Carpet cushion firm finds use for tire fiber BOWMANVILLE, Ontario—Valle Foam Industries Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, along with tire recycler Retriever Industries Inc. of Mississauga and the North American Recycled Rubber Association, has successfully completed a research project using about 11 percent recycled tire fibers in its production of rebond carpet cushion.
``It's probably not the biggest problem (tire recyclers) have to contend with, but anything you can do to reduce the cost is a benefit,'' said Margaret Carter, NARRA's office manager.
``It does cost them money to dispose of the fiber. So to be able to get rid of it either at no cost or to possibly get paid for it—even if it's only 2 or 3 cents (per pound)—it helps their bottom line.''
WRI nets 42% jump in 3rd qtr. earnings
DALLAS—Waste Recovery Inc., a major tire-derived fuel processor which has been struggling for years to stay in the black, said its third-quarter results show the company is ``on the road to consistent profitability.''
For the quarter ended Sept. 30, WRI reported a 42.5-percent jump in net income to $203,384, as revenues climbed 20.1 percent to $4.25 million, compared with the year-earlier quarter.
However, despite an 18.9-percent increase in revenues to $11.8 million for the nine-month period, WRI suffered a net loss of $74,590, compared with earnings of $174,152 in the year-ago period.
Ohio lime producer conducts TDF tests
MILLERSVILLE, Ohio—Redland Oil Inc. is testing tire-derived fuel in its lime plant in Millersville and preliminary results show declines in two major types of pollutants, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, according to Rob Cox, Redland's environmental and safety coordinator.
If Redland can show the fuel causes no more pollution than coal, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency may allow Redland to burn the fuel at its plants in Millersville and Woodville, Ohio.
Lime plants burn fuel inside kilns that can reach temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees.
The fuel mix would not exceed 30 percent rubber at the two plants, Mr. Cox said.
La. DEQ plans audit to collect AWOL fees
BATON ROUGE, La.—A state auditor's initial investigation late last year found 20 tire dealers who hadn't remitted all the tire fees they collected to Louisiana's Waste Tire Trust Fund.
Retailers are supposed to collect a $2 fee for every new tire sold in the state. The auditor's spot checks of two cities found $136,000 owed to the trust fund which is used to pay for the disposal of old tires and the cleanup of tire dumps.
Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Dale Givens said he will expand the audits across the state, hiring additional auditors to check retailers' books.
N.Y. sues recycler to force dump cleanup
ALBANY, N.Y.—The New York Attorney General is suing North American Tire Recycling Corp. to force the company to clean up a tire dump in Rensselaer, N.Y.
The dump contains 50,000 tires and is located about 200 yards from the Hudson River, posing a threat to the river and to other tenants in the industrial area, according to a spokesman for the attorney general.
The company in May entered into a consent agreement to clean up the tires but never followed through, the attorney general's office said.
North American Tire Recycling owner Robert Barber declined to comment. His company received a permit in 1989 to collect and shred up to 5,000 tires per day.
Tire/wast incinerator planned in Alberta
CALGARY, Alberta—Continental Waste Conversion Inc. has received initial approval to build a $6 million incinerator to burn tires and other wastes in Bow Island, Alberta. The plant is expected to open in 1998.
The company anticipates investing more than $15 million in the project during the first three years of operation. The incinerator, which will use a semi-pyrolytic process in two chambers, initially will handle about 50 tons of municipal garbage or 20 tons of tires daily, the company said.
The tires will be obtained on the open market, while the municipal waste will come from Bow Island, the company said.