Glass Recycling Plant Opens in Virginia

Precision Recycling Industries LLC has opened Precision Recycling Industries of Virginia (PRIVA), a glass recycling plant in Chester, Va.

Initially, the plant will have the capacity to recycle 50,000 tons of glass each year. The recycled glass will be converted into inert, environmentally safe products for use in industries such as abrasives, architectural products, and filtration systems.

The plant will recycle bottles and other glass products generated by curbside recycling systems, recycling drop-off centers, and manned recycling centers throughout Virginia and the surrounding region.

The plant will be a dedicated supplier to Precision Recycling Industries LLC and to Novetas Solutions, the manufacturer of New Age Blast Media. Precision Recycling Industries sells recycled products to industries such as architectural products, filtration systems, and more.

"We will divert 50,000 tons of glass per year from local landfills, turning that glass into a number of useful products," Bill Richardson, founder and president of Precision Recycling Industries, said. "A lot of glass has been going into those landfills, because the recycling systems have lacked a viable, local market for the glass that they collect. We have now provided that market.

Richardson noted that more than 8 million people live within a 100-mile radius of the new plant. "Those communities are generating tons and tons of recyclable glass, and we want to recycle it," he added.

Phase I of the highly automated glass recycling plant has the capacity to recycle 50,000 tons of glass (of all colors) per year. The plant ships its recycled glass products in bulk shipments, in 3,000-pound Super Sacks, or in 50-pound bags. The material can be packed in a customer's own containers. Its products meet the Federal Trade Commission's definition of post-consumer recycled material. In addition, the products meet all requirements of the California Gold Sustainable Carpet Standard, the most stringent such standard in the United States.

Richardson pointed out that recycled glass has a number of environmental advantages. Phase I of the plant has created seven new jobs. All of the jobs have currently been filled.

Richardson said that Precision Recycling Industries is already looking to Phase II, which would mean an expansion of the plant. "We have the capability to more than double the size of our operation, very quickly. We could add a color sort line, which would enable us to more fine-tune our output, and increase our annual recycling capacity to 180,000 tons of glass. We would then be able to produce furnace-ready glass cullet. This cullet could be used by manufacturers in the region that produce new glass containers for companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Miller-Coors, and others. Our expansion will of course be dependant on the market for recycled glass and the state of the economy, but we're very optimistic about the future," he said.

This information can be found at:

http://eponline.com/Articles/2010/01/18/Precision-Recycling-Industries-Opens-Glass-Recycling-Plant.aspx