Today's Topics:
(Fwd) Battery recycling
(Fwd) pallet recycling
Fwd: Buy Nothing Day
Pigmented Milk Bottles/Australia
Sad recycling and Producer Responsibility
Wood pallets -- ask Big City Forest (2 msgs)
Zero waste:
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Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 08:04:25 -0600
From: "John Reindl" <reindl@co.dane.wi.us>
Subject: (Fwd) Battery recycling
Dear List Members -
I am forwarding this email message I received. If anyone can help
out, would you please contact Agustin directly at the email address
below?
Thanks,
John Reindl
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
I am Chemical Engineering Student of the Colombian National University.
I have been doing an investigation on batteries recycling.
Therefore, I ask you for colaboration on technical information about
it. I want to know: Prior process of batteries recovering, process
parameters, process description and environmental impact.
Truly yours,
Agust=EDn Velasco V
e-mail:agustvel@usa.net
address: Cll 58A =B722-23
City: Manizales
Country: Colombia
reindl@co.dane.wi.us
(608)267-1533 - fax
(608)267-8815 - phone
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 13:51:58 -0600
From: "John Reindl" <reindl@co.dane.wi.us>
Subject: (Fwd) pallet recycling
Dear List Members -
I am forwarding this message from another list. If you have anything
to share with Mark, could you please include his direct address
along with the GreenYes address?
Thanks much,
John
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 14:19:15 -0500 (EST)
To: Recycle@envirolink.org
From: Mark Wheeler <mwheeler@cce.cornell.edu>
Subject: pallet recycling
Cc: reindl@co.dane.wi.us
In response to John's question about problems with pallet recycling, I've
found that the custom sized pallets are the most problematic. Pallet
recyclers and distributors in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York will only
exchange or rebuild pallets of 40x48, 42x48 or 48x48 inches. Anything
smaller or bigger is left on the loading docks. This leaves warehouses,
suppliers and wholesalers with a smaller number of pallets a month (approx.
10-50) that sit on their loading docks waiting for some type of reuse or
disposal. Typically, these businesses have cultivated very informal reuse
practices. Either employees take them home for firewood or the pallets are
placed in clear view of the road for other hopefulls. I've found that
companies with 50 or so pallets each month are content to use this ad hoc
reuse practice. I've been told by several businesses that a 20 cy roll-off
is needed annually to handle odd-size pallets and other debris.
I am considering an option to work with a work shelter program (private or
public rehabilitation program / association for retarded citizens) to
collect these pallets for resale/reuse. Has anyone else tried this option?
reindl@co.dane.wi.us
(608)267-1533 - fax
(608)267-8815 - phone
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 11:21:30 -0500 (EST)
From: CRRA@aol.com
Subject: Fwd: Buy Nothing Day
---------------------
Forwarded message:
From: SCRUZA.DPW179@HW1.CAHWNET.GOV (Jeffrey Smedberg, Re)
Date: 97-11-24 14:10:39 EST
To: Friends of Recycling
FROM: Jeffrey Smedberg, Recycling Programs Coordinator
dpw179 454-2373
SUBJECT: Buy Nothing Day
*** BUY NOTHING DAY ***
November 28, 1997
International BUY NOTHING DAY is a 24 hour moratorium on
purchasing, in the interest of drawing attention to rampant consumer
spending. It is scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally
the biggest shopping day of the year.
For more information about how you can become actively involved, and
to download the BUY NOTHING DAY poster, please visit the following
URL: http://www.adbusters.org/Pop/buynothingday.html
*** PARTICIPATE BY NOT PARTICIPATING ***
Pass it on.
>>>=========================================================<<<
Jeffrey Smedberg, County of Santa Cruz Public Works, CA USA
Internet: scruza.dpw179@hw1.cahwnet.gov
Voice (408)454-2373 Fax (408)454-2385
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 09:01:40 +0900
From: oldxeye@crisscross.com (Hop)
Subject: Pigmented Milk Bottles/Australia
Ooops! I'm afraid I had a slip of the digits. Our experience in Australia
has been the same as you describe for the US ie. the carton manufacturers
lurking behind apparent community-based consumer campaigns about light
affecting milk. Just goes to show, they're as bad as each other. Give me
refillables any day!
Hop.
>From: "RecycleWorlds" <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>
>Subject: Pigmented Milk Bottles/Australia
>
>On 11/24 Hop responded to our alert about white pigmented bottles in =
>Australia by asking:
>
>What are the names of these 'consumer groups' in Australia? In recent =
>years
>we've had several groups/individuals making such statements, but they've
>all eventually been exposed as fronts for the plastic milk container
>(dairy?) industry.
>
>Hop.
>
>
>That information came from a dairy food prof at the University of =
>Pennsylvania. We checked with him again and he didn't know any more. =20
>
>However, to the extent that this is a setup, our experience in the =
>States would suggest that it's more likely to be pushed by the =
>paperboard industry which would like to reclaim market share from =
>plastic by showcasing the benefits of opaque paper cartons over HDPE.
>
>Peter
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 15:43:49 -0600
From: Anne Morse <AMorse@NT1.Co.Winona.MN.US>
Subject: Sad recycling and Producer Responsibility
Helen,
Minnesota Statutes 115A.951 requires that all telephone directories be
recycled, and puts responsibility squarely on the publishers or
distributors of all telephone books to:
1) provide for collection of phone books and delivery to a recycler
2) inform recipients of the books of the collection system; and
3) report annually the percentages of distributed directories that were
collected and where they were recycled.
This statute also requires that the telephone books be printed on
recyclable paper, with inks that contain no heavy metals, and bound with
nothing that would interfere with its recyclability.
I agree with Dave Biddle that producer responsibility should
be at issue in your discussions. In fact, I think it should be part of
any discussion anyone is having anywhere in this country when the issue
of recycling additional materials arises. This is how we can reach
critical mass on a concept that so logical that it is intuitively
obvious once it is understood.
There are plenty of other examples of producer responsibility
out there to meet the differing requirements for each material, ranging
from ADF's for items like waste pesticides (as in Minnesota), to
take-backs for waste oil, funded entirely by oil and oil filter
industries (also in effect in Mn).
After a great breakfast roundtable at September's NRC
Conference on the subject, it occurred to us that we very much need to
keep ourselves informed as to what's going on in our respective states.
Specifically, whenever we propose a method of producer responsibility
for a material, the most effective argument we must rebut is that
"Minnesota can't make itself an island".
Well, while the laws on our respective states' books requiring
producer responsibility aren't terribly numerous at this point, there
are many efforts underway to that end that just haven't reach the
statutory level yet. It is these efforts that we need to familiarize
ourselves with, to document that we don't risk "becoming an island".
Strength in numbers is the argument here, I believe.
Plus, we'll be able to put to the test the rhetoric that was
used so effectively to dismantle federal programs over the last few
years. Devolution to the states, or the testing grounds of the states,
I think they called it.
To this end Andy Costellano of Minnesota's ARM (the
Association of Recycling Managers) put together a wonderful web page
dedicated to producer/product responsibility, and is tracking all the
examples he can find across the country. We also hope to use this site
for evaluating what producer responsiblity programs have been the most
successful for which materials. Perhaps it will also help bring some
uniformity to statutes from state to state.
The producer responsibility site can be found at:
www.concentric.net/~armweb. Do visit and contribute.
Good luck,
Anne Morse
Winona County, Minnesota
amorse@nt1.co.winona.mn.us
>In a message dated 11/21/97 5:30:46 AM, hwertel@largo.com wrote:
>
>>Each year my City (Largo) weighs the pros and cons of telephone book
>>recycling to determine if we will collect them. Much discussin occurs
>>before a decision is made. Telephone books will not be distributed in
>>our area until next spring. Helen
>
>
>
>
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 13:54:13 -0600
From: "John Reindl" <reindl@co.dane.wi.us>
Subject: Wood pallets -- ask Big City Forest
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: EarthGB@aol.com
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 03:03:23 -0500 (EST)
To: reindl@co.dane.wi.us
Subject: Ask Big City Forest
Dear John,
About wood pallet rebuilding, I think David Hurd at Bronx 2000's Big City
Forest (which produces hardwood flooring, furniture, & other products from
scrap pallets & scrap wood) would be a good person to talk to. Probably you
know him already (part of our recycling 'oldtimers' crowd, once on NRC board,
etc, and lots of fun). He can be reached at TRASHBUSTR@aol.com.
I have a few hunches about the demise of pallet rebuilding. You can see
what David has to say. I did the background research for their start-up of
Big City (this research dates from late 1988), & at that time I was told that
pallet rebuilding was faltering in areas that were at the end of
transportation/distribution routes (the case in NYC, amazingly), whereas in a
place like Chgo that is a distribution crossroads, pallet rebuilding is still
a viable business (last I heard) because the logistics are easy to take
broken pallets out of the loop, fix them, and put them back in the loop.
This is very definitely a regional thing. For instance, San Diego is also
the end of a distribution route, but we do have pallet rebuilding over the
border in Mexico, because of the low-priced labor force available. So it's
an active industry here.
My other theory about this is that rising timber costs have leveraged the
substitution of pallets made of other materials, particularly recycled
plastics. There are many new companies making plastic pallets, and I see
recycled plastic pallets (black) whenever I go to the supermarket. This,
actually, is a very good use of recycled plastic, & plastic pallets can be
steam cleaned. When I did the research for Bronx 2000, I learned that wood
from pallets used in the grocery industry can absorb insecticides used to
control pests in produce depts., etc. I don't know if this is viewed as a
problem for rebuilding wood pallets reused in the grocery industry (from
their perspective), but it's a concern for me as a shopper, and it was a
concern for Bronx 2000 when considering reusing the wood for other
applications.
When I did the research for Big City Forest, I got ahold of the statistic,
still repeated (most recently by Bill Sheehan in a GreenYes posting), that
half of the hardwoods cut in the US each year are used for "expendable"
(single-trip) pallets. That was from the wood pallet mfgrs assn. I actually
wonder now if that figure still applies, again because of how expensive
timber & lumber have become. Maybe David Hurd has an update on that.
It'd be good to talk to him, also, because they have been looking into ways
to replicate Big City Forest elsewhere. I don't know what they came up with,
but maybe it's an idea for a small-scale industry in Madison. Given
deforestation worldwide, I believe no wood, even the so-called "junk wood"
used to make pallets, should be trashed after one use.
Good luck on this one. I applaud your hanging in, placing so many
thoughtful inquiries on the listserves, and keeping good info circulating.
Best regards,
Gretchen
reindl@co.dane.wi.us
(608)267-1533 - fax
(608)267-8815 - phone
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 13:23:01 -0800
From: rtp@earthisland.org (emily miggins AKA Hempily Kenafins)
Subject: Wood pallets -- ask Big City Forest
Other great contacts on this pallet issue are;
Dana Harmon at Co-Op America
lesswood@Igc.apc.org
Jeanne Trombly who does work with Materials for the Future Foundation
jtrombly@igc.apc.org
Ned Daly who now is the Director of the Wood Reduction Clearinghouse in DC
ned@TPA.org
Kate Heaton, and Sami Yassa at NRDC, working on wood use reduction efforts there
kheaton@nrdc.org
syassa@nrdc.org
Chris Hatch should have some contact information at Rainforest Action Network
rainwood@ran.org
Hope this is of some help. Save the Heartwood!! Ohio's beautiful forests
are disappearing because of pallets- not to mention other fun stuff like
pulp for paper! Urban Sprawl...
>------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
>From: EarthGB@aol.com
>Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 03:03:23 -0500 (EST)
>To: reindl@co.dane.wi.us
>Subject: Ask Big City Forest
>
>Dear John,
> About wood pallet rebuilding, I think David Hurd at Bronx 2000's Big City
>Forest (which produces hardwood flooring, furniture, & other products from
>scrap pallets & scrap wood) would be a good person to talk to. Probably you
>know him already (part of our recycling 'oldtimers' crowd, once on NRC board,
>etc, and lots of fun). He can be reached at TRASHBUSTR@aol.com.
> I have a few hunches about the demise of pallet rebuilding. You can see
>what David has to say. I did the background research for their start-up of
>Big City (this research dates from late 1988), & at that time I was told that
>pallet rebuilding was faltering in areas that were at the end of
>transportation/distribution routes (the case in NYC, amazingly), whereas in a
>place like Chgo that is a distribution crossroads, pallet rebuilding is still
>a viable business (last I heard) because the logistics are easy to take
>broken pallets out of the loop, fix them, and put them back in the loop.
> This is very definitely a regional thing. For instance, San Diego is also
>the end of a distribution route, but we do have pallet rebuilding over the
>border in Mexico, because of the low-priced labor force available. So it's
>an active industry here.
> My other theory about this is that rising timber costs have leveraged the
>substitution of pallets made of other materials, particularly recycled
>plastics. There are many new companies making plastic pallets, and I see
>recycled plastic pallets (black) whenever I go to the supermarket. This,
>actually, is a very good use of recycled plastic, & plastic pallets can be
>steam cleaned. When I did the research for Bronx 2000, I learned that wood
>from pallets used in the grocery industry can absorb insecticides used to
>control pests in produce depts., etc. I don't know if this is viewed as a
>problem for rebuilding wood pallets reused in the grocery industry (from
>their perspective), but it's a concern for me as a shopper, and it was a
>concern for Bronx 2000 when considering reusing the wood for other
>applications.
> When I did the research for Big City Forest, I got ahold of the statistic,
>still repeated (most recently by Bill Sheehan in a GreenYes posting), that
>half of the hardwoods cut in the US each year are used for "expendable"
>(single-trip) pallets. That was from the wood pallet mfgrs assn. I actually
>wonder now if that figure still applies, again because of how expensive
>timber & lumber have become. Maybe David Hurd has an update on that.
> It'd be good to talk to him, also, because they have been looking into ways
>to replicate Big City Forest elsewhere. I don't know what they came up with,
>but maybe it's an idea for a small-scale industry in Madison. Given
>deforestation worldwide, I believe no wood, even the so-called "junk wood"
>used to make pallets, should be trashed after one use.
> Good luck on this one. I applaud your hanging in, placing so many
>thoughtful inquiries on the listserves, and keeping good info circulating.
>
>Best regards,
>Gretchen
>
>
>reindl@co.dane.wi.us
>(608)267-1533 - fax
>(608)267-8815 - phone
******************************************************************************
Emily Miggins, Director ReThink Paper a project of Earth Island Institute
300 Broadway, STE 28 San Francisco, California 94133
Phone 415 788 3666 x 132 Facsimile 788 7324 email rtp@earthisland.org
surf http://www.earthisland.org <only if all else fails;> pager 888 554 2165
...the cyber fiber broker
******************************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 11:18:48 +0200
From: muna@iafrica.com
Subject: Zero waste:
HOP write:
>As a result of his
>enthusiastic and inspirational reports I've suggested to collegues in
>Australia that we raise the stakes there and launch a Zero Waste campaign
>which can become a point of focus in the lead-up to the Sydney 2000
>Olympics. I'll advise the list of any developments in this regard.
We have just been through the Cape Town 2004 bid (bitterly opposed to by the
majority of South Africans)... I am keen to setup a "Zero Waste
International. South Africa" - are others keen to set this up elswhere, so
we have a "formal" network? Responses, please.....
Kind Regards from The Rainbow Nation.....
Muna....
Mr. Muna Lakhani
CATALYST
Cellphone:082-416-9160
Cellfax: 082-131-416-9160
e-mail: muna@aztec.co.za
28 Currie Road - Durban - 4001 - South Africa
Studio: 031-2028291
Phone: +27-31-20-28-291
------------------------------
End of GreenYes Digest V97 #286
******************************