Waste News articles from February 2005

Waste News archives from February 2005

Pricey bike, but money well spent; WMI pays $800,100 for 'Tonight Show' motorcycle.(Waste Management Inc.)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Management Inc. employees are used to being on the ground and helping clean up after disaster strikes. But when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit in December, there was no way they could roll out their trucks to help...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... (With graph: Atlanta post-consumer HDPE): TO SORT OR NOT TO SORT: The gap between the price of recovered natural and colored high-density polyethylene narrowed this month to as little as 1 cent per pound for baled material. Some recyclers may...

NFL PLANTS ROOTS.(News)
February 14, 2005... Four people plant some of the 1,000 seedlings on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., the site of the recent Super Bowl. The National Football League pursued the project to offset the amount of greenhouse gases...

Correction.
February 14, 2005... * The phone number for the seminar "Mechanical System Designs for Green Buildings Course'' in Las Vegas listed on Page 24 of this issue should be (800) 462-0876.

Quote of the Week.(News)
February 14, 2005... Does your wife know you bought a motorcycle for $800,000? NBC Tonight Show host Jay Leno jokes with Waste Management Inc. CEO David Steiner about the company's auction purchase of a celebrity-autographed Harley-Davidson motorcycle. See...

Bioreactors in Badgerland.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Thumbs are up here for Wisconsin's aggressive and public push to make changes to its landfills. The state wants to emphasize bioreactor landfills and increase the height and width of those disposal sites. All three strategies would...

Joining the curbside club; El Paso may rid itself of title of 'largest city without curbside pickup'.(El Paso Community Disposal and Recycling Services Inc.)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini El Paso may be ripe for curbside recycling. Community pride and a change in local government may be enough to bring a plan to fruition for the largest U.S. city without a curbside program. The city is conducting...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)(Correction Notice)
February 14, 2005... ***** Correction: The phone number for the seminar "Mechanical System Designs for Green Buildings Course'' in Las Vegas listed on Page 24 of this issue should be (800) 462-0876. ***** North America Feb. 27-March 2 - Water...

Investor circles Temple-Inland.(News)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Famed corporate raider Carl Icahn has a $1 billion eye cast upon Temple-Inland Inc. Icahn and his Icahn Partners Master Fund LP filed paperwork under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act for clearance to...

A Look Back.(News)(Solid waste disposal)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Five years ago: The amount of solid waste crossing state lines for disposal nearly doubled between 1993 to 1998, from 14.5 million tons to 28.4 million tons, according to a report from the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service....

Wis. mulls major changes; State may emphasize bioreactors, increased height for landfills.(News)(Wisconsin)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Wisconsin wants to fundamentally alter the way trash is handled once the waste hits the state's landfills. So the state is pushing for big changes that would affect the disposal sites both inside and out. A...

Utility to build mercury research center.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini A Southern Co. subsidiary will be the first U.S. utility to build a research center devoted to studying mercury reduction methods at power plants. Gulf Power will build a Mercury Research Center at its James F....

'Four years of debate is enough'; Bush wants action on emissions and energy.(News)(Goerge Bush)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman President Bush called on Congress during his State of the Union address to pass an energy bill and an air pollution reduction bill, both of which have languished in the House and Senate for several years. The...

At Deadline.(Late News)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... McCain, Lieberman retry greenhouse bill Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., late last week reintroduced their Climate Change bill that would mandate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The senators reintroduced...

Goodyear targets waste with a self-sealing tire.(Products)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Mike McNulty Rubber & Plastics News Goodyear is aiming to take a bigger chunk of the waste and construction truck tire markets with the launch of a commercial sealant technology that repairs punctures instantly. The sealant,...

Opposition grows to Calif.'s auto proposal.(News)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman An association representing international automakers wants to intervene in a lawsuit challenging California's plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. The Association of International...

Republic site to expand; Landfill will be southern Illinois' largest facility.(News)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Republic Services Inc. recently received final approval for a multimillion-ton landfill expansion in southern Illinois. The extra space will provide an additional two decades of capacity for the Southern Illinois...

Mercury issue causes stir.(News)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal watchdog has accused senior management at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of pressuring its staff to issue a mercury emission standard that may not represent the lowest emission levels possible....

Ohio mayor banks on blue bags.(News)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini The city of Columbus, Ohio, is going blue to try to increase participation in its curbside recycling program. Only about 10,000 households, 3.3 percent of the city, participate in the city's current recycling...

Business props up recycling in Canada.(News)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Steve Toloken North of the northern U.S. border, plastics recycling is looking different. Plastic container recycling rates in Canada are rising, while they fall or stagnate in the United States. Local governments in the United...

NYC's Un-Sink-Able fear; Use of kitchen trash diposals well below norm; restaurants may receive OK to install devices.(News)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Gale Scott Crain's New York Business Dr. Robert Hochberger has news for New Yorkers who tend to believe that kitchen garbage disposals are not only unnecessary but also downright dangerous, devouring thousands of fingers and even...

Michigan may close incinerator.(News)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Michigan environmental officials have denied a new permit application for the state's only medical waste incinerator. What's more, the state has begun procedures to shut down the controversial facility. The...

E-waste bill debuts in U.S. House.(News)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two House members have introduced a national electronics recycling bill aimed at preventing obsolete computer equipment and other electronics from going into the nation's landfills. Reps. Mike Thompson,...

Letters.
February 14, 2005... Back to paper The plastic bags are an absolute nusiance to everyone in the business ["San Francisco close to bag tax,'' Jan. 31]. The litter problem they create is obvious. Let's go back to paper bags. Art HenSchen President ...

Fuel cells power new GM forklift.(News)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... General Motors of Canada and Hydrogenics Corp. are demonstrating the viability of a hydrogen-powered forklift in an effort to advance the use of fuel cells in industrial vehicles. The vehicle maker is using a Hydrogenics hydrogen fuel...

Energy Dept.'s enviro programs may also be cut.(News)(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Department of Energy would experience a 2 percent decrease in discretionary spending under President Bush's 2006 proposal, which must be approved by Congress. The department's environmental management...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
February 14, 2005... Waste-To-Energy Danielson to buy American Ref-Fuel Danielson Holding Corp. will buy waste-to-energy firm American Ref-Fuel in a $2 billion deal, the company said Feb. 1. American Ref-Fuel owns and operates six waste-to-energy...

Senators blast sewer fund cut.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Senators expressed bipartisan disappointment last week with a Bush administration plan to slash $361 million from a fund that helps communities upgrade their wastewater treatment systems. The Republican chairman...

Purse-string skullduggery.(Opinion)(finance for plants wastewater treatment infrastructure )(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Where the federal government is concerned, virtually everything has a political component to it. The budget certainly is no exception. That appears to be the case with proposed cuts in wastewater treatment infrastructure funding, as well as...

E-scare tactics; Green groups bandy e-waste fallacies, policy group claims.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini A public policy group has accused environmental activists of using scare tactics to push state and federal electronics recycling mandates. Electronic waste recycling legislation will be disastrous for the industry...

Plumb backwater in NYC.(Opinion)(New York City)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Allan Gerlat Consider the garbage disposal. For many of us, it's as common as the microwave or the dishwasher, and we probably give it even less thought. Food scraps in, a little water, flick a switch, a little grinding, gone....

Pa. GOP offers alternative.(News)(Grand Old Party)(higher trash disposal costs management)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste generators in Pennsylvania could avoid paying higher trash disposal costs under a new plan being pushed by the state's Republican House delegation. The new plan comes almost a year after Gov. Edward Rendell, a...

WM recycling executive exits; Internal replacement sought; Firm still committed to recycling.(News)(Waste Management Inc)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson The very public face of Waste Management Inc.'s recycling operations resigned, by mutual agreement with the company, and a search for his successor is under way. Steve Ragiel has been a key spokesman throughout the...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
February 14, 2005... Government Senate OKs Bodman to lead Energy The U.S. Senate confirmed Samuel W. Bodman as secretary of energy on Jan. 31. Bodman had most recently served as deputy treasury secretary and previously served as deputy commerce...

New Products and Technology.(Products)
February 14, 2005... MORBARK INC. has introduced the Morbark Model 6600 Wood Hog on tracks, a package of wood waste processing power with a state-of-the-art undercarriage. The machine, a durable grinder with self-propelled mobility, is an addition to the company's...

Danbury happily takes in the Trashers; Waste company invests in hockey team, to delight of Conn. town.(News)(Column)
February 14, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson The Zamboni is painted like a garbage truck. The mascot's name is Scrappy. And fans try to throw pucks into a trash can at center ice to win money. Meet Connecticut's Danbury Trashers, first-year members of the...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... (With graph: Recovered post-consumer PET): THERE'S A SURGE: Recovered polyethylene terephthalate prices surged on the West Coast this month on the strength of the export market. Los Angeles recyclers saw prices for baled material hit an average...

Retrofit request; Task force offers solution to diesel emissions issue.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Diesel pollution causes nearly 21,000 deaths per year in the United States, a new report from an environmental organization alleges. But many of those deaths could be avoided by retrofitting existing engines with...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
February 28, 2005... The FOG factor I can't speak for New York City, but in 2001 the city of Los Angeles banned the use of garbage disposals in restaurants unless they had installed grease interceptors ["Plumb backwater in NYC,'' Feb. 14, Page 8]. The...

A Look Back.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... 1905: New York City begins using a garbage incinerator to generate electricity to light the Williamsburg Bridge. Five years ago: Waste Management Inc. co-founder Dean Buntrock sues the company for $40 million that he claims it owes him in...

Landfill gas powers GM again.(News)(General Motors Corp)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson General Motors Corp. does a lot of things in a big way. And using landfill gas to help power its operations is one of them. The world's largest automaker is adding another site to its landfill-gas-to-energy...

WM enters medwaste biz.(News)(Waste Management Inc)(market for medical waste treatment and disposal)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Waste Management Inc. is mounting a nationwide effort to grab a larger share of the medical waste management field, and the company has hired an industry veteran to oversee the effort. Bob Shaw, who ran the...

Reps urge EPA to drop sewer plan.(News)(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A bipartisan group of 135 congressmen has sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urging it to drop a proposal allowing local sewer operators to discharge partially treated wastewater by blending...

Kyoto kicks in; U.S. sits out global warming treaty.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Kyoto global warming treaty took effect Feb. 16, with more than 125 nations pledging to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. However, the United States and Australia - two of...

Report finds pollution, cancer link.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Pregnant women's exposure to air pollution may damage their unborn children's chromosomes, increasing the children's chances of developing cancer later in life, according to a new study of 60 newborns in New York...

Senate committee postpones Clear Skies vote.(News)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Republicans and Democrats on the Senate environment committee agreed to delay a vote on the Clear Skies pollution bill for two weeks so they can continue efforts to reach a compromise. The committee had...

Reps, groups debate mercury risk.(News)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A report issued by two Republican House committee leaders accuses environmental activists of exaggerating the risks of mercury emissions from coal-burning electric power plants. Meanwhile, environmentalists...

C&D debris, tourism skew Maine solid waste figures.(News)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Maine's per capita municipal solid waste generation statistics are substantially higher than the national average, but the figures are skewed by a couple of factors, the state said. In Maine's recently released...

E-waste take-back: Take it back.(Opinion)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Robin Ingenthron Since Massachusetts kicked off its cathode ray tube waste ban and recycling contract five years ago, several states have proposed alternative models for e-recycling. The nouvelle chic is producer take-back. The...

Combustion system captures mercury, CO2.(Technology)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst Coal-fired power plants, which are the largest source of mercury emissions in the United States, may have a practical way to capture mercury and carbon dioxide using the combination of a patented combustion...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
February 28, 2005... * A headline on Page 1 of the Feb. 14 issue should have said Waste Management Inc. paid $800,100 for the celebrity-autographed motorcycle that it bought in an auction organized by NBC's "The Tonight Show'' to aid victims of the Indian Ocean...

At Deadline.(Late News)
February 28, 2005... Reservation may house nuclear waste A federal licensing board has approved plans for a constructing a temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel on an American Indian reservation in Utah despite the objections of state officials. ...

Pa.'s Hatfields & McCoys; Group sues utility over air violations.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Allegheny Energy Inc. is facing a citizens group's lawsuit for allegedly persistently exceeding pollution limits at its coal-fired power plant in Greene County, Pa. Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future filed a lawsuit...

Lexmark appeal nixed; Court rejects cartridge maker's request for rehearing.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini A federal appeals court has refused to rehear Lexmark International Inc.'s appeal involving a North Carolina printer cartridge remanufacturing component maker. In October, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth...

Texas city privatizes landfill.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson One of Texas's larger cities is privatizing its landfill in a deal reportedly worth nearly $400 million during the next four decades. The Arlington City Council voted last week to lease the city's landfill to...

Alone in passing lane; Lack of recyclable plastics at center of auto report.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson A Michigan-based environmental group that keeps a close eye on the automotive industry claims only one of the nation's top six selling car makers deserves a passing grade for their use of recyclable plastics. But...

Pa. utility invests in scrubbers; Controlling pollution, reusing byproducts part of $630M plan.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini PPL Corp. will spend $630 million on a voluntary project to install pollution control equipment on three of its coal-fired generating units at two Pennsylvania power plants. It will add scrubbers to two units at its...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
February 28, 2005... Solid Waste Management Calif. withdraws plan to ax waste board California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has withdrawn his plan to eliminate the Integrated Waste Management Board and reorganize more than 85 other state boards and...

Maine aims for 50% by '09.(News)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Maine officials are saying - again - that the state can hit a 50 percent recycling goal. The Maine legislature is considering a bill that would set a goal of recycling 50 percent of the state's municipal solid waste...

Grading on the curve.(Opinion)(Automotive industry in a faster phase to accept recycling methods)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... What's a good amount of recycling by a manufacturer? It's certainly in the eye of the beholder. And that's the case with a new study by two environmental groups grading the automotive industry's recycling efforts. The report on plastics...

'The right thing to do'; Group's goal: Reduce steel's greenhouse gas emissions.(Special Report)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Steel makers are voluntarily targeting greenhouse gas emissions and have formed a global coalition to significantly reduce carbon dioxide ahead of regulations. The CO2 Breakthrough Program is a global effort to...

Clear Skies has strong support.(Special Report)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini The steel manufacturing industry is throwing its considerable weight behind the Bush administration's Clear Skies air pollution reduction proposal. As an energy-intensive industry, steel manufacturers are looking...

Allied takes aims at debt.(News)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Allied Waste Industries Inc. is turning to the stock market to raise $600 million as part of a broader, multibillion-dollar debt-restructuring plan aimed at improving the company's financing. The Scottsdale,...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
February 28, 2005... Power Study: 10% would work for N.Y. power A New York state agency has concluded that the state can integrate up to 10 percent wind energy into its energy mix without impacting cost or reliability. The New York State Energy...

A scrappy debate; Steel industry says don't blame it for costly goods.(Special Report)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Consumer product makers blame high prices for steel and ferrous scrap for the jump in the cost of their goods, but steel makers and recyclers aren't buying it. Appliance makers, automobile producers and other product...

A place for bugs; Micro-organisms break down some plants' wastewater.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Some people may get a little bug-eyed at a trick some steel makers use to treat wastewater. Steel making is a water-intensive process. Mills treat and reuse water for some processes in a closed-loop system....

Calif. cleanup; Settlement ends longtime feud.(News)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Roberto Ceniceros Business Insurance Insurers will pay $93 million to settle a decades-old battle over general liability coverage for the infamous Stringfellow Hazardous Waste Site in Glen Avon, Calif. The insurance settlements...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
February 28, 2005... North America March 1-4 - The Work Truck Show and NTEA Annual Convention, Indianapolis. Call (800) 441-6832. March 6-9 - National Demolition Association Annual Convention, Las Vegas. Contact Laura Huestis or Pegi Boyne (800) 541-2412...

New Products.(Products)
February 28, 2005... EAST MANUFACTURING CORP. has added 8-inch-tall dirt-shedding wedge plates as a standard feature on its Unloader sheet-and-post sidewall trailer. Located at the bottom of the sidewall, the aluminum wedge plates are continuously welded to the...

New gov't model not met warmly.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman After years of study, the federal government has established a recommended limit for perchlorate exposure that it says will protect public health. However, environmental groups say the limit is not stringent...

Icahn seeks seats on board.(News)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Carl Icahn's interest in Temple-Inland Inc. continues as the billionaire businessman and his affiliates plan to nominate their own slate of candidates for three board positions at the company's next annual meeting. ...

Fla.'s 1st hydrogen station breaks ground.(News)
February 28, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Sunburned folks in Mickey Mouse ears will help determine just how fast the hydrogen economy takes hold. Work is starting on Florida's first hydrogen energy station, which will eventually fuel Ford shuttle buses...