ISRI 2016 Convention: A moving target

When curbside recycling programs switched from dual-stream collection to the existing single-stream method, the change came with many problems, according to panelists of the “Spotlight on Paper: Addressing Paper Bale Quality” session.

Quality of recovered fiber bales has taken a step backward in recent years, said Johnny Gold, president of The Gold Group Recycling Consultants LLC. Gold’s remarks were read by session speaker Sandy Rosen, as Gold, who was to serve as the session’s moderator, had an emergency occur and was unable to attend the event.

Rosen is the outgoing president of the Paper Stock Industries (PSI) Chapter of ISRI, Washington. Rosen, who serves as CEO of Great Lakes Recycling, Roseville, Michigan, introduced incoming PSI President and speaker Myles Cohen. Cohen most recently served as vice president of PSI and is currently president of Pratt Recycling, Conyers, Georgia.

Rosen said over the past decade, as collection methods for recyclables have changed, quality has suffered. It will take education and effort to improve quality standards, he said. “By increasing awareness and talking about ways to improve quality, then we as an industry will benefit as a whole,” Rosen said.

He added, “If we as an industry identify higher quality has a higher value, then that additional revenue will encourage other processors.”

Talking among buyers and sellers is most important, he said. Retaining relationships and having continual conversations is what it takes to maintain not only good business, but good quality.

“You can’t just ship a load and think everything’s going to be OK,” Rosen said. “I believe increasing quality strengthens us as an industry.”

As a broker, Leonard Zeid, with Midland Davis, St. Louis, and an attendee of the paper bale quality session, said he hears from both sides of the equation. “And one of the things we hear is from the supply side, and it seems like the strike zone on quality can be a moving target in the middle, depending on whether it’s June or December,” Zeid said.

Zeid explained, “I go back to that communication between the parties to understand what it is they’re buying. The fact that they’ve been shipping it doesn’t mean it was right, it just means that it didn’t get to a tipping point yet.”

He continued, “It takes communication between the buyer, seller and broker to understand what those quality concerns are. It’s probably the most important thing on bale quality specifications is to know where you’re selling it and have communication.”

Feedback is good for mills, he said.

Gold said now is as good as any time to get ahead of the issue. “It’s time to feel safe about shipments,” Gold said. “As an industry, we need to improve quality.”

He has discussed PSI members’ work toward a “Bale Quality Task Force.” Gold said the task force would highlight companies that display quality in safety, housekeeping and overall operations. The group also would outline quality standards and note what is acceptable in a recovered fiber bale.

Cohen said during the ISRI session that a lot of discussion has occurred surrounding specifications and the Bale Quality Task Force. He questioned how a task force, which has had some separate conference calls, is any different than PSI’s Specifications Committee.

During the ISRI Convention, the association’s Paper Division and board of directors voted to approve the proposed draft changes for recovered fiber grades to the “ISRI Specifications Circular.”

Old newspapers (ONP) grades Nos. 6, 7 and 8 will be deleted, as will mixed grades Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The new grades to be added to the circular are sorted clean news (SCN), sorted residential papers (SRP) and mixed paper (MP).

Rosen said regardless of the specification, bale quality can mean “a lot of different things,” including: integrity, content, appearance, moisture and odor as well as size, weight and density. “Good” bale quality is pretty straightforward, he said, with an overall clean bale that doesn’t have an odor or materials falling from it.

“What makes a bad bale?” Rosen asked the audience.

He described bales that lack integrity, stackability and storability. Mills specify the number of wires they prefer, typically up to six, Rosen said.

However, in the end, the acceptable bale quality level stems from conversations between buyers and sellers, he said. Working with mills and developing a suitable quality standard is essential.

“What one person thinks is a good bale may not work for another,” Rosen said.

Gold said industry certifications will go a long way in improving bale quality for the secondary fiber industry. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) accreditations pertain to quality, the environment and health and safety management. RIOS (Recycling Industry Operating Standard) is an integrated quality, environmental, health and safety system based on ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 that focuses on aspects relevant to the scrap recycling industry. The six components of RIOS cover general requirements, policy, planning, implementation, checking and corrective action and management.

Worker’s compensation is one area of waste that can be reduced with certifications, Gold said. In an ISRI Convention session Tuesday, April 5, Brian Conners, president of ARCA Advanced Processing LLC, Philadelphia, shared that RIOS has been the answer to several of the company’s problems. Conners said RIOS “really has had a tremendous effect on my company.” Within one year of implementing RIOS, ARCA Advanced Processing’s worker’s compensation premiums declined by $100,000, he said.

For those in the recovered paper sector, focusing on these types of changes will help to improve the overall industry. Cleaning up paper bales is just a start for a longer future.

“Companies that adhere to strict quality standards are going to do better going into the future,” Rosen.

The ISRI 2016 Convention & Exposition was April 2-7 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.