Air Cycle Corporation
Encyclopedia
Air Cycle Corporation is a privately-held American recycling
and waste management
company headquartered in suburban Chicago. The firm offers environmental consulting
in addition to its core business providing fluorescent lamp
, ballast
, battery
, and electronic waste
recycling products and services to commercial and institutional facilities
.
restaurants and other companies. The business expanded in the late 1990s to include recycling and other environmental products including its flagship product, the Bulb Eater, an award-winning drum-top lamp crushing
system that reduces storage and labor requirements for spent fluorescent lamps prior to recycling.
In the mid-2000s, Air Cycle introduced additional recycling products and services, among them the EasyPak prepaid mail-in recycling program and bulk waste brokering services. In 2005, based on the “blue-chip following” for Air Cycle’s Bulb Eater product, the publicly traded clean technology
firm GreenShift Corporation acquired a 30% stake in the company in return for investment capital and strategic business development services.
Propelled by double-digit growth in the late 2000s, Air Cycle began developing custom, web-based recycling programs for corporate clients including Marriott International
and CB Richard Ellis
. In 2009, the company launched Greener Results, its environmental consulting division. As of 2010, other major Air Cycle clients include Whole Foods Market
, Lincoln Property Company, and Sonepar.
and private operators on the cost-effectiveness and safety of storing spent fluorescent lamps prior to recycling using drum-top lamp crushing. According to Air Cycle, nearly 6,000 Bulb Eater machines are currently in use worldwide.
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
and waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
company headquartered in suburban Chicago. The firm offers environmental consulting
Environmental consulting
Environmental consulting is often a form of compliance consulting, in which the consultant ensures that the client maintains an appropriate measure of compliance with environmental regulations...
in addition to its core business providing fluorescent lamp
Fluorescent lamp recycling
Fluorescent lamp recycling is the reclamation of the materials of a spent fluorescent lamp for the manufacture of new products. Glass tubing can be turned into new glass articles, brass and aluminium in end caps can be reused, the internal coating can be reprocessed for use in paint pigments, and...
, ballast
Electrical ballast
An electrical ballast is a device intended to limit the amount of current in an electric circuit. A familiar and widely used example is the inductive ballast used in fluorescent lamps, to limit the current through the tube, which would otherwise rise to destructive levels due to the tube's...
, battery
Battery recycling
Battery recycling is a recycling activity that aims to reduce the number of batteries being disposed as municipal solid waste. Batteries contain a number of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, their dumping has raised concern over risks of soil contamination and water pollution.-Battery recycling by...
, and electronic waste
Electronic waste
Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. There is a lack of consensus as to whether the term should apply to resale, reuse, and refurbishing industries, or only to product that cannot be used for its...
recycling products and services to commercial and institutional facilities
Facility management
Facility management is an interdisciplinary field primarily devoted to the maintenance and care of commercial or institutional buildings, such as hospitals, hotels, office complexes, arenas, schools or convention centers...
.
History
Air Cycle was founded in 1978 as a manufacturer of air control systems for McDonald’s CorporationMcDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurants and other companies. The business expanded in the late 1990s to include recycling and other environmental products including its flagship product, the Bulb Eater, an award-winning drum-top lamp crushing
Fluorescent lamp crusher
A fluorescent lamp crusher is a device that crushes and stores spent fluorescent lamps prior to processing at a recycling facility, while controlling the release of mercury vapor emissions...
system that reduces storage and labor requirements for spent fluorescent lamps prior to recycling.
In the mid-2000s, Air Cycle introduced additional recycling products and services, among them the EasyPak prepaid mail-in recycling program and bulk waste brokering services. In 2005, based on the “blue-chip following” for Air Cycle’s Bulb Eater product, the publicly traded clean technology
Clean technology
Clean technology includes recycling, renewable energy , information technology, green transportation, electric motors, green chemistry, lighting, Greywater, and many other appliances that are now more energy efficient. It is a means to create electricity and fuels, with a smaller environmental...
firm GreenShift Corporation acquired a 30% stake in the company in return for investment capital and strategic business development services.
Propelled by double-digit growth in the late 2000s, Air Cycle began developing custom, web-based recycling programs for corporate clients including Marriott International
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
and CB Richard Ellis
CB Richard Ellis
CBRE Group, Inc. , a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm . The Company has approximately 31,000 employees , and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 300 offices worldwide...
. In 2009, the company launched Greener Results, its environmental consulting division. As of 2010, other major Air Cycle clients include Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
, Lincoln Property Company, and Sonepar.
The Bulb Eater
Air Cycle manufactures and sells the Bulb Eater lamp crushing system. The Bulb Eater is designed to reduce the storage and time requirements of recycling fluorescent lamps for large facilities. The Bulb Eater has been the subject of several studies by the United States Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
and private operators on the cost-effectiveness and safety of storing spent fluorescent lamps prior to recycling using drum-top lamp crushing. According to Air Cycle, nearly 6,000 Bulb Eater machines are currently in use worldwide.
External links
- Official website - Air Cycle Corporation