The XL Electric Curbtender eQuantum features a Ford F-600 chassis cab and 6,000-pound payload capacity.
Curbtender, Cedar Falls, Iowa, debuted the XL Electric Curbtender eQuantum refuse collection truck at WasteExpo, which was May 9-12 in Las Vegas.
The eQuantum was produced in partnership with XL Fleet, Boston. It is built on a Ford F-600 chassis and offers the advantages of Curbtender’s top-selling small rear-loading refuse vehicle, the Quantum, with none of the noise or emissions of a diesel-powered model, according to the company.
The eQuantum features a patented swing panel packing mechanism instead of a traditional slide panel, allowing the packer to clear more material in a shorter time and with a smaller hopper requirement, Curbtender says.
It also features an XL Electric propulsion system with a top-of-body battery pack to maximize the flexibility of the body design. However, the XL Electric propulsion system retains much of the Ford F-600 chassis and driveline for ease of maintenance. The eQuantum offers an anticipated range of 100 miles on a full charge, Curbtender says.
The truck has a 169-inch wheelbase for tight turning capability and a 6,000-to-6,500-pound refuse payload capacity.
XL Fleet provides a suite of charging and power solutions to support fleet electrification through its XL Grid division.
For more information, visit www.curbtender.com/green-solutions.
The company says its purchase of Quentic will enhance its environmental software offering.
AMCS, a supplier of integrated cloud-based software and vehicle technology for the environmental, utilities, waste, recycling and resource industries, says it has entered into an agreement to acquire Quentic, a leading provider of software as a service for environment, health, safety and quality and environmental, social and governance management. AMCS, which is headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, has not disclosed the amount of the transaction, which it says is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the coming weeks.
AMCS says the purchase will broaden its expertise in the environmental services industry globally and enable the company to continue to expand its customer base. With a combined 4,000 customers supported by more than 1,000 employees, AMCS is on a trajectory to achieve run rate revenues greater than 180 million euros by the end of the year, the company says in the news release announcing the transaction.
AMCS has offices in North America, Europe and Australia and employs more than 800 people across 12 countries. AMCS is a global leader of integrated software and vehicle technology for the environmental, recycling and resource industries and offers optimization solutions to the broader transport and logistics market.
The Quentic platform comprises 10 individually combinable modules and offers a way for companies to manage health and safety, risks and audits, incidents and observations, hazardous chemicals, control of work, legal compliance, online instructions, processes, environmental management and sustainability.
The company employs more than 250 people and has branch offices in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy.
Together, AMCS and Quentic are now positioned to provide more advanced digital solutions to a wider industry, which will enrich their customers’ operations and impact the environment for a healthier, cleaner and more sustainable world, AMCS says. The integration of AMCS and Quentic enables customers on both sides to benefit from a wide range of solutions that support end-to-end standardization and optimization of business processes to increase efficiencies, streamline operations and work toward a safe and sustainable future.
“AMCS and Quentic are very aligned with the mission to drive an environmentally sustainable future,” says Jimmy Martin, CEO of AMCS. “A net-zero carbon future depends on a very connected and circular approach across the supply chain. We are thrilled to bring the technology from Quentic into the AMCS portfolio of solutions and can now move forward with a focus on influencing the entire supply chain, offering smarter outcomes from automating and digitizing their businesses—reducing waste as much as possible.”
Quentic CEO Markus Becker, Chief Operations Officer Sebastian Mönnich and Chief Technology Officer Hardy Menzel founded the company as EcoIntense in 2007 to provide software for environmental management. Today, Quentic provides what AMCS describes as “a holistic and modular software as a service solution to manage all tasks and processes related to environmental, health, safety and quality management, as well as corporate responsibility-related areas in environment, social and governance.”
“We have built Quentic on the values of making a meaningful contribution to people, society and the environment,” Markus Becker, CEO of Quentic, says. “Therefore, we are excited to have found a partner in AMCS who fully aligns with our mission to digitally empower companies across the globe to manage people, business and environmental processes sustainably at all levels. Together with AMCS, the Quentic management team will continue to shape the future.”
In connection with the company’s purchase of Berlin-based Quentic, Clearlake Capital Group LP, Santa Monica, California, is making a new equity investment in AMCS alongside new equity investments from existing investors Insight Partners, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and Highland Europe.
Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Swiss investor announce fund designed to reach $500 million in capitalization.
The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, Singapore, and Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM), Switzerland, have announced their intention to launch what they call a circular plastic fund.
The fund will aim to raise $500 million from institutional and other investors for scalable solutions to remove plastic waste from the environment, increase recycling, and drive the global transition toward a circular economy for the plastic value chain,” the Alliance says. The Alliance also says it will “serve as a cornerstone investor in the fund.”
“Our goal in partnering with Lombard Odier in relation to a circular plastic strategy is to grow investments in solutions that can help end plastic waste and contribute to a circular economy,” says Jacob Duer, president and CEO of the Alliance. “The strategy harnesses the collective intelligence of the plastic value chain and connects it with capital, bringing much needed solutions to scale. I am confident this will help focus financial market attention on the investment opportunity that plastic circularity represents, and help to catalyze multiple sources of financing for investments in circular solutions for plastic waste.”
Jean-Pascal Porcherot, co-head of LOIM, says “is strategy presents a compelling investment opportunity. It will target opportunities across all segments of the private equity spectrum - including direct and co-investments investments - with the objective to reduce plastic waste issues worldwide and deliver attractive financial returns and sustainability outcomes.”
The Alliance says it has mandated LOIM to “build and manage the fund with the objective of generating positive environmental, social, and economic impact together with attractive financial returns.”
The organization cites “industry estimates” that the transition to a circular value chain for plastic packaging represents a potential $1 trillion global economic opportunity by 2030.
The new fund will aim to target opportunities involving collection and sorting infrastructure, technology-enabled recycling infrastructure, design solutions for improved plastic durability, reuse and recyclability. “It will also aim to drive innovation in plastic chemistry and production which can simplify or make end of life treatment easier or more effective,” says the Alliance.
Jim Fitterling, chairman and CEO of United States-based Dow and chair of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, says, “The systemic transformation needed to enable a plastic circular economy requires societal, infrastructure and technology innovations. This strategy presents a meaningful opportunity to put the plastic waste management ecosystem firmly on the agendas of institutional investors to accelerate the transition to a global plastic circular economy.”
Lewis County, Washington, is home to a custom truck scale that can withstand the highly corrosive environment of its solid waste operations.
Built to withstand the highly corrosive solid waste environment, where a seemingly endless stream of garbage trucks tests its mettle, a truck scale that is in use in Lewis County, Washington, is an augmented version of a Survivor OTR from Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The entire truck scale, including cover plates and load cell stands, are made from hot-dipped galvanized steel.
Galvanization is a process that bonds molten zinc to steel, forming layers of armored alloy that shield the steel from corrosion. Invented in India in the fourth century, galvanization was first used in the construction of the Iron Pillar of Delhi, which still stands today—nearly 1,700 years later. The process has evolved dramatically over the centuries.
Rudimentary galvanic paint traditionally was used to fortify metal until hot-dip galvanization was invented in 1742, revolutionizing the process by immersing metal in molten zinc to create a uniform coating. In 1772, Luigi Galvani made another technological leap forward. While performing scientific experiments on frog cadavers, he discovered that electricity creates unusual results. First observing a simple muscle twitch in frog legs when electricity was applied, Galvani broadened his experiments to ultimately discover the electrochemical process that occurs between metals. In 1836, modern hot-dip galvanization was patented and named after Galvani.
First, metal is cleaned with sulfuric acid and fluxed with ammonium chloride before being coated in liquid zinc at a temperature of 840 F. This creates a strong, long-lasting bond between the metal and zinc and completely insulates the metal from contact with the surrounding environment.
Before the galvanized truck scale was installed, the Lewis County Solid Waste Utility was using a 20-year-old steel deck truck scale that finally had succumbed to the slow, steady march of time. Solid waste is a difficult material to handle, and Lewis County's equipment is expected to endure the test.
Collecting from residential and commercial customers, the county has no way of knowing the contents of each garbage can or dumpster—and people throw away some pretty strange things. Usually, they’re completely harmless; however, processing miscellaneous objects, such as propane tanks, concrete highway dividers or objects containing chemicals, can cause tremendous wear and tear on equipment. Heavy items create damaging collisions when loaded and transferred; combustible objects can explode; and chemicals from batteries, almost-empty household cleaning containers and everything in-between mix together to attack equipment.
With no protective coating, the old scale was consumed by rust. Erratic readings and component lockups were becoming more frequent. It was time for an upgrade. To better serve the county, a scale designed for this environment and to fit the existing foundation was needed. Lewis County called Scales Northwest, a company with locations in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
Bill Norwood, solid waste operations supervisor for Lewis County, says, “I’ve worked with other scale companies in the past, and Scales Northwest really knows the business inside and out. They were very professional and took care of all the measurements to make sure the scale fit our foundation. Ultimately, when the scale was installed, it fit perfectly.”
Before installation, however, another integral component to extend the scale’s life span was put in place: a gantry system to move the scale platform for routine cleanout.
Tracks running along each side of the foundation were put in place. This allows a gantry crane to be positioned on each corner of the truck scale. Chain is attached to custom pick-hooks built into the truck scale’s load cell pockets, and the entire scale deck is lifted and moved out of position for foundation cleanout. Every three months, the procedure takes place, and Lewis County has it down to a science.
“It only takes us two hours from start to finish,” Norwood says. “Because of the scale’s self-centering load cells, the procedure is pretty fast. When we’re done cleaning the pit, we can drop the scale back into position, and it’s ready to go. There is no checking system we have to fiddle with. It just works.”
Each Survivor truck scale features Rice Lake’s G-Force self-checking mounting system, which the company says uses gravity to return the scale to center without check rods or bumper bolts. “Our old scale used canister-type load cells,” Norwood says. “We had to hold each load cell in place with a little pin while we tried to align everything.”
The shining armor adorning the scales is a visual indicator of the durability that lies within. This durability is exercised on each load.
Because of the transfer process, the scales are subjected to more weight than dead load would indicate. When a truck dumps its contents on the tipping floor, located approximately 12 feet above the scales, a front-end loader pushes the solid waste to an opening in the floor. Beneath this opening, a container sitting atop the scale receives the payload. Those 12 feet might seem nominal, but the drop can create an impressive amount of velocity when it comes to heavy objects contained in the material. When these objects hit the bottom of the container, a force far exceeding the weight (called shock load) is exerted on the scale. Then, an excavator compacts the material, creating an aftershock.
Not everything from the trucks makes its way to the scale, however. Masters of repurposing, Lewis County salvages items that can be reused—from concrete blocks to decorative items. The blocks are used to build traffic lanes around the facility. Empty soda and water bottles create a greenhouse elsewhere on the property. Tin sculptures decorate the site and great visitors. One man’s trash is another’s treasure, indeed.
To some, galvanizing a truck scale might seem like an extreme measure. However, Lewis County needed an exceptional solution for its environment. From leachate to shock loading, any scale would be put to the test. “The amount of steel that’s in that scale is incredible,” Norwood says. “We joke that it would last 30 years without galvanization, so we estimate it’ll last exponentially longer with it. That scale will still be here after I’m long retired.”
This article was supplied by Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
NGO says increased PET bottle collection efforts might not focus on parts of the world where plastic flows into oceans.
Oceana Inc., Washington, says a recent study it commissioned has found targets set by the five largest soft drinks producers “would require collecting an additional 2.57 million metric tons of plastic bottles for recycling each year, [but] “there is no coherent strategy in any global region apart from Europe to reliably increase the supply.”
Oceana says its analysis was conducted by United Kingdom-based Eunomia Research & Consulting. It examined recycled content pledges made by Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Keurig Dr Pepper and attempted to consider the feasibility of hitting those targets and the potential impact on ocean-bound plastic.
In the latter case, Oceana says it is “calling on major beverage companies to adopt or expand strategies that prioritize refillable bottles,” adding, “refillables have proven to be very effective at reducing waste.”
Oceana’s Strategic Initiatives Director Dana Miller says, “This report uncovers some worrying realities. It seems improbable that the recycled content pledges by large soft drink companies will be met and regardless, they won’t go far in helping the oceans.”
The five global companies have pledged to increase postconsumer recycled content in their polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET) bottles ranging from 25 percent to 50 percent by 2025. Oceana says Eunomia’s analysis shows that “to reliably increase the supply of recycled PET for the production of bottles [would] likely require significant government intervention.”
Problematic for protecting oceans is the disparity in collection methods in developed nations versus those with developing economies. Oceans says Eunomia found that even if the five companies can live up to their pledges, their current commitments would have little impact on reducing aquatic plastic pollution. “This is largely because bottles used for recycling are expected to predominantly be derived from already collected and managed waste streams rather than from mismanaged waste or littering,” Oceana says.
Eunomia Project Director Chris Sherrington says, “Our study found that significantly reducing the flow of used PET bottles to aquatic environments requires collection infrastructure to be introduced in places where none currently exists. While increased demand for recycled content can be expected to lead to a greater focus on obtaining used bottles, it doesn’t necessarily follow that this will all translate into the establishment of new collection infrastructure.”
In 2020, Oceana says it published a report concluding that increasing the market share of refillable bottles by 10 percent in all coastal countries in place of single-use PET bottles “could reduce PET bottle marine plastic pollution by as much as 22 percent.”
Companies own, track and collect such bottles, and people who buy refillable bottles typically return them to the place of purchase in exchange for the deposit, the group says. Refillable bottle systems create less end-of-life material because each bottle can be used up to 20 times if made of PET or up to 50 times if made of glass, Oceana adds.
Oceana has the attention of at least two beverage makers. In February of this year, the Coca-Cola Co. announced a commitment to reach 25 percent reusable packaging by 2030. A month later, PepsiCo announced it would be crafting a goal on reusable and refillable bottles by the end of 2022, the organization says.