TerraCycle acquires Air Cycle Corp.

TerraCycle US Inc., a Trenton, New Jersey, company that specializes in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle postconsumer waste, has announced it has acquired Chicago-based Air Cycle Corp., a universal waste recycler for mercury-containing fluorescent bulbs, battery, ballast and electronic waste disposal.

"This acquisition marks an important step in our growth and diversification strategies," Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO, says. "Adding Air Cycle to TerraCycle's core business means that we can now offer, for the first time, the collection and recycling of products mandated for disposal by federal regulations, in addition to the voluntary programs we've had for over 10 years."

Air Cycle will join TerraCycle's regulated waste business unit and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of TerraCycle US Inc. In its new capacity, the company will continue to offer lamp recycling products and services worldwide based on three recycling programs:

• Bulb Eater—Designed for facilities that dispose of large quantities of lamps, the Bulb Eater crushes spent fluorescent bulbs into small fragments and compresses the waste into 55-gallon drums. Each Bulb Eater unit is built around a filtration system that ensures both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) compliance.
• EasyPak—This program is an alternative for customers that generate smaller quantities of spent lamps, batteries and/or ballasts. Available in a variety of sizes, the EasyPak boxes are shipped by customers, through prepaid UPS Ground transportation services to recycling centers for processing.
• National bulk recycling—Designed to offer nationwide bulk pick up and recycling services for companies with large amounts of intact lamps, ballasts, batteries, electronic scrap and the crushed lamps generated by the Bulb Eater. Once the material has been recycled, a certificate of recycling confirming the proper handling of the waste will be provided.

"Federal EPA regulations on fluorescent and mercury vapor lamps require nonresidential facilities to properly dispose of their lamps,” Bobby Farris, general manager of TerraCycle’s regulated waste department, says. "This acquisition puts the company in a unique position to meet those regulated waste needs, as well as offer our clients a vast range of other voluntary and customized recycling services."

The timing of this announcement coincides with TerraCycle US Inc. being qualified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to issue shares in a Regulation A offering to raise up to $25 million. The company will use the proceeds to expand its existing programs and acquire additional companies it believes will thrive within its broad array of recycling and consumer engagement services.