Page 198 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

176 THE GENERAL APPROACH FOR A SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT

TABLE 8.9 WASTE HANDLING OPTIONS FOR THE 11 MAJOR WASTE
STREAMS

WASTE POUNDS/YEAR WASTE
STREAM GENERATED HANDLING OPTIONS

1. Uncoated lead 437,456 Smelter—if hazardous

2. OCC* 1,036,854 Currently recycled
3. Polypropylene battery components 103,432 Recyclable

4. Paper 137,338 Recyclable
5. Floor sweepings 91,052 Smelter—if hazardous

6. Oxide inserts 84,514 Smelter—if hazardous
7. Wood 79,474 Recyclable

8. Paper towels 61,020 Reducible
9. Food waste 44,636 Nonrecyclable

10. Label backing 34,562 Possibly recyclable
11. Metal banding 31,535 Recyclable

per shift or daily. An analysis of the available floor space for the gaylord and the OCC
generation rate would have to be conducted in order to determine the best process.
OCC prices are quoted per ton. Prices vary greatly by region and service provider.
Lake Erie Recycling pays the manufacturer market value. According to Recycling
Times, September 29 Markets Page, the current rate for OCC in this area is $15.00 to
$90.00. Therefore, up to an additional $10,243 in revenue could be achieved by the
manufacturer. This number does not include any potential cost savings resulting in the
diversion of OCC waste from the compactor waste stream.

8.10.3 BATTERY CASES AND BUTTONS

The company annually disposes of about 52 tons of polypropylene from discarded bat-
tery cases and buttons. This figure is based on the trash sorts performed by the waste
assessment team and equates to 8667 lb per month. A breakout of the nonhazardous
polypropylene components found in the waste stream is shown in the following table.
This plastic could be ground and recycled for revenue. This plastic, in the form of grind
or flake, could be sold to the company’s Kentucky plant at $0.30 per pound thereby gen-
erating revenue of $31,003 per year. Costs would be cut for the overall corporation, since
utilizing the reground plastic would reduce the virgin plastic purchasing costs.
Table 8.11 is a cost-benefit analysis for purchasing a grinder and operating it in-house.
The waste assessment team used a figure for discarded polypropylene of 5497 lb per
month rather than the 8667 lb per month found from trash sorts. This figure was found on
the recycling processor receipts and was used in order to be conservative in the analysis.