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| Overview: | A recycling sorting line (RSL), also known as a clean material recovery facility (clean MRF), processes commingled recyclables from curbside collection programs, drop-off sites, and satellite recycling centers. A properly designed RSL will process and recover up to 90 percent of the collected material. Recovered material is ultimately resold to specialty recyclers. Materials processed include newspaper; steel and aluminum cans; brown, green, and clear glass; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic containers. An RSL serving a small community is typically designed to process less than 50 tons per day of recyclables. An RSL serving a municipality can process 200 to 300 tons per day of recyclables.
RSL designs can vary significantly. RSL sorting systems can be fully automated, partially automated, or consist solely of manual sorting systems. A combined system of automated and manual sorting usually begins with automated sizing and sorting, and ends with manual sorting. The type of recyclables processed, and anticipated current and future processing rates need to be considered when designing an RSL. However, the basic features of the RSL site are similar for all types of RSLs. Each RSL includes customer vehicle weigh scales; areas for queuing and maneuvering; recyclable shipping areas; vehicle parking; and outdoor storage of recyclables. The main building housing the RSL will typically include a tipping floor for dumping recyclables, areas for sorting materials and processing recyclables, interim storage of recyclable materials, and warehouse storage for processed recyclables awaiting shipment./p> The RSL tipping floor is divided into separate areas for source-separated recyclables and commingled paper and recyclables. At the tipping floor, a rubber-tired loader transports the recyclables onto incline conveyors. These conveyors transport the recyclables to a sorting area, usually located 10 to 20 feet above the ground level. Sorting is conducting at the designated sorting area, and recovered recyclables are dropped into appropriate segregated collection bins./p> Automated sorting systems distribute recyclables into containers based on size, density, and/or chemical composition. These automated sorting systems may consist of trommels, disk and vibrating screens, density sorters, and magnetic separators. A trommel, or rotating drum screen, sorts material by size. The outside of the trommel consists of a screen with small holes that grow larger along the length of the screen. Small containers, like aluminum and tin cans fall through the smaller screen holes. Plastic soda bottles and milk jugs pass through the larger holes. Disk and vibrating screens also sort by size. The disk screen employs a series of parallel rotating shafts affixed with discs that are staggered from one shaft to the next. Between the shafts and the discs are openings where small materials fall as they pass over the surface of the rotating discs. Larger materials ride along the discs onto a conveyor. Density sorting subjects the materials to an air stream, also known as an air knife or air classifier. The air stream velocity is pre-set so that lighter materials such as plastic or aluminum cans are blown away from heavier materials such as glass containers. Magnetic equipment sorts materials by removing ferrous metals. Eddy current separators create an electric current in aluminum materials that propels the aluminum away from other materials. Manual sorting systems generally consist of flat conveyor belts where workers remove recyclables by hand from the belt as they pass by. The conveyor belt for sorting may be 50 to 100 feet long to accommodate between five and 20 sorters. The length of the belt depends on the number of types of recyclables and the total amount of each type of recyclable being sorted. Glass is usually separated by hand, in order to ensure the separation of clear, brown, and green glass. Once the recyclables are separated, they must be processed into materials for sale. Processing typically includes baling for paper, steel cans, and plastic bottles; flattening or densifying for aluminum cans; granulating or perforating for plastic bottles; and crushing for glass bottles. Once processed, the materials are sold directly to specialty recyclers for reuse. RSLs operated by municipalities have had a dramatic effect on reducing the reliance on landfills. The use of RSLs has, in many states, been mandated by legislation requiring a significant reduction in landfill disposal. California Assembly Bill 939 requires every city and county in California to reduce its landfill waste stream 25% by 1995 and 50% by the year 2000. Similar mandates are now law in many other states. The employment of RSLs in conjunction with commingled recycling programs have greatly assisted municipalities in achieving these goals.
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| Compliance Benefit: | Recycling sorting lines process commingled recyclables for recycling which can help facilities to meet the requirements under Executive Order 13101 requiring executive agencies (e.g., DOD) to incorporate waste prevention and recycling in their daily operations.
Use of a loader may increase fuels on site which may raise a facility’s need to comply with SARA (40 CFR 355 and EO 12856) reporting requirements and SPCC (40 CFR 112) issues. In addition, conveyor liners, automated sorting systems, balers and crushers will increase electricity consumption. Under EO 12902, federal facilities are required to reduce energy consumption. The compliance benefits listed here are only meant to be used as a general guideline and are not meant to be strictly interpreted. Actual compliance benefits will vary depending on the factors involved, e.g. the amount of workload involved. |
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| Materials Compatibility: | Material compatibility issues are specific to the design of the RSL. Most notably, materials that are not processed by the RSL should not be commingled with other recyclables. Education is a key element to ensure that users of a curbside collection program are well informed as to the types of recyclables processed by the RSL.
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| Safety and Health: | Safety issues for operators working at an RSL include the operation of power equipment, eye, ear, respiratory and dermal protection. Therefore, proper personal protective equipment including gloves, eye protection, respiratory protection, and hearing protection should be used. Operators should be specifically trained in the use of all machinery. Machinery should not be used if workers are intoxicated or on medication.
Consult your local industrial health specialist, your local health and safety personnel, and the appropriate MSDS prior to implementing this technology.
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| Benefits: |
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| Economic Analysis: | The cost of the equipment and installation of an RSL varies depending upon the size. A small RSL non-automated system including balers, will cost on average from $500,000 to $700,000. A large system can cost $1,500,000 or more depending on the equipment and degree of automation. When conducting an economic analysis for a new RSL, it is critical that the amounts and types of materials processed be well defined, as well as the markets and finished specifications for these materials. The market price for recyclables is volatile and as a consequence, predicting the long-term revenue obtained from a RSL is difficult. Since there are no long-term markets in recyclables, operators of successful RSLs must research markets on a frequent basis. The volatility of the marketplace makes it necessary for RSL operators to avoid long-term contracts in order to stay on top of changing commodity prices and to avoid getting locked into a price that has the potential of increasing. The recent high cost of landfill disposal has enhanced the economics of RSLs.
The economic analysis presented below is for a successful RSL located in the midwestern United States. This RSL serves a community of approximately 50,000 people. The facility is processing approximately 500 tons per month of recyclables, with well over 70% of all households in the area participating in the commingled recycling program. Assumptions:
Annual Operating Cost Comparison for Diversion through Recycling Sorting Lines and for Disposal
Diversion Disposal Economic Analysis Summary
Capital Cost for Diversion Equipment/Process: $850,000 Payback Period for Investment in Equipment/Process: < 2 years Click Here to view an Active Spreadsheet for this Economic Analysis and Enter Your Own Values.
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| Approving Authority: | Approval is controlled locally and should be implemented only after engineering approval has been granted. Major claimant approval is not required.
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| NSN/MSDS: |
*There are multiple MSDSs for most NSNs. The MSDS (if shown above) is only meant to serve as an example. |
| Points of Contact: | Navy: Mr. Wallace Eakes Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center 1100 23rd Ave. ESC 426 Port Hueneme, CA 93043-4370 Phone: (805) 982-4882 DSN: 551-4882 FAX: (805) 982-4832 Mr. Eugene Wang |
| Vendors: |
Mayfran International P.O. Box 43038 Cleveland, OH 44143 Phone: (440) 461-4100 FAX: (440) 461-5565 |
| Norton Environmental 6200 Rockside Woods Blvd. Independence, OH 44131 Phone: (216) 447-0070 FAX: (216) 447-5028 |
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| General Kinematics Corporation 777 Lake Zurick Road Barrington, IL 60010 Phone: (847) 381-2240 FAX: (847) 381-1376 |
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| Sierra International Machinery, Inc. Sierra International Machinery, Inc. Bakersfield, CA 93307 Phone: (805) 327-7073 FAX: (805) 322-8759 |
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| CP Manufacturing, Inc. 1428 McKinely Avenue National City, CA 91950 Phone: (619) 477-3175 FAX: (619) 477-3426 |
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| Duraquip, Inc. P.O. Box 948 Tualatin, OR 97062 Phone: (503) 639-9826 FAX: (503) 684-7296 |
| Sources: | Mr. Eugene Wang, Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, March 1999. Mr. Bob Clinton, Mayfran International, May 1996. Mr. Steve Maggi, City of Burbank Recycling Center, May 1996. Mr. David Goldstein, Ventura County, May 1996. Ms. Shiela Martin, State of California Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling, May 1996. "Burbank Recycle Center,"Waste Age, February 1995. "Chicago’s New Program Goes Beyond the Basics,"World Wastes, August 1994.
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