Industry News

// Forecasts & Statistics

America’s Infrastructure Receives a D+ from ASCE
The American Public Works Association (APWA), Washington, D.C., has endorsed the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which was released in March by the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE). The 2013 report card’s cumulative grade for the nation’s infrastructure systems rose to a D+ from a D, or “Poor: At Risk,” rating when it was last issued in 2009.

“With the slight increase shown in this year’s report card cumulative GPA, and with several categories noted for incremental improvements, the report card indicates a very moderate upward movement,” says APWA Executive Director Peter B. King. “But an overall grade of D+ remains unacceptable.”

King continues, “Once again, the ASCE assessment shows we have a backlog of overdue maintenance that needs to be addressed to bring the nation’s infrastructure to a state of good repair. The investment needed by 2020 across all infrastructure categories is estimated at $3.6 trillion, leaving a shortfall of $1.6 trillion.”

APWA has issued a statement to its 28,500 members calling for lawmakers to review the report card and commit to supporting infrastructure initiatives.

Details on the ASCE’s findings, including state infrastructure statistics, can be found at www.infrastructurereportcard.org.

// Hurricane Sandy

Fire Island Debris Cleanup Commences After Delays
Removal of Hurricane Sandy debris on Fire Island, N.Y., began March 2 and was scheduled to be complete by the end of March, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

“It is crucial that this work get under way before environmental restrictions prohibit debris removal and halt the recovery for thousands of Fire Island homeowners,” said Sen. Charles Schumer. “The work will not only speed up the recovery process for homeowners but will put local businesses to work,” he added.

The USACE awarded a $10.1 million task order for the project to Environmental Chemical Co. of Burlingame, Calif., Feb. 27 under the advance contracting initiative (ACI). The ACI allows the Corps to preaward contracts for major emergency response missions to put contractors to work. Under the ECC task order, at least 82 percent—about $8.3 million—of the contracted work must go to local businesses. Cleanup work was delayed by more than a month by an atypical series of contract protests.

The task order includes removing debris from right-of-way and eligible private property, transporting it off the island and disposing of it in a safe and environmentally sound manner. It also requires the separation and disposal of construction and demolition debris; segregation of “white goods,” such as refrigerators and other appliances; disposal of e-waste, such as televisions and computers; disposal of vegetative debris; and sifting sand that presents a public safety hazard.

“We’re going to get this done as quickly and safely as we possibly can,” says Lt. Col. John Knight, commander of the USACE New York Recovery Field Office. “Our goal remains to finish by the end of March.”

Crews will work 12 hours per day during daylight hours, seven days per week. Debris will be transferred by barge and truck from the island for disposal or recycling. Sifted sand and chipped vegetative debris will remain on Fire Island. Contract work crews began hazardous waste inspections of the debris March 2. Chipping trees began March 4.

Fire Island is a remote barrier island with limited vehicle access. Travel is mostly limited to small boardwalks or sand pathways, and driving on the beach is required to access several Fire Island communities. Hauling debris on the beach was restricted after March 15 in light of the nesting season of the piping plover.

Nearly 1,600 Fire Island homes damaged by the storm are currently eligible for debris removal assistance. An estimated 62,000 cubic yards of debris is eligible for removal—enough to cover a football field up to three stories high.

// Demolition Projects

Domtar Sells Closed Wisconsin Mill Property
Canadian papermaker Domtar Corp. has sold its idled paper mill in Port Edwards, Wis., to Ohio-based DMI Acquisitions LLC, the Columbus, Ohio-based real estate investment and development division of metals recycling company DMI Metals Inc.

The Port Edwards mill has been closed since 2008. The sale includes all the remaining assets on the site, but does not include the adjacent hydroelectric facilities on the Wisconsin River, which Domtar continues to own and operate.

“Domtar has been working diligently with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other parties for several years to prepare the site and find the right purchaser for the Port Edwards assets,” says Mark Bessette, general manager of Domtar’s Nekoosa, Wis., mill. “We are pleased that DMI will bring new economic activity to the site for the benefit of the community.”

“DMI believes that the 192-acre Port Edwards mill site, with its extensive rail facilities, is uniquely positioned for new warehouse and light manufacturing opportunities, particularly in the energy, agricultural and wood products markets,” says DMI President DaMenga Weaver.

DMI began around 10 years ago and is a broker and recycler of ferrous and nonferrous metals. Michelle Moore, a spokeswoman for DMI, says the acquisition of Domtar’s buildings is the company’s first foray into the real estate market. “DMI wanted to diversify [into] the real estate business,” says Moore. “We looked for three years, and this is our first redevelopment project.”

The site includes a 900,000-square-foot plant, 280,000 square feet of warehouse space, 141,000 square feet of office space and a 23,000-square-foot data center.

“We are working with the village [of Port Edwards],” says Moore. “We are doing a lot of listening right now,” she adds.

The village board says, “Port Edwards has positioned itself to facilitate a wide variety of commercial, residential and industrial developments.”

// Asphalt Shingles

CertainTeed Announces Location for New Roofing Plant
CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa., has chosen Jonesburg, Mo., as the location for its newest asphalt roofing shingle manufacturing and distribution facility. The company says it expects to invest $100 million in the new facility.

Construction on the facility is expected to start by this summer. The project will include a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that will produce the CertainTeed’s Landmark roofing shingles. Additionally, the company will build a 150,000-square-foot warehouse that will serve as a Midwestern distribution site for all of the company’s roofing products.

In addition to the Jonesburg facility, CertainTeed operates 10 asphalt shingle plants, one low-slope commercial roofing facility and three stand-alone granule production plants throughout the U.S.

// Legal Issues

Demo Firms Fined for Asbestos Incident
A Jefferson County, Ohio, judge has ordered Arthur David Sugar and several of his affiliated companies to pay an $850,000 civil penalty resulting from improper demolition of the former Weirton Steel facility in Steubenville, Ohio, and ensuing asbestos contamination, according to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The judge also imposed the sanctions against Arthur David Sugar Sr.; David Sugar Excavating LLC; Honey Creek Contracting Inc.; Excavation Technologies Inc.; and ADS Leasing. The court found that in 2004 the defendants began the demolition of the former Weirton Steel facility and committed “massive violations,” including violating regulations regarding asbestos removal procedures and failing to notify the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of asbestos removal.

According to a press release issued by the Ohio Attorney General’s office, in 2010 Sugar and the Ohio EPA reached an agreement for preliminary injunction regarding cleanup of the site. In 2011, Sugar and Honey Creek pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy and four counts of violating the Clean Air Act rules related to the proper removal and handling of asbestos. A trial was held in 2012 in the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas regarding liability for these and other violations, including causing a public nuisance, which resulted in the $850,000 civil penalty ruling.

A hearing was scheduled for April 12, 2013, on costs and attorney fees and to determine further injunctive relief.

// Association Activities

NDA Offers Rewards Program
The National Demolition Association (NDA), Doylestown, Pa., is offering its members a rewards program called AchieveLinks.

In an email to NDA members in mid-March, then NDA President Don Rachel describes AchieveLinks as “a unique rewards program developed exclusively for members of the National Demolition Association.”

When NDA members activate their AchieveLinks accounts, Rachel says they will be “eligible to earn valuable LinksSM Reward Points for almost everything [they] buy,” including “equipment on the job site, materials and supplies for your office, things for your family and just about everything in between.”

More than 900 retailers and wholesale equipment sellers cooperate with the program, according to Rachel, including Grainger, Home Depot, Disposacone, Staples, the Apple Store, Northern Tool & Equipment and GlobalIndustrial.com.

The rewards program is also designed so that “every purchase [members] make benefits NDA,” Rachel adds.

More information is available at www.achievelinks.com.

// Legal Issues

Ohio Lawsuit Calls for Hospital Demolition
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, along with Warren, Ohio, Mayor William Franklin and Warren Law Director Greg Hicks, have filed a lawsuit against the owners of the former St. Joseph Riverside Hospital that calls for the owners to demolish the property and reimburse the city for associated costs.

A press release from the AG’s office notes that a lawsuit was filed in Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas against Euro-American Finance Network Inc. and Ljubica Stefanovic, both of Leesburg, Fla., who own the former hospital property. The suit also named Slavoljub Stefanovic, president of Euro-American and Ljubica’s husband as a defendant.

The Attorney General’s office says, despite being cited for code violations, the owner took no action to address them.

The lawsuit seeks to order demolition of the property and to declare the defendants responsible for costs incurred by the city for the demolition as well as reimbursement for costs associated with the earlier demolition of a separate structure and costs associated with providing public safety services at the property.

// Legislation & Regulations

Mississippi Endorses Inclusive Approach to Forest Certification
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has signed legislation specifying that rating systems used in green building projects funded by the state government “shall not exclude certificate credits for forest products certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the American Tree Farm System (ATFS).” The new law positively positions Mississippi wood products in green building projects while providing a market incentive for landowners to adopt or maintain sustainable forest practices, according to SFI, which is based in Washington, D.C.

“Kudos to the Mississippi legislature and Gov. Phil Bryant for their leadership on this important issue,” says Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of SFI. “The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) currently recognizes only the Forest Stewardship Council standard in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating tool. As such, LEED as currently worded does not meet the criteria of Mississippi’s new law. For more than a decade, the overwhelming majority of responsibly managed certified forests have not been eligible for the LEED forest certification credits, undermining communities, conservation and working forests.”

More than 100 elected officials, including 14 governors and 89 members of Congress, have already urged the USGBC to support all credible forest certification standards, including the SFI standard.

Mississippi joins Georgia and Maine in blocking the use of green building rating systems that do not give equal credit to all forest certification standards and Oregon in promoting wood products grown and manufactured in the state. The Mississippi law adds to the pressure on USGBC to adopt a more encouraging policy toward wood products as it prepares the fourth version of LEED, a process for which USGBC is currently accepting public comments.

// Association Activities

NDA Convention: What if It Happened Here?
Two years after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, the city of 400,000 is still cleaning up from the devastation. Three demolition contractors who were on the ground in the months following the earthquake shared their experiences at the 40th National Demolition Association (NDA) Convention in San Diego in late March.

John Weber, former president of Iconco/LVI Demolition Services, New York, and L. Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition, Phoenix, Md., were part of a team assembled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that traveled to Christchurch in March 2011 to advise and assist the New Zealand government on developing and implementing the orderly demolition of structures and reoccupation of the city.

Weber told the audience he has participated in the cleanup of earthquakes in Los Angeles; Seattle; Anchorage, Alaska; and the San Francisco Bay area; but, he said, “I was not prepared for what I saw in Christchurch.”

He describes the city in the aftermath of the February 2011 quake as “virtually shut down and paralyzed.”

Weber said, “The entire central business district of approximately 1,000 city blocks was fenced off and restricted to government personnel or crews of contractors.”

The area is referred to as “the red zone,” and two years later a portion is still fenced off to the public.

Some of the buildings were still standing following the earthquake but had sustained serious damage. This included the 27-story Grand Chancellor Hotel, which Weber said was leaning so much so that engineers had to pour a massive concrete footing to prevent it from tipping over and causing damage to other buildings during the aftershocks.

More than 1,200 buildings have been demolished and several hundred more have yet to come down, said Weber. Several hundred residences also may have to be demolished.

Peter Ward, president of Ward Demolition, Auckland, New Zealand, also responded to the quake. He explained how a card system was used to let demolition contractors know what buildings needed to be demolished. A red card indicated demolition was needed, yellow meant to exercise caution and green meant the structure was safe to enter.

He also recalled that 185 people lost their lives in the CTV building. “We pulled far too many bodies out of that building,” he said. “Christchurch was beautiful. We’ve lost our heritage. We’ve lost our city.”

Ward talked about some of the issues that emerged from the high number of buildings needing to be demolished. He estimated that about 160 to 300 contractors were performing work in Christchurch. When a house would need demolished 60 to 70 contractors would bid on it. There were also issues with insurance companies not paying out.

Controlled Demolition’s Loizeaux said there was “a lot to learn about how much we didn’t know,” when it came to how the cleanup of Christchurch had been handled. He also offered recommendations for handling such cleanup efforts, including having a response plan in place and a single person in charge, obtaining legal and political authority to act and ensuring the person or entity in charge has the funds to act and the authority to disperse those funds.

In a press conference after the session, newly named NDA President Jeff Kroeker, Kroeker Inc., Fresno, Calif., said the NDA would convene a committee to develop a plan for how the demolition community would respond to a major earthquake or other disaster.

// Scrap Metals

MetalX Commissions First Shredder
MetalX, a Waterloo, Ind.-scrap metal recycling company founded by the Rifkin family, reports that it has reached full production with its first shredder installation. The shredder, a Wendt Model 60, was officially commissioned Feb. 28, 2013, six weeks after the first components arrived on site. The shredder is expected to produce about 10,000 tons of shredded scrap in its first month of operation, the companies say.

MetalX’s shredder feeds an oversized ferrous downstream and eddy-current separation line with a throughput capacity of more than 120 tons per hour. The system also is configured to accommodate a second shredder at a future date.

Danny Rifkin, MetalX CEO, says, “We have designed a shredding system that is different than other shredder installations. The result is greater flexibility, lower capital costs and increased operating efficiencies, all of which are critically important in today’s highly competitive environment.”

MetalX plans to offer custom shredding for customers and to promote the cooperative development of proprietary shredded products for specific applications. “We are more interested in creating shredded products that add value for customers than simply producing a commodity grade of shredded, although that product will clearly be a significant part of our mix,” Rifkin says.

// Association Activities

CDRA Announces Annual Awards Winners
The Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA, formerly the Construction Materials Recycling Association) Aurora, Ill., has announced its slate of 2013 industry award honorees. The 2013 awards were presented during the association’s C&D World Conference, April 22 in Tampa, Fla.

Michael Dinneen, Agg Rok Materials, Grove City, Ohio, is Member of the Year. He was selected for extraordinary service to the organization’s mission and the construction and demolition recycling industry over the previous 12 months.

Cherry Cos., Houston, is the C&D Recycler of the Year. This award honors those recycling operations in the C&D recycling industry that have made an extraordinary contribution to the industry.

The inaugural class of the C&D Recycling Hall of Fame also was announced and is available at www.cdrecycler.com/cdr-hall-of-fame-awards-world-conference.aspx.

// Personnel Activity

Florida University Recognizes SWS, Sun Recycling Chairman
Northwood University, Palm Beach, Fla., has recognized Anthony Lomangino, chairman and founder of Southern Waste Systems (SWS) and Sun Recycling, with its Outstanding Business Leader Award.

Lomangino has more than 35 years of experience in the waste and recycling industry. According to Northwood University, he has been a pioneer and innovator of processes and technology that have advanced the collection, recycling and disposal of residential and commercial waste.

// Forecasts & Statistics

Construction Employment Inches Upward
Construction employment expanded in two-thirds of all states in January 2013, as the industry showed signs of emerging from a six-year slump, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

Construction employment increased in 34 states and the District of Columbia from December 2012 to January 2013. In the full year from January 2012 to January 2013, Texas added the greatest number of construction jobs, and the District of Columbia has grown construction employment by the highest percentage year-over-year. At the other end of the spectrum, the largest percentage decline in construction employment has taken place in Arkansas.

For the full year from January 2012 to January 2013, just 24 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs, 25 states shed workers, and one—Wisconsin—had no measurable change. The District of Columbia jumped to the top ranking for percentage of new construction jobs (9.4 percent, 1,200 jobs); followed by North Dakota (9 percent, 2,500 jobs); Hawaii (8 percent, 2,300 jobs); Alaska (7.2 percent, 1,200 jobs) and Washington (6 percent, 8,200 jobs). Texas (28,500 jobs, 5 percent) added the most new construction jobs over the past 12 months, followed by California (17,600 jobs, 3 percent) and Washington.

Among states losing construction jobs during the past year, Arkansas lost the highest percentage (-10.5 percent, -5,100 jobs), followed by Rhode Island (-8 percent, -1,300 jobs); Montana (-7.2 percent, -1,700 jobs) and South Dakota (-6.4 percent, -1,400 jobs). Illinois lost the most jobs (-9,800 jobs, -5 percent); followed by Virginia (-7,500 jobs, -4.2 percent); Ohio (-5,200 jobs, -2.8 percent) and Arkansas.

AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson says 34 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between December and January, while employment slipped in 14 states and held steady in two states.

AGC officials say the industry’s recovery remains fragile and that current and looming federal budget cuts threaten to drag down construction employment in numerous states.

“These results show that contractors are finding work in more parts of the country than they have for many months,” says Simonson. “Further gains appear likely but could be derailed if lawmakers continue to make indiscriminate cuts to key construction and infrastructure programs.”

// Conferences

Renewable Energy from Waste Conference Launches in November
Construction and Demolition recycling firms interested in finding end markets for their materials in the renewable energy sector will be interested in a new conference launched by the Recycling Today Media Group, the publisher Construction & Demolition Recycling, Renewable Energy from Waste and Recycling Today magazines, in conjunction with Smithers Apex and Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB). The inaugural Renewable Energy from Waste Conference and Exhibition will take place Nov. 18-20, 2013, at the West Palm Beach Marriott, in West Palm Beach, Fla., and will focus on the production of renewable energy and fuels from waste materials.

Renewable Energy from Waste 2013 will be cochaired by Harvey W. Gershman, president, GBB and James R. Keefe, executive vice president and group publisher, Recycling Today Media Group. The conference will include two full days of plenary sessions and leadership roundtables providing key insights into renewable waste financials, market trends and opportunities and technology developments, plus multiple B2B networking opportunities and exhibition time. The final day of the program will feature tours of innovative facilities in the Palm Beach region focused on creating energy and fuels from waste.

“The industry needs one place where economic, municipal and corporate experts come together to share their successes and struggles with candor and impartiality,” says Andrew Smaha, conference director for Smithers Apex. “Our inaugural program will be designed to connect waste generators, the government sector, waste management firms, recycling firms, energy and chemical producers, commercial waste generators and equipment and technology suppliers.”

Keefe adds, “Capturing the resource potential of waste streams is the fastest growing sector of the waste and recycling industry. This is the reason we introduced Renewable Energy from Waste magazine in 2012. It’s also the reason we’re taking the follow-up action in 2013 of introducing this event. We’ll be considering the full breadth of possibilities from energy to the production of building block chemicals.”

Abstracts are currently being accepted for Renewable Energy from Waste 2013. This year’s program will feature approximately 30 expert presentations covering topics, including:

• The economics of waste conversion;
• Gasification;
• Anaerobic digestion;
• Plastics to oil; and
• Legislative outlook for conversion technologies.

Complete information about Renewable Energy from Waste 2013 is available at www.REWConference.com.

// International

PVC Window Frame Recycling Grows in UK
Axion Consulting, Bramhall, United Kingdom, has reported that more than 1 million unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC-U) postconsumer window frames are being recycled in the U.K. every year through Recovinyl, an initiative of the European PVC industry. Recovinyl was created in 2003 as part of a Vinyl 2010 Voluntary Commitment to advance the sustainable development of the PVC industry by improving production processes, minimizing emissions, developing recycling technology and boosting the collection and recycling of vinyl scrap.

According to Axion, the most recent figures show that nearly 25,500 metric tons of PVC windows were recycled in 2011, representing 52 percent of the overall 48,500 metric tons of PVC recycled. In addition to window frames, other materials collected and recycled through Recovinyl’s program include pipes and fittings, cables, flexible PVC and rigid PVC films. The total collected equals more than 1 million windows. Axion says it expects to have updated information for 2012 available in April 2013.

“These figures are an impressive achievement and clearly demonstrate the sustainability credentials of PVC as a building material that can be easily recycled and reused, as well as the ongoing industry commitment to more sustainable practices,” says Jane Gardner of Axion Consulting.

“Importantly, we are not claiming that all of the 1 million window frames are being manufactured into new window frames, but we are claiming that more than 1 million window frames are being recycled into second-life products for long-term use in the construction industry, including new windows,” says Jason Leadbitter, chairman of VinylPlus’ Controlled Loop Committee.

More information on Recovinyl is available at www.recovinyl.com.

// Plastics

ACC Report Highlights Growth in Plastic Film Recycling
A national report prepared for the American Chemistry Council (ACC), Arlington, Va., finds recycling of plastic film climbed 4 percent to reach 1 billion pounds in 2011. Accordign to the report, by Moore Recycling Associates, Sonoma, Calif., the recycling of plastic film, which includes bags, product wraps and commercial shrink film, has increased by 55 percent since 2005.

About 58 percent of U.S.-recovered postconsumer film was consumed domestically in 2011—up from 53 percent in 2010—largely in light of growth in the plastic and composite lumber industry, the primary market for this material, according to the report.

The composite lumber industry showed a 120-million-pound increase in consumption from 2010 to 2011 to reach 55 percent of the total market for recovered film. Consumption of postconsumer plastic film by the film and sheet industry, the second largest market for this material, held steady at 100 million pounds, or 16 percent of the total market.

Recycled polyethylene film is used to make a range of products, including plastic and composite lumber for outdoor decks and fencing, home building products, garden products, crates, pipe and new film packaging like plastic bags.

Recovery data in the report, “2011 National Postconsumer Plastic Bag & Film Recycling Report,” is based on a survey of 19 U.S. and three Canadian processors of postconsumer film, along with 37 companies that export this material, according to Moore Recycling Associates.

The ACC says consumers can bring used bags and wraps to more than 15,000 nationwide locations, primarily large grocery and retail chains, to be recycled.

// Job Site Recycling

WM Announces Winners of Sustainability Circle of Excellence Award
Waste Management Inc. (WM), Houston, has announced the winners of its 2012 Sustainability Circle of Excellence Award, which recognizes top customers in the construction industry that achieved outstanding sustainability milestones during the planning and building phases of their projects. To be considered for this award, winners used Waste Management’s Diversion and Recycling Tracking Tool (DART) to track their performance throughout the year.

DART, WM’s online portal used to follow environmental performance during construction projects, calculates the amount of waste that customers divert from the landfill as well as the different types of materials put to reuse. Information is updated daily to track the sustainable performances of some of the nation’s top builders, who can then use the information to pursue LEED certification for their projects and set future green goals.

The winning companies diverted the highest total tonnage of waste from landfills to recycling facilities and include, in alphabetical order:

• Balfour Beatty Construction LLC, Chairman and CEO Robert Van Cleave;
• Brasfield and Gorrie LLC, President Jim Gorrie;
• Gilbane Building Co., Chairman and CEO Thomas Gilbane Jr.;
• Jersen Industries, CEO David Jersen;
• McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., Chairman and CEO Michael Bolen;
• Skanska USA Inc., Presidnet and CEO Michael McNally;
• W.A. Sheets & Sons, President Phil Sheets Jr.;
• Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Executive Vice President Timothy Regan; and
• William H. Lane Inc., CEO William Lane.

More information on the Sustainability Circle of Excellence Awards is available at www.wm.com/dart.

// Legislation & Regulations

Connecticut Forms Recycling Council
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy together with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Daniel Esty, Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Commissioner Catherine Smith and state leaders, have announced the formation of the Recycling Market Development Council, which is designed to expand and strengthen the state’s efforts to grow recycling businesses within its borders.

The council was a recommendation of the Governor’s Recycling Working Group, established in April 2012. According to a news release issued by the departments, the goals are to “modernize the state’s solid waste system and materials management policies and to increase the recovery of recyclables throughout the state.”

“The recommendations of the Recycling Working Group will help us strengthen and expand the recycling and reuse economy in Connecticut,” says Malloy. “Modernizing the state’s process will support an industry that is nearly 5,000 strong and contributes hundreds of millions [of dollars] to our local economy—and it will reduce the volume of trash and air pollution. I thank the working group for their service and their commitment to Connecticut’s environment,” he adds.

Connecticut’s Recycling Market Development Council will include representatives of the businesses engaged in the collection, hauling, sorting, processing, selling and purchasing of recyclable materials. The working group says the council will drive modernity and innovation in materials management by supporting the recyclable materials markets, increasing the recovery of materials and connecting companies with products manufactured from recycled materials.

The Connecticut Economic Resource Center estimates that recycling businesses in the state account for 4,800 direct and indirect jobs, $746 million in sales and $59 million in tax revenue.