[greenyes] Cyber Resources Re Waste Policies and Climate Change

["Peter Anderson" <anderson@no.address>]

Our indominable cyber-wiz, Roger Guttentag, reports that the "August 2003
edition of Resource Recycling magazine will have a Recycling in Cyberspace
column that is devoted to Web accessible information resources on the
relationship between solid waste management practices and climate
change impacts."

Be aware that most of these resources have built in default values for
landfills that are, in my view, completely indefensible, and, have the
effect of understating landfilling's methane contribution to greenhouse
gases by factors of 4 or more.  Fortunately, the EPA group which has
prepared these spreadsheet vehicles have included the ability for the user
to modify those default values.  Look for an input value for gas collection
efficiency or gas capture rates, where most likely the default value will be
something in the order of 75%.  The correct number is closer to 15%.

This means that the global warming benefit of composting the organic
fraction of our discards instead of landfilling them is far far greater than
these models indicate when the defaults are used.

                                                        Peter
______________________________
Peter Anderson
RECYCLEWORLDS CONSULTING Corp
4513 Vernon Blvd. Suite 15
Madison, WI 53705
Ph:    (608) 231-1100
Fax:   (608) 233-0011
Cell    (608) 438-9062
email: anderson@no.address