Waste News articles from April 2003

Waste News archives from April 2003

New report questions EPA regional ombudsmen.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regional Superfund ombudsman program lacks structure, and the title for the regional ombudsmen should be changed to better reflect their role within the agency, according...

Maker of ceiling tiles helps others recycle.(Cover Story)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Businesses and their construction contractors around the country are pushing millions of square feet of used acoustical ceiling tile away from landfills and toward recycling. The tile, being replaced in renovation...

Letters.
April 14, 2003... Secure the perimeter I just read ``U-turn at the border'' [March 17, Page 14], and these thoughts occurred to me. I must admit upfront that I am not in the waste business directly, but just an ordinary citizen in the public works field....

Big bill; Canadian trucks may be inspected.(News)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A bill that will fund the war in Iraq may also guarantee inspections of trash trucks hauling Canadian garbage to U.S. landfills. The $80 billion spending bill passed both houses April 4, but only the Senate...

Wildlife fund helps firms cut emissions.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Allan Gerlat The World Wildlife Fund might be an unlikely partner for companies dealing with environmental issues. But in fact they've been working with some of the United States' most prominent companies to help them reduce...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... A BATTLE FOR PLASTIC: Colored high-density polyethylene prices have increased dramatically in most parts of the country. Demand for colored HDPE has jumped due to tight supply as buyers fight for material. The price increase has not affected...

3 sens. pressure Defense Dept.(News)(Senators seek more aggressive clean up efforts)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley Three senators from California and Nevada are urging the Department of Defense to take a stronger role in cleaning up water supplies contaminated by perchlorate. On April 3, Sens. Dianne Feinstein,...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
April 14, 2003... Office Supplies Office Depot to develop green policy Delray Beach, Fla. - Office Depot Inc. said it plans to work with environmental groups, customers and suppliers to develop a comprehensive environmental policy to guide how it...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
April 14, 2003... Wastewater Jeffords sponsors security legislation Washington - U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., introduced legislation April 3 that would provide $195 million to review the vulnerability of the nation's wastewater treatment systems and...

Green facts in B&W.(Opinion)(corporate documentation of environmental practices)(Editorial)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Allan Gerlat When we think of companies and the environment, depending on our perspective, a certain general image comes to mind. We may picture a large business causing damage or at least acting with disregard to the world...

A call to arms; Conn. hauler starts fund for reservists.(Cover Story)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson A Connecticut-based solid waste collection company is spearheading a push to help the families of military reservists called to active duty in the war with Iraq. Automated Waste Disposal Inc. of Danbury is putting...

Emissions polarize business, environment.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently heard arguments from environmentalists opposed to planned changes to the New Source Review program as well as business representatives who favor the changes. ...

Whitman pushes Clear Skies.(News)(Christie Whitman)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman urged members of a subcommittee of the Senate Environment Committee to move forward with President Bush's proposed Clear Skies air emission...

NYC eyes upstate landfill.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson New York ultimately must build its own landfill and stop relying on other states to take the thousands of tons of trash the nation's largest city generates every day, the city's Sanitation Department commissioner said....

House weighs wastewater system upgrades.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two members of Congress introduced a bill April 3 that would place an additional $20 billion into a federal loan program to help communities upgrade their wastewater treatment systems. The measure would...

Groups sue to halt nuclear shipments.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Four environmental groups filed a lawsuit April 2 to halt shipments of radioactive waste from nuclear weapon plants in California and Ohio to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southern Washington. Heart of...

Supplier News.(Briefs)
April 14, 2003... RJM opens new facility in Arizona Easley, S.C. - RJM Waste Equipment Co. has opened a manufacturing facility in Tempe, Ariz., the company's third overall. The facility is an existing 41,000-sq.-ft. building outfitted with new...

Taxing time for Republic exec.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Paul J. Connealy, corporate tax director-turned-soldier, misses his family dearly. But a cell phone with unlimited long-distance calling helps bridge the gap between civilian and military life for this Republic...

Allied tackles $1B debt reduction.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson The nation's second-largest solid waste management company is issuing more stock and selling more assets to help lop off a billion dollars of debt this year. Allied Waste Industries Inc. also is cutting 500 jobs in...

SSCC exits Europe.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.'s deal with former sister company Jefferson Smurfit Group to exchange packaging manufacturing operations in Europe and Canada is complete. Smurfit-Stone's European operations go to...

Solid waste interests investors.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Private equity firms - itching to find places to invest their capital - are taking a fresh look at the solid waste business, says a New York-based investment banker specializing in the industry. John J. Quirk is a...

N.Y. tightens regs; State targets emissions from utilities.(Cover Story)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman, Joe Truini New York power generators will face the nation's strictest regulations to reduce emissions that contribute to acid rain beginning in 2004. But the regulations have drawn a mixed reaction from...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
April 14, 2003... * A story on Page 1 of the March 31 issue should have listed Dell Computer Corp.'s recycling Web site address as www.dell4me.com/recycling.

Emissions could impair pensions, officials say.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Allan Gerlat Several state and local governments are taking action to try to reduce greenhouse gases, and they're starting with people's pocketbooks. Three states and one city, representing about $190 billion in public...

Defense wants clarification on laws.(News)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Lawsuits filed by environmentalists threaten military readiness, according to the recent Senate committee testimony of a Defense Department official, so Congress needs to clarify how environmental laws apply to...

Hotel reservations; Hospitality providers go green, haltingly.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Allan Gerlat There are numerous ways hotels and their customers can be environmentally conscious. But while more is being done, the demand isn't what environmentalists would like, according to one hotel official. ``Not many...

Canada venture to sell Japanese food recycler.(Products)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst A Canadian firm hopes to convince restaurants and other generators of food waste in North America to try a Japanese ``recipe'' to process their waste. Double T Equipment Manufacturing Ltd., of Airdrie, Alberta,...

Strong wind; Firm to undertake huge Iowa wind energy project.(News)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini MidAmerican Energy Co. plans to build the largest land-based wind energy installation in the world, with the first units coming on line at the end of next year. The $323 million project will consist of 180 to 200...

War Stories; How is the Iraqi conflict affecting you?(News)
April 14, 2003... Has the war touched you, your company or a colleague in the environmental services industry? If so, please let us know. To reach the editors at Waste News, you may call (330) 865-6174, send an email to editorial@wastenews.com or visit our...

Senator clouds scene; Bill includes limits on C02.(Cover Story)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., introduced legislation April 9 to reduce power plant emissions, including carbon dioxide, and touted the proposal as a clean air compromise. The Clean Air Planning Act,...

Recyclers debate single-stream.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini It's a dream and a nightmare. It's a recycling program that can boost waste diversion rates and customer satisfaction but can contaminate recovered paper, slashing its value, or at worst render it so useless that it...

Dell take-back tour off to good start.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Dell Computer Corp. has collected more than 70 tons of scrap electronics during the first two stops of its five-city national tour as shareholder groups push initiatives to encourage computer makers to develop recovery...

GE loses its challenge to Superfund law.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal judge on April 1 tossed out a lawsuit filed by General Electric Co. that sought to have portions of the 1980 Superfund law declared unconstitutional. The case could have had a significant impact on the...

On the move; Casella makes two buys; sells Va. unit.(News)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Casella Waste Systems Inc. has purchased a hauling company in Massachusetts and a major paper recycler in Maine, allowing the company to merge its recycling operations in that state into a single location. Casella,...

Pittsburgh leads air study.(News)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini New air pollution data is trickling in from eight selected cities across the country as scientists try to decipher the physical and chemical fingerprints of tiny airborne particles. Pittsburgh is one of eight U.S....

A Look Back.(News)
April 14, 2003... Five years ago: The Architect of the Capitol fires the director of the House of Representatives' recycling program in a dispute over how to characterize the extent to which the House's regular trash is separated from its recyclable material....

Coming Events.(Calendar)
April 14, 2003... North America April 23-25 - Waste Exchange Managers Meeting, Cincinnati. Contact Eugene Jones (800) 441-7949 or visit www.wasteexchange.org April 28-30 - North American Waste-To-Energy Conference, Tampa, Fla. Call (202) 737-1770 or...

Personnel.(People)
April 14, 2003... ASSOCIATION OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS - Ronald DeFeo elected chairman; Charles Stamp elected first vice chairman; Gerald Shaheen elected second vice chairman; Scott Jenkins and Dwight Messinger elected to board of directors. BUREAU OF...

NYC's backyard.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... New York City's main waste official has come out and said what's been unsaid but obvious for so long now: The state of New York needs a landfill so it can better handle its own trash. Sanitation Department Commissioner John J. Doherty said...

The air is everywhere.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Sen. Thomas Carper's legislative proposal to cut air pollution from power plants offers the energy industry a major concession in the form of an emission credit cap-and-trade program. As such, it's a step in the right direction. But a crucial...

Alcoa, Archer Daniels reach federal pact.(Late News)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Alcoa Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. last week announced separate agreements with the federal government to reduce air pollution. Alcoa, the aluminum manufacturing giant headquartered in Pittsburgh, will spend $330 million to install a...

New Products & Technology.(Products)
April 14, 2003... Byline: @@Text: STANLEY LABOUNTY has introduced the UP-45SV universal processor. The product, which replaces the company's UP-50 model, is suitable for demolition, reconstruction of roads and bridges, and recycling operations, according to the...

Waste News Poll.(News)
April 14, 2003... Q: Will New York City's new waste rate cap spur competition among haulers? Yes: 43.9% No: 56.1% From the Waste News Web site, March 31-April 7. To vote in the current Waste News Poll, go to www.wastenews.com.

Waste News Stock Report.(News)
April 14, 2003... graphic: see print copy.

Many moves.(News)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Allied Waste Industries Inc. plans to reduce debt to about $7.9 billion by the year's end by: * Selling unnamed assets * Cutting 500 jobs * Issuing new common stock * Issuing new preferred stock

WMI shuffles execs, grooms CEO aspirants.(News)(Waste Management Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Management Inc. is looking to a time when A. Maurice Myers is no longer the man in charge. The Houston-based solid waste giant is making a handful of senior management changes, including the appointment of a...

Waste news Pricing Report.(polyethylene terephthalate prices are moving)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Chart: See print copy CAPTION(S): INCHING UPWARD: Recovered polyethylene terephthalate prices on the East Coast are budging after months of no movement. Markets have moved about 1 or 2 cents per pound for baled material in some areas...

Waste Generator Briefs.(waste industry news briefs)
April 28, 2003... Regulations Washington - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a comprehensive voluntary industrial waste management guide that identifies best management practices for nonhazardous industrial waste. More than 60,000...

Survey: Consumers favor 'green' products.(News)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson A new survey shows consumers are willing to pay more for products that help save energy or natural resources. The survey, conducted via the Internet, shows that 75 percent of the respondents said they are willing to...

Water recycling project lures tourists.(News)(recycled water fuels San Antonio's River Walk tourist area)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The San Antonio Water System completed construction last year on the nation's largest recycled water system that supplies water not only to business and industry but also the state's most visited tourist attraction...

Wanted: NYC customers; City's first reuse center has ample supplies, lacks patrons.(News)(reuse center is operated by Astoria Residents Reclaiming Our World)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Finding material to divert from the waste stream has been no problem for New York City's first building material reuse center. Finding customers wanting to buy the sometimes-bulky goods is turning out to be the...

Bumpy ride; Forum leaders hash out hurdles to asphalt mix.(News)(forum hosted by Rubber Manufacturers Association, Recycled Rubber Topical Group)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Organizations came together in Washington April 14 to discuss ways to expand the use of rubber-modified asphalt, but they have a long road ahead of them. ``We know that asphalt modified with scrap tire rubber is an...

Question & Answer.(News)(David Isaacs, director of global public policy at Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Interview)
April 28, 2003... During 2002, Waste News published four overviews of waste generator market sectors: automotive, health care, electronics and the military. In 2003, we revisit those markets, conducting Q&A interviews with one prominent officials from each...

Food fine; Emissions costly to Archer Daniels.(News)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Archer Daniels Midland Co., the giant agricultural company, has struck a $340 million air pollution settlement with the federal government covering more than 50 sites in 16 states. Archer Daniels' settlement with...

Coming Events.(News)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 28, 2003... North America May 5-7 - BioCycle Conference, Denver. Call (610) 967-4135 or visit www.biocycle.net. May 6-8 - EnviroExpo 2003, Boston. Call (800) 543-5259. May 11-13 - Climate Solutions for the Northeast Conference, Hartford,...

SWANA touts recycling tax incentives.(Briefs)(Solid Waste Association of North America)
April 28, 2003... Recycling Silver Spring, Md. - The Solid Waste Association of North America's International Board has called on policy makers to provide financial incentives for investments in recycling, composting and the use of recovered material. ...

House OKs LFG tax credit.(News)(landfill gas tax credits )
April 28, 2003... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley Landfill gas tax credits made the cut in the energy bill passed by the U.S House of Representatives on April 11, but the proposal's fate remains uncertain in the Senate. The House approved a...

E-waste Q's linger.(News)(electronic waste questions remain)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... The news about electronic waste is not going away. And that holds potential good news for the environment as well as companies who stand to profit managing this waste stream. This issue's pages of Waste News are dotted with articles on...

Letters.
April 28, 2003... The real puppeteers New York is finally making a move to change how prices are set and controlled by the Business Integrity Commission. All the articles that are published are written from the point of view of the small business person and...

News summary.(News)
April 28, 2003... TIP GENEROUSLY: It appears that the organizers of the recent Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries convention in Orlando, Fla., provided valet parking for attendees who chose to drive heavy construction equipment to the show. Of course,...

Quote of the week.(News)
April 28, 2003... In dealing with all of this, it leaves me a little sad, a little angry I suppose, and a little determined. It is very sad that we are having to make cuts. They hurt people. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg laments the city's massive budget...

Inside.(Cover Story)
April 28, 2003... Q&A: David Isaacs, director of global public policy for Hewlett-Packard Co., says point-of-purchase recycling fees for electronic equipment are ``unfair, inefficient and inflexible.'' Page 11.

Steel treatment doubles trash containers' life span.(Products)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst Corroded and dented, trash containers eventually become trash themselves after several years. But the Eco Blast-a-Brator, a new system of treating steel, can at least double a Dumpster's life span, according to the...

Emission win-win-win; EPA nonroad diesel plan gains broad backing.(Cover Story)(Environmental Protection Agency)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Generators and environmentalists alike are backing, to varying degrees, a new emission policy for nonroad diesel engines. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on April 15 unveiled the plan that would...

Pollution falls at industrial sites.(News)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman While large industrial facilities in North America have decreased their toxic chemical releases of late, the more numerous small industrial plants have increased the pollutants they generate. Combined, American...

Alcoa, gov't differ on settlement.(News)(Alcoa agrees to cut emissions at its Rockdale aluminum smelter)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Alcoa Inc. and the federal government have reached an agreement to reduce emissions at the company's Rockdale aluminum smelter, but there's confusion over exactly what the company has agreed to do. The U.S....

Some scrap recyclers see gold in e-waste.(News)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Old electronics present an opportunity for traditional scrap metal recyclers but also pose significant challenges for an already well-established industry. Increasingly, metal recyclers are entering the end-of-life...

Off-road trailblazing.(News)
April 28, 2003... It's not often these days that environmentalists and manufacturers are in basic agreement with the Bush administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That's surely a sign that the EPA's proposal for emission reductions from...

Group finds flaw with enviro data.(News)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley Washington - Some of the companies whose environmental compliance histories are posted on a Web site maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are upset because they say the information is...

Big dam cleanup in Big Sky country.(Cover Story)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The byproducts of 100 years of mining in Milltown have contaminated area groundwater, prompting two government agencies to propose a massive cleanup plan. The proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

Battery group to recycle in Staples stores.(Cover Story)(Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp.)(Staples Inc. )(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. is rolling out its recycling program in some 1,100 Staples Inc. stores. The group's battery dropoff boxes will be in Staples retail outlets starting April 27. Customers will be able to place...

Guiding wires; Tire processors try to appease steel makers.(News)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Scrap tire wire is gaining momentum as a recycled commodity, but steel makers remain wary as they try to hammer out quality concerns. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries' Ferrous Division approved draft...

NYC plans huge solid waste cuts.(Cover Story)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Massive budget problems are forcing New York to cut 700 Sanitation Department jobs and trim collection services for much of the city. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is warning that future cuts could go much deeper - more...

Dip streak hits 5; Recycling rate for aluminum cans drops yet again.(News)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The aluminum can recycling rate has dropped for the fifth straight year, sinking to its lowest point since 1980, according to the Container Recycling Institute. In 2002, the recycling rate dropped to 48.4 percent,...

Planning ahead; Engineer warns of wastewater security risks.(News)(Ron Crum)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman One environmental engineer warns that the nation's water and wastewater treatment plants should re-examine their vulnerability and beef up security in the light of the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. ...

EPA asks for aid locating industrial pollution sources.(News)(Environmental Protection Agency)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Business and industry can have a say in new effluent guidelines that the federal government is considering. The Clean Water Act calls upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop guidelines to reduce...

A call for an overhaul; Nonpartisan report calls for revamp of New Source Review.(News)(National Academy of Public Administration )
April 28, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A nonpartisan group suggests that rules governing older power plants need to be overhauled to eliminate loopholes that allow the facilities to pollute without upgrading equipment. An April 21 report by the...

A look back.(News)
April 28, 2003... 1400: Garbage piles up so high outside the gates of Paris that it interferes with the city's defenses. Five years ago: Two paper recycling giants, Jefferson Smurfit Corp. of Clayton, Mo., and Stone Container Corp. of Chicago, confirm that...

Dell vows to extend city tour after besting recycling goals.(News)(Dell Computer Corp.)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini On the fourth stop of its five-city tour, Dell Computer Corp. surpassed its goal to collect 100 tons of scrap electronics, prompting it to extend the program to 10 additional cities. ``The response from consumers...

Costly cooperation; Utility to pay record $1.2 billion pollution settlement.(Virginia Electric Power Co.)(Dominion Resources Inc.)(Cover Story)
April 28, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Dominion Resources Inc. will spend $1.2 billion to settle alleged clean air violations, the government's largest Clean Air Act enforcement settlement with a power company. Dominion will install and upgrade pollution...