Waste News articles from December 2008

Waste News archives from December 2008

Boxer plans climate legislation in 2009.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Senate Environment Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., plans to make global warming legislation a priority next year, with the first hearing likely occurring in January. The hearing will address how...

PVC makers settle with feds; Shintech, K-Bin to pay $12M for RCRA violations.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Shintech Inc. and its subsidiary K-Bin Inc. will spend $4.8 million to comply with air pollution and hazardous waste laws at their manufacturing facilities in Freeport, Texas. The actions are part of a...

Busy agenda; Enviro groups present sustainability plan to Obama.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A group of 29 environmental, conservation and science groups delivered a present to president-elect Barack Obama two days before Thanksgiving a 391-page report detailing their vision for transforming the nation to...

Groups pan mine rule change.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club are accusing the Environmental Protection Agency of allowing a rule change to move forward that will permit mining companies to adopt practices harmful to...

WM tests hydraulic hybrids By Jim Johnson.
December 8, 2008... America's largest solid waste management company is testing new garbage truck technology that it hopes will help cut air pollution. Waste Management Inc. has a group of four specialized vehicles on the road helping to collect residential...

Making spirits bright; Children's gift swap benefits needy families, environment.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman This Christmas will be brighter for dozens of families in the Santa Barbara, Calif., area who will celebrate the holiday without having to shell out as much money from their wallets. Jennifer Ja Birchim...

Republic's big sell-off.
December 8, 2008... The next big step in the Republic Services-Allied Waste merger has begun to unfold. Republic last week reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to sell off businesses in 15 markets across the country. And now we'll watch to see...

A green New Deal.(Environmental engineering)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Allan Gerlat There's a lot of talk about tying economic recovery to environmental improvement and specifically, energy efficiency. From an environmental perspective, it sounds too good to be true. Fiscal watchdogs are saying...

L.A. vows to take on large solar project.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa envisions his city undertaking the largest solar energy power project in the world, spurring development of a green economy with the potential for creating hundreds of...

Coming Events.(Environmental Industry )(Calendar)
December 8, 2008... Dec. 8-11 Ecobuild Fall/AEC-ST Fall, Washington, D.C. Call (800) 996-3863 or visit www.ecobuildfall.com or www.aecstfall.com. Dec. 8-12 The Original Environmental Bootcamp, Honolulu, Hawaii. Contact Jay Collert (410) 897-0037 or visit...

EPA publishes tougher medical waste standards.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Environmental groups are claiming a surprising victory after an 11-year battle to improve medical waste incinerator pollution control standards, which could shut down several units. The U.S. Environmental Protection...

Green Building Council sets new LEED guidelines.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Commercial builders around the country will soon be required to follow a new set of guidelines in order for their work to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The changes are being called the biggest...

A look back.
December 8, 2008... 10 years ago: New York City officials endorse deals with three solid waste disposal companies for disposing of most of the city's daily residential trash. 5 years ago: Environmentalists say they may try to block the Bush administration...

Waste Industry Briefs.(waste management)(closing ths facility art Sonoco Products Co.)
December 8, 2008... Solid Waste Management NYC carting company owner indicted A Staten Island carting company owner is facing allegations of arson, falsifying business records and possession of stolen waste containers. An indictment charges Vincenzo...

Capital Briefs; A summary of recent developments in federal and state environmental legislation and regulation.
December 8, 2008... LEGISLATION GENERAL ENVIRONMENT Michigan: House Bill 6757 establishes an expedited building permit process for LEED-certified projects. Introduced Nov. 25. Missouri: Executive Order 44 orders the Department of Natural Resources to...

Mass. hauler wins judgment.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson A former trash hauler and recycler in the Boston area has won a court judgment that could be ultimately be worth more than $20 million against Allied Waste Industries Inc. after a decade-old deal went sour. The...

Book of Lists: Solid Waste Contacts.(Department of Public Works)
December 8, 2008... Atlanta, Ga. Public Works Dept. 55 Trinity Ave. S.W. Suite 4700 Atlanta, Ga. 30303 David Scott Commissioner www.atlantaga.gov (404) 330-6240 Austin, Texas Dept. of Public Works 505 Barton Springs Road...

Norcal wants customers to "see' trash.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Norcal Waste Systems Inc. wants San Franciscans to take another look at their trash. "We're in an all-out effort here to encourage people to reduce the amount of garbage they create and to recycle materials,'' said...

Work begins on Fla. solar power facility.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Florida Power & Light Co. has broken ground on the world's first large-scale hybrid solar power facility, which will generate electricity alongside an existing natural gas power plant. The 75-megawatt Martin Next...

Using old tires as fuel eliminates emissions.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Using old tires as fuel to make cement helps eliminate environmental hazards and lowers kiln air emissions, according to a cement industry trade group. A new study by the Portland Cement Association shows that kilns...

Personalized message is key to going green.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Personalizing the message has been a key for CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. in the company's efforts to become carbon neutral. The world's largest real estate services company was initially having trouble communicating...

Inbox.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach The Mechanics of Recycling: The December issue of Popular Mechanics has an interesting, wide-ranging article analyzing the economics and environmental impact of curbside recycling programs...

New Products.
December 8, 2008... ROADRANGER has announced the availability of Roadranger FE 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lubricant through major heavy-duty truck equipment manufacturers in North America. Independent research has confirmed the axle lubricant will generate reductions...

Glass manufacturers aim to recycle half by 2013.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Glass manufacturers have agreed to pursue a goal of using at least 50% recycled material in bottles and jars by 2013. Members of the Glass Packaging Institute announced the effort Dec. 1. They propose increasing the...

Republic to divest assets in 15 markets.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Republic Services Inc. will sell off businesses in 15 markets including nine landfills to win federal approval of its $4.5 billion takeover of Allied Waste Industries Inc. Landfills, transfer stations and...

Waste Generator Briefs.(environmental organizations filed petition with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission )(U.S. and Chinese business leaders on environmental regulation )(battery manufacturer will pay fine)
December 8, 2008... Nuclear Energy Groups urge radioactive waste upgrade A coalition of national and grassroots environmental organizations and nuclear energy critics has filed a petition with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission urging safety and...

PET bottle recycling rises 4th straight yr.
December 8, 2008... PET bottle recycling rises 4th straight yr. The recycling rate for soda bottles and similar containers increased for the fourth year straight, according to the National Association for PET Container Resources and Association of Postconsumer...

Aluminum makers' goal: recycle 75% by 2015.
December 8, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini The aluminum industry has set a target to recycle 75% of the used beverage containers it produces by 2015. While aluminum cans enjoy a high recycling rate, 53.8% in 2007, Americans throw away more than 50 billion...

Pragmatic choices.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Allan Gerlat The Obama Green Team is in place. And now we'll see just how much greener the United States will get in the years to come. The president-elect named Steven Chu energy secretary, Lisa Jackson as head of the...

Strange invaders; Group raids Enviro Defense office to protest policies.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A group of more than a dozen environmental activists briefly staged a protest at the Washington offices of the more mainstream group Environmental Defense on Dec. 1. The angry activists led by Rachel Smolker,...

Personnel.(Blue square energy appoints Joseph Babin)(Case construction equipment appoints Danny McGaugh)(City carton recycling appoints Jason Lee)(Brief article)
December 22, 2008... BLUE SQUARE ENERGY Joseph Babin named president and CEO. CASE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT Danny McGaugh named vice president and general manager. CITY CARTON RECYCLING Jason Lee named regional sales manager for the Cedar Rapids, Iowa,...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
December 22, 2008... Reagan enthusiasts I read your column in Waste News regularly, sometimes in agreement and sometimes not. You provide thoughtful insight whether I agree or disagree, and that insight is valuable for its own sake. As a strong...

California sees big jump in container recycling.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini California has boosted its container recycling rate to 76% for the first half of 2008 and is on pace for a record year, according to the state Department of Conservation. From January to June, Californians recycled...

Justice Dept. files suit against N.Y. dry cleaner.(Brief article)
December 22, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Justice Department has filed a civil complaint in federal court seeking more than $1.7 million under the Superfund law from a former operator of the American Drive-In Cleaners in Levittown, N.Y., as well as...

Not scrap's finest hour.
December 22, 2008... A "60 Minutes'' segment on electronic scrap being dumped in China and causing serious human health risks has heated up the long-standing controversy. It's given the scrap industry another public relations black eye at best and endangered...

Johnson's parting gift.
December 22, 2008... Controlling greenhouse gas emissions, already a complicated issue on many levels, got a little more complex for the future with the ruling last week by EPA administrator Stephen Johnson that the federal government cannot do so by using the...

Clean Harbors Inc. forms property development unit.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Clean Harbors Inc., a company known for its environmental and hazardous waste management services, is getting into the property development business. A new company subsidiary, Clean Harbors Development LLC, is being...

Report says U.S. EPA needs to streamline threat assessments.(Report)
December 22, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to streamline its process of generating risk assessments that estimate the potential threats posed by chemicals in the environment, according to new report from the...

EPA finalizes exemption for farm manure.(Environmental Protection Agency)
December 22, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. EPA has finalized a rule that exempts farms from having to report air releases of hazardous substances from manure. The new exemption for emissions related to animal manure will reduce reporting burdens...

Obama's picks get thumbs-up.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman President-elect Barack Obama's selections of key energy and environment officials received a mixed but mostly positive reaction from both environmentalists and the business community. Obama introduced the energy...

Obama urged to enforce water act.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two House committee chairmen have written a letter urging President-elect Barack Obama to beef up enforcement of the Clean Water Act once his administration takes office next month. Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.,...

E-waste report draws industry fire.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Apparently, an hour was not enough time to cover electronic waste exports. The dust seemed to have settled following a Nov. 9 segment on the CBS TV news program "60 Minutes'' titled "Following the Trail of Toxic...

Inbox.(scrap metal industry)(Report)
December 22, 2008... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach Mixed Metal News from China: The Atlantic Monthly has posted on its Web site a slide show illustrating the scrap-metal market meltdown in China: www.theatlantic.com/doc/200812u/china-scrap-photos Among the...

Midnight memo; EPA affirms GHG stance.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The federal government cannot use the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants or other buildings, according to a memorandum released Dec. 18 by EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. ...

New Products.
December 22, 2008... ONSET COMPUTER CORP. has announced improvements to its Web-based energy and environmental monitoring software HoboLink. Features include expanded data scaling, enhanced rainfall graphs and signal strength indicator. The measurement accuracy of...

At Deadline.
December 22, 2008... Obama fills Interior, Agriculture slots President-elect Barack Obama will nominate former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as secretary of agriculture and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., as secretary of the interior. Environmental and conservation...

WN to boost scrap, recycling coverage.
December 22, 2008... Beginning with its next issue, Waste News will increase its coverage of the scrap and recycling business, and will alter its name to reflect that shift. In 2009 we will publish a special section on scrap 18 times a year, beginning in...

A look back.
December 22, 2008... 10 years ago: Pesticide makers and local and state waste officials remain far apart on how to tell consumers to dispose of bug spray. 5 years ago: The federal government proposes rules for trimming electric power that would bring about the...

Republic, Allied merge to the tune of $4.5 billion.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson The year 2008 will be known as the year that the mega-merger returned to the trash business. After some uncertainty, Republic Services Inc. was able to acquire Allied Waste Industries Inc. in a $4.5 billion...

Waste Generators Briefs.
December 22, 2008... Retail Retail developer to install irrigation A national shopping center developer expects to save millions of gallons of water each year by installing "smart'' irrigation systems designed to reduce consumption. Regency Centers...

Waste Industry Briefs.
December 22, 2008... Recycling California county postpones bag charge Santa Clara County, Calif., has postponed a vote on a plan to charge consumers for using plastic bags at retail store checkouts to allow for more public comment on the issue. The...

St. Louis garden operates extensive recycling program.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson A botanical garden in St. Louis says it operates the most extensive residential garden recycling program in the nation and has plans to make the effort even larger. This year alone, the Missouri Botanical Garden's...

Capital Briefs.(law for waste water management treatment)
December 22, 2008... LEGISLATION General Enviornment California: Assembly Bill 3 requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Program to ensure green-collar career placement and advancement opportunities....

Resin costs trigger plastics recycling layoffs.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Mike Verespej Citing the low price of virgin resin and less availability of manufacturing scrap, several plastic recyclers have laid off portions of their workforce. The largest downsizing is at Sundance Products Group LLC,...

Coming Events.
December 22, 2008... Jan. 21-22 Solar Power Generation USA, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact Sandeep Anirudhan +971 50 3898727 or visit www.greenpowerconferences.com. Jan. 26-29 U.S. Composting Council 17th Annual Conference and Trade Show, Houston, Texas. Contact...

Green Building Council certifies Honda plants.
December 22, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Honda is well-known for making fuel-efficient and reliable cars, but the company also is making a push to be more environmentally friendly at the buildings it operates around the United States. American Honda Motor...

Bottom falls out of commodity market.(economy's impact on Waste management industry)(environmental policy)(Bailout tax credits help green energy)
December 22, 2008... Recyclers had been enjoying phenomenal commodity markets over the last couple of years, but the old adage was once again proven what goes up, must come down. And it came down like a hammer. Late in 2008, prices for secondary materials...