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RFID Impact on Global Recycling, CRRA Conference 2005: 

RFID Impact on Global Recycling, CRRA Conference 2005

Agenda: 

Agenda Overview of RFID Technology Possible Pitfalls for Recyclers Contamination Removal Opportunities for Recyclers Current Applications Future Possibilities

Why is this an important topic for recyclers?: 

Why is this an important topic for recyclers? A rapidly growing number of materials entering the recycling stream will contain RFID tags The cradle to point-of-purchase segment of the supply chain is gaining revolutionary efficiencies using RFID technology while recyclers are being left behind The design of the tags and the information on the tags will be the difference between the technology benefiting the recycling industry or hindering the recycling industry

What is RFID?: 

What is RFID? Radio Frequency Identification is a process of using a transponder chip to identify and track almost any object. Sizes of the chips range from only millimeters to more than an inch wide.

How does RFID work?: 

How does RFID work? The RFID technology process starts with a tag, which is made up of a microchip with an antenna, and a reader with an antenna.  The reader sends out radio-frequency waves that form a magnetic field when they join with the antenna on the RFID tag.  A passive RFID tag creates power from this magnetic field and uses it to energize the circuits of the RFID chip. The chip in the radio frequency identification tag sends information back to the reader in the of radio-frequency waves.  The RFID reader converts the new waves into digital information.  Semi-passive RFID tags use a battery to run the circuits of the chip, but communicate by drawing power from the RFID reader.

The RFID Explosion is Real: 

The RFID Explosion is Real Last year, Gillette placed an order for 500 million RFID tags from Alien Technology  SmartCode is making 0.25mm chips – target cost 5-10 cents for a billion – 15-20 feet range Manufacturing capacity up to 10 billion a year  Source: http://www.globalchange.com/rfids.htm

IDC Predicts Low Adoption in Retail Until 2005: 

IDC Predicts Low Adoption in Retail Until 2005 Industry Insight: Benetton Unites with RFID; IDC Predicts Low Adoption in Retail Until 2005 [DOWNLOAD: PDF] by IDC, Christopher Boone, Meredith Whalen List Price: $1,500.00 Price: $1,500.00 Availability: Available for download now Edition: e-doc (Adobe Reader)

Current Uses of RFID Tags: 

Current Uses of RFID Tags Auto Fast Track Passes Supply Chain Logistics Pet Identification Chips Human Medical Information Casino Chips Anti-theft packaging (Music CDs) Entry systems (Local Postnet Store)

How a glass broadcasts when it needs to be refilled: 

How a glass broadcasts when it needs to be refilled Smart glasses mean instant refills Developed by Paul Dietz and a team at the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the iGlassware system signals staff when you are ready for a refill. It uses an adaptation of the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag technology that is used to stop people stealing goods from shops. Each glass in Mitsubishi's system is tagged electronically by a microchip linked to a thin radio-frequency coil inside its dishwasher-safe base. A coating of a clear, conducting material makes the glass behave like a capacitor - a device that stores electrical charge between two conducting plates separated by an insulator. In this case, the drink is the insulator and the glass's base and sides are the conducting plates. Source: www.NewScientist.com

The trend toward item level tagging: 

The trend toward item level tagging

Michelin Embeds RFID Tags in Tires: 

Michelin Embeds RFID Tags in Tires Jan 17, 2003 - Michelin this week revealed that it has begun fleet testing of an RFID transponder embedded in its tires to enable them to be tracked electronically. After it completes testing, which will likely last 18 months, Michelin will begin offering automakers the option of purchasing tires with embedded transponders. The microchip stores the tire's unique ID, which can be associated with the vehicle identification number. The chip can also store information about when and where the tire was made, its maximum inflation pressure, size and so on. Information can be updated with a handheld reader. Michelin claims to be the first to meet the Automotive Industry Action Group's B-11 standard for North America, which calls for a read distance of 24 inches. Source: http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleprint/269/-1/1/ Michelin's RFID tag

Company Makes Smart Cases, Pallets: 

Company Makes Smart Cases, Pallets May 11, 2005—BeamFetch, an IT consulting services firm with offices in Taipei, Taiwan, in Beijing and in San Jose, Calif., is developing container products with rewritable passive RFID tags embedded in reusable corrugated cardboard. The products, which include variously sized boxes as well as pallets made of strong cardboard, are available now. BeamFetch says potential users of its RFID-embedded cardboard products are express delivery shippers, such as FedEx or UPS, and manufacturers and distributors for use in retail and the Department of Defense supply chain applications. In Taiwan and China, BeamFetch has patented a process of embedding an RFID tag into paper products, including sheets of corrugated cardboard. In an open supply chain scenario, the boxes would not be reused because the collection and return of the boxes to their owners would be difficult and also because retailers will be placing the empty tagged cases in box crushers where readers take a final read of the tag before the case it is associated with is crushed and then sent to a recycling agent. The tags and laminate will need to be extracted from BeamFetch boxes before the cardboard can be recycled because the tags and laminate could not be recycled with the cardboard. Smart labels have to be removed from cases before recycling for the same reason. Source: http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleprint/1588/-1/1/ An IT services firm says it is embedding tags in reusable cardboard cases and pallets that can be reused up to 100 times.

Can RFID Save the Planet?: 

Can RFID Save the Planet? A new World Wildlife Fund report suggests that RFID and microsensors could help reduce waste and improve recycling. August 23, 2002 -- Leading conservationists will gather in Johannesburg, South Africa, from Sept. 2 to 11 for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. In advance of that event, the World Wildlife Fund has published a 200-page report that shows how information and communication technology (ICT) could play a positive role in achieving sustainable development. The report, Sustainability at the Speed of Light, defines ICT as any product or system that communicates, stores, and processes information. The WWF says ICT has "the potential to rapidly change the whole structure of society and reshape the way we organize our economy, in much the same manner as did inventions of the last century, such as the internal combustion engine." Source: RFID Journal, http://216.121.131.129/article/articleprint/58/-1/1/

Toward Trash That Thinks: 

Toward Trash That Thinks

Rapid Rate of Adoption by Global Consumer Product Manufacturers: 

Rapid Rate of Adoption by Global Consumer Product Manufacturers

Barriers to item level tagging: 

Barriers to item level tagging Consumer Privacy Concerns Cost ROI for low-cost items

What’s all the excitement about?: 

What’s all the excitement about? Maximized efficiencies in the supply chain Reduced “shrinkage” in retail environment Automated inventory and ordering systems Ability to identify the location of every resource in the supply chain

Barriers to developing recycling applications: 

Barriers to developing recycling applications Minimal recycling industry involvement in RFID technology development Limited ability to read tags at a distance Privacy movement to wipe info at point of purchase Minimal research and development of recycling applications Reading tag signals through an assortment of mixed materials is difficult

Potential Challenges for Recyclers: 

Potential Challenges for Recyclers Tags will sometimes be embedded Poker Chips Currency Clothing Plastic containers and packaging Surface mounted tags may be difficult to remove Tags might contain toxic substances No plan for handling removed tags Tag development primarily being funded by waste generators rather than recyclers

Current Uses of RFID by European Recyclers : 

Current Uses of RFID by European Recyclers Recycling Data Management Refrigerator Recycling Logistics

Recycling Data Management: 

Recycling Data Management VTT RESEARCH REPORT NO. BTUO24 051344 28 FEBRUARY 2005 http://www.vtt.fi/virtual/etek/raportti/etek_researchreport.pdf

Recycling Data Management: 

Recycling Data Management The most important advantages of RFID technology identified in the project include product identification and association with the producer in any phase of the waste treatment process, precise distribution of costs among producers, the possibility for automatic sorting of products, availability of product information, improved efficiency of material flows, automation and improved efficiency of information management, and improved efficiency of collection container management. VTT RESEARCH REPORT NO. BTUO24 051344 28 FEBRUARY 2005 http://www.vtt.fi/virtual/etek/raportti/etek_researchreport.pdf

VTT RESEARCH REPORT NO. BTUO24: 

VTT RESEARCH REPORT NO. BTUO24 Waste treatment facilities must also prepare for the upcoming applications of RFID technology as marked products are received in recycling processes. The product results indicate that RFID technology will have economically and technically justifiable applications in the processing chain of WEEE in the near future. RFID technology will also provide producers and waste treatment facilities with new application, service and business opportunities. RFID solutions are already feasible in the recycling industry in applications where the flow of material is short, material moves in a so called closed cycle and/or the product is large/expensive. The first RFID applications will be realised (and have already been realised) in these sectors. Currently feasible applications include, for example, logistics management for waste containers and scrap vehicles. VTT RESEARCH REPORT NO. BTUO24 051344 28 FEBRUARY 2005 http://www.vtt.fi/virtual/etek/raportti/etek_researchreport.pdf

Refrigerator Recycling: 

Refrigerator Recycling * Disposal - under the latest WEEE directive manufacturers of PCs, and other electrical goods such as cookers, fridges and other white goods, are now liable for the cost of their disposal. With tags fitted into these products, the task of disposal is much simplified. Tagging would enable the product to be logged-in during both collection and disposal and could also be used to facilitate the logistics process, and verify the number of units processed, and to determine payment to the recycler. IDC is at the forefront of this recycling technology, exploiting its expertise in mobile data capture in the tracking of waste refrigerators for M Baker Recycling of Exeter. IDC's involvement is the result of a contract requirement for 58 Irish local authorities to track the obsolete domestic and commercial refrigerated equipment from collection to disposal. All of the fridges collected have Smart Tags applied at the collection sites, which are then scanned by the collection team using Symbol pocket PCs with a built in barcode scanner and wireless WAN/LAN connection, as they are loaded onto the van or truck. On arrival at regional depots the Smart Tags data is automatically downloaded over a wireless connection to a PC, which automatically logs, and records the collection data before the fridges are shipped to the recycling facility in St Helens. IDC developed all the software including pocket PC and client/server software packages for the collection and recycling centres using an Oracle client/server real time database, in combination with applications from their standard toolset of component modules developed in the.NET environment using the C# programming language. News Story from: IDC - Intelligent Distributed Controls http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/iin/iin105.html

Leeds City Council adds RFID Tags to Recycling Bins: 

Leeds City Council adds RFID Tags to Recycling Bins Leeds to Tag Recycling Bins Monday, May 23 2005 Leeds, UK will soon begin to track recycling: "We will shortly be undertaking a project to fit RFID tags to all the Green Recycling Bins in your area. This is being done in order for us to ascertain the weight of materials being collected and will help with future management decisions."

What are the Current Possibilities for California Recyclers?: 

What are the Current Possibilities for California Recyclers?

Futuristic Recycling Applications: 

Futuristic Recycling Applications Automated sorting of all recoverable materials Trucks automatically scanned for content Bins scanned for content Landfills scanned for content Discarded items traced from cradle to Recovery Facility Global market database developed to identify buyers and price for all recovered materials Global database for sourcing Consumer home scanners identify recovery centers for mattresses, appliances, hazardous materials, tires, computers, et al.

What do recyclers need from this technology?: 

What do recyclers need from this technology? Hardware Removable Tags? Non-toxic Reading systems Gloves? Sorting research? Software Material ID? Producer info? Market info? Disassembly? Recycling Facility? Redemption Value? Product Life? Source location?

If trash could talk what questions would recyclers ask?: 

If trash could talk what questions would recyclers ask? Where did you come from? What intrinsic value do you have? How do I process you? Where can I sell you? What price are you commanding on local and global markets? Do you have special handling requirements? When where you produced and by what company? Where can I get more of you?

Other “Smart Packaging” technologies entering the post-consumer materials stream: 

Other “Smart Packaging” technologies entering the post-consumer materials stream Packaging that can cook food Packaging that plays sounds Packaging that can track temperature history

Fujitsu shows 'electronic paper' display: 

Fujitsu shows 'electronic paper' display  TOKYO — Fujitsu has developed display, which is a film-based flexible color display and which has non-volatile capability being able to maintain an image without a power supply. Power is only required to change images, making the display energy efficient. The display is one of the anticipated demonstrations at a Fujitsu corporate exhibition being held Wednesday and Thursday (July 13 and 14) here. The display is a passive-matrix, reflective type cholesteric liquid crystal display. Two 3.8-inch diagonal QVGA prototypes, a monochrome display and a color version able to display 512 colors, were shown. The electronic display could replace paper in a number of applications, according to Fujitsu, ranging from information boards, billboards, posters to menus at restaurants to point-of-purchase tags. Fujitsu, Ltd. intends to introduce paper display products in its fiscal 2006 year, which runs from April 2006 to March 2007, the company said. The company has begun test marketing and field tests to find the first commercial applications of the display. Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., Fujitsu Frontech Ltd. and parent Fujitsu teamed to develop the display. Fujitsu Labs developed materials and display technology while Fujitsu Frontech contributed on production. Differing from widely used flat displays that have color filters consisting of red, green and blue pixels, the paper display has a three layered structure in total about 0.8 mm thick. One layer consists of two 0.125 mm-thick films sandwiching liquid crystal. Cholesteric crystals in each layer are twisted in a certain pitch to reflect only red, green or blue light respectively. Images on the screen can be changed with 10-milliwatts to 100-milliwatts depending on scanning speed. Fujitsu's display is able to retain its image even when it is bent, said a spokesman of Fujitsu Labs. Conventional prototypes looses image on the screen when being bent, but Fujitsu team invented an adequate material and structure, said the spokesman, declining to go in detail. As the display is a simple passive matrix driver chips are available off-the-shelf, so there are no big factors to push up the cost of the display, he said. For future, wider applications, the team will continue working on enlarging the display and increasing the color gamut. Yoshiko Hara (07/13/2005 9:29 AM EDT) URL: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=165701915 All material on this site Copyright © 2005 CMP Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Where Do We Go From Here?: 

Where Do We Go From Here? The recycling community should learn about the technology and create an input document for developers. Recyclers need to educate themselves on the market adoption rate and be prepared to handle tag removal Recyclers need to begin researching ways to use the technology to achieve the same efficiencies that are being realized in the pre-consumer segment of the global resource supply chain.

Additional Information: 

Additional Information www.RecyclingTech.org (listserv and links) RFID Journal http://www.rfidjournal.com/ EPCglobal http://www.epcglobalinc.org/ Auto-ID Labs http://www.autoidlabs.org/

Q&A: 

Q&A When should recyclers expect to see item level tagging in the US? Is there any research being done on removal methods? Can toxic contents be eliminated? At what point in the production process are tags applied? How much information can be stored on most tags? How can personal privacy be protected without removing recycling information? Are there technologies being developed in manufacturing that could be converted into a sorting system? Are any recyclers in the US using RFID technology? How and when are chips programmed? What do you see as the most immediate application of RFID technology to improve recycling processes? How are recyclers currently dealing with tags?

Mtg Notes 1: 

Mtg Notes 1 Meeting Notes Impacts of Radio Frequency Identification Tags on Packaging Reuse and Recycling September 14, 2004 Eisenhower Room, White House Conference Center Overview of RFID Tags Vince Pontani, DoD Logistics AIT Office, presented a primer on RFID tag technology. His Powerpoint presentation is attached. RFID tags are similar to bar code labels in that they store data. However, they can be read quickly via a reader that uses radio waves, rather than manually via a reader using light waves. There are active tags – such as those used in the EZPass system, passive tags, and semi-active or battery assisted passive tags. Passive tags will be used to meet the case-and-pallet tagging requirements of Wal-Mart, DOD, and others. DOD is using active tags for some applications and plans to reuse these tags. Passive tags consist of a computer chip attached to a small antenna. The antenna usually is copper, but there are other types of antennae, including inks that contain silver or other metals. Timing DOD: case-and-pallet by January 2005 for specified products going to specified depots. Use on the case and pallet for additional products going to additional locations will be phased in. Tags will also be used on selected unique identifier items by 2007. Wal-Mart: case-and-pallet by January 2005. Increasing the number of product packages by 2007. Other retailers will be or just have starting tagging of cases and pallets, including Target Stores, Best Buy, and the Albertsons grocery store chain. Future uses: The Food and Drug Administration is requiring the labeling of medications. While the use of RFID tags is not currently required, they could be required in the future. Also, the tags could be used on drums and metal and plastic packages holding hazardous materials in the future.

Mtg Notes 2: 

Mtg Notes 2 International Activities Victor Bell, Environmental Packaging International, discussed the European packaging requirements. The essential requirement for each packaging system is that companies must look at each component of the package and determine whether it meets the requirements, including recyclability. The requirements include a material recovery standard, an organic recovery standard, and an energy recovery standard. In other words, can the components be reused or recycled, can the components be converted to energy, and can the components be returned to the environment (e.g., through composting)? The components used in RFID tags must be compatible with the package with respect to recycling that packaging system. If a tag is added to an existing packaging – must declare new material components that are available for recycling or recovery. Victor believes that the use of the tags potentially are a problem for aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and high density polyethylene packaging systems. There also is a requirement to minimize the content of noxious substances. Any packaging system that is shipped into the European Union countries has to meet the packaging standards.

Mtg Notes 3: 

Mtg Notes 3 The Components of RFID Tags Dr. Daniel Engels, MIT and the Auto-ID Laboratories, distributed a graphic depiction of and RFID tag. The tag consists of a chip connected to an antenna and a substrate on which the antenna resides. The chip is silicon. The antennae are copper or aluminum. In the case of ink antennae, the ink usually contains silver. There also is a connection between the chip and the antenna. In stick-on label version of RFID tags, the substrate is PET, and the connection is an epoxy or a conductive glue. A handout provided by DoD identified the components of the passive label-type RFID tags as follows: Face material polypropylene (label surface) and paper (label) Adhesive acrylate Chip silicon; “flip chips” also have small gold bumps Acid Catalyzed Phenolic epoxy based material ACP metal nickel, which is sometimes silver plated Adhesive polyurethane Metal antenna copper or aluminum Printed antenna silver Printed antenna bonding agent Substrate PET Adhesive acrylate The printed antennae are printed directly onto paper or PET using screen printing. The mass of the copper antenna will be reduced as manufacturers going to a thinner piece of copper to create the antenna. An Israeli company, Power Paper, is looking into developing semi-passive tags that include a battery printed on paper. These tags could be used on case and pallet and on consumer items.

Mtg Notes 4: 

Mtg Notes 4 Potential Environmental Implications Mary Beth Miller, Alien Technology, discussed the potential environmental implications of the components of the tags. Alien Technology is treating its waste materials as hazardous waste because of the copper and silver content. However, the company will be looking to delist the waste from its manufacturing plant, under California’s regulations, based on a bioassay of the tag showing that the levels of silver fall below the hazardous levels. Alien Technology’s tags encapsulates the silver components, which eliminates the hazard. It is not known if the encapsulation will remain intact throughout the recycling processes for any of the packaging materials.

Mtg Notes 5: 

Mtg Notes 5 Impact on Reuse and Recycling Processes C.L Pettit, Reusable Industrial Packaging Association, indicated that the RFID tags will not survive the drum refurbishing and reconditioning process. The industry uses a very caustic reconditioning process. RFID tag contaminants in this process will need to be known prior to re-use or disposal of rinse solutions. There are concerns with potential ceramics. Current processes do not adequately address ceramic particle contamination. Dr. Engels stated that the packaging of the tag could allow it to survive the reconditioning process. He noted that Ford Motor Company uses RFID tags on vehicle parts that are subject to the high temperature of the paint baking process, and the tags survive the process. There is a potential hazard from an electrostatic affect on the vapors or fumes in the drums. Larry Kruger, Rock-Tenn Company, gave a brief of the paper recycling process. Concerns about RFID tag components that could affect old corrugated container and paperboard recycling include: Adhesives Small components slipping through the screening process. These components could be the chips or small pieces of metal that break off of the antennae during the cleaning and screening process. Items similar in density to fiber will not be caught by the process. This could be a potential problem for paperboard packaging that comes into contact with food or pharmaceuticals because no levels of metals are allowed in paperboard that will come into contact with food or pharmaceuticals. There also is a concern that metals from the antennae will end up in a mill’s wastewater or sludge. A preliminary mass balance conducted by the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) provided inconclusive results regarding the wastewater and sludge. There is a proposal for a follow-on study by NCASI. The proposed study would evaluate the impact of antenna metals on the wastewater treatment plant final effluent and wastewater treatment residuals (sludge) to determine if the concentrations approach or exceed regulatory limits. The pilot-scale recycling facility at Western Michigan University has been identified as the top choice for conducting the study. Further information will be provided by Brian O’Banyon of the Fibrebox Association.

Mtg Notes 7: 

Mtg Notes 7 Dave O’Hagan, Caraustar Industries, echoed the concerns raised by Larry Kruger. He also noted that bales of containers might need to be broken open to segregate out containers with RFID tags, which will increase handling costs. Tom Friberg, Weyerhaueser, raised similar concerns. Steven Van Fleet, International Paper, was unable to attend the meeting but sent the following notes: International Paper is routinely consuming at our Texarkana facility approximately 50,000 chips/month in our paper rolls. We have investigated recycling of the cores through our recycler and have found no measurable indication that the debris from the tags are impacting the process. The junk traps on the repulpers appear to effectively remove any RFID remnants. During an Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries-hosted conference call on September 13th, concerns were raised about the impact of the metals on gypsum board mills, which bake the paper. Elizabeth Broad, EPCglobal, explained that EPCglobal is a joint venture of the Uniform Code Council and EAN International. It is developing standards for the electronic product code to support the use of RFID tags. The performance standards can drive what materials are used. Environmental considerations are not currently factored into the standards development process but could be.

Mtg Notes 8: 

Mtg Notes 8 Minimizing or Mitigating the Impacts – What Do We Need to Know? Chip Foley, Steel Recycling Institute, expressed concern that metals in the RFID tags that would be contaminants in the steel-making process, such as copper, could end up going up the stack as air emissions or stay in the product. Scott Seydel, EVCO, noted that the metals constituents of the RFID tags will be contaminants for PET, HDPE, and carpet. Andy Bopp, Glass Packaging Institute, stated that metals, especially when concentrated, will be a significant contaminant in the glass-making process. Metals and ceramics can seriously damage the glass kilns. Linda Woolley, on behalf of Alcan Aluminum, stated that, like the other recycling industries -- steel, paper, and paperboard -- aluminum is driven by economics, and it is very economical to recycle aluminum, which can be recycled an unlimited number of times. Information Needs List of components of the active and semi-active RFID tags and quantity at the ppm level. Constituents of the batteries used in active RFID tags. What happens if a tag is shredded in the recycling process; will that create small pieces of metal that will contaminate the recovered paper and interfere with the papermaking process? (Or the manufacturing of any other material?)