Board of Directors Meeting Highlights Held on April 20, 2017 at 5:00 PM at the MRF Board Room

Transcription

1 Board of Directors Meeting Highlights Held on April 20, 2017 at 5:00 PM at the MRF Board Room Zenrobotics Delivers Robotic Recycling Technology To Singapore MRF ZenRobotics Ltd. and V8 Environmental Pte Ltd have agreed on a delivery of robotic waste separation technology to Singapore. The three-armed ZenRobotics Recycler unit will be installed in a new Material Recovery Facility (MRF) that is expected to be operational by the mid of next year. V8 Environmental is one of Singapore s leading waste management companies and will become the first company in Southeast Asia to introduce the robotic systems with MRF. With more than three decades of waste business experience, V8 Environmental strives to offer the best value advices and solutions to clients, making the working environment and safer cleaner for both customers and staff. With the investment of the robotic arms, V8 Environmental aims to revolutionize and bring the waste industry to greater heights in Singapore.' The ZenRobotics Recycler is the world s first robotic waste sorting system. The system reclaims multiple fractions simultaneously with the help of industrial robots and smart machine learning technology. The three-armed ZRR unit makes up to 6000 picks per hour and throws the sorted objects in several waste chutes. A wide working area of 2m x 2m ( ) ensures the system s high sorting performance. The ZenRobotics Smart Gripper is specifically designed to meet the demands of solid waste. The gripper opens from 40mm to 500mm (1.5 to 20 ), allowing sorting of objects of various shapes and sizes, even up to 30kg (60lbs).

2 Next Generation MRF Automation Clarke Robot sorting 60 picks/minute with permission of AMP Robotics For those of us old enough to remember where it all started, sorting lines consisted of simple conveyors and human fingers guided by human eyes, but things have changed. Eddy currents, magnets and optical sorters do a lot of the boring, dirty work that was once the exclusive domain of a human sorter. But, quality issues continue to persist, causing many of us to argue that human sorters will always be required to produce top quality/value recyclables for markets that demand better quality each year. Given that, it would be easy to conclude that we re stuck with high labour costs forever. If only science fiction could provide a solution! Well, maybe we don t need science fiction, because real science may be able to do it for us soon! Artificial Intelligence? What s the difference between human and mechanical sorters? In a word: intelligence. Humans have the miraculous ability to learn to recognize what recyclables should be extracted from a belt full of material and react to the ever-changing stream in front of them. However, what we re seeing lately is that the new robotic pickers may be on the verge of accomplishing the same thing, at speeds 50% faster. These 3-axis picker robots are smart, their artificial intelligence can be taught to recognize right picks from wrong ones and with speedy onboard computing power, decisions to reach out and grab material can be made in real time. Their mechanical arms can react 50% faster than a human to grab the item and pull it off the line. Plus, they never get distracted, fatigued, injured or ill and their pick rate at the end of the shift is the same as at the start. Are The Androids Coming? Sure, but not to a MRF near you anytime soon. Human shaped android pickers are a long way off and will likely be too expensive to stand in a MRF. But, multi-arm robot pickers are here now. Apple s 29- armed recycling robot, Liam began operating this year separating components of Iphones for recycling, while other inventions such as AMP Clarke Robot and ZenRobotics AI-driven sorter are in various stages of testing or use. Bottom Line:The next generation of robotic pickers have the ability to be retrofitted into any MRF by suspending them over an existing line, even in smaller, low tech, fully manual facilities. Their current level of artificial intelligence and sensor resolution is proving them capable of doing the job, so maybe it s time to give them another look. Depending on how many shifts you are operating at your MRF, the payback period on a robotic picker could be less than three years. However, MRF operators will need to be ready to accept change, including reduced local employment, in order to truly benefit from advanced robotics.

3 Street Sweepings Deemed Waste By Regulator The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) recently issued an Order to the City of Mississauga (a City of 800,000 immediately west of Toronto) to remediate street sweeping it had distributed to a number of private and public enterprises as clean fill. Testing by the MOECC determine the street sweepings had high concentration of arsenic and other contaminants that could be deemed dangerous to human health. In the Order itself, the MOECC refers to its protocol titled Management of Excess Materials in Road Construction and Maintenance, dated July 22, 1994, allows for the management of street sweepings (called roadsweeping material and defined as sand/gravel/vehicle grit mixture resulting from winter maintenance operations, but does not include litter and abandoned material components ) in three ways: (1) within road and highway rights-of-way for engineered applications, a. by sweeping directly onto the shoulder, b. by blending with virgin sand and reusing for winter sanding operations, or c. by stockpiling on municipally or provincially owned land for future use as described above; (2) reuse in a construction material or any other reuse or recycling option, as endorsed by the MOEE [Ministry of the Environment and Energy, now known as the Ministry]; and (3) disposal in an approved landfill as solid non-hazardous industrial or commercial waste (4) Street Sweeping Disposal Practices date back to 2004 The events leading to the MOECC issuing the Order goes back to At that time the MOECC learned that the City of Mississauga had deposited Waste Street Sweepings as fill material on various properties located in southern Ontario. Mississauga conducts street cleaning each spring, with road sweeper trucks, to collect materials that may have accumulated over the winter. In 2012, The City of Mississauga indicated to the MOECC that between 2004 and 2011, waste street sweepings were eventually brought back to the Mississauga works yard on Mavis Road in Mississauga where they were deposited and accumulated. Prior to 2004, the City of Mississauga sent street sweepings to an approved landfill site. After 2004, the City of Mississauga informed the MOECC that it processed

4 street sweepings by screening out debris, such as litter, and then deposited the material on properties including residential, commercial and agricultural properties upon the request of the owners of such properties. In February 2012, Mississauga provided to the Ministry a report dated June 20, 2011, prepared by a consultant to assist Mississauga in determining disposal options for the material collected as street sweepings. The report, based on the chemical testing of two samples collected on June 6, 2011 of street sweepings from Mississauga Mavis Work Yard, concluded that Based on the chemical test results, in our opinion the subject material may be shipped to any registered landfill site licensed to receive this category of waste. The report did not recommend sending the street sweepings to any other location or that the sampled street sweepings could be reused for any other purposes. In April 2012, during a meeting between staff from the MOECC and the City, municipal officials indicated it would dispose of its current street sweepings at an approved waste disposal site and investigate long-term options for the management of street sweepings. Mississauga initially disclosed to the Ministry that fifteen properties had received street sweepings between 2004 and In a letter dated October 22, 2012, lawyers from the MOECC restated the MOECC s position that street sweepings are waste and should have been managed and disposed of accordingly. The letter also explained that street sweepings may also be managed as set out in the 1994 protocol Management of Excess Materials in Road Construction and Maintenance. Testing at Sites

5 In October 2012, after discussions with the MOECC, Mississauga retained a consultant, to carry out a site sensitivity analysis of the 15 properties that had been identified at that time to have received street sweepings. Based on the findings, in November 2012, Mississauga provided a letter to the MOECC proposing to assess the three most sensitive receiving sites out of the 15 properties. Based on the results of the soil testing at the two of the three sites (the owner of the third site did allow the City to access the site) the tonnes of street sweepings had been deposited at one site and that there were contaminants of concern (mainly arsenic and lead) in the material. At the second site, it was determined that 67 tonnes of street sweepings have been deposited although City records showed that 1600 tonnes had been deposited. The analysis of samples at the second site showed that electrical conductivity measurements at levels that could present an unacceptable risk to plants and soil organisms. Further investigations and testing in 2015 by a second consultant hired by the City of Mississauga uncovered that there were at least 40 sites that had received street sweepings from the City. Moreover, only specific details and addresses were available for only two thirds of the sites. City Appeals Order The City of Mississauga is appealing the Order on the grounds that street sweepings are not waste within the meaning of the Ontario Environmental Protection Act and the applicable regulations. As such, the MOECC has no jurisdiction to issue the Order. Moreover, in its appeal to the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) claims that the MOECC has not established that there are sufficient potential adverse effects, or any potential adverse effects at all, associated with the street sweepings to justify the work ordered. Finally, the City s submission states that regardless on if the ERT finds that the street sweepings are waste and there are sufficient potential adverse effects from them to justify the Order, the work required is excessive, unnecessary, unreasonable and on advisable in the circumstances. There is no risk to human health or the environment from the materials delivered to the Cayuga site, Mississauga s lawyer said in a 2016 corporate report. MOECC Opinion on dealing with Street Sweepings In the Order issued to the City of Mississauga, the MOECC details the steps required, in its view, for dealing with street sweepings. The MOECC believes the City should have hired a qualified consultant (typically an environmental engineer or geologist) as defined in the province s Brownfields Regulation (O. Reg. 153/94) who then make a decision on what to do with the street sweepings in keeping with the MOECC publication entitled Soil, Ground Water and Sediment Standards for Use under Part XV.1 of the Environmental Protection Act (Clean-up Standards). The decision would be based on taking representative samples of the street sweepings, arranging for them to be analyzed and comparing the results to the Clean-up Standards. If analysis of the samples shows that the street sweepings meet the appropriate Clean-up Standard, then it can be treated as if it is excess fill and be used practically anywhere in the Province. If it does not meet the appropriate Clean-up standard, then is should be disposed of in a landfill or treated to remove contaminants prior to future use. ERT Ruling The ERT Ruling on Mississauga s appeal to the MOECC Order was stay some of the items of the Order and to dismiss the City s request for a stay on other parts. In essence, the City needs to hire a qualified consultant and do further investigation. The information uncovered needs to be shared with the owners of the properties and the MOECC. There is, as of yet, not a determination on if the street sweepings must be dug up and transferred to a landfill.

6 Ontario s First Cap-And-Trade Auction Is Done, And The World Didn t End Province sold out of allowances during March 22 auction Ontario's first cap-and-trade auction sold out all current allowances, giving the new market a strong start, but the province's environment minister warned the real test of the system will be in the emission reductions it brings about. The March 22 auction brought in $472 million. The system aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions puts caps on the amount of pollution companies in certain industries can emit. If they exceed those limits, they must buy an equal number of allowances at auction or from other companies that come in under their limits. Most large emitters in Ontario are receiving allowances for free until 2020, which the government says is meant to prevent them from moving to jurisdictions without carbon pricing. But for now certain electricity importers, natural gas distributors and fuel suppliers are among those required to participate. Bidders in the first auction included Union Gas, Enbridge Gas, Imperial Oil, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the city of Kingston, Ont., the University of Guelph, Ontario Power Generation, Apotex, Labatt, BP Canada Energy Group, Shell Energy North America and Suncor Energy Products Partnership. The provincial Liberal government hopes the quarterly auctions will bring in $1.9 billion a year, to be invested in programs that reduce emissions and help businesses and consumers adapt to a low-carbon economy. The auction floor price was $18.07 and the actual traded price was $ Since Jan. 1, cap and trade has added 4.3 cents per litre to the price of gasoline and about $80 a year to natural gas home heating costs, in addition to indirect costs that will be passed on to consumers. The next auction is on June 6.

7 Puff, Puff, Pass: Liberals Table Legislation To Legalize Marijuana Well it s official. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made good on his campaign promise to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Trudeau s Liberal government promised late last month that the recreational use of marijuana will be legal in Canada on or before July 1, Today, the longawaited suite of bills was tabled in the House of Commons, which outlines that those 18 and older can possess up to 30 grams of (dried or fresh) cannabis and can grow up to four plants at home come July Though some find the bill drastic, a government news release promises a strict legal framework for the production, sale, distribution and possession of marijuana. Trudeau s government ensured that selling cannabis to a minor would be a criminal offense and that there would be a zero-tolerance approach to drug impaired driving. As it relates to trucking, the Liberal government also explained that for the first time in Canadian law there will be a regulated limit to how much THC can be in a driver s blood while behind the wheel. The new bill outlines that it will be illegal to drive within two hours of having an illegal level of drugs in the blood. Penalties will range from a $1,000 fine to life imprisonment, depending on the circumstances of the impairment. As well, according to the release, the bill would put stricter penalties in place when drivers are impaired both by marijuana and alcohol. The Liberal government has also pledged to have a public campaign rolled out to educate people on the dangers of marijuana use, especially when driving and combined with alcohol and other drugs. The existing access to medical marijuana will remain unchanged, the bill outlined. While the implications of this bill on the trucking industry have yet to be seen, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has already been engaging with employers of safety-sensitive occupations in various industries to ensure that safeguards and regulations are in place before marijuana becomes legal so that workplace and public safety is not impaired and employer and employee responsibilities and rights are clearly defined. The legislation introduced is enabling legislation, meaning it gives the government the authority to make regulations.

8 Quebec Renews Support For Natural Gas Trucks Quebec s latest budget has renewed the Ecocamionnage (green trucking) program until 2020 and offers more financial support to those who want to fuel up with natural gas. And $20.5 million continues to be available to expand the fueling network. Ecocamionnage offsets 30% of the price of outfitting trucks for Liquefied or Compressed Natural Gas. Those upgrades can cost about $30,000 per vehicle. Heavy trucks that replace diesel with natural gas reduce their [Greenhouse Gas] emissions up to 25%. Greenpeace To Coca-Cola: Stop Running Away From Your Recycling Responsibility The world's top six soft drinks brands use just 6.6% of recycled plastic on average in their bottles, reveals a survey by Greenpeace. The organisation points out that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Suntory, Danone, Dr Pepper Snapple and Nestlé could do much better as they produce fully recyclable bottles yet they are essentially placing the responsibility on their customers to recycle. 'They use 14 times less recycled plastic than virgin plastic across their global packaging,' the survey report says of the bottle giants. Upwards of 650 billion plastic PET bottles are expected to be sold worldwide in 2019 by all producers, compared to 530 billion back in Of the six companies surveyed, five sell a combined total of over two million tonnes of plastic bottles each year the same weight as over blue whales, Greenpeace reports. The size of the their collective plastic footprint is believed to be much, much larger because the largest brand Coca-Cola refused to disclose its figures relating to this topic. Moreover, Greenpeace urges that none of the companies surveyed have commitments, targets or timelines to reduce the amount of single-use plastic bottles they use. Another issue is that two-thirds of the soft drinks companies surveyed have a global policy opposing the introduction of deposit return schemes on drinks containers. As industry players well know, such schemes have significantly boosted recycling and collection rates yielding rates of over 80% across the world, and no less than 98% in Germany. Packaging currently accounts for a quarter of the 245 million tonnes of plastic that are used annually all around the world. This makes it the single most common use of plastic; yet just 14% of this plastic packaging is recycled, the Greenpeace report says. These companies need to take drastic action now: phase out single-use plastic, embrace reusable packaging and make sure the remainder is made from 100% recycled content.

9 Diesel Price (Retail incl. Tax) /l Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 7 Feb-17 Mar Diesel Price (Retail incl. Tax) Apr-12 Jul-12 Oct-12 3 Apr-13 Jul-13 Oct-13 4 Apr-14 Jul-14 Oct-14 5 Apr-15 Jul-15 Oct-15 6 Apr-16 Jul-16 Oct-16 7 /l

10 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 7 Feb-17 Mar-17 $/tonne Commodity Prices Apr- Jul-1 Oct-1 Apr- Jul-1 Oct-1 Apr- Jul-1 Oct-1 Apr- Jul-1 Oct-1 Apr- Jul-1 Oct-1 $/tonne Commodity Prices