Walter Biel, owner of Recon Services Inc. in Austin, Texas, has been named the Construction Demolition Recycling Association’s (CDRA’s) Recycler of the Year for 2018. He will receive his award at the C&D World Show in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 10-13.
Biel received this award for his company’s innovative approach to C&D recycling. In 2017, Recon Services was the first company in the Western Hemisphere to implement the Helsinki, Finland-based ZenRobotics C&D Processing System. Biel was introduced to the ZenRobotics system by North American distributor Plexus Recycling Technologies, Westminster, Colorado. Biel and Will Hancock, vice president of operations at Plexus, worked together for months before the final decision was made to implement the new processing system. Prior to the decision to adopt ZenRobotics system, Biel traveled to eight countries in Europe, visiting dozens of processing sites, to gain a better perspective on new waste management technologies.
Since the ZenRobotics system was introduced to Recon’s C&D recycling line in March 2017, the company’s recyclable recovery rate has increased by 20 percent. The company isn’t stopping there, however. Recon Services is also introducing the Plexus AIR MAGNET, a Komptech Terminator Shredder and the Komptech Ballistic Separator to its facility. These new additions will increase the efficiency of the company’s waste system by allowing 20-plus hours of daily operation and increasing annual throughput. This technology will also allow Recon Services to open its doors to a select few third-party waste haulers, which will further increase the company’s annual throughput.
“We decided to expand our line for the future growth of our business and for the option to open up to third-party haulers and meet the needs of the booming growth that the city of Austin is experiencing,” Biel says.
As the first and only Recycling Certification Institute (RCI) Certified Recycler in the state of Texas, Recon Services Inc. has taken the initiative to meet national recycling standards and has become a primary example of how well automation works in the North American recycling industry.
