Waste News articles from August 2004

Waste News archives from August 2004

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
August 2, 2004... Automotive Ford will exceed emissions guidelines Dearborn, Mich. - More than half of Ford Motor Co.'s 2005 light vehicle models will meet the new emission standards required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The number...

Firm converts hazwaste VOCs into electricity.(Products)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst A Canadian company is converting volatile organic compounds from solid hazardous waste into electrical and mechanical power to help run its hazardous waste management facility in Edmonton, Alberta. PROECO Corp....

USPL may sell off assets in Chapter 11.(News)(U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp.)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Angie DeRosa U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp. could sell part or all of its assets as it reorganizes under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to consulting firm Triax Capital Advisors. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based profile...

DOD reports chemical found; Senator calls report 'inadequate'.(News)(Department of Defense )
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Pentagon recently told senators that it has found perchlorate contamination at 14 closed or soon-to-close bases nationwide, but a Democratic senator called the military's report "inadequate and unresponsive.''...

LESSENING THE IMPACT.(News)
August 2, 2004... LESSENING THE IMPACT: John Augusta, top, demonstrates how to remove the filter cartridge in the Sloan Valve Co.'s waterless urinal. The new product is made of porcelain, minimizes odor and features a cartridge that can be disposed of as solid...

Plant searches for missing nuclear waste; California fuel rod incident becomes third accounting issue in industry since 2000.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini There's no need to worry, but Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is investigating the whereabouts of about four pounds of nuclear waste, the company said. The company is looking at records of the movement of spent nuclear...

Waste News nabs 3 awards.(News)
August 2, 2004... Waste News won three journalism awards recently. The publication won two awards from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. Editor Allan Gerlat won first place for the Best Columnist in Ohio among trade publications. Senior Reporter...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
August 2, 2004... North America August 8-10 - Environmental & Waste Processes 2004, Walnut Creek, Calif. Contact John Varrasi (212) 591-8157 or visit www.asme.org. Aug. 16-19 - Joint Environmental Management Services Conference & Exhibition, San...

Neb. seeks financial relief from waste disposal site.(News)(Nebraska )
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The state of Nebraska is trying to limit the mess it's in over a proposed radioactive waste disposal facility. Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns and Attorney General Jon Bruning have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to...

Plastic problem; Litter from bags leaves groups pushing options.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The U.S. plastics industry is trying to improve bag and film recycling amid intensifying debate on whether the U.S. should ban or place a deposit on plastic shopping bags. Environmental groups are calling for...

Janet Perry.(Obituary)(Obituary)
August 2, 2004... Janet Ann Perry, owner of Cram-A-Lot/J.V. Manufacturing Inc., died July 4 of breast cancer. Perry became active in J.V. Manufacturing in 1985, directing the marketing and advertising department and maintained involvement in the company's...

All systems go? Commissioning companies double-check building operations.(News)(leadership in energy and environmental design)(Column)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brennan Lafferty When a company spends the extra money to construct a green building, it might consider spending a bit more to ensure all systems work efficiently. Consider it quality control, said Malcolm Lewis, president and...

9 polluted sites make list.(News)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Nine new sites have been added to the Superfund National Priority List. The properties include a former lead mine in Missouri that was active from the 1920s through the 1940s; a former hazardous waste disposal...

Personnel.(People)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... AMERICAN BAKER CO. - Randy Gibson named southeast regional manager. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION INC. - Dennis Pintcke promoted to plant manager. FOREST RESOURCES ASSOCIATION - Guillaume Gignac appointed to board of directors. ...

Making a financial case for building green; Construction trend gathers steam.(News)(leadership in energy and environmental design)(Column)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brennan Lafferty For companies whose bottom line is the only line item that matters, Greg Katz has some compelling and possibly surprising advice: Build green. Constructing an office that runs on renewable energy, takes...

Automotive obstacles; Report stresses the difficulty in limiting environmental impact.(News)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A consortium of 12 automotive and energy companies say global cooperation and technology advances are needed to limit environmental impacts of motor vehicles. A new report sponsored by the World Business Council for...

Q&A with Jack Gerard.(News)(Interview)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini 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 a prominent official...

Groups threaten lawsuit against DOE over California nuke facility cleanup.(News)(U.S. Energy Department)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two environmental groups have notified the U.S. Energy Department of their intention to file a lawsuit against the agency in connection with plans to clean up contamination at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in...

WMI realigns markets, makes exec changes.(News)(Waste Management Inc.)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Management Inc. is tweaking its markets and making some executive changes. The nation's largest solid waste management company is realigning markets. Ohio, which previously operated as a joint market area...

Democrats dislike nominee's enviro record.(News)(Column)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Senate Democrats blocked a confirmation vote for a Bush-administration judicial nominee, accusing the former Interior Department official of being anti-environmental. Republicans, meanwhile, defended the...

Corrections.(Correction)(Correction Notice)
August 2, 2004... * Two photographs on Page 14 of the July 19 issue should have credited David Biderman, general counsel for the National Solid Wastes Management Association, as the photographer. * The Web site address for Best Way Disposal Inc. of...

Eyes on the five; States file lawsuit against 5 utilities.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Attorneys general for eight states filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan against five of the nation's largest electric utilities, saying they are among the largest contributors of carbon dioxide, a...

Do not bag education.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Plastic shopping bags. We're all familiar with them and how they become a waste product. And now talk is heating up about just what to do about them. California, not surprisingly, is the main battleground for debate about how to reduce...

At Deadline: Enviro group: small fines boost pollution.(Late News)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Large polluters in California continue to benefit from cheap penalties for clean air violations, according to a report the Environmental Working Group released July 29. Since 1999, the state has settled half of the clean air violations...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
August 2, 2004... Hazardous Waste EPA warns three Arizona hazwaste firms San Francisco - Federal regulators issued warning letters on July 26 to three Arizona-based hazardous waste transportation companies for failing to notify the government that they...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Old corrugated container )(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... (With graph: Recovered white goods): REGAINING STRENGTH: Scrap steel prices are on the rise - again. Processors in most parts of the country have increased prices for white goods, steel cans and other light steel scrap in response to rising...

Long-haul rules remain up in air.(News)(long-haul truck drivers)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal court has vacated new hours of service rules affecting mostly long-haul truck drivers, including waste carriers, that were enacted by transportation officials. However the new rules will remain in...

Building steam.(Opinion)(Green building)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Green building is, well, building. The design and construction philosophy of erecting offices, schools and homes in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner has taken a foothold in this country. Witness efforts in New York City,...

Water bottler drinks in a first.(News)(Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water Co.)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A Cabazon spring water bottling company has earned the highest green building rating of any U.S. food manufacturing facility. The U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit coalition of green building experts, last...

Global effort targets methane.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The United States is joining a multinational coalition to promote the recovery and use of methane from landfills, coal mines and industrial processes. Australia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Ukraine and the...

If elected, I promise...(Opinion)(solid waste management)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat Last week the Democratic National Convention/Infomercial gave us all-you-can-eat political rhetoric. The Republican convention in a few weeks will be the same thing. It's a time for grand promises of a utopian society...

Opportunity knocks for ash; Demand for Portland cement leaves byproduct as option.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A Portland cement shortage may be a boon for some power companies, as well as the environment. But coal ash marketers have to be careful of what they wish for because too much of a good thing could become a negative,...

Strides made with old tires.(scrap tire recycling)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Scrap tire recycling is winning the war against stockpiles and illegal dumps, but the industry continues to battle states for money to keep the programs going. States and tire manufacturers have reduced stockpiled...

Oakleaf, Greenleaf merge.(News)(Oakleaf Waste Management L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini One of the nation's fastest-expanding solid waste management companies just had another growth spurt. Oakleaf Waste Management LLC and Greenleaf Compaction Inc. have completed their merger, the companies said July...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 2, 2004... The long view In regard to "The importance of being skeptical'' [May 24, Page 17], there are two underlying assumptions that seem to be throughout Mr. Wang's comments: (1) growth is inherently good, and (2) corporate profits justify the...

A Look Back.(News)
August 2, 2004... Five years ago: Allied Waste Industries Inc., acting quickly to comply with the terms of a U.S. Department of Justice consent decree, strikes a bargain to sell a package of landfills, transfer stations and collection routes to Republic Services...

Airing their differences; 12 industries come together to oppose EPA's particulate proposal.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A dozen industry associations have formed an ad hoc group that is requesting a meeting with federal regulators reviewing national ambient air quality standards for fine particle pollution. The industry...

Scrap copper gets no relief; Commerce denies producer request for export controls.(News)(Department of Commerce)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Just like the steel industry, the copper industry will have to carry on without export controls on scrap material. The U.S. Department of Commerce denied a request July 21 by the copper product industry to place...

Mining industry may use recycled plastic in shafts.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken A polyethylene terephthalate industry program designed to develop new uses for hard-to-recycle bottles has found its largest potential application to date in an unlikely place - the bottom of a coal mine. The...

Greenpeace slips up with lack of permit; Ship must settle oil discharge issues.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Alaska officials have filed charges against the environmental activist group Greenpeace, accusing the group's ship Arctic Sunrise of operating in violation of the state's environmental laws. The Alaska...

NYC mayor wrestles with solid waste plans.(News)(New York City)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Finding a long-term solution for the city's solid waste disposal dilemma is one of those problems that continues to bedevil the city, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said. Bloomberg, as part of an accountability report...

New Products & Technology.(Products)(BC2000XL brush chipper)(Fly Ash Series butterfly valve)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst VERMEER MANUFACTURING CO. has introduced the BC2000XL brush chipper. The chipper handles high-volume organic chipping projects. Two 18-inch-diameter spring-tension vertical feed rollers automatically control the...

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)
August 2, 2004... Q: Does your office collect paper for recycling? (pie chart) A: Yes: 84.6% No: 14.4% We're considering it: 1% From the Waste News Web site, July 12-19, 2004. To vote in the current Waste News poll, go to www.wastenews.com.

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Corrugated containers)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... (With graph: Corrugated containers): OCC DROPS: A lack of interest from Chinese buyers has forced old corrugated container prices lower, especially over the last couple of weeks. Paper recyclers do not expect the Chinese market to rebound until...

At Deadline.(Late News)(Truck idling pollution)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Government targets truck idling pollution Federal regulators are looking for comments through Oct. 9 about plans for adopting uniform national standards for electrical infrastructure at truck stops that would decrease long-duration truck...

Allied settles Mass. burner dispute.(News)(Allied Waste Industries Inc.)(Decree )(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Government concerns are resolved regarding an alleged violation of an Allied Waste Industries Inc. consent decree surrounding its purchase of Browning-Ferris Industries Inc. The U.S. Department of Justice has filed...

Ship port fights pollution with LNG pilot project; Off-road program may lead to fuel use in on-road vehicles.(News)(Port of Long Beach)
August 16, 2004... A port at Long Beach, Calif., is turning to a pilot program using liquefied natural gas to operate some equipment in an effort to cut down on air pollution. The Port of Long Beach will take six months to consider the use of the fuel in...

Job well done.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Waste Management Inc.'s Maury Myers may not ever have the stature in waste management enjoyed by the company's founder, Wayne Huizenga. But in many ways, his contribution was just as critical to the largest waste firm in the United States. ...

Corrections.(Correction)
August 16, 2004... * A story on Page 10 of the Aug. 2 issue should have spelled the name Capital E's principal as Greg Kats. * A story on Page 10 of the Aug. 2 issue should have listed Tom Diestche's title as assistant LEED program manager. * The Quote...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)(Iowa shipping company)
August 16, 2004... Shipping Iowa firm must pay for dumping at sea A federal judge last week ordered an Iowa shipping company that hauled grain and petroleum products in the United States and abroad to pay $2 million for illegally dumping thousands of...

U.S. taking a nuclear bath.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project has been a disaster. Not the leaking nuclear waste kind that opponents of the project fear, but a financial catastrophe that could end up costing taxpayers billions of dollars. The U.S....

Recyclers stop here; WN needs survey help.(News)(Waste News)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Calling all recyclers: It's survey time again. If your company recycles paper, plastic, metal, electronics or any other commodity, Waste News asks you to visit our Web site and complete our annual Recycling Ranking survey. The 100...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
August 16, 2004... Wastewater Purchase makes Siemens market leader Siemens AG completed its acquisition of U.S. Filter Corp. from Veolia Environnement for $993 million. The deal makes Siemens the market leader in the wastewater and water treatment...

Off the hook; Myers leaves WM for family, fishing, fairways.(A. Maurice Myers)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A. Maurice Myers ended up needing to spend more time at Waste Management Inc. than he expected, but he now feels good about where the company is and where the nation's largest trash company is going. The 64-year-old...

Payday may follow delay for nuke industry; Politics, nuclear waste collide over Yucca Mountain site.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Nuclear power generators could recoup $4 billion in costs resulting from delays in the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, while Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has vowed to kill the project if elected....

Paper does double duty at Dem. convention.(News)(Democratic National Convention)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Caroline Louise Cole The 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston last month took on a decidedly green tinge when the organizing committee produced 100 percent recycled paperboard souvenir posters made from waste paper...

Truck safety campaign grows.(News)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson More than 60 companies and cities are on board a safety campaign designed to protect trash truck drivers working on the nation's highways. And plans are in the works to shoot a second television spot to further...

15 cities of smog; Report: Automobiles, industry will harm summer air quality.(News)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Researchers from several universities have released an analysis that projects that global warming will increase the amount of smog and unhealthy air days in cities across the country. Researchers from Columbia...

Calif. revises emissions plan.(News)(Greenhouse gas emissions)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman California regulators have updated their proposal for limiting greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, making the planned standards stricter for cars and small trucks and slightly less stringent for large trucks...

LA settles lawsuit, will update sewers.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The city of Los Angeles will spend $2 billion to upgrade its sewer system to settle a federal lawsuit over years of sewage spills. The landmark settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of...

Nebraska settles waste lawsuit.(News)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The state of Nebraska will pay $154 million to settle a lawsuit over a proposed regional low-level radioactive waste site in the state, Gov. Mike Johanns said Aug. 9. Nebraska agreed to pay the Central Interstate...

Calif. alleges recycling fraud; Active Recycling and its officials accused of bilking system.(News)(Active Recycling Co. Inc)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants on 72 counts last month of defrauding California's beverage container recycling program of more than $3 million. The case revolves around Active Recycling Co. Inc. and its...

Ford SUV doesn't Escape criticism.(News)(Sport Utility Vehicle)(Ford Motor Co.)(Bill Ford)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Introduction of the world's first gasoline-electric hybrid sport utility vehicle has environmentalists offering up differing views about Ford Motor Co.'s environmental record. A Sierra Club official said, "Today is...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 16, 2004... Scrap those stats Your article "Strides made with old tires'' [Aug. 2] contains some incorrect statistical information and mistakenly suggests that the problem of stockpiled scrap tires no longer exists. The most accurate data...

A Look Back.(News)(El Paso Disposal )(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... 1896: New York City passes a law requiring residents to separate household waste - food waste in one container, ash in another, dry trash in a bag or bundle - and assigns 50 police officers to enforce the measure. Five years ago: Waste...

Landfill searches prove difficult.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A Utah wife's disappearance is thrusting a Salt Lake City landfill into the national spotlight as authorities have searched the site repeatedly for her body and evidence in the case. The presumed killing of Lori...

Bad seafood; Report: Industrial mercury emissions making fish unsafe.(News)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources are making fish unsafe to eat, according to a report released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Clear the Air, an...

North American Legislative Review: Part 1 of 3.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... The United States and Canada enacted the following major pieces of environmental legislation since July 2003. The purpose of these listings is to provide a snapshot of legal trends facing environmental managers in North America. The U.S....

North American Legislative Review: Part 2 of 3.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... * Louisiana House Bill 507 authorized the governing authority of the parish of Orleans to provide for a fine and a sentence of imprisonment for violation of any ordinance prohibiting the dumping of trash and other substances. * Louisiana...

North American Legislative Review: Part 3 of 3.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... * Ohio House Bill 61 gives communities expanded authority when signing compensation deals between communities and private landfills. It also redefines how far away a community has to be from a landfill to receive compensation. * Ohio House...

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Q: What's the best way to reduce plastic shopping bag waste? (pie chart) A: Education: 40.1% Ban: 31.1% Deposit: 24% Tax: 4.9% From the Waste News Web site Aug. 2-9. Total number of respondents 267.

Q&A with Daniel Acciavatti.(Special Report)(Column)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman On March 26, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bipartisan package of legislation aimed at curtailing the flow of out-of-state trash into Michigan's landfills. The 11 pieces of legislation, criticized by...

Air Force won't lead conference; Event moves out of San Antonio, switches to springtime.(News)
August 30, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Joint Services Environmental Management Conference will relocate next year to Tampa, Fla., after the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence withdrew as a co-host. The conference has been an annual...

A Look Back.(News)
August 30, 2004... Five years ago: The U.S. Department of Justice launches an investigation of Waste Management Inc.'s collection and disposal operations in Massachusetts after several waste hauling companies complain that the company is restricting their access...

New Products & Technology.(Products)
August 30, 2004... SYSTEM ONE TECHNOLOGIES INC. has introduced the SystemOne on-site recycling parts washer line. This low temperature vacuum distillation technology provides users with clean solvent daily. SystemOne cleans dirty solvent through distillation, so...

Companies get creative with sludge end markets.(Special Report)(Column)
August 30, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Cats pee on it, and landscapers sprinkle it on lawns. Miners love it, too. Paper sludge, the largest waste component of the papermaking process, can be reused in a number of ways when the economics make sense. ...

Pina Barbieri.(Obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
August 30, 2004... Pina Barbieri, a long-time California waste industry veteran and educator died at her home in Richmond, Calif., on Aug. 14. She was 94. Barbieri joined the family business, Richmond Sanitary Service, at the age of 12 as she helped father -...

Auto-matic recycling; Ford's practice of recycling paint reaches 38 million gallons.(News)
August 30, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Ford Motor Co. has recycled plenty of paint solvent waste during the past two decades. Thirty-eight million gallons, actually. The Dearborn, Mich.-based auto giant said it has reclaimed all of that waste...

Synagro director commits life, love to residuals.(Special Report)(Column)
August 30, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Joe Laubenstein admits he has a unique passion. Paper mill waste. Laubenstein is the kind of guy who can talk all day about paper mill residuals and says he sometimes has to do just that in order to develop end...

California acts to curb illegal dumping.(News)(Brief Article)
August 30, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson California is spending a couple of million dollars to help curb illegal dumping in Los Angeles and control landfill gas emissions at two closed landfills. A $500,000 grant from the California Integrated Waste...

Texas smelter draws flak from both sides of border.(News)(Environmental aspects of American Smelting and Refinery Co. Inc.)
August 30, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini American Smelting and Refinery Co. Inc. has drawn bi-national criticism for not addressing lead contamination in the United States and Mexico from its El Paso, Texas, smelter. The Sierra Club is funding U.S. and...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
August 30, 2004... (With graph: Sorted white ledger): POSITIVE SUPPLY: Old corrugated container prices have dropped over the past month, and a decrease in export tonnage has left adequate material for domestic consumers. However, prices for the fourth quarter are...

New bottle's appeal all froth? Group questions aluminum container's environmental merits.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini They're innovative, flashy and neat to look at, but aluminum bottles may not be the environmental positive they seem to be at first blush. Pittsburgh Brewing Co. introduced its Iron City beer in aluminum beer...

California floats three bills to combat cruise ship waste.(News)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 30, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The California Legislature has approved three bills dealing with discharges and emissions from cruise ships. The bills are awaiting action by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Two of the bills deal with wastewater...