Tak Investments to invest $60 million to establish a recycled napkin and towel operation in Franklin, Va.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has announced that Tak Investments Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., will invest $60 million to open a recycled tissue plant in Isle of Wight County, Va. TAK’s subsidiary, ST Tissue, will operate the mill, which will consume a range of recovered fiber to produce napkin products, primarily for the away-from-home market. The facility will be located at International Paper’s Franklin, Va., mill. McDonnell says, “Not only will Tak Investments bring significant investment and 85 new jobs to the region, the company will repurpose and put into use a vacant portion of the International Paper mill. It is a perfect fit, as ST Tissue has the opportunity to modify certain paper-making machinery already in the plant to produce its tissue products.” The company is rehabbing one of IP’s mothballed machines at the Franklin site, though the company still needed to perform some demolition work to adjust the machine to a new type of product. When IP operated the mill it produced printing and writing paper. At 310 inches, the paper machine will be the largest tissue machine operating in the United States, according to a spokesman for Tak Investments. When fully operational the mill is expected to produce 200 tons per day of paper napkins and towels for the away-from-home market. Raw material to be used at the mill will include sorted office paper as well as some lower grades of fiber, says Sahil Tak, a spokesman for Tak Investments. Other recovered fiber grades that could be used at the mill include double-lined kraft cuttings (DLK) and old corrugated containers (OCC), he says. To ensure the mill has an ample supply of raw material, the company also opened a recycled fiber center at the facility. “The available infrastructure and high-quality machinery, trained workforce and nearby abundant supply of natural resources put Virginia and Isle of Wight County ahead of the competition,” McDonnell adds. “We enjoy the challenge of helping rebuild communities that we do business in,” says Sharad Tak, president and CEO of Tak Investments. “A few years ago we acquired a struggling tissue mill in Oconto Falls, Wis., and, with help from the workforce and the surrounding community, we were able to transform the facility into a successful business. We envision the same sort of success here in Franklin because the community has been incredibly supportive of our project and the talent base here is also exceptional.” To help build the project, McDonnell approved a $200,000 grant from the state’s Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist Isle of Wight County with the project. The company is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the company’s recruitment, training and retraining activities.
Jon Lanker announces retirement after 46 years of service.
Harris Waste Management Group Inc., Tyrone, Ga., has announced the retirement of Jon Lanker, who was employed by the equipment manufacturing firm for 46 years. According to Harris, Lanker started his career as a draftsman with Harris in 1966. He subsequently moved up through the company as an inside sales representative and a regional sales manager. In 1990, Lanker was promoted into the position of ferrous sales manager. “Everyone here at Harris congratulates Jon on his retirement and thanks him for his dedication of 46 years as a valued employee of Harris,” says Doug Sebastian, vice president of Harris. “We all wish Jon a long and happy retirement and he will be missed.” Throughout Lanker’s career with Harris, he has become well known and respected within the scrap and waste industries, Sebastian adds. Harris designs, manufactures and supports scrap processing, recycling and waste handling equipment. More information on the company can be found at www.harrisequip.com.
Company awards 10 Think Green grants.
Stamford, Conn.-based Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the national nonprofit organization, has announced that Houston-based Waste Management (WM) has awarded $10,000 individual grants to 10 KAB affiliates. Waste Management Think Green grants are awarded to encourage community sustainability through local environmental efforts. The merit-based grants are awarded to KAB affiliates that have designed programs to increase local recycling efforts, expand public environmental education or enhance local beautification and community greening initiatives. WM has provided support for more than 100 KAB community solution-based projects throughout the past eight years through its grants programs. KAB affiliates can increase the potential of their community improvement projects with the help of Waste Management Think Green grants. For example, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful in Duluth, Ga., and Greensboro Beautiful, Greensboro, N.C., are establishing school-based recycling programs; Hot Springs/Garland County Beautification in Hot Springs, Ark., is working to reduce the amount of pharmaceutical and personal care waste entering the local water system; and Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful, Winston-Salem, N.C., will plant hundreds of trees along the Newell/Massey Greenway and New Walkertown Road in East Winston-Salem as part of its next Community Roots Day. Waste Management is an active supporter in many of KAB’s national programs, including the Great American Cleanup, America Recycles Day and RecycleMania. “Keep America Beautiful applauds the work of all of this year’s grant winners and their continuing efforts to create and sustain greener, more vibrant communities,” says KAB President and CEO Matthew McKenna. “We’re thankful to Waste Management for their ongoing partnership and transformative support of America’s communities through the Think Green Grant program.” Barry Caldwell, WM senior vice president and chief communications officer and past KAB chairman of the board, says, “Waste Management, KAB and its affiliates share the common goal of providing sustainable environmental and beautification programs that help enhance the quality of life of the communities we serve. So we are pleased once again to support KAB’s affiliate network and the vital work they do.” The KAB affiliate 2012 Waste Management Think Green Grants recipients are: • Greensboro Beautiful, Greensboro, N.C.; • Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, Inc., Duluth, Ga.; • Hampton Clean City, Hampton, Va.; • Hot Springs/Garland County Beautification, Hot Springs, Ark.; • Keep Forth Worth Beautiful, Fort Worth, Texas; • Keep Greenville County Beautiful, Greenville, S.C.; • Keep Jackson Beautiful, Inc., Jackson, Miss.; • Keep Pearland Beautiful, Pearland, Texas; • Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, Reno, Nev.; and • Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Patricia Whiting worked as an environmental protection specialist in the EPA's Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.
Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS), with North American headquarters in Chicago, has announced that Patricia Whiting has joined the company’s Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Compliance Group as its first international policy analyst. Prior to accepting the position, Whiting spent 21 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an environmental protection specialist in the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. During her time with the EPA, Whiting analyzed issues related to the use, storage and transport of extractive and industrial nonhazardous waste for the industrial and extractive waste branch in support of the development of congressional reports, regulatory determinations and guidelines. Most recently, Whiting served as the U.S. delegate to the Open-Ended Working Group of the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and its control for the agency’s international and special projects branch. According to SRS, Whiting’s Basel Convention experience will give the company the ability to help customers achieve compliance as electronic scrap regulations emerge in Latin America and the Caribbean. Renee St. Denis, SRS Americas vice president of Business Development, says, “To provide comprehensive solutions for our clients, Sims needs to be able to engage with the public and private sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean at an even higher level than we do now. “Patricia’s background in and knowledge of international electronic waste policy will allow us to do that so we can better serve our customers as they try to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape in these countries,” St. Denis adds. Whiting says, “I find electronic waste compelling because it is a very complicated issue. There can be environmental and health concerns, but used electronics can also provide economic and social benefits by recovering precious metals versus extracting them from the earth and bridging the digital divide. Sims has the expertise to address these issues and has shown they are committed to doing the right thing. I am looking forward to this new challenge.”
Remote sensor aids in managing recycling containers.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Trimble has introduced a product designed for managing remote recycling containers. CBin consists of a remote sensor that sends fill-level and asset status information via wireless communications to a Web portal. Users can access the portal to manage container inventory and pickups. CBin sensors automatically measure container fill levels hourly and send updates to the cBin portal. Immediate updates are sent if fill levels exceed action levels, the company says. The cBin solution provides environmental services professionals and fleet managers the ability to see container fill levels on a daily basis and the tools to rapidly build customized collection routes to pickup full containers, according to Trimble. “Trimble’s cBin solution can redefine how recycled materials are being collected,” says Elmar Lenz, director of Trimble's Environmental Solutions Business Area. “Hauling operations no longer need to use fuel, labor or incur truck wear and tear to go pick up empty or partially full containers. He continues, “Optimal route planning and scheduling are essential to remain competitive. The cBin solution allows customers to plan collection routes to pick up only full containers and estimate the amounts of recyclable materials that each truck will collect on a route before leaving the shop. “With cBin, recyclers and fleet managers can reduce collection cost, improve their forecasting process, and utilize their fleets more efficiently,” he adds. More information on cBin is available at environmentalsolutions@trimble.com.