Today's Topics:
Dodgy Consumer Groups and Plastic Milk Containers
Take-Back Phone Books (2 msgs)
Thermostat Recycling Corporation
Send Replies or notes for publication to: <greenyes@UCSD.Edu>
Send subscription requests to: <greenyes-Digest-Request@UCSD.Edu>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to postmaster@ucsd.edu.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 00:33:00 +0900
From: oldxeye@crisscross.com (Hop)
Subject: Dodgy Consumer Groups and Plastic Milk Containers
RecycleWorlds <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>,
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.
>From: RecycleWorlds <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>
>Subject: White Pigmented Milk Bottles
>
>TO GREENYES' AUSTRALIAN MEMBERS:
>
> In the course of researching the recycling problems creating by some =
>American dairies' conversion to white pigmented HDPE bottles (namely, =
>the loss of the 1/3-1/2 higher revenues commanded by natural HDPE =
>relative to pigmented HDPE), we have just learned that consumer groups =
>in Australia are lobbying to convince their dairies to switch to white =
>pigmented bottles for nutrition reasons.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 00:32:54 +0900
From: oldxeye@crisscross.com (Hop)
Subject: Take-Back Phone Books
David Biddle wrote:
>I've read many of your notes and others' notes on your situation. Sounds like
>a citizen's group needs to start making noise about forcing your local
>telephone company and Donnelly to take back books! This is how Bell got
>started in the game in the first place in most of North America. You guys
>might just have a sit down with them and find out if they have any back
>hauling opportunities to get books up to a mill north of there. A little
>noise about producer responsibility sometimes can go a long way.
Following is a media release we issued in Australia several years ago (it
got great press and Telecom response, but we were too 'short numbered' to
pursue it to a happy conclusion). Good luck in the US.
Hop.
MEDIA RELEASE - Monday 30 August 1993
COME ON TELECOM ...
TAKE BACK YOUR BOOKS!
Waste Investigator, Ms Christina Crosby, has been given the ring-around by
Telecom but reports:
It's that time of the year again - spring is fast approaching. But Telecom
is making it harder to say "yes" to spring cleaning by delivering 3.2
million telephone books (1.6 million sets) to Sydneysiders. And at 41/2 cm
each, that's a pile of books - 144 kilometres to be exact! Throughout NSW
more than 6 million books will be delivered. Australia-wide Telecom will
use 60,000 tonnes of white paper for new 'White Pages' telephone
directories.
But what happens to the old ones?
Telecom admits that no collected books are currently being recycled into
new telephone books and that new books contain no recycled paper. According
to Telecom the small percentage of books that are collected are either
shredded and used for animal bedding or are reprocessed to make home
insulation. While this is better than landfilling or incineration it hardly
qualifies as recycling!
"With landfill space so scarce, and recycling schemes in crisis, Telecom
should be setting the mark as a 'good corporate citizen' and taking
responsibility for the life-cycle of its products'" says Christina. "Last
year they managed to retrieve less than 20% of old books - an unacceptably
low amount considering the customer and the environment bears the burden of
dealing with the rest."
"As part of its service to customers, and to help protect the environment,
Telecom should be collecting old telephone books when it delivers new ones"
says Christina.
"Of the total, only a small percentage of the books will be collected at BP
petrol stations. Some will also be collected by certain local councils but
this will be at the expense of ratepayers and will eat into council budgets
to fund other waste minimisation projects - such as composting services."
Until electronic mail and on-line directories play a significant role in
reducing paper use, Telecom should move quickly to ensure new telephone
directories are made from recycled paper - preferably sourced from
collected books. "A high return rate of books to Telecom will speed moves
in this direction" says Ms Crosby.
Take back your books. Come on Telecom ..... Say "Yes".
For more information: Christina Crosby (Volunteer Waste Investigator) or
Peter Hopper (Project Officer)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 1997 14:01:08 -0800
From: Myra Nissen <myracycl@inreach.com>
Subject: Take-Back Phone Books
I suggest speaking with Jim Troop, Recycling Manager, Pacific Bell
Directory. He is very resourcefull and does a tremendous helping cities
implement recycling programs for phone books.
Contact me if you would like his phone no.
Myra Nissen
myracycl@inreach.com
510-744-9551
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 1997 11:43:27 -0600
From: "John Reindl" <reindl@co.dane.wi.us>
Subject: Thermostat Recycling Corporation
Sorry about the mistake Bruce and other GreenYes folks.
The number of the Thermostat Recycling Corporation is (703)841-3249;
their fax number is (703)841-3349.
John
> John--
> I saw a message in 'greenyes' that I think is from you (but
> could be wrong). It was about thermostats and said:
>
> > For more information, I recommend contacting Ric Erdheim of TRC at
> > (703)841-3349.
>
> but that # seems to be a fax machine. If it was from you,
> do you have a non-fax #? Thanks,
>
> --Bruce
>
> Bruce Nordman
> BNordman@LBL.gov
> Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
> 510-486-7089; fax: 510-486-4673
> http://eande.lbl.gov/BEA/People/b_nordman.html
>
reindl@co.dane.wi.us
(608)267-1533 - fax
(608)267-8815 - phone
------------------------------
End of GreenYes Digest V97 #284
******************************