Waste News articles from February 2004

Waste News archives from February 2004

New Products & Technology.(Products)
February 2, 2004... VERMEER MANUFACTURING CO. has introduced the HG6000, a horizontal grinder for recycling organic waste. The grinder is available with either a 525- or a 630-horsepower engine. Key features include a top-loading millbox, removable anvil design,...

Big city, big dreams.
February 2, 2004... Los Angeles aims to increase its waste diversion goal: State goal: 50% Los Angeles' current rate: 62% Los Angeles' goal: 70% See story, Page 3 Source: Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)
February 2, 2004... Q: Would the proposed new federal coal mining rules weaken existing environmental protections? A. (pie chart): Yes: 70.9% No: 29.1% From the Waste News Web site, Jan. 19-26. To vote in the current Waste News Poll, go to...

Big bang theory.(News)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... Estimates on the cleanup of U.S. military bases that contain unexploded ordnance: * Years to complete: 75 to 300 * Cost: $8 billion to $35 billion * Recent annual allocation: $106 million * U.S. acreage contaminated: More than...

Defining a problem; 4 congressional leaders oppose redefining 'waste'.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Four members of Congress are objecting to proposed changes in hazardous waste regulations that have been embraced by many industrial manufacturers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plan to revise the...

Watch the needle.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... A simple way to visualize the U.S. EPA's approach to environmental protection is as a continuum, with regulate-every-transaction environmental radicalism at one end of the spectrum and free-market antiregulatory industrialism at the other. Or...

Letters.
February 2, 2004... Bashful thinking What is with the Bush bashing? Is Waste News published by a bunch of eco-Nazis? Most of your readers are from the waste hauling business and are in favor of President Bush. The waste industry is not run by left-wing...

A Look Back.(News)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... 1957: High-density polyethylene is developed by Standard Oil of Indiana and Phillips Petroleum. Five years ago: OmniSource Corp. enters the Chicago market with the purchase of Industrial Scrap LLC, a 29-year-old family-founded scrap...

Report: Military faces long cleanup.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The military has made limited progress on identifying and cleaning up contamination and unexploded ordnance from former ranges, and at its current pace and level of funding, the job could take 75 to 300 years to...

Personnel.(People)
February 2, 2004... CHARLES MACHINE WORKS INC. - Tiffany Sewell-Howard named CEO. CITY CARTON RECYCLING - Chief Financial Officer Tom Rowland appointed to board of directors. EIP ASSOCIATES - John Moynier appointed senior water resources manager, Water...

Firms agree to N.J. site cleanup.(News)(New Jersey)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A Who's Who of corporate America is on the hook to help clear hazardous waste from a former drum reconditioning plant that has been causing trouble for more than a decade. Bayonne Barrel & Drum has been under...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
February 2, 2004... State Government Florida's environmental chief resigns Tallahassee, Fla. - The head of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection submitted his letter of resignation to Gov. Jeb Bush on Jan. 28. DEP Secretary David B....

L.A. to test multifamily recycling.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Folks living in large multifamily residential buildings will soon be able recycle through a rather large pilot program in selected areas of the city. Five private companies are being hired to collect and process...

Q&A with Steve Loken.(News)(Interview)
February 2, 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...

Pa. reports 4 million tons recycled in '03.(News)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Pennsylvania now recycles more than 4 million tons of material annually, a new report shows. Data filed by Pennsylvania's counties shows that the state diverted 4.1 million tons of waste from landfills and...

Metal Mgmt. CEO resigns.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini For the third time in five years, Metal Management Inc.'s leader is stepping down. The company announced Jan. 19 that Albert A. Cozzi had resigned as CEO effective immediately to pursue other interests. On July 26,...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
February 2, 2004... Retail Sam's Club to halt sale of refrigerants Washington - The U.S. Department of Justice has settled a case against Wal-Mart Inc. claiming that an unspecified number of the company's Sam's Club stores in 11 states sold...

Association seeks to double membership in '04.(Construction Materials Recycling Association)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Jay Giltz sees 2004 as a potential breakout year for the Construction Materials Recycling Association's membership ranks. Coming out of 2003 - when the CMRA saw its membership numbers swell by about 25 percent to...

Awards.(News)
February 2, 2004... Anheuser-Busch drinks in award Stamford, Conn. - Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. has received the 2003 Vision for America Award from Keep America Beautiful Inc. As the world's largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers,...

Mass. firm weighs options as ban looms.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson One Massachusetts-based contractor sees the potential for state-mandated construction and demolition debris recycling to be "revenue-neutral'' for those forced to handle the material. Consigli Construction Co. Inc....

A reuse game plan; Dell teams with foundation to bring technology to kids.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini One of the world's top computer makers is teaming up with one of the nation's top college basketball coaches to bridge the technology gap in Lexington. Dell Inc. and the Tubby Smith Foundation will provide...

CMRA forms advocacy fund.(Construction Materials Recycling Association)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Construction and demolition debris recyclers believe they need a stronger voice. The Construction Materials Recycling Association, a national trade group representing C&D debris recyclers, is creating an offshoot...

Fairness & balance.(Column)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat These days, it seems everyone's political point of view is open for discussion. So I thought I'd discuss ours. We've gotten some mail lately accusing us of being somewhat to the left of our business audience. It's...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... (With graph: Los Angeles used beverage cans): NEW LAW, NEW VALUE: The scrap value for used beverage cans in the Los Angeles market dove at the beginning of the year due to the increase in the California redemption value under the state's...

Alaska loses mining, air emissions case.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Alaska officials say a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the state's Red Dog mine deals a blow to states' rights, but environmentalists say the decision ensures the federal government can enforce the...

Onyx 'laptops' workers to automate pickups.(Products)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst In this age of fast-moving technological innovations, five years may seem like an eternity to develop and implement a field computer system to handle hazardous waste shipments. But representatives from Onyx...

Making change; Financial giant sets green goals.(News)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Citigroup Inc. is undertaking a series of new initiatives - including efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - that the financial services giant says are designed to promote higher environmental standards for the...

High Court affirms EPA in Alaska zinc case.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Clean Air Act grants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the right to overrule state regulators and require emitters of pollution to install control measures more...

Alabama tissue mill seeks fiber suppliers.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Production is scheduled to begin soon at SCA North America's new tissue mill in Barton, Ala. Also, the company is seeking local and regional suppliers to provide the plant with recovered fiber to use as raw material...

Utility industry feels regulatory pinch; Power officials juggle complex plans.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Regulatory and legislative uncertainty has haunted the electric power and utility industry, and it's only getting worse. A bevy of bills, regulatory proposals and litigation has some industry officials dazed and...

The mine's still pitch-dark.(Kotzebue)(Brief Article)(Column)
February 2, 2004... The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Alaska Red Dog mine case raises as many questions as answers about federal vs. state responsibility in environmental regulation. The decision strengthens the U.S. Environmental Protection...

Utility industry feels regulatory pinch; Bush administration suit may go to trial.
February 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Federal environmental officials and the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Jan. 28 accusing a Kentucky electric utility of violating the Clean Air Act's New Source Review provisions by modifying coal-fired...

Photo, no headline.(News)(marketing)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... CHOMPS WOOD: Paul J. Hanna Jr., a representative of General Kinematics Corp., shows off a miniature version of a piece of construction and demolition debris processing equipment that his company sells while staffing a booth at last week's C&D...

Company admits oil dumping.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A Connecticut company that operates oil tankers is taking responsibility for covering up the dumping of thousands of gallons of waste oil at sea and has agreed to pay a $4.2 million fine. The company, OMI Corp.,...

Maine towns reach deal with Casella.(News)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Thirteen Maine communities will pay less for trash disposal after they settled a two-year-old dispute with a New England solid waste company over a Maine waste-to-energy plant. Casella Waste Systems Inc., which owns...

Capturing carbon contains promise; Methods would help reduce emissions.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini U.S. fossil fuel dependence is likely to continue for the near future, and new carbon-capture technologies could be the nation's best shot at resolving climate change issues. Carbon dioxide from energy accounts for...

Supplier News.(Briefs)(Cliff Berry Inc)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... Florida firm buys wastewater assets Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Cliff Berry Inc. of Fort Lauderdale has purchased the Pompano Beach, Fla., assets of Petrotech Southeast Inc., including wastewater treatment equipment and vehicles. The...

Utilities defend pollutant reduction progress.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Whoever said any publicity is good publicity hasn't been blamed for causing the slow demise of the entire planet. The electric utility industry gets much of the blame for global warming and air quality issues. But it...

Federal proposal garners poor reviews; Industry likes idea, but more line up against peer review plan.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Many scientists and former federal officials are objecting to a Bush administration proposal that would require scientific information used in preparing new federal regulations and rules, including environmental...

A growing minority; Shareholders' calls for resolutions that seek transparency on emission issues gain steam.(News)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Investors could become a driving force to push power companies to adopt more comprehensive climate change policies and address carbon dioxide emissions. "There's a strong business case for taking action and taking...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
February 2, 2004... North America Feb. 8-11 - Environmental Impacts of Preservative Treated Wood, Orlando, Fla. Call (352) 392-1701 or visit www.ficess.org. Feb. 27 - Sustainable Business Conference & Expo, Ann Arbor, Mich. Contact Angela Gerry (800)...

At Deadline.(Late News)(cases of Exelon Mystic LLC )(Brief Article)
February 2, 2004... Recycling loses, air wins with Super Bowl Houston - A California agency predicted last week that its citizens will have thrown away millions of beverage containers over Super Bowl weekend, while the city hosting this year's big game...

RAA buys 3 MRFs in D.C.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Recycle America Alliance is beefing up its presence in the Washington area with a couple of acquisitions that add three material recovery facilities to the company's system. The company has acquired ABC Recycling,...

Mich. matters; Gov. Granholm wants to slow trash imports.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Imports of Canadian municipal solid waste into Michigan increased by nearly 43 percent in 2003, prompting Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm to again ask the state Legislature to approve measures to curb the influx of...

Air report cites progress, challenges.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The United States has made significant progress toward cleaning the air, but the country needs to do more to confront future air pollution challenges, according to a group of scientists who were asked by Congress to...

Heading south; Duke makes largest NOx reductions in U.S.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A Duke Energy Corp. unit has completed the nation's largest nitrogen oxide emission reduction project, the company said Feb. 3. Duke Power's selective catalytic reduction project at the Belews Creek Steam Station...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
February 16, 2004... Hauling Waste Industries buys firms in Ga., N.C. Raleigh, N.C. - Waste Industries USA Inc. is acquiring two companies in the South. The Raleigh-based Waste Industries will purchase All American Waste Management Inc., a private...

Energy bill won't have MTBE rider.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete V. Domenici, R-N.M., plans to strip the contentious MTBE safe-harbor provision from the national energy bill before bringing the proposal to the floor. ...

Q&A with Chuck Clarke.(Special Report)(Interview)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Chuck Clarke is director of Seattle Public Utilities. The Seattle City Council voted 8-0 on Dec. 15 to adopt Mayor Greg Nickels' proposal to mandate residential and commercial recycling. The city has undertaken the...

Munitions attrition; Army must improve monitoring of weapons, report says.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Army should more thoroughly monitor the condition of the chemical weapons it has in storage awaiting disposal, according to a report by a government-assembled panel of engineers and scientists. To...

EPA pushes pay-as-you-throw in big cities.(Special Report)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Make 'em pay and they will throw away less and recycle more. That is the premise of pay-as-you-throw residential solid waste programs. Households pay a variable rate depending on the amount of service they use, just...

Arnold vs. autos; Calif. board has new governor in its corner if fight with automakers occurs.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Harry Stoffer Automakers will have to take on the Terminator if they keep their vow to fight California's landmark global warming law. So says the state's chief clean air regulator, California Air Resources Board Chairman Alan...

Future of hydrogen fuel is up in the air.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman If the United States adopts hydrogen as a major fuel within the next 50 years, it could reduce air emissions and expand domestic energy resources, but significant barriers need to be overcome, according to a report...

States foresee pollution increase.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The majority of state officials responding to a government survey believe the Bush administration's New Source Review revisions would provide industry with greater flexibility, but they also fear they could increase...

Police nab 5; Theft of trash equipment alleged in NYC.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Eight months of investigation by New York officials recently busted an alleged trash equipment theft ring. Five separate defendants were charged in the case involving the alleged theft and sale of garbage compactors...

Trash equals cash in Pa. Governor wants to add second disposal fee in 2 years.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Pennsylvania's trash cans are sporting big bull's eyes these days, and Gov. Edward G. Rendell has a quiver full of arrows. The Keystone State is again zeroing in on the trash business as a way to raise extra cash -...

Sorting through fine ideas; Recycling the smallest C&D debris can be a worthwhile struggle.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Marketing construction and demolition debris fines - the smallest pieces left when such materials are recycled - can be a tricky proposition. There are uses for this low-value end product of C&D debris recycling,...

Research shows promise for debris and lead paint.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Research at a closed Army base in California shows lead-based paint on crushed concrete does not pose a hazard to the environment or humans processing the recycled materials. Researchers from the Construction...

Bush decreases EPA's budget for 2005; President earmarks $7.76 billion for EPA; defense, homeland security see increases.(Environmental Protection Agency)
February 16, 2004... President Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget request includes $7.76 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is more than the president requested for fiscal year 2004 but less than the amount Congress eventually approved. ...

Study highlights high cost of NYC recycling program.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Here we go again. Just a couple of months before New York is set to restore its curbside recycling program, a report from the city's Independent Budget Office concludes that recycling is more expensive than disposal...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... (With graph: White goods prices): HIGHER THAN HIGH: Scrap steel prices, by many accounts, are as high as they've ever been. They have skyrocketed primarily due to an increase in demand from China as well as other overseas buyers. Prices for...

Sense & sensibilities.(Opinion)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat Few ideas jump out as something that makes eminent sense. To me, the pay-as-you-throw concept is one of those. The programs charge customers a variable rate for garbage collection. The more you put out on the curb,...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
February 16, 2004... Oil & Gas Citgo, Texas CEQ settle refinery dispute Tulsa, Okla. - Citgo Refining and Chemical Co. LP has agreed to spend more than $20 million to resolve long-standing disputes over its refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. The...

Groups seek strict coal waste oversight.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Some 130 environmental groups are asking the federal government to tighten regulations on byproducts from coal-fired power plants. The groups sent a petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Feb. 9 calling...

Hg rising; 5 states unveil bills.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Legislators from five Midwestern states have introduced legislation aimed at reducing mercury pollution from power plants and other sources. State lawmakers belonging to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators hope to convince...

The cluck stops here; Farms compost chicken carcasses to halt flu.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Tens of thousands of chickens, killed in an attempt to stop the spread of a deadly avian flu strain, are being composted at their Delaware farms in an attempt to keep the virus from spreading. Perdue Farms Inc. said...

Pension prod; Calif. to use funds to push firms to reveal environmental practices.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley California Treasurer Phil Angelides is proposing use of the state's powerful pension funds to push companies to disclose their environmental practices, thereby improving economic opportunities. ...

K.C. to fund, launch curbside recycling.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Finally, curbside recycling has come to Kansas City. After voters shot down the first three attempts, Kansas City will kick off its biweekly recycling program March 1. The first phase of the curbside program,...

A slippery foothold.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Chalk up another black eye for recycling. New York City's Independent Budget Office came out with a report this month stating that recycling in the city currently costs more than disposal. A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
February 16, 2004... North America Feb. 23-24 - Scrap Tire Cleanup Forum, Chicago. Contact Paul Ruesch (312) 886-7598 or visit www.epa.gov/region5/solidwaste/events.htm. Feb. 27 - Sustainable Business Conference & Expo, Ann Arbor, Mich. Contact Angela...

Gov't appeals mine waste ruling.(News)
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The federal government is appealing a judge's decision to slash fines against Martin County Coal Corp. involving a slurry impoundment breach in 2000. The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
February 16, 2004... Bias, schmias I read your column and Waste News every week. Waste News has become the eyes and ears of the waste industry by providing timely discussion and news reporting. I have always found the reporting fair and honest with no real...

A Look Back.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Five years ago: In an urgent effort to slow the fast-growing influx of trash from New York City and other out-of-state locales, Virginia state lawmakers approve a legislative package aimed at curtailing the flow. A year ago: A federal...

Quote of the Week.(News)
February 16, 2004... The corporation that exploits the environment leaves behind both a damaged environment and, ultimately, a degraded company. California Treasurer Phil Angelides explains the rationale behind his bid to use the state's pension's funds to push...

Tentative steps.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Last week's news that some progress was made to find a solution to the country's electronic waste problem should be greeted with polite applause. Manufacturers, meeting with other stakeholders in Portland, Ore., have agreed that they will...

E-waste impasse cleared at last.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini It's either a big step toward a national electronics recycling program or a step backward, it just depends who you talk to. Participants in the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative, the three-year...

At Deadline.(Late News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... Senate to consider revised energy bill Washington - The U.S. Senate is expected to vote soon after President's Day on the trimmed-down energy bill introduced Feb. 12 by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy Committee....

Trends: Numbers racket.
February 16, 2004... New York City recently brought charges against a handful of individuals that the city says operated a trash equipment theft ring. The numbers: Defendants charged: 5 Waste companies involved: 10 Pieces of equipment allegedly...

Delayed launch.(News)
February 16, 2004... Facts & figures for Kansas City, Mo.'s new curbside recycling program: * Materials collected: Paper, plastic, metal * Goal: 25% recycling within 3 years of full implementation * Launch: March 1 for 1st of 4 phases

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)
February 16, 2004... Q: Would the EPA's proposal to exclude sludge and solvents from hazwaste rules lead to greater recycling of the materials? (pie chart) A: Yes: 35.8% No: 64/2% From the Waste News Web site, Feb. 2-9. To vote in the current Waste...

But wait, have more.(News)(Brief Article)
February 16, 2004... How the U.S. EPA's 2005 budget as announced this month by the Bush administration compares with the agency's budget in 2004: President Bush's 2005 budget request: $7.76 billion Congress' actual 2004 budget appropriations: $8.37 billion...