Waste News articles from April 2004

Waste News archives from April 2004

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)
April 12, 2004... Q. How do you feel about the Teamsters' push to organize the waste management industry? (Pie chart) A. No way, go away: 69.1% Status quo is way to go: 6.7% I'd listen to a proposal: 12.1% Where do I sign up? 12.1% From...

A lighter load; Minn. to phase out lead weights.(Minnesota state agencies)(Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, Minnesota Department of Administration's Travel Management Division)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A couple of Minnesota state agencies are phasing out the use of lead wheel weights for cars through a new program that organizers hope will gain traction across the country. The Minnesota Office of Environmental...

Global warming issue gains momentum.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A bipartisan coalition of U.S. representatives has introduced a global warming bill that is a companion to the Senate's Climate Stewardship Act, which was first proposed last year by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and...

Boston mounts campaign to boost magazine recycling.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Some heavy hitters are pushing to increase Boston's magazine recycling efforts through a program they hope will serve as a model of the rest of the country. Americans recycle magazines at a much lower rate than...

Ohio steelmaker addresses enviro concerns; AK Steel to pay for pollution equipment that totals $66 million.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini AK Steel Corp. will spend $66 million to install pollution controls at its Middletown plant to settle air nuisance claims. The company reached an agreement with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency March 31. The...

Catalogs under microscope; ForestEthics wants top firms to use more recycled-content paper.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini After finishing with the office supply industry, a San Francisco environmental advocacy group is setting its sights on another challenge - catalogs. ForestEthics is targeting six of the largest U.S. catalog...

Defend & protect.(Opinion)(firing ranges face environmental regulations)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... The Defense Department is once again asking for exemptions for its active firing ranges from various environmental regulations. It once again raises the more fundamental question of how much the military should supersede other concerns. It...

11 new Mich. laws target waste imports; Trade association sees conflict with U.S. Constitution.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm signed into law 11 pieces of legislation on March 26 aimed at curtailing the flow of out-of-state and Canadian trash into Michigan's landfills. The move, while popular with...

Report fuels flare-up over mercury switches.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson About 18,000 pounds of mercury was released in the United States last year due to vehicle recycling, according to new statistics from the Clean Car Campaign. The campaign wants automobile makers to take a more...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... (With graph: Soft mixed paper): STEADY AS SHE GOES: There are no significant changes in the recovered newspaper market. Prices have remained at $85 per ton in the Northeast, $80 per ton in the Midwest and $95 to $100 per ton on the West Coast....

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
April 12, 2004... Electronics Chipmaker to remove lead from circuits Santa Clara, Calif. - National Semiconductor Corp. will offer lead-free packages for its integrated circuit products by the end of this year, the company said April 7. The Santa...

Group: Industry exceeds Clean Water Act.(News)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman More than 60 percent of major industrial and municipal facilities across the county exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits at least once during an 18-month period beginning in January 2002, according to the...

Industry veteran Fatjo takes WCA Waste public.(News)(WCA Waste Corp.)(Tom J. Fatjo Jr.)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A solid waste company is going public for the first time in years, and the move brings a well-known name back into the spotlight that shines on public companies. WCA Waste Corp., an offshoot of Waste Corporation of...

Plastics makers may halt recycling plans; Loss of 4 member firms causes shakeup.(News)(National Association for PET Container Resources)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken Stung by the loss of several key member companies, the National Association for PET Container Resources is rethinking its mission. NAPCOR, based in Charlotte, has halted spending on its traditional programs to...

Lack of corporate support sinks recycling group.(Recycled Paper Coalition)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A 12-year-old group helping 280 member companies increase their use of recycled-content paper has shut its doors due to financial problems. The Recycled Paper Coalition was a voluntary nonprofit group that included...

Pentagon moves to Plan C; Military officials prepare for 3rd try at changing environmental laws.
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Defense officials say they have fine-tuned proposed changes to environmental laws that could jeopardize the nation's military readiness, and they're asking Congress for the third time in three years to adopt the...

Coming Events.(Calendar)
April 12, 2004... North America April 19-22 - National Environmental Assistance Summit, Baltimore. Call 202 299-9701 or visit www.p2.org. April 21-23 - World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing Conference, Orlando, Fla. Call (202)...

Lid throwers beware.(Opinion)(trash collection)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Brennan Lafferty Billionaire Donald Trump doesn't have the market cornered on firing people. Not after the Laffertys fired their garbage collector this month. But unlike The Donald and his advisors on the TV show "The...

Diverse EQ triples revenue since 1997; Caution serves Michigan firm well in hazardous waste arena.(News)(Environmental Quality Co.)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Brent Snavely Environmental Quality Co. has quickly expanded from three hazardous waste treatment and disposal divisions to 18 divisions since 1997 and has tripled its revenue along the way. But company executives say they have...

A Look Back.(News)
April 12, 2004... Five years ago: In a report titled "Welfare For Waste,'' a coalition of four environmental groups contends that Congress should phase out $2.6 billion worth of annual subsidies for virgin materials because the subsidies put recycling at a...

Reduce, reuse ... reorganize?(Opinion)(plastics recycling)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... The past couple weeks have not been kind to recycling. First, officials with a plastics association said the group may no longer financially support bottle recycling. The spark came when four major plastics companies and their all-important...

Quote of the Week.(News)
April 12, 2004... Past court cases have threatened to close down our military training, and that risk is unacceptable whether we are a nation at war or a nation preparing for war. Paul Mayberry, deputy undersecretary for readiness for the Department of...

At Deadline.(Late News)
April 12, 2004... Intel to make unleaded computer chips Tokyo - Intel Corp. will begin eliminating about 95 percent of the lead used in its processors and chipsets starting later this year, the company said April 7. The Tokyo-based company will begin...

45 senators seek change to mercury policy.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A bipartisan coalition of 45 senators released a letter April 1 calling on the Bush administration to withdraw its proposed mercury rule package and replace it with more stringent mercury reduction requirements. ...

Taking a global approach to combat global warming; Europe, U.S. should team up to cut CO2, U.K. official says.(News)(Larry Whitty, minister for sustainable energy in the United Kingdom Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)(Globe 2004 business environmental conference)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Europe and North America need to work closely together in the effort to lower carbon dioxide emissions that are being blamed for global warming, a top sustainable energy official in the United Kingdom believes. ...

Utah may oversee mining waste.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The state of Utah is ready to take control of regulatory oversight of uranium mill tailings, pending approval from the federal government. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality filed an application with the...

What if the U.S. banned e-scrap exports?(Opinion)(electronic wastes)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Lauren S. Roman What would really happen if the United States banned exports of electronic scrap? Would the domestic electronics recycling industry be sorry for what it had wished for? Would thousands of tons of electronic scrap be...

Wash. limits power emissions.(News)(Washington state )
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Washington Gov. Gary Locke signed into law a bill that requires operators of future power plants to offset 20 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the plant. House Bill 3141 requires plant...

Streamlined wastewater system supplants tank.(News)(Phix treatment plants by Green Turtle Technologies)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst A wastewater treatment process that at one time required a 10,000-gallon stainless steel tank and injections of caustic soda has been streamlined into a flow-through, environmentally friendly process, according the...

Canada to dispose of 19 million chickens.(News)(British Columbia's Fraser Valley center of avian flu outbreak)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Canadian poultry farmers must deal with millions of carcasses now that the country is ordering their birds destroyed in an attempt to stem the spread of deadly bird flu. An estimated 19 million birds - chickens and...

Duo makes connection; Michigan e-recycler will process material from New England.(News)(Institution Recycling Network)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A Michigan electronics recycler and a New Hampshire nonprofit group are partnering to gather old cell phones in New England. ReCellular Inc. and the Institution Recycling Network have created a program to collect...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)(Kraft Group)(A&A Environmental of Baltimore)(Emax of Pittsburgh)
April 12, 2004... Flow Control Trade association sues Kentucky county Washington - The National Solid Wastes Management Association filed a lawsuit in Owensboro, Ky., challenging a recent Daviess County law requiring that all municipal solid waste...

Dems urge new ship sewage limits.(Democrats)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two Democratic congressmen have introduced legislation in both houses that would impose new limits on how and where cruise ships discharge sewage and other contaminated waters. Sen. Dick Durbin, of Illinois, and...

EPA won't enforce runoff plan; Construction industry counts move as win; states still hold sway.(News)(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided against establishing effluent limitation guidelines to control stormwater runoff at construction sites, and instead will rely on existing programs and regulations...

Supplier News.(Briefs)(BaySaver Technologies)(Concrete Washout Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... BaySaver changes name Mount Airy, Md. - BaySaver, a supplier of the BaySaver stormwater treatment system, is changing its name to BaySaver Technologies. The change represents a renewed emphasis on the research and development of new...

Home builders to formulate guidelines for green building.(News)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson The nation's home builders want to create a set of standards to guide green building around the country. A panel of almost five dozen people who work in the industry will help develop voluntary green building...

New Products.(Products)(Orival Automatic Self-Cleaning Water Filter)(CleanTrack roller-scraper system)(Terralink Data Exchange Version 2.0)
April 12, 2004... ORIVAL INC. has introduced the Orival Automatic Self-Cleaning Water Filter. The filter is line pressure powered and can remove particles as small as 10 microns independent of specific gravity, in a variety of construction, including standard...

Personnel.(People)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... AUTOCAR - Joe Spina named executive director of sales. AUGUST MACK ENVIRONMENTAL INC. - Dennis East named corporate health and safety director. BLACK & VEATCH - Kevin Dixon named senior water quality specialist. INTERNATIONAL...

Air pollution from ships worries senator.(News)(Caifornia senator Dianne Feinstein)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to impose stronger air emission restrictions on domestic and foreign-flagged oceangoing ships. The federal government must act...

Corps values; Marines to study N.C. well incident.(News)(North Carolina)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Marine Corps has named the three members of a panel that will independently review decisions made between 1980 and 1985 at Camp Lejeune, N.C., when the base allowed residents to drink water from...

Missouri House passes a bill to recycle unused drugs.(News)(dispensing of unused prescriptions to low-income individuals)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Missouri House of Representatives has approved a bill that would allow pharmacies, hospitals and clinics to accept unused prescriptions and dispense them to low-income individuals. The House passed the...

Not too slick; Japanese ship firm pleads guilty to oily discharge.(News)(MMS Co. Ltd)(Spring Drake ship)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A Japanese ship management company will pay $2 million in fines after pleading guilty to four felony charges of routinely dumping oily wastewater while at sea. MMS Co. Ltd. operates the Spring Drake ship, a...

Duke wins; EPA to fight on.(Environmental Protection Agency )
April 26, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Duke Energy Corp. is claiming a major victory after a federal judge agreed to end the federal government's New Source Review case against the company, but the government appears to be reloading for the fight. Duke...

Half full, half empty boxes.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Maine is a state that often goes its own way on environmental matters. So it's no surprise that the state's hospitals are taking control of its own medical waste disposal, and that the company losing the business, Stericycle Inc., is...

GM modifies La. plant to burn landfill gas.(News)(General Motors Corp)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson General Motors Corp., the largest non-utility user of landfill gas in the country, is tapping into the trash gas at a fourth location. The company's Shreveport Assembly plant makes Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon...

Change at the top; IMCO picks Kerr to replace Ingram.(News)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini IMCO Recycling Inc. has named a new company chief to replace Don V. Ingram, who held the top spot for seven years. IMCO appointed Richard L. Kerr to serve as interim president and CEO, the company said April 14....

Federalism's ebb tide.(Opinion)(Editorial)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat As long as there's been a United States, the feds and the states have struggled over power. The Civil War, on the surface anyway, began over that issue. The tug-of-war continues today, and which body has the...

Serenity now.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The hubbub over the EPA's handoff of bioreactor-landfill permitting authority to the states strikes us as premature. Critics of the bioreactor theory would be wise to stand back and let the research unfold, but at the same time monitor the...

At Deadline.(Late News)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Bill addresses idling trucks' emissions Washington - Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, introduced legislation April 22 offering the trucking industry financial incentives for purchasing alternative power source devices to reduce truck idling. ...

Study: NYC sites pose no threat.(News)(New York)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A new independent study concludes that New York's transfer stations pose no significant environmental threats to their surrounding areas. However, the study does recommend better odor and dust control and increased...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... (With graph: Hard white shavings): SHHHH: Recycling markets, both domestic and overseas, have been quiet of late as prices have remained constant for all grades in most regions. There has been some gradual softening of low grades in the...

New air rules catch flak from both sides.(News)(Air pollution control)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The federal government took action this month on new rules aimed at reducing air pollution in metropolitan areas and in national parks and wilderness areas. Representatives of industry said the rules could place...

A Look Back.(News)
April 26, 2004... 1834: The city of Charleston, W.Va., enacts a law protecting vultures from hunters because the birds eat garbage and thereby ease the city's waste disposal burden. Five years ago: Facing the closing of its only solid waste landfill, the...

Firms ink waste-wallboard deal.(News)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Two Charlotte corporations are teaming up to convert power plant waste into useful products. National Gypsum Co., a wallboard manufacturer, plans to build a wallboard plant in the Charlotte region. The company has...

Dems condemn DOD's plea.(News)(Department of Defense)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Several Democrats took aim at Pentagon officials during a recent hearing held by two House subcommittees that are reviewing an administration request to exclude active military ranges from portions of three...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)(SCA produces first tissue products containing recycled fiber)
April 26, 2004... Waste-To-Energy Group touts non-incineration options Washington - An international coalition released a report April 21 condemning waste incineration and calling for more recycling and waste reduction. The Global Anti-Incinerator...

Maine dumps Stericycle; State's 39 hospitals set up less costly disposal options.
April 26, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Hospitals in Maine plan to take control of their own medical waste disposal operations beginning in December in a move that would strip the business from Stericycle Inc., the nation's largest medical waste...

Paper firm ventures to Europe.(News)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Sonoco Products Co. is combining its European paper-based tube and core operations with Ahlstrom Corp. of Helsinki, Finland. The joint venture will be managed by Sonoco, which will contribute four of seven board...

Protest spurs chicken policy change.(News)(avian influenza)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A human roadblock that swelled to 100 at times in front of the Cache Creek landfill helped ditch a government plan to bury dead chickens struck with avian flu. Cache Creek had been identified as a potential spot to...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
April 26, 2004... Transportation High Court mulls truck pollution case Washington - The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments April 21 about whether the United States should allow trucks from Mexico to operate on U.S. highways without first preparing an...

Green power makers encourage investment.(News)(Energy industries)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley The market for decentralized generation of clean energy is ripe for investment by businesses and individuals, according to some alternative power providers and those analyzing and financing various...

More $; Waste Corp's IPO may raise $100M.(News)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson WCA Waste Corp. now indicates it could raise more than $100 million when the solid waste management company goes public. In new paperwork filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 19, the...

LA winds; City mulls the largest municipal wind project.(News)(Los Angeles Department of Water and Power)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is taking the first step toward building the nation's largest municipally owned wind-generated power plant. The department said April 20 it would begin preparing a draft...

A clear signal; Mobile phone retailers may face recycling legislation in California.
April 26, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The nation's first legislation requiring mobile phone retailers to take back obsolete phones has passed a key hurdle in California. Assembly Bill 2901, which requires cell phone retailers to provide customers with a...

Coming Events.(Calendar)
April 26, 2004... North America May 1-2 - Living Green Expo, St. Paul, Minn. Contact Ned Brooks (651) 296-8709 or visit www.livinggreenexop.org. May 2-4 - Fuel Cells 2004, Stamford, Conn. Contact Malika Rajan (203) 853-4266 or visit...

States receive limited power to permit bioreactor landfills.
April 26, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson An emerging landfill technology, which some say could fundamentally change the way this nation handles its trash, is getting a boost through a new federal environmental rule. But not everybody is happy about it. ...

Research points to health care, pollution link.(News)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Chemicals released into the atmosphere by manufacturing plants and hospitals and through exposure to everyday items increasingly appear to be a major contributor to chronic diseases and health conditions, according...

Funds raise global warming alarm to SEC; Pension leaders link investment risk with enviro concern.(News)(Securities & Exchange Commission)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley Leaders of 13 major pension funds are calling on the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission to issue guidance on the enforcement of existing rules that they say include disclosure of the financial risks of...

Waste awareness can save hospitals' costs.(News)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Hospitals can save money by being environmentally responsible - that was one of the messages that speakers at CleanMed delivered repeatedly during the April 14-15 conference. "The bottom line is you can either...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
April 26, 2004... Adding to the problem There are two things that bother me about environmental regulations contributing to gas prices ["Regs fuel gas price surge,'' March 15]. First, at least here in California, gas additives have increased prices, but it...

System uses wastewater to create electricity.(Products)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst It seems a stretch to think that the flush of a toilet could someday help run a refrigerator, but a Penn State University professor and his research team are moving toward that goal with their work on microbial fuel...

Plastic makers feel Calif. heat.(News)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken Companies that sell plastic containers in California for nonfood applications could be required to use recycled content or take other steps aimed at reducing plastic waste, if a state agency has its way. The...

Military group touts benefits of sustainability.(News)(Waste management)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Roger Renstrom A collaborative federal effort aims to improve governmental environmental practices and use resources more effectively. "Pollution, we believe, is wasteful,'' said Alan Hurt, a program manager with the Department...

U.S. Army sets sights on zero wastewater.(News)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Roger Renstrom The U.S. Army is changing its environmental stripes. Goals for the interrelated watchwords - Sustainability and Environmental Management Systems - include achieving zero wastewater discharge in another 25 years....

Flat terrain; Environmental industry is leveling off, official says.(News)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Roger Renstrom Decades of growth have brought the domestic environmental industry to a business plateau, a senior industry observer said. "The total value of the business has reached a peak and is pretty flat,'' Vincent Ciccone...

WN to launch online column.(News)(Waste News' daily)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Waste News will now share its viewpoints on environmental issues in an additional format - our daily e-mail. Senior Editor Peter Fehrenbach will take e-mail subscribers around the world of waste, recycling and environmental management with...

Q&A with Dennis Haubenschild.(News)(Haubenschild Farms)(Interview)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson During 2003, Waste News published four overviews of waste generator market sectors: construction, energy, agriculture and mining. In 2004, we revisit those markets, conducting Q&A interviews with one prominent official...

New Products & Technology.(Products)
April 26, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst RAYDAN MANUFACTURING INC. has introduced the Air Link air ride walking beam suspension. The suspension provides excellent articulation, high roll stability, low maintenance and continuous equal weight distribution,...

Trends: Plastic planet.(plastic bags usage)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The U.S. accounts for 10 to 20 percent of the world's consumption of plastic bags. Bags consumed per year: In the U.S.: 100 billion Worldwide: 500 billion to 1 trillion Source: ReusableBags.com