Waste News articles from January 2003

Waste News archives from January 2003

Coal miners await appeal of decision.(Special Report)(Appalachian coal mining waste management)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The mining industry and citizens activist groups will be watching a federal appeals court ruling expected early this year that could uphold a ban on mountaintop coal mining in Appalachia. A federal appeals court will...

Plants to close rather than meet regs.(Special Report)(petroleum refineries)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Federal regulations calling for ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel could force petroleum companies to close refineries that would be too costly to upgrade to meet the new standards. Refineries must produce a nearly...

Nuclear leach at issue; U.S. EPA wants Idaho facility to clean radioactive waste.(News)(Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The U.S. Department of Defense is baffled over an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violation notice regarding the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in Idaho Falls. The U.S. Environmental...

LA's big stink; City held liable for sewer spills.(Cover Story)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini A federal court has found the city of Los Angeles liable for 297 violations of the Clean Water Act and could penalize the city as much as $8 million. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lew ruled Dec. 23 on a summary...

Ore. diversion rate soars; Calculation method only part of reason for increase.(News)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Almost half of Oregon's waste was diverted from landfills in 2001, a new survey shows. Oregon's statewide solid waste recovery rate was 46.8 percent for the year, up substantially from 38.9 percent in 2000. ...

Q&A with John Skinner.(Special Report)(Interview)
January 6, 2003... City and county waste managers have a multitude of waste streams to handle each year. Many of those same managers belong to the Solid Waste Association of North America. John Skinner has led the Silver Spring, Md.-based group, which runs...

Xcel seeks more waste storage.(News)(Xcel Energy Inc.)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Xcel Energy Inc. will ask Minnesota legislators to allow it to store more nuclear waste at two plants in the state, but environmentalists are vowing to thwart the effort. The company filed its 2002 Resource Plan with...

Lawmakers to tackle e-waste issue.(Special Report)(electronics waste)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Congress and state legislatures across the country are expected to discuss legislation in 2003 that would encourage the recycling of electronics, including computers and monitors. U.S. Rep. Mike...

System removes siloxanes from biogas.(Products)(Pioneer Total Contaminant Removal System)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst In Sam Basseen's world, colder is better. Efforts to use biogas and gases from landfills and digesters as fuel have been plagued with problems, including how to handle unwanted waste elements such as the silicon...

Groups say Whitman has changed tune.(News)(Christine Todd Whitman)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Opponents of planned changes to New Source Review say U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman's position today is in conflict with her position when she served as governor of New Jersey...

Texas mill closing won't hurt recycling programs.(News)(Abitibi-Consolidated l)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Abitibi-Consolidated Inc.'s decision to indefinitely shut down a Texas recycled newsprint mill will not impact its municipal recycling agreements or the company's Paper Retriever program. The Montreal-based company...

Waste leader takes cautious approach.(Special Report)(Waste Management Inc.)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson This year could be a year of economic caution for the solid waste industry. The fortunes of the waste business - often called recession-resistant - are ultimately tied to the economy. That's no surprise. ...

Coming Events.(Calendar)
January 6, 2003... North America Jan. 12-14 - Platts Aluminum Symposium, Phoenix. Contact Rachel Chavarria (720) 548-5778. Jan. 13-15 - ASTM Committee D34 on Waste Management, Albuquerque, N.M. Contact Dan Scultz (610) 832-9716. Jan. 16-17 - ASTM...

Waste News Commodity Pricing Report.(News)(high density polyethylene)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... PLASTIC DIP: High density polyethylene processors shaved about 2 cents per pound from the price for baled natural and colored HDPE picked up at the seller's dock last month. The decrease resulted from a seasonal lull along with decreasing...

Crystal ball failure.(Special Report)(waste management industry predictions)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Our report card on the predictions offered by industry experts 12 months ago turned up more misses than hits. PREDICTION: The economy will recover, providing a shot in the arm for the manufacturing sector and boosting the amount of solid...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
January 6, 2003... Energy Colo. plant voluntarily reduces emissions Denver - Xcel Energy Inc. was scheduled to begin full operation of a $211 million voluntary emission reduction program at its Denver area coal-fired power plant Jan. 1. The program...

Munitions recycler has eye for detail.(News)(Hazmed Inc.)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Hazmed Inc. has recycled 3.5 million pounds of range residue from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland since March 2000. That has put about $28,000 back into the...

Quote of the Week.(News)(Richard Blumenthal on Clean Air Act proposals)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... It seems that the Bush administration's New Year's resolution is to appease the energy industry by sacrificing the lives of people in the Northeast. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says the Bush administration's proposed...

WMI checks rules after landfill scam.(Waste Management Inc.)(Cover Story)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Waste Management Inc. is reviewing its policies following a $2.5 million settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection stemming from a records falsification scheme. Waste Management, the...

Patent problem; Former WMI unit loses liner lawsuit.(News)(Poly America wins former Waste Management Inc. unit Gundle/SLT Environmental patent case)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Roger Renstrom Poly-America Inc. has won a lawsuit alleging a Gundle/SLT Environmental Inc. business infringed on a patent. The civil trial, held in the U.S. District Court in Dallas, concluded Dec. 19 with the jury returning...

Sleight of hand.(Opinion)(waste diversion in Oregon)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... There is a method to the madness of calculating diversion rates. A city or state's statistics on waste generated, recycled and diverted can be looked at many different ways, depending on what material is counted, who does the calculating...

Up for debate; Clear Skies, tax credits among issues for legislators.(Special Report)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman When Congress returns in January, it will have a number of unresolved environmental issues to tackle, including whether to institute landfill gas tax credits and what to do about limiting greenhouse gases. Tax...

At Deadline: Delaware, EPA to begin chemical cleanup.(Late News)(chlorinated benzene removal from Metachem Products plant)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Delaware City, Del. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will begin removing 1 million tons of chlorinated benzene this month from portions of a former chemical...

Cities turn to gov't for help with sewers.(Special Report)(municipalities request federal funding)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Municipalities are hoping to get some relief next year to pay for improving aging wastewater infrastructures to meet federal standards, but it could be a tough sell in Washington. The U.S. Environmental Protection...

A Look Back.(News)
January 6, 2003... 1916: Several U.S. cities begin switching from horse-drawn to motorized refuse collection vehicles. Five years ago: A judge declares Waste Management Inc. in contempt of court for failing to comply with an order to apply for required...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
January 6, 2003... Waste Management Services Oakleaf repurchases minority interest East Hartford, Conn. - Oakleaf Waste Management LLC bought back its minority interest owned by Encompass Services Corp. of Houston. Encompass filed for protection...

Challenges ahead for paper.(Special Report)(paper recycling forecast)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Paper recycling during the coming year could prove to be challenging in both the residential and commercial sectors. ``I think on the overall market we're going to see a reasonably slow first quarter, with what I...

Old shells, metal concern military.(News)(debris on military bases)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Brass shell casings and mixed metals fall to the ground on military ranges covering millions of acres at bases across the country. The resulting debris must be removed when ranges close, especially if the...

Friction on Pa. Avenue?(Opinion)(George W. Bush's Clean Air Act proposals)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The controversy surrounding President Bush's new rules for air pollution from power plants and other industries escalated last week. Nine Northeastern states filed a suit over the rules, saying the new regulations will damage the environment....

Nine states challenge Bush's air plan.(George W. Bush)(Cover Story)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini Nine states have filed a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's changes to the Clean Air Act's New Source Review rules, and they expect more to join. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published the...

Greenhouse gas emissions drop.(News)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.2 percent in 2001, marking the largest annual decrease during the last decade, according to a report from the Energy Information Administration. The 2001 decline is in...

Notes from Siberia.(Opinion)(ways to help the economy)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... Byline: Allan Gerlat As I ponder writing this column, it's dark, bleak and snowing outside, and looking a bit like the Russian front. Which seems like appropriate conditions to talk about the outlook for 2003. Maybe forecasts would be more...

New Products & Technology.(Products)
January 6, 2003... MADVAC INC. has added a new feature to its 101-D vacuum litter collection vehicle and has introduced a new product, the Madvac 61, a 360-degree rotating vacuum hose support boom. The company's new dual-side gutter broom has a 48-inch vacuum...

Two recycling giants combine forces; WMI, Peltz create Recycle America Alliance unit.(Cover Story)(Waste Management Inc. )
January 20, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Management Inc. sees a far different world of recycling in the years ahead - one where there are fewer material recovery facilities that are far better utilized than today. The nation's largest solid waste...

WN: Staff changes, additional features.(News)(Waste News )
January 20, 2003... Waste News has made several moves to enhance the publication. The publication has promoted Jim Johnson to senior reporter and added correspondent Elizabeth Thompson Beckley, who lives in the Washington area. Waste News also has launched an...

Truck companies focus on air.(News)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Millions of tons of air pollution and millions of barrels of fuel are the target of a new national effort aimed at changing the way truck and rail freight carriers ship goods. SmartWay Transport is an effort...

Personnel.(People)
January 20, 2003... ACS GROUP - Greg Moffitt appointed national sales manager; Richard Kobor appointed executive vice president of operations; Brian Hogan appointed chief financial officer. ASSOCIATION OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS - Dennis Slater elected...

LFG prospects bright, industry officials say.(News)(landfill gas energy industry)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley Despite the challenges in the landfill gas energy industry, landfill developers and operators say opportunities still abound for innovative corporate, state, federal and public-private energy projects. ...

A taxing situation: Absence of credit challenges landfill gas projects.(News)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley The lack of a tax credit for landfill gas-to-energy projects is one of several hurdles facing the landfill gas industry, according to landfill owners and developers at a recent U.S. Environmental...

Firms turn paper waste to fuel.(Cover Story)(Balcones Resources has new Fuel Technology Division in Little Rock, Ark.)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Thousands of tons of manufacturing waste - amalgamated from several Kimberly-Clark Corp. plants - is finding new life as fuel. The push to divert as much waste as possible from landfills has the consumer products...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
January 20, 2003... Hazardous Waste Heritage Crystal-Clean sues Safety-Kleen Elgin, Ill. - Heritage-Crystal Clean LLC filed an antitrust lawsuit Jan. 6 against Safety-Kleen Corp. seeking damages of more than $400 million. The lawsuit, filed in the...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
January 20, 2003... North America Jan. 23-26 - Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Operations Forum, Tampa, Fla. Call (202) 737-1770 or visit www.isri.org. Jan. 27-30 - 6th Electric Utilities Environmental Conference, Tucson, Ariz. Call 520-615-3535...

Liquid solution; Generators can trade credits under EPA plan.(Cover Story)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a controversial plan Jan. 13 to reduce industrial, municipal and agricultural water pollution by instituting a policy that would allow sources of discharges to trade...

Air Force remediates closed Texas base.(News)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman City officials and residents were devastated in July 1995 to learn that Kelly Air Force Base - which at one time employed more than 19,000 - would be closing as part a program to consolidate bases around the...

Wis. cleanup of PCBs costs paper companies.(News)(polychlorinated biphenyls)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson A $76 million dredging-and-waiting plan will be used to clear the Fox River of polychlorinated biphenyls deposited by paper companies from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. The final plan - officially called a...

System grinds, washes, dewaters septage.(Products)(Honey Monster )
January 20, 2003... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst Rakes and hoes can still be found at Stewart's Septic Services in Bradford, Mass., but they spend a lot more time on the shelf since the Honey Monster arrived. The Honey Monster sewage receiving system, made by...

Ohio to recycle, not dispose of, Rx drugs; Gov. signs law to aid low-income patients.(News)(Bob Taft)
January 20, 2003... Gov. Bob Taft has signed into law a measure that will allow Ohioans to donate unused pharmaceuticals to a state-run repository program for distribution to low-income patients who lack prescription drug coverage. Taft, a Republican, signed...

Sens. offer emissions plan.(News)(Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Only days into the new session of Congress, new measures that would regulate emissions of greenhouse gases surfaced in the Senate. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., sponsored one of the...

Battery recycling jumps 12 percent.(News)(rechargeable batteries)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. posted its 2002 recycling results Jan. 9, boasting a 12 percent increase in the amount of rechargeable batteries collected last year. The industry collected nearly 3.4 million...

Nick of time; Chevron to meet Calif. deadline.(News)(phases out methyl tertiary-butyl ether)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The second-largest U.S.-based energy company said it will meet California Gov. Gray Davis' December deadline to phase out methyl tertiary-butyl ether from the gasoline it sells in the state. Chevron USA Inc., a...

Groups sue over off-road emissions.(News)(environmental groups sue EPA over off-road vehicle standards)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Three environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court Jan. 7 challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new emission standards for snowmobiles, dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles. Earthjustice...

Ohio begins campaign to promote recycling.(News)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The state of Ohio is reaching out to a lost generation of recyclers. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources kicked off a television and radio marketing campaign this month to get through to people that just don't...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
January 20, 2003... * The price for magazines in Los Angeles for the week ended Dec. 27, which appeared in the Waste News Commodity Pricing Report on Page 22 in the Jan. 6 issue, should have been $5 per ton. * A news brief on Page 6 of the Jan. 6 issue should...

New federal farm rules don't worry Minnesota.(News)(livestock farm pollution rules)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Minnesota does not expect extensive changes to its state regulations regarding pollution from livestock farms due to new federal rules. The state, instead, said a preliminary review of the new federal rules shows...

A Look Back.(News)
January 20, 2003... Five years ago: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes a federal plan for implementing emission guidelines for large municipal waste combustors in states that do not yet have enforcement strategies. A year ago: The U.S. Supreme...

WN paper prices go online.(News)
January 20, 2003... Waste News has expanded its paper pricing reports. Daily mill prices for 17 grades of paper and prices for six grades of loose paper, which continue to be updated biweekly, now can be found exclusively online at www.wastenews.com. To...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(scrap prices)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... STRONGER STEEL: Scrap steel prices in the New York market area edged up this month, but the increase could be short-lived, recyclers said. The average price for steel cans, which had been stagnant for some time, increased from $11 per ton to...

Military to seek regulatory relief.(News)(relief from environmental laws requested)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Bruce Geiselman U.S. Defense Department officials plan to return to Congress this session to request relief from six environmental laws that they say hamper the military's ability to train troops. The Pentagon plans for the...

A rising tide.(Opinion)(Waste Management Inc., Peltz Group merge)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Recycling in general has been lethargic for some time now. Waste Management Inc. may just have given it a shot of adrenaline. The nation's largest solid waste company has said in the last couple years that recycling is a part of its...

Bad marks; Group gives computer manufacturers failing grades.(News)(GrassRoots Recycling Network)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini The 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show this month drew 116,687 attendees, which included environmentalists critical of the industry's and government's roles in cleaning up scrap electronics. The Computer...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
January 20, 2003... Superfund Dallas metal recycler to clean up site Dallas - RSR Corp. and two of its subsidiaries have agreed to clean up a Superfund site in Dallas, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the project could cost the...

NY to resume plastic pickup.(News)
January 20, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini If all goes as planned, New York City will resume residential curbside collection of plastic containers in July. Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty told the City Council on Jan. 13 that the city expects to sign...

At Deadline: Big-name firms launch climate exchange.(Late News)(emissions trading initiative)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Businesses and municipalities from across North America are joining a voluntary private sector program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and trade credits. Big-name companies from multiple business sectors announced their participation...

Diary shredding.(Opinion)(disposal of computer information)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Most people would never trade in a private diary at a used book store. And most would never ditch hard copies of old financial records without tearing them up first. But something about computers, about their ability to compress reams of data...

Quote of the Week.(News)(Peter Muscanelli)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Nothing guarantees that the information is 100 percent removed unless you destroy it. Peter Muscanelli, administrator of the International Association of Electronic Recyclers in Albany, N.Y., discusses the methods used to delete...

Letters.
January 20, 2003... Anything but clear-cut Thank you for the thorough coverage of the recent settlement of the Staples Inc. market campaign [``Conspicuous consumption,'' Nov. 25, Page 8]. The reason why we can't allow the market to drive our...

New products & technology.(Products)
January 20, 2003... ZEBRA SKIMMERS CORP. has introduced the Zebra Muscle coalescing system, a skimmer, aerator and oil separator all in one with spinwelded fittings to create a leak-proof skimming system, according to the company. Spinwelding is a method of...

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)(Clean Air Act)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2003... Q. Would the president's proposed Clean Air Act changes hurt air quality in the Northeastern United States? (Pie chart represents answers: see printed publication.) From Waste News Web site Jan. 8-14. To vote in the current Waste News...

Privacy warning; LA firm: Hard drive recycling holds risks.(Cover Story)(Computer Forensics International )
January 20, 2003... Byline: Joe Truini It happened to former Beatle Paul McCartney and it could happen to you and your company, a U.S. computer company warns. Personal data is turning up on discarded computers. In 2000, a computer bought on the secondary...