Fred Schiller Boom Gear

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Used log bundling strand can create huge environmental issues and greatly increase operating costs. Through our system of pick up and recycling of wire, we are able to solve the environmental issue as well as bringing down your companies operating costs. The following article on the progress of our recycling initiative was published in the December 2003 issue of Mariner Life magazine. Building on Success Environment Canada's Log Bundling Strand Recycling Initiative shows how business and government can work together to clean up industrial practices. And its acceptance has created new opportunities to measure and improve existing systems. By Christianne Wilhelmson Environment Canada's Log Bundling Strand Recycling Initiative was launched in the spring of 2001 and designed to encourage BC's forest industry to handle log bundling strand in an environmentally responsible way. So far, the initiative has proven to be a great example of how industry and government can work together to create effective solutions to environmental concerns while addressing the realities of the competitive business climate. Environment Canada's long-term goal for this initiative is to change the way bundling strand is handled in British Columbia. The first step was to review the wire handling practices in collaboration with the forest industry, wire producers and recyclers, and other regulatory agencies. After several months of consultation with industry stakeholders, Environment Canada created a program to raise awareness about the issue, as well as how the proposed policy and regulatory changes would impact the business community. "It was important to the success of this initiative that government work with industry from the very beginning," says Environment Canada's Sean Standing. "By listening to the concerns of the business community while providing information about environmental, social and economic benefits of recycling we developed a really successful program." This open communication during the development and implementation processes has made it easier for mills to deal with the reality that as of April 1, 2003, log bundling strand is no longer permitted when dredging and ocean disposal permits are issued. Mills that have put into place strand recovery and recycling programs won't risk the possibility of having nowhere to dump their dredge material due to the presence of bundling wire. They also won't have to deal with any negative economic impacts should dredging or ocean disposal permits be delayed or denied because bundling wire is still finding its way into the water. Progress and Innovation Prior to the development of this initiative, Environment Canada estimated that the forest industry used approximately 50 million "For many mills, the efficient new system also means operating cost benefits due to fewer repairs and less down time from wire damage to boat props and other hardware." feet (15.2 million metres) of log bundling strand per year. Of that, only 12 million feet (3.6 million metres) was recycled. This meant that 38 million feet (11.6 million metres) went unaccounted - most of that was likely discarded in British Columbia's coastal waterways. How a few years can change the landscape! According to Fred Schiller of Fred Schiller Boom Gear, between 2001 and 2002, the amount of wire collected from mills increased by 450 per cent. Between 2002 and 2003, that amount increased another 400 per cent. That's a twenty-fold increase in just 2 years! This highlights just how quickly changes were made on site, even before the new regulations came into existence. The initiative, however, is not only about the wire collected but also about the recycled strand being bought by industry. Here too, the success of the initiative is encouraging. The amount of recycled strand sold in British Columbia in 2002 was double that of 2001. "We can sell every piece of wire we can get our hands on," says Schiller. Companies such as Schiller's expect that they can recover 90 per cent of the new bundling "Eventually, recyclers of bundling wire hope that industry will be encouraged to use a minimum of 20 per cent recycled wire back in the field." strand entering coastal waterways within two years. This is a huge increase from the 24 per cent recovered and recycled in 2001. At first, the initiative met with some resistance, from the forest industry and dredging contractors alike, because of the perception that recovering log bundling strand is expensive. But minds are changing. According to Schiller, "the proof is that we're increasing our business quite rapidly." Kirk Mackenzie of River Cable sees the same trend. "Most every mill in the Lower Mainland has our bins for the pick of the wire to be recycled. It's had a huge increase on the amount of steel coming from our yards." Environment Canada's Log Bundling Strand Recycling Initiative has encouraged members of the affected sectors to work together to find the best business solution to keeping the bundling strand out of the water. The result has been the creation of an infrastructure that continues to reduce the costs of the process. In the past, mills dealt with the wire in different ways. Consequently collecting the wire was expensive as a new system had to be developed for each mill. "We've gone through a huge learning curve," says Fred Schiller. Since he had to deal with many different companies, he learned a lot about the best way to deal with the wire. "The result had been an improvement in the process that has led to a reduction in cost, at both ends of the recycling circle," Schiller says, "and we're finding more efficient ways of dealing with the strand as well as finding secondary product use for it." For many mills, the efficient new system also means operating cost benefits due to fewer repairs and less down time from wire damage to boat props and other hardware. Looking to the Future The recycling circle will get even stronger as the industry starts to buy more recycled bundling wire. Though business can always be better, the economic realities of the last four months have not been normal for the forest industry, with fires shutting down the industry in many areas. "We've only barely got back to work now so hopefully we've decreased the cost of the recycled product enough, so this loop can be that much tighter," says Mackenzie. Eventually, recyclers of bundling wire hope that industry will be encouraged to use a minimum of 20 per cent recycled wire back in the field. "Twenty per cent is a good number as it will make shops like mine busy," says Mackenzie. He admits it's also a good number because he can usually only recycle about 20 per cent of the wire due to the condition it's in when it arrives. Fred Schiller notes, "by the time we get the wire, 20 per cent of it is recyclable, while about 80 per cent has to be dealt with in other ways." As the process improves, he hopes that mills will eventually change from using grapple machines (that leave the wire stretched and frayed) and deal with wire so more can be recycled. The forest industry has risen to the challenge of dealing with log bundling strand as it has with many other types of waste. The changes that this initiative introduced have been a learning experience for everyone, and as the infrastructure for dealing with strand becomes more refined, collecting and recycling strand will become a normal part of doing business. Environment Canada believes that the Log Bundling Recycling Initiative is the first step in creating a wire recapture and recycling system that will take on a life of its own. "We want this initiative to encourage industry to find their own way of dealing with bundling strand," says Standing. "The infrastructure for recycling is being developed," he says, "however, we're certain that other exciting business opportunities will come out of the need to keep the wire out of the water." Potential options already exist with companies such as Nevada based A.L. Hanic International finding other uses for the wire overseas. Fred Schiller has high hopes too. He'd eventually like to see businesses like his across BC. "We hope we're developing a model that other people can use, helping to develop local solutions elsewhere," he says. "It's a long ways from being done but it's a good first step." With this part of the initiative well under way, Environment Canada's next goal is to find an effective way to keep track of just how much wire is being recaptured and reused. Over the next year, again with input from industry, they will be developing an audit system that will include performance measures and looking at bundling strand in a uniform way. Developing consistent ways of tracking the amount of wire will ensure that everyone can see just how well the program continues to work. Environment Canada's decision to initiate changes that focused on education and an industry driven solution, has left a sense that things have gone more smoothly that previous efforts. "Environment Canada has done a fabulous job," says Schiller. "It's been a delicate process. The department has realized that this problem has been going on for 20 to 25 years and is not going to be solved overnight." Schiller believes Environment Canada's firm but realistic approach has made the industry more open to the change, in the long run. "Even those people who aren't on board now, I know we'll get them eventually because they're starting to talk to us and they're not saying 'no, we're not going to do it.'" This is a promising legacy for not only this program, but also continuing efforts to make sure that both BC businesses and the environment remain healthy.

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