’ plastic waste concerns,” Heglas says. “Our free package testing and labeling initiatives are intended to encourage more manufacturers to participate in the NexTrex program while ensuring that the plastic material we are collecting meets our high standards for production.”

Trex says it diverts more than 450 million pounds of polyethylene film, bags and wrap from landfills to make its products. Among the company's largest suppliers are grocery chains and other retailers. The company recently introduced an incentive program for its retail and grocery suppliers. 

Packaging producer is providing recycled-content paper bags to be used by Spain-based clothing retailer Alvaro Moreno.

United Kingdom-based packaging and paperboard producer Mondi Group says it is providing Spanish retail clothing chain Alvaro Moreno with paper shopping, delivery and gift bags that can replace “almost 90 metric tons of plastic per year.”

In the past, Alvaro Moreno used more than 3.7 million plastic bags and containers per year, says Mondi. The three Mondi bags now being used by the retailer are recyclable and made from Mondi’s Advantage and EcoVantage product ranges “using renewable and responsibly sourced materials,” states Mondi.

Mondi describes EcoVantage as Mondi’s newest paper range “created with fresh pulp and recycled fibers, providing a high-quality printing surface.”

Alvaro Moreno, founder of Spanish retail firm, says, “As a business, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint. Mondi’s papers helped us to continue this approach while increasing the quality standards required in our packaging. As a ‘company with soul,’ we want to meet our consumers’ sustainability goals and since introducing this new packaging range we have already had excellent customer feedback.”

Paulus Goess, sales director of specialty kraft paper at Mondi, comments, “Our EcoVantage paper supports Alvaro Moreno’s sustainability aims, thanks to its recycled content and recyclability, and the bags are strong and appealing for customers who are looking for the best shopping experience, both online and in-store.”

Containerboard producer sells its retail display business unit to Atlanta-based Hood Container Corp.

Hartsville, South Carolina-based Sonoco says it has closed on the sale of its Display and Packaging business unit in the United States to Atlanta-based Hood Container Corp. for $80 million in cash.

Sonoco says its U.S. display and packaging business provides point-of-purchase display design, manufacturing and fulfillment and contract packaging services for more than 250 consumer product brands. The business unit operates eight manufacturing and fulfillment facilities and four sales and design centers and has approximately 450 employees.

“Our U.S. display and packaging business has been an industry pioneer with a legacy of providing innovative solutions for complex supply chain challenges,” says Howard Coker, Sonoco’s president and CEO. “However, Sonoco is focused on growing our core consumer and industrial packaging businesses around the world, and by divesting this business we expect to apply proceeds to further invest in ourselves while returning value to our shareholders.”

On the packaging side, Sonoco in the past two years has invested $83 million in a new recycled-content paperboard machine at its Hartsville mill site and spent $49 million to buy a French company that produces recyclable paperboard cans.

On the display busines unit sale the transaction, France-based Rothschild & Co., which has three U.S. offices, was financial advisor for Sonoco and Charleston, South Carolina-based Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd served as its legal advisor.

The program will help companies measure waste from initial product concept to life cycle completion.

Harsco Corp., a Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based provider of environmental solutions for industrial and specialty waste streams, announced April 5 that its Clean Earth division has launched Fullcircle. According to the company, Fullcircle is an advanced waste life cycle program that strategically analyzes waste at each source of generation, then offers solutions for recycling and beneficial reuse alternatives for the material.

From initial product concept to life cycle completion, Harsco says the goal of Fullcircle is to eliminate waste, recycle as much as possible and build scalable and innovative programs for customers focused on zero waste.

With Fullcircle, customers do not choose services from a preset menu to dispose of their waste streams. Rather, Harsco says each solution is tailored to the customer, with Fullcircle helping develop sustainable solutions aligned with their waste generation, sustainability goals and growth plans. The program offers enhanced tracking, reporting and data analysis of waste streams to monitor performance and measure against financial and corporate sustainability goals.

“We have identified a growing need for integrated service providers who provide true partnership management,” David Stanton, senior vice president and group president of Clean Earth, says. “Our ambition is to solve the challenge of making it easy for our customers to properly manage their difficult-to-treat waste with the ultimate sustainable solution. It must be simple, innovative, transparent and trusted. That’s where we come in.”

The capability of Clean Earth’s Fullcircle program explores every stage of waste generation, including upstream waste management at inception, flow change investigation, contamination reduction and final placement

“By looking at the full life cycle, we ultimately eliminate the waste at every source,” Stanton says. “At a time when companies and consumers are prioritizing sustainability efforts, our program is about making life easier for the customer by providing a plan that works for the organization’s waste now and in the future, as well as for our environment.”