November 28, 2023

Mid Designer

Breakaway from the pack

Juno Technology aims for 90% diversion

The president of the Ga-Pacific subsidiary hopes his company’s technological innovation will at some point handle stagnant recycling prices nationwide. | Courtesy of Ga-Pacific

Ga-Pacific’s Juno Know-how is tests out plant spots and partnerships by way of a Seattle pilot task, using its patented damp processing system to reclaim contaminated fiber.

The engineering, which targets ordinarily unrecyclable fiber, is getting put to use in a 12-week pilot task to recycle substance sourced from King County, Washington that commenced on Feb. 28, in accordance to a push launch

Juno takes advantage of a patented soaked waste processing alternative that separates, sanitizes and washes fiber contaminated with foodstuff and other natural and organic debris. It can deal with cups with plastic coatings and paper-primarily based packaging, as well as divert much more metals and plastics and send them back again into the recycling procedure. Organics are turned into biogas. 

Christer Henriksson, president of Juno, informed Useful resource Recycling, “We acquire whatsoever falls among the cracks and we then get another stab at it.” 

King County, which sits in the coronary heart of the Seattle metro spot, estimated that regardless of “robust curbside recycling systems,” more than 600,000 tons of recyclable product conclusion up in landfills just about every calendar year. The Reliable Waste Division is screening how Juno could enable lower that quantity, the push launch mentioned. 

Juno has been managing a plant on 3 acres in Toledo, Ore. because 2021, Henriksson reported, near to the Georgia-Pacific containerboard facility in the similar city. Considering the fact that then, Juno has tripled landfill diversion premiums in Toledo, the press release famous. 

The facility has an annual capacity of 60,000 to 70,000 tons. King County is sending about 1,000 whole tons of material to the facility in excess of the 12-week time period.  

Pat McLaughlin, King County’s Good Squander Division director, explained in the press release that “mixed waste processing, together with other waste reduction, avoidance and recycling initiatives, has the opportunity to be an vital piece of our lengthy-expression designs to minimize the total of rubbish going to the landfill and reduce our carbon footprint below in King County.”

For Juno, the pilot will also assist the organization “properly choose on a potential plant, most likely, for King County that could then assist them divert up to about 90% away from landfills,” Henriksson said. 

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Recycling rates in the U.S. have mainly been stagnant in excess of the past two decades, Henriksson reported, and he thinks Juno can assist modify that. 

“The regular recycling rate in the U.S. is in the small 30s, so a good neighborhood can strike about 50%,” Henriksson explained. “With something like Juno, we could then approach the other 50% and recycle it, diverting up to about 90%, so it would be a big needle mover.” 

There’s a lot of desire in Juno suitable now, Henriksson noted, so the corporation is targeting communities “that are seriously intrigued in diverting squander from landfill” for tests and partnerships.  

Juno is also wanting outside the house the U.S. and Canada at the United Kingdom and Australia as potential spots of expansion. The technology can be established up in a standalone facility or built-in into present facilities, Henriksson stated. 

“Ideally we want to locate long run Juno facilities near the resources of squander so you lessen squander transportation,” he reported. “Juno vegetation could be found where you actually have transfer stations in metropolitan areas.” 

Including on to current transfer stations would also minimize disruption and allow haulers to continue to keep their same routes and infrastructure, Henriksson extra. 

“We just cannot hold out to see this rolled out not just in the United States, but also globally,” he reported.  

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