* Technology transfer the project will prepare a carpet recycling best practices guide, a magazine article, and make conference presentations;

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1 Section 1 Sarasota County #1 Abstract Post-consumer carpet and rugs compose 1.1 percent of generated municipal solid waste, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency ("US EPA,'), or approximately 275,000 tons in Florida's waste stream (Sarasota County's waste generation figures are higher). Less than 1 percent of post -consumer carpet and rugs are recycled nationally. There are no known carpet recycling programs currently operating in Florida. Carpet recycling has previously been hindered by the variety of materials used in manufacturing carpet, and the lack of sorting and reclaiming technologies. Recent technological developments now allow carpet to be sorted and reclaimed cost-effectively. Markets are also developing that require large volumes of post -consumer carpet. Carpet is composed of several components, including the visible face fiber, two layers of backing material, and a latex "glue" that holds the all the components together. The face fiber itself can be made from several different materials. It is estimated that 40 percent of carpet face fibers are nylon 66, 30 percent are nylon 6, 15 percent are polypropylene ("olefin"), 10 percent are polyester ("PET"), and the remaining 5 percent of various materials. Sorting carpet by fiber type allows recovered carpet to be directed to the highest value markets for each carpet type. Because fiber types are not distinguishable by the human eye, some identification equipment must be used. This project will implement collection programs for post -consumer carpet in Sarasota and Orange Counties. Most post-consumer carpet, including residential carpet, is disposed in commercial waste containers, so direct collection of post-consumer carpet from residences will not be a part of this project. The recycling programs will be operated by contracting with existing private sector recyclers. Avoided tip fees are expected to facilitate the delivery of post-consumer carpet by haulers to the recyclers' facilities, although direct collection of post -consumer carpet from commercial buildings/retail stores will also be included. The contractors will then sort collected carpet by type, and bale it for transport to markets. Markets don't currently exist for all carpet types, so some carpet will likely be disposed. The project will also devote resources to develop new markets for unmarketable carpet. The project rates highly in all five criteria areas, as summarized below: * Advanced technologies or processes the project uses advanced spectroscopy to identify carpet types, and advanced reclamation processes and technologies; * Technology transfer the project will prepare a carpet recycling best practices guide, a magazine article, and make conference presentations; * Cost-effectiveness the project forecasts post-consumer carpet recycling programs can operate at a profit of $2.27 per ton in Orange County, and a net program cost of $12.67 per ton in Sarasota County, before considering avoided tip fee savings. * Nontraditional materials Post-consumer carpet, an element of municipal solid waste, is not traditionally collected for recycling in Florida or elsewhere; and * Regional programs Sarasota and Orange Counties are partnering in this project. Brevard County, which adjoins Orange County, has displayed an interest in pilot testing direct recovery of post -consumer carpet from municipal solid waste in this project. W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 1-1

2 2 Section Sarasota County #1 Project Description Post-consumer carpet is generated from residences and commercial/institutional buildings. Post-consumer carpet from commercial/institutional buildings is typically disposed in roll -off waste containers placed temporarily at the site. Other renovation scrap may also be placed in those containers. Post-consumer carpet from residences may be left at the curb for municipal waste collection in some areas, or be self hauled (either by the homeowner or installer) to a disposal facility; however, these are not common disposal methods in Florida. A majority of residential carpet is returned by installers to carpet outlets for disposal in commercial waste containers at those locations. Some research and evaluation of residential carpet recycling has already been done by a few communities and private companies, so this project will utilize the lessons learned from those entities to avoid Reinventing the wheel." A substantial portion of the project will be devoted to learning how to recover post-consumer carpet from commercial/institutional buildings. Post-consumer carpet removed from residences and returned to retail stores will, however, be an integral part of this project in order to maximize the amount recycled and achieve economies of scale. W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 2-1

3 Section 3 Sarasota County #1 Advanced Technologies or Processes This project will utilize the following advanced technologies and processes: Newly developed spectroscopy equipment to identify carpet face fiber types; and Depolymerization process technology to produce the raw material used to make virgin quality nylon fiber. Counties participating in this project will make use of equipment designed with the latest advancements in spectroscopy to identify the face fiber of post -consumer carpet. Sorting carpet by fiber type allows recovered carpet to be directed to the highest value markets for each carpet type. Because fiber types are not distinguishable by the human eye, some identification equipment must be used. Until now, the prohibitive cost and inaccuracy of identification equipment has kept carpet recycling from becoming widespread. Current advances in identification technology now allow carpet recycling to become a significant waste reduction program element for communities nationwide. The spectroscopy equipment used in this project will be a portable, battery -operated, hand-held device that uses near infrared light to identify the carpet face fiber type. Reflection and refraction patterns of the near infrared light are different for each carpet fiber type, and are distinguished by the equipment. The carpet identification device, when held against a carpet, detects and measures different infrared light reflection and refraction patterns, and compares those patterns to known patterns of reflection and refraction stored in the device's memory. The device determines the fiber type in less than two seconds and displays the results on the back side of the equipment using different display lights. The spectroscopy equipment is very accurate, fast, durable, and easy to use. The device has been tested in several recycling facilities that were performing pilot tests for carpet recycling, and found to be effective. The device weighs approximately six pounds, and can be used with a shoulder strap or long handle. In addition to the advanced spectroscopy equipment this project will utilize, the driving technology behind carpet recycling is recent advances in depolymerization of post consumer nylon carpet fibers, which make up percent of post-consumer carpet. Depolymerization is a recycling process to break plastics down to their basic building blocks and purify the raw materials, so that virgin quality recycled plastics can be produced. The depolymerization technologies used have been developed by large established companies such as DuPont, AlliedSignal, and DSM Chemicals North America, and are protected by patent. AlliedSignal, the world's leader in nylon 6 production, and DSM have formed a recycling joint venture for post-consumer nylon 6 carpet, with a demand of 100,000 tons per year. With this demand, AlliedSignal/DSM will be the largest carpet recycler in the country, and an integral part of the project as the primary market for recovered carpet. W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 3-1

4 Sarasota County and Carpet Recycling Orange County Innovative Grant Proposal Even though depolymerization of post-consumer carpet is new, the technology of depolymerization is not unfamiliar to AlliedSignal, which has been depolymerizing internal nylon 6 waste for 35 years. It has taken significant technological advancements to achieve a depolymerization process that can accept the highly contaminated nylon in post -consumer carpet, as opposed to traditionally pure nylon 6 fibers. As a result of this innovative chemical process, the recycling joint venture between AlliedSignal and DSM can produce virgin quality recycled caprolactam, the building block used to manufacture nylon 6. The nylon 6 produced from the recycled caprolactam can then be used in recycled carpet fiber or other nylon plastics applications, such as auto parts. This innovative depolymerization of nylon 6 is the driving force for carpet recycling, allowing the diversion of post -consumer carpet from local disposal facilities. W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 3-2.

5 4 Section Technology Transfer All communities are generators of post-consumer carpet, and as such, could potentially be interested in carpet recycling. Even communities without municipally sponsored residential recycling programs can work with the private sector to set up privately operated recovery programs. PRACTICALITY OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER The only specialized piece of equipment needed to begin a carpet recovery program is a carpet identification unit, so that post-consumer carpet can be identified and sorted by face fiber type. AlliedSignal funded the development of carpet identification units that are accurate and low-cost ($6,000), and is interested in making those units widely available to public and private recycling facilities in order to promote carpet recovery. Other units are available through other manufacturers; however, those other units are either of a lower capability, less precise, or much more expensive. Other equipment needs for carpet recovery include common collection and baling equipment, which are widely available and already in use in the recycling industry. The cost of the carpet identification device does limit its use to collection programs that are able to recover significant amounts of post-consumer carpet. For backup purposes, and to allow field identification of post-consumer carpet at large commercial buildings prior to removal, two identification devices should be kept on hand by any processing facility. Preliminary estimates suggest that a local carpet handler must be able to recover post -consumer carpet from a minimum population base of at least 50,000 in order to justify the expense associated with the carpet identification devices. As the population base increases, the economics become more favorable. The collection and handling processes associated with carpet recovery are standard compared to other recycling and waste management processes, so there should be no significant limitations for reproducibility based on collection and handling. In essence, post -consumer carpet must be collected in a manner that keeps them clean and dry. Standard collection equipment can be used, including roll-off containers, compactors, and truck trailers. Standard balers, including vertical balers, can be used for baling. In fact, it is anticipated that disposal tip fee avoidance can help to drive carpet recycling programs, so that communities interested in sponsoring carpet recycling programs will incur virtually no out-of-pocket collection costs. Information gathered as part of this project, including market information for collected carpet, will be transferred as discussed below to ensure other interested recyclers will be able to recycle post-consumer carpet. W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 4-1

6 Sarasota County and Carpet Recycling Orange County Innovative Grant Proposal METHOD OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER The project team will use three methods for technology transfer to ensure the widest possible dissemination of carpet recycling technologies and lessons learned, including: developing a best management practices guidefor recycling post-consumer carpet; sharing the results of the project at the Recycle Florida Today annual conference in 1999, and other regional or national recycling conferences; and submitting an article for publication by a recycling industry trade magazine. One project goal is to identify best management practices for recycling post -consumer carpet. Significant research into collecting post-consumer carpet from residences has already been done by AlliedSignal and others; therefore, this project will focus on researching recovery of post-consumer carpet from commercial sources. Best management practices identified in this project and previously by others will be discussed in a guide that will be prepared as part of this project. The project team intends to make the guide available for distribution and reproduction by the Carpet and Rug Institute, a trade association located in Dalton, Georgia that represents the carpet industry. The guide may also be made available in downloadable electronic format as part of either the DEP's or the Carpet and Rug Institute's internet web site, depending on the interest of those entities. The project team will also apply for presentation slots in recycling conferences. Two presentations have been budgeted for as part of this project. The project team anticipates that one of those recycling conferences will be RecycleFlorida Today's 1999 annual conference, although the presentation could also be given at one of the DEP's Issues Forums. Other conferences that the project team would apply to, in order of preference, are the National Recycling Congress and Exposition and the Society of Plastics Engineers' Annual Recycling Conference. Approximately 2,500 recycling coordinators and industry professionals attend the National Recycling Congress and Exposition, and approximately 200 individuals with an interest in plastics recycling attend the Society of Plastics Engineers' Annual Recycling Conference. Finally, the project team will prepare an article for submittal to Resource Recycling, a recycling trade magazine, provided Resource Recycling is interested in including such an article in one of its issues. Resource Recycling has a circulation size of approximately 15,000 issues, primarily to recycling coordinators and recycling industry professionals. W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 4-2

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8 Section 5 Cost-Effectivenes s It is difficult to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of carpet recycling in this proposal against other carpet recycling programs because there are relatively few carpet recycling programs in existence nationwide, and there are no known carpet recycling programs in Florida at this time. Carpet recycling can be compared to the cost -effectiveness of recycling other materials, and to disposal costs, for reference. Most post-consumer carpet is currently loaded into open-top roll-off containers or compactors for disposal. Typical disposal costs in Orange County include a pull fee of $150-$180 for those types of containers plus a per ton tip fee of $32.50 for commercial waste. Assuming the average roll-off container or compactor holds 7 tons of post consumer carpet, disposal costs for post-consumer carpet in Orange County average approximately $55 per ton. Sarasota County has comparable disposal costs. A pro forma economic analysis of carpet recycling is included below: Carpet Recycling Program Economic Analysis Sarasota Orange Line Annual Revenue (Cost) County County Throughputs: 1 Collected carpet 600 2,000tons 2 Marketable carpets 450 1,500 tons 3 Residue disposed 150 tons 500 tons Costs: 4 Collection costs 5 Carpet sort costs $(15,000) $(50,000) 6 Baling costs (11,250) (37,500) 7 Residue disposal costs (8,250) (27,500) Net costs $(34,500) $(115,000) Revenue: 8 Gross sales revenue $32,400 $108,000 9 Tipping fee ($/Year) 6,000 20, Incremental Revenue ($/Year) $38,400 $128,000 Net Collection/Processing Results: 11 Net Revenue ($/Year) $3,900 $13, Net Revenue ($/Ton) $8.67 $8.67 Net Program Results 13 Net collection & processing costs $3,900 $13, Equipment depreciations (6,600) (6,600) 15 Program promotion & administration (3,000) (3,000) Net Revenue ($/Year) $(5,700) $3,400 Net Revenue ($1Ton) $(12.67) $2.27 ' Assumes 50 percent of post -consumer carpet is recovered through waste disposal tipping fee avoidance.

9 W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 5-1 Section 6 Nontraditional Materials Post-consumer carpet, while a part of the municipal solid waste stream, are not typically included in recycling programs because markets for collected carpet have been small and localized in the past. The US EPA estimates that less than 1 percent of post consumer carpet is recycled. For these reasons, post -consumer carpet can be considered "nontraditional materials" for recycling. This project is also non-traditional in that post consumer carpet will be not be collected curbside from residences, but from the commercial establishments disposing of post-consumer carpet that are removed from residences and commercial/industrial buildings.

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11 Section 7 Regional Programs This project will implement a multi-county recycling program. Sarasota and Orange Counties will both be major participants in the project, and will establish similar carpet recycling programs. Orange County's program will focus on carpet recycling in a large metropolitan area, whereas Sarasota County's program will focus on the challenges medium-sized counties will face to achieve cost-efficiencies. Brevard County, which adjoins Orange County, has also displayed an interest in possibly participating in this project in a minor role. Brevard County shreds most waste that is collected in the County prior to landfilling. The waste is shredded for ferrous metals recovery, and to allow higher landfill densities of disposed waste. Because Brevard County processes most waste it receives, an opportunity exists to pull post consumer carpet directly from the solid waste stream at Brevard's tipping floor. Direct recovery of post-consumer carpet from waste could occur at transfer stations and waste-to-energy plants. Because much of Florida's waste flows through transfer stations and waste-to-energy plants, this project would like to test the ability to recover post consumer carpet from those streams. W:\0000\001402\PROPOSAL.DOC Sarasota County and Orange County Page 7-1

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