Aarrowcast is now part of Wisconsin-based metals holding company that also operates Charter Steel.

Mequon, Wisconsin-based Charter Manufacturing has announced its acquisition of Aarrowcast Inc., a maker of gray and ductile iron castings in Shawano, Wisconsin. Aarowcast, which was privately held, produces more than 42,000 tons of castings annually, according to Charter.

A video foundry tour posted to the Aarrowcast website shows ferrous scrap being moved with a lifting magnet and placed into melting vessels for conversion into new cast components at its Shawano foundry.

“As a growth company, we continually evaluate opportunities to enhance our business,” says John W. Mellowes, CEO of Charter Manufacturing. “This acquisition expands our metals manufacturing offerings and will increase diversification of both our customer base and end markets.”

Charter describes Aarrowcast as “North America’s premier green sand foundry,” offering a range of iron castings to OEMs and tier 1 supplier customers in the agricultural and off-road equipment, compressor and hydraulics, defense, construction and mining sectors, among others.

“Becoming part of Charter Manufacturing is a good strategic and cultural fit for Aarrowcast,” says Randy Brull, president and CEO of Aarrowcast. “Both companies are passionate about metals manufacturing and are committed to customer service, product innovation and growth. We are excited about working together and what the next chapter will bring.”

Aarrowcast will operate as Charter Aarrowcast, joining Charter’s existing family of metals production businesses: Charter Automotive, Charter Dura-Bar, Charter Steel (which operates scrap-fed electric arc furnace mills in Cleveland and in Saukville, Wisconsin) and Charter Wire. Mellowes said Brull will continue to lead the Aarrowcast business and will report to Bob Venable, president and chief operating officer of Charter Manufacturing.

This transaction was supported by Boston-based Citizens Capital Markets Inc., which Charter says served as the exclusive financial advisor to Aarrowcast.

Novelis has recognized Penske for demonstrating outstanding performance in overall logistics.

Penske Logistics, a transportation solutions company in Reading, Pennsylvania, recently was recognized with a North America Supplier award from aluminum rolling and recycling company Novelis, Atlanta. Penske Logistics received the award for demonstrating outstanding performance in overall logistics while receiving the best score from Novelis' key carriers throughout North America in 2020. 

According to a news release from Penske, this is the company’s second time receiving the North America Supplier award, having been recognized in 2019 as well.

"Delivering performance and innovation is guided by a deep sense of responsibility at Penske," says Jeff Jackson, executive vice president of operations for Penske Logistics. "With Novelis, we are committed to providing quality, reliability and a true partnership which resonates through the North America Supplier award."

Penske says its dedicated trucking operation uses Novelis' closed-loop recycling system and shuttles aluminum coils from Oswego, New York, to automotive stamping plants in Michigan. The aluminum scrap from the stamping process is then transported back to Oswego to be recycled and formed into new coils. This process runs every day with a loaded Penske truck heading out on the road every 40 minutes.

"We are inspired by the work and passion Novelis has for a circular economy and are grateful to partner with them," says Marc Althen, president of Penske Logistics. "Leading our success is our dedicated team of safe, professional drivers and well-trained staff. I would like to send my appreciation to that team for their focus and commitment to the network's infrastructure and procedures."

Novelis selects suppliers across 10 award categories each year that support its 16 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. 

The program will work with local stakeholders in Austin, Texas, and Philadelphia to help make their recycling and waste management efforts more sustainable

Austin, Texas, and Philadelphia are the next cities to join Beyond 34: Scaling Circularity for a Sustainable Economy, the multistakeholder initiative from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Austin and Philadelphia were chosen because of their commitment to sustainability and the opportunity that exists for significant economic and environmental impact through circular solutions, the foundation says.  

Exacerbated by the COVID-induced labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and shifting consumer patterns, America’s waste collection systems continue to face major challenges, with the U.S. recycling rate hovering in the mid-30 percent range in recent decades. To help address these issues, Beyond 34 provides a model for high-impact waste solutions that can be scaled for implementation in regions across the country, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation says. 

Beyond 34 was launched in Orlando, Florida, in 2017 with funding from the Walmart Foundation, Target, Republic Services and Walgreens in collaboration with Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2019 it expanded to Cincinnati and aims to demonstrate how to optimize recycling and recovery of high-value materials generated from commercial, industrial and residential sources. 

“For five years, the Beyond 34 initiative has helped communities improve their local recycling, reuse and recovery rates and provided a collaborative platform for the business community to lead in developing solutions that advance the circular economy in the U.S.,” says Marc DeCourcey, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber Foundation, which is based in Washington. “We welcome Austin and Philadelphia as the newest cities to join our movement and look forward to seeing the progress they achieve.”

The foundation says Beyond 34 helps communities and businesses build sustainable local economies by applying a three-phased model: engage stakeholders across the waste management value chain; conduct analysis to identify areas of greatest impact; and empower communities to implement solutions.

As one of the fastest growing cities in America, Austin is prioritizing sustainability as a path to prosperity. The city is working toward its goal of reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills by 90 percent by 2040 and has a number of programs that help residents grow the local circular economy. For example, Austin engaged zero waste “block leaders” to educate neighbors on recycling and composting, the plastics recycling system and more.

“We know our ambitious goals for a circular economy here in Austin can’t be reached alone. We need the support of our nonprofit partners, businesses who share our values, and other cities that can pass along their own wisdom--we’re all ears and we want to learn,” Steve Adler, mayor of Austin, says. “That’s why we jumped at the chance to be a part of the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s exciting work in the Beyond 34 initiative.”

Philadelphia is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and is working toward a goal to become 90 percent zero waste and litter-free by 2035. Philadelphia uses data through its SmartCityPHL program to help it become more efficient and improve the quality of life for its residents.

“We are working diligently to make ‘smart city’ an overarching planning paradigm in Philadelphia, much like the term ‘sustainability’ has become,” says Mark Wheeler, chief information officer for the city. “We need innovative tech, quality data and partnerships—especially partnerships like the ones through the Beyond 34 initiative—to achieve a local circular economy that will provide equitable job opportunities, create resilient communities and support global climate goals.”

The Chamber of Commerce Foundation says that through tools like Beyond 34’s Recycling and Recovery Resources Hub, cities across the country can learn from other regions that are addressing barriers and driving action toward waste elimination. 

Since its launch, The Coca-Cola Co., Coca-Cola Consolidated, Kroger Co., Dow, the Plastics Industry Association, Procter and Gamble, Republic Services, Target, Walgreens Boots Alliance and the Walmart Foundation have supported the Beyond 34 program, with Walmart.org and Walgreens funding the expansion to Austin and Philadelphia.

“The Beyond 34 model provides important insights and resources to cities and regions around the country,” says Chelsea Scantlan, sustainability program officer at Walmart.org. “The Walmart Foundation is proud to support the expansion of Beyond 34 to Austin and Philadelphia. Strong policy and public sector activities to reduce waste are critical supplements to private sector investments. Shifting to behaving and operating in a circular economy will require everyone to work strategically together—exactly the kind of systemic change we are working to enable at the Walmart Foundation.”

The products and services assure clients their personal information is destroyed safely.

TerraCycle Regulated Waste (TCRW), a commercial recycling solution provider owned by TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, has launched a suite of products and information technology asset disposition (ITAD) services. The offerings are designed to carry out the compliant and eco-friendly disposal of unwanted electronics while ensuring proper data destruction. 

“Since the start of the pandemic and the trend of companies embracing work-from-home schedules, IT departments, no matter the size or the industry, require some form of dependable data sanitization,” says Kevin Flynn, global vice president of TerraCycle operations. “TerraCycle Regulated Waste has created a robust suite of services that allow businesses and consumers alike to streamline their e-waste recycling requirements and ITAD needs with the type of turnkey recycling solutions that TerraCycle is known for.” 

To support the growing demand for user-friendly data erasure technology, TCRW says it supplies high-speed and economical degaussing solutions. This line of products provides organizations with the assurance that media and data-bearing devices no longer contain confidential information before being sent offsite for recycling.

TerraCycle Regulated Waste also provides customers with a Certificate of Destruction to verify that the devices have been dismantled and all data storage components have been destroyed according to all applicable laws.

Facing a litany of lawsuits and fines, Pace Glass has ceased operations at both its facilities in New Jersey and has begun selling equipment at court-ordered auctions to pay back creditors.

Pace Glass Inc., Jersey City, New Jersey, spent two years developing a glass recycling facility in Andover, New Jersey, to sort and clean up postconsumer glass for use by bottle producers. Now, facing a litany of legal complaints, the company has closed altogether and has begun liquidating its assets this month.

In October, New Jersey's Acting Attorney General Andrew Buck announced that the state filed a complaint against the business, alleging it operates an illegal solid waste facility in Jersey City. The state claimed it did this by storing large piles of crushed glass on two different properties, one on Caven Point Avenue and one on Bishop Street.

According to the complaint, the Caven Point Avenue site contains a 40-foot-high stockpile of about 300,000 cubic yards of crushed glass, which is mixed with plastic, paper, food debris and other solid waste.

The complaint further alleged that Pace’s stockpiles of crushed glass mixed with other solid waste are causing contaminated stormwater runoff, which put the environment and public health at risk. The stockpiled glass is also a source of dust and odors the state said affected the quality of life for nearby residents. 

“The complaint seeks a court order directing Pace and other defendants to remove the piles of crushed glass, remediate contamination at the sites and to pay DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) penalties under the Solid Waste management Authority and Water Pollution Control Act,” Buck says in a press release issued last month.

The lawsuit lists Efstathios Valiotos, owner of Pace; Reliable Paper Recycling Inc., which shares the Caven Point Avenue site with Pace; Bishop-Johnston LLC, which owns the Bishop street site; and Caven Point Road Associates, the owner of the Caven Point Avenue property.

According to state records, this isn’t the first time Pace Glass has had issues with state authorities. In 2019, the company was served with multiple criminal charges related to more than 35 code violations at its Caven Point Avenue facility. The charges came after a mulitagency investigation determined that residual waste was being stored in large piles with poor storage, exposing hazardous contents to nearby areas.

Later that year, the company and the state agreed to a settlement for a $10,000 fine, according to court records.

However, records show the sites received violations as early as 2016 from the Hudson Regional Health Commission for operating a solid waste facility without a permit on Bishop Street and using an unapproved site on Caven Point Avenue, reports northjersey.com.

The 250,000-square-foot facility was expected to be the largest glass recycling facility in the world when construction began in 2018. The site was expected to open in 2019 and to handle most of the glass produced by material recovery facilities (MRFs) in the Northeast region. However, because contract negotiations fell apart, the opening was later pushed back to 2022.

An auction for the company’s equipment began earlier this month and is expected to be the first of two liquidation sales for the company, according to A.J. Willner Auctions.

City officials began discussing what will become of the 85-acre property last week. Right now, it’s unclear what will happen to it moving forward.