Today's Topics:
EPR for single use propane tanks
Greenpeace and PVC Toy Industry
Looking for reference information
New 1/2 Liter Coke Bottle
Procurement Ordinance
Re: Regarding Sad Recycling :(
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Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 16:45:36 -0600
From: "John Reindl" <reindl@co.dane.wi.us>
Subject: EPR for single use propane tanks
Hi John
The Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) , a non-profit company set
up by thermostat manufacturers under the leadership of NEMA, is taking
over Honeywell's program to take back and recycle the mercury from
thermostats.
The program is now only operational in Minnesota (they have laws
banning mercury disposal in landfills and mercury in products) and is
expanding (perhaps yet this week) to Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, North Dakota and Florida. Their goal is to later
expand nationally.
For more information, I recommend contacting Ric Erdheim of TRC at
(703)841-3349.
I am seeing this concept of extended manufacturers' responsibility
taking hold for other products as well; recently, for example, I saw
articles of the computer industry and the propane tank industry also
expressing interest in setting up similar systems.
I hope this is helpful!
John
> John:
>
> Can you point me in the right direction for the mercury thermostat take
> back program.
>
> Thanks,
> John Rogers
> Recycling Coordinator
> La. Dept. Env. Quality
>
> > ----------
> > From: John Reindl[SMTP:reindl@co.dane.wi.us]
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 1997 10:05 AM
> > To: GreenYes@ucsd.edu
> > Subject: EPR for single use propane tanks
> >
> > Dear List Members -
> >
> > One of my motivations for Extended Producers's Responsibility is the
> > hazard and cost of managing used single service propane tanks, such as
> >
> > those that Coleman makes for camp stoves.
> >
> > Due to their hazardous nature, it is illegal for them to go to
> > landfills and refuse collection authorities don't want them in their
> > refuse trucks. Recyclers in my area also won't take them unless they
> > are punctured (a big safety no-no for the average citizen). And it
> > costs our local Clean Sweep program $9 to get rid of a tank, a tank
> > that only costs $2 at the local K-Mart.
> >
> > Attached is an article from a summer 1997 newsletter of the Recycling
> >
> > Council of British Columbia. It appears that Coleman is willing to
> > take
> > back these containers if some logistical and legislative problems can
> > be solved. I would like to encourage Coleman to build upon the
> > national
> > program of battery manufacturers to take back Nickel-Cadmium
> > batteries and a new program beginning this month by thermostat
> > manufactuers to take back mercury thermostats. For those of you
> > interested, I would urge that you contact The Coleman Company, PO Box
> >
> > 2931, Wichita, KS 67201-2931, telephone (800)835-3278.
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> > John Reindl, Recycling Manager
> > Dane County, WI
> >
> > =============
> >
> > PROPANE CYLINDERS
> >
> > Recoup's Materials Recycling Markets reports that the Recycling
> > Council
> >
> > of Ontario (RCO) and the Association of Municipal Recycling
> > Coordinators (AMRC) are working on promoting safe and economical
> > disposal of single-use propane cylinders. An AMRC survey of Ontario
> > provincial parks found that many face growing stockpiles of empty or
> > near-empty cylinders left behind by campers. Park officials say they
> > know that people want to do the right thing because when bins are set
> > out for collection, they are soon overflowing, but camper donations
> > have not been enough to pay for the $1-2/cylinder disposal costs and
> > transportation. Campers who take their used cylinders home with them
> > could dispose of them through their local (municipally-funded) HHW
> > collection programs, if they exist. John Hanson, RCO executive
> > director, believes that product stewardship is the answer. "A better
> > solution is to encourage manufacturers to take an active role by
> > paying
> > the cost of container collection and recycling and by educating
> > consumers through disposal instructions on the product. The AMRC's
> > Cynthia Hyland suggests a container deposit system. Don Maclam, of
> > The Canadian Coleman Company Ltd., says that they would like the
> > cylinders back, but that there are issues to consider before any
> > retail-based take-back system could be brought in, such as dangerous
> > goods transportation laws, high staff turnover at stores selling
> > their
> > products, and the fact that they are made in the U.S. In British
> > Columbia, such single-use containers end up in the garbage as there
> > are no other alternatives at present. The BC Recycling Hotline has
> > received over 400 calls about this problem item so far this year --
> > 77
> > in the month of July alone.
> >
> > Contact: John Hanson, RCO (416) 960-1025; Cynthia Hyland, AMRC
> > (519) 823-1990.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > reindl@co.dane.wi.us
> > (608)267-1533 - fax
> > (608)267-8815 - phone
> >
>
reindl@co.dane.wi.us
(608)267-1533 - fax
(608)267-8815 - phone
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 16:08:29 -0600
From: RecycleWorlds <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>
Subject: Greenpeace and PVC Toy Industry
The November 1997 issue Modern Plastics has the following editorial =
signed by Patrick A. Toensmeier:
"Greenpeace has fired another boradside at the plastics industry, but =
this time it may have shot itself in the foot. The group's latest salvo =
isn't directed at a heartless corporate entity, but at a symbol of =
happiness and innocence: toys. Greenpeace wants to take them away.
"Well, not all of them, only those made of PVC, which is still quite a =
lot. ... Christmas is more than a month away, but Scrooge, that scourge =
of happiness, has come early in the guise of Greenpeace.
"...
=09
"Unfortunately, science alone will never resolve the issue. This is the =
1990s: In public debate, style outweighs substance, ound bytes are more =
memorable than facts, and emotion sells. ... What the industry needs is =
a public-awareness campaign of its own laden with emotion and images =
people can relate to. We offer a modest example in the accompanying =
photo. Who could view the image of a little girl praying for the =
safekeeping of her toys and still believe that the PVC industry would =
sell toymakers anything that was unsafe? ....
[The photo of a little girl praying for the safekeeping of her toys has =
the caption, "Bless mommy, daddy, and grammy and gramp, and, please, =
God, don't let Greenpeach take my toys away."]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 08:40:32 -0800
From: Myra Nissen <myracycl@inreach.com>
Subject: Looking for reference information
I am looking for the date the following document was published:
I have a few pages that have been photo copied from Garbage Solutions: A
Public Official's Guide to Recycling and Alternative Solid Waste
Management Technologies. It was produced by The US Conference of Mayors
and the National Resource Recovery Assn. The documnet indicates a
phone no. to recieve copies from The US Conference of Mayors. I called
them and they don't have record of it. It may be an older document with
some information that is relevant to a project I am working on.
Also, is there any documentation on what is now common knowledge about
recycling laws cities used to have in the "old days" pre & post WWII and
about when the packer trucks came out in the 50's? And the term stairs
to heaven, (prob. not quite right) used for the prepacker garbage
trucks?
I am looking for an historical prespective on recycling.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Myra Nissen
myracycl@inreach.com
510-873-8777
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 12:38:56 -0600
From: RecycleWorlds <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>
Subject: New 1/2 Liter Coke Bottle
The 11/17/97 issue of Plastics News reports:
"Coca-Cola USA, a division of Coca-Cola Co., has introduced a =
half-liter PET bottle [19.9 ounces] in certain cities in the United =
States and plans to sell it nationally next year.
"The Atlanta-based firm introduced the 20-ounce Coca-Cola contour =
bottle in 1994.=20
"'The 20-ounce is sold and marketed to the on-the-go =
immediate-consumption venues like convenience stores...the half-liter is =
deisgned to be a single-serve, at-home package. It's what a person would =
consume at home in one sitting.'
"...By the end of July, it [the 1/2 liter bottle] was available in =
approximately 30 percent of U.S. markets ..."
Local recycling programs need to factor the increasing substitution of =
aluminum by PET into their composite revenue projections. The day when =
12 ounce PET soda bottles may not be that far off due to (1) =
improvements in barrier protection to extend shelf life (which is more =
difficult in smaller bottles that have greater surface area to volume =
and one of the reasons why it has not occurred already) and (2) excess =
capacity (and therefore lower prices) of virgin PET.
It would seem that improved minimum content practices or regulations in =
PET soda bottles might partially offset the loss of higher aluminum =
prices through higher RPET market values.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 17:49:18 -0800
From: dassmann@sirius.com (David Assmann)
Subject: Procurement Ordinance
San Francisco is about to re-do its recycled products procurement ordinance
(which also includes waste prevention and recycling for City departments).
Any suggestions or leads on model city procurement ordinances would be
appreciated.
David Assmann
Public Outreach Coordinator
San Francisco Recycling Program
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 22:16:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Jango@aol.com
Subject: Re: Regarding Sad Recycling :(
Cindy Pollock Shea,
what you write of 100% post-consumer news I've heard quite often! Funny that
that doesn't get marketed much! Also, getting newspaper publishers to connect
on the community recycling level is soooo important all the way around!
Also, what you say of unbleached paper in Europe is quite important for
people to understand. Like many other things, we 'Mericans have a very odd
orientation towards paper. All evidence points to the fact that bright white
paper is bad on the eys (especially under yucky fluorescent lighting). Unity
DP was developed in Europe and test marekted there and it sold (and still
sells) like hot cakes.
This points, for me at least, to some very real cultural problems that
recycling in America must face. I want to say this again, for everyone to
hear, Unity DP was always the best buy whenever I costed it out.
It wasn't recyclable in a white office pack though. But it is in a
Philadelphia office pack! (We have some great containerboard companies here).
Can you guys recycle phone directories with your news?
David Biddle
Philadelphia, PA
In a message dated 11/19/97 1:01:03 PM, mcshea1@gte.net wrote:
>On a more positive note, I attended a Florida Recycles Day event in Largo
(Pinellas
>
>County), and the St. Petersberg Times folks couldn't stop talking about the
advantages
>
>of using 100% recycled newsprint (mostly postconsumer). Southeast Paper,
their
>largest
>supplier, is the biggest producer of 100% recycled content newsprint in the
country.
>
>The other St Pete Times suppliers also employ high recycled content. The
reps
>told
>about how the recycled stock absorbs ink better so it doesn't rub off on
your fingers.
>
>They promoted their use of soybean inks. And they touted the new St. Pete
>Times/Southeast Paper partnership to put recycling boxes at any school or
community
>
>group location that asks for them. The partnership will then service the
bins
>and pay
>the host organization for the paper.
------------------------------
End of GreenYes Digest V97 #281
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