Waste News articles from January 2004

Waste News archives from January 2004

Q&A with Michael Hoffman.(Special Report)(Interview)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Brennan Lafferty Environmental service companies play a key role in managing all types of waste and pollution, with the publicly traded firms handling the lion's share of some markets. As managing director of the diversified...

A Look Back.(News)
January 5, 2004... 1984: During the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, spectators and participants produce 6.5 million pounds of trash in 22 days, an average of more than 6 pounds per person per day, almost double the national average of 3.6 pounds per person per day....

'04: It only gets weirder.(Opinion)(Calendar)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat Those who don't know the future are doomed to experience it. So to help you cope, here's a month-by-month look at what's in store environmentally for 2004: JANUARY - The presidential candidacy of Dennis Kucinich...

Appeals court stalls contentious air rule; Action comes 2 days before change became official.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Controversial changes to the New Source Review provision of the Clean Air Act won't even have a chance to get started - at least not yet. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered the...

China's demand sparks OCC surge.(Special Report)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Prices for a benchmark recycled fiber grade could double by next summer as overseas demand for used fiber continues to grow. China has several new paper machines coming on-line in 2004 that will be fed with old...

Generators' trash bills will grow this year.(Special Report)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson This year could be the year that the solid waste industry plays some fiscal catch-up, and as a result, waste generators may end up paying more for trash services. Republic Services Inc., the third-largest solid...

Wash. city expands curb pickup.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The city of Kirkland has implemented one of Washington's most comprehensive recycling programs, collecting food waste, reusable clothing and electronics at the curb. Residents began recycling the material through the...

Producer pays; Ontario makes manufacturers fund half of curbside program.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The province of Ontario has set a precedent for producer responsibility. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment approved a measure Dec. 22 requiring packaged goods makers to pay for half of local governments'...

Roll with it; Motorcycle group calls new emissions rule 'reasonable'.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Motorcycles, which emit more pollution per mile than automobiles and sport utility vehicles, are the latest target of federal environmental rulemakers. Emission regulation changes created Dec. 23 by the U.S....

EPA 500-day plan should answer questions.(Special Report)(Environmental Protection Agency )
January 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enters 2004 with a new administrator, and environmentalists and the business community alike say they aren't certain what to expect from the agency in the coming year. ...

City OKs funding for test; San Diego to compare wastewater systems.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Roger Renstrom San Diego is proceeding with a pilot program to test the Biostyr and Biofor brands of biological aerated filter systems. "We aim to complete the field work by September and finish the report by December,'' said...

Heavy cargo; Judge fines Ohio airfreight carrier $6 million for hazmat violations.(Emery Worldwide Airlines Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal judge has sentenced Emery Worldwide Airlines Inc. to pay a $6 million fine for multiple violations of the Hazardous Material Transportation Act. It was the maximum sentence possible, according to the...

Cleveland e-recycler plans big; Glut of electronics gives RET3 chance to add jobs in 2004.(News)(RET3 Job Corp Inc.)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jeff Stacklin As more consumers dream about flat-panel televisions or monitors for their computers, a Cleveland computer recycling center is gearing up to handle unwanted television sets and computer displays that contain lead and...

Supplier News.(Briefs)
January 5, 2004... Heil now offers replacement parts Chattanooga, Tenn. - Parts Central, a Heil company, in January will begin offering replacement parts for all makes and models of refuse collection vehicles, according to the company. Parts Central and...

Effect of steel tariff repeal may be minimal.(Special Report)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini President Bush's decision to repeal the steel tariffs that gave the scrap steel industry a boost nearly two years ago will have just the opposite effect, reducing scrap demand and hurting U.S. scrap dealers. Right? ...

Calif. group prepares for possible WTE fight.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Environmental activists are vowing to defeat what they claim are Alameda's municipal electric utility's plans to build a waste-to-energy facility in California. Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice...

The next chapter; Safety-Kleen Corp. emerges from bankruptcy protection.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Safety-Kleen Corp is emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after more than three years. The Plano, Texas-based industrial waste management company has been preparing to exit Chapter 11 protection as a...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
January 5, 2004... Stock Markets Philip delisted from Toronto exchange Houston - Philip Services Corp. is voluntarily delisting its shares from Toronto Stock Exchange, the company said Dec. 22. The scrap metal recycling and environmental services...

Trex ventures into Miss. Company to open 3rd plant that makes decks from waste material.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Trex Company Inc. will open its third and largest manufacturing plant by mid-2005 when it expands its operations into Mississippi. Trex officials expect the plant in Olive Branch, Miss., to become the company's...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... (With graph: Chicago Natural HDPE): AN UNNATURAL HIGH: The price for recovered natural high-density polyethylene edged up again in December. A raw material shortage is threatening to increase virgin resin prices. The anticipated rise in the...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
January 5, 2004... Office Products Office Depot offers 1st green catalog Delray Beach, Fla. - Office Depot Inc., a retailer of office products, is introducing the industry's first catalog consisting entirely of environmentally preferable products printed...

Plasma system makes hydrogen from waste.(Products)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst When it comes to describing Startech Environmental Corp.'s plasma converter system, Chief Operating Officer Joe Longo can't stop himself from mentioning fruit. "It's a recycled quote, but we keep using it and I...

Coming Events.(Calendar)
January 5, 2004... North America Jan. 14-16 - North American Environmental Field Conference and Expo, Tampa, Fla. Call (740) 965-5026. Jan. 18-20 - Aluminum Symposium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Call (800) 752-8878 or visit www.aluminum.platts.com. Jan....

Brokering the peace.(Opinion)(New Source Review generates controversy)
January 5, 2004... The controversial New Source Review got a whole lot more controversial with the appeals court ruling to delay its implementation. The Bush administration's proposed provision to the Clean Air Act might just embody the nation's schism in...

At Deadline.(Late News)(federal court overturns local by-law)(Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries re-signs Robin Wiener)(eighteen Massachusetts groups get recycling grants)
January 5, 2004... Court sides with Pa.'s biosolids law Williamsport, Pa. - A federal court has struck down most of the provisions of a Pennsylvania township's ordinance that prohibited the reclamation of old mine sites using biosolids. The U.S. District...

Stanley Litman.(Obituary)(Obituary)
January 5, 2004... Stanley H. Litman, co-founder of Texas Recycling/Surplus Inc. in Dallas, died Dec. 28. He was 75. Litman, who was born in Kansas City, Mo., co-founded Texas Recycling/Surplus in 1992 with his sons Joel and Craig. He had previously co-owned...

Calif. meets MTBE deadline.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini California refiners have met the state's Jan. 1 deadline to remove a banned fuel additive from gasoline, much to the pleasure of water agencies around the state. A report prepared last month by the California Air...

A trashy outlook; Financial health ahead means more waste.(Special Report)( National Association for Business Economics)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson This is how it works: A lagging economy means less business activity and consumer confidence. That translates into fewer products being manufactured, bought and sold. And that, in turn, eventually ends up trickling...

New Hampshire recycler expands intake of C&D.(News)(Environmental Resource Return Corp.)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson New Hampshire's largest construction and demolition debris recycler is getting even bigger. Environmental Resource Return Corp. has received the state's permission to expand the amount of material it receives...

Compensation varies greatly in solid waste.(News)(EC2 Consulting LLC)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Salaries within the solid waste industry vary by as much as 20 percent, depending on the area of the country, a national compensation survey shows. EC2 Consulting LLC, based near Columbus, Ohio, gathered...

Republicans to push hard for energy bill.(Special Report)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman When the Senate returns from its holiday recess Jan. 20, one of the first issues to tackle will be the passage of an energy bill that includes tax incentives for generating electricity from landfill gas and other...

Take corporate citizenship seriously.
January 5, 2004... Byline: John S. Hadfield We have come a long way from the days when corporate abuse of the environment was an act of ignorance, with a company saying, "We just didn't know.'' Today, environmental stewardship is a responsibility with...

Rochester 1st city to bar-code trash cans.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Trash workers are using bar code technology for the first time to keep track of tens of thousands of garbage containers that the city of Rochester provides its residents. Rochester and Cascade Engineering Inc.,...

Wind energy ties hopes to unrelated future bill.(Special Report)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Wind energy development could be a casualty of the shelved national energy bill. A three-year wind energy production tax credit expired this year, which will jeopardize investment in and development of new wind...

EPA pulls funding from e-waste project.(Special Report)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The future of the national dialogue to develop a national electronic waste recycling system is looking bleak, and even if it does continue, it will without the support of the federal government. The U.S....

New Products & Technology.(Products)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst METTLER-TOLEDO INC. has introduced the Unattended Weighing Terminal. The full-featured, entry-level unit is outfitted with VSX inbound-outbound vehicle transaction software operating on the JagXtreme scale terminal...

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)(way to improve cellular phone recovery rates)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... Q: What's the best way to boost the recovery rate of discarded cell phones? A: Improve mfr. take-back programs: 49.1% Offer consumers incentives to donate: 25% Create permanent drop-off sites: 14.8% Improve collection-program...

ENDORSEMENT BUTTONS: FROM UNIONS TO ACTIVISTS TO ENTERTAINERS, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES HAVE STRONG & VARIED SUPPORT.(Special Report)
January 19, 2004... DENNIS KUCINICH National Coalition of Organized Women International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23 (Tacoma, Wash.) Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. Danny Glover, actor Ed Asner, actor Willie Nelson, musician ...

DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS' BIOGRAPHIES/THE INCUMBENT.(Special Report)(Biography)
January 19, 2004... Candidate: Carol Moseley Braun Age: 56 Education: University of Illinois-Chicago, bachelor of arts, 1969; University of Chicago Law School, 1972. Qualifications: Consultant, CMBraun LLC 1998-present; board member, Illinois...

New Products & Technology.(Products)
January 19, 2004... GLOBAL EQUIPMENT MARKETING INC. has introduced the Rhino Wheelwash System in the United States. The system had previously been available in Europe, where it is used by quarries, construction and demolition sites, coal-fired power plants,...

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)
January 19, 2004... Q: How would you rate 2003 overall in terms of environmental developments? A: Excellent: 5% Good: 15% Average: 25% Poor: 32.1% Terrible: 22.9% From the Waste News Web site, Dec. 22-Jan. 5. To vote in the current...

Recycling bandwagon.(Directory)
January 19, 2004... Electronics makers taking part in the pilot program: Apple Computers Inc. Brother Industries Inc. Dell Inc. Epson America Inc. Intel Corp. Lexmark International Inc. Panasonic Co. Sharp Electronics Co. ...

Voters speak.(Special Report)
January 19, 2004... Which issue do you think is most important right now?* Drinking water: 30% Clean air: 20% Hazardous waste: 15% Global warming: 11% Recycling: 7% Suburban sprawl: 5% Litter: 5% Endangered species: 3% ...

Trends: 3rd time's a charm?(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Philip Services Corp., which just emerged from bankruptcy for the second time in four years, has suffered a steady decline in revenue since 1998. 1998: $2.0 billion 2000: $1.6 billion 2002: $1.1 billion See story, Page 14 ...

Cow remains go to Wash. landfill; 449 carcasses deemed contamination-free after mad cow scare.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Carcasses from hundreds of calves killed in the nation's first mad cow scare posed no contamination danger at disposal and were sent to a large Washington State landfill. A total of 449 calves were euthanized Jan. 6...

Reed joins sales staff.(News)(Waste News.)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Debi Reed has joined Waste News as its new sales assistant. Reed comes to Waste News after working seven years for its sister publications Tire Business and Rubber & Plastics News. There, she was an assistant to the sales forces while also...

Maker pays; Staples pilot computer take-back program may set mold for nation.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Staples Inc. is spearheading a computer take-back pilot program that calls for electronics makers to pay for the recycling of their own name brand products. Staples will handle the collection of end-of-life...

Nev. raises nuke waste, water concerns.(News)(Nevada)(Column)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Lawyers for the state of Nevada and the Natural Resources Defense Council argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington that the federal government's plan to build a nuclear waste repository in Nevada would...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
January 19, 2004... Solid Waste Management Cleanevent wins contract for Olympics Orlando, Fla. - Cleanevent International Group has won a multimillion-dollar contract to handle all cleaning and waste management at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens,...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... (With graph: Soft mixed paper): A SILENT WINTER: Overall, the recovered fiber market has been quiet in both the domestic and export markets. The old corrugated container market is gaining momentum, mainly fueled by strong demand from China, but...

Receptive crowd.(Opinion)(environmental policy will be the major issue in the coming presidential elections)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Environmental issues might not make or break this year's presidential election, but expect them to play a significant role in determining who is the next chief executive. The election really gets under way this week as the state caucus and...

Reminding NYC; Group plasters subways with recycling message.(News)(New York City)(Column)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini An environmental group is dropping $50,000 to spread the word to New Yorkers to prepare them for the rebirth of the city's recycling program this year. The New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council launched an...

Ore. plastic container rate hits lowest point.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Plastic container recycling in Oregon is slipping to the legal minimum but the state could have trouble getting manufacturers to beef up the recycling rate. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality released the...

Suarez becomes 5th EPA official to resign.(News)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A high-ranking Bush appointee to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency submitted his resignation Jan. 5. Assistant Administrator J.P. Suarez, who headed the Office of Enforcement and Compliance, thanked the...

NASA takes 1 small step at Ariz. landfill; Agency tests Mars vehicle at Waste Management site.(News)(National Aeronautics and Space Agency)(Column)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Work at a remote Arizona landfill just might help put a man on Mars one day. NASA - which is making news these days with its the landing of the first of two exploration rovers on the surface of the red planet - used...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
January 19, 2004... Greenhouse Gas Emissions 3M, Kodak among goal-setting group Washington - Ten major corporations have set greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the federal government's Climate Leaders voluntary program. 3M Corp., Eastman...

Time's a wasting.(Opinion)(business friendly administration)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... There is no doubt the Bush administration is business friendly. In this issue alone, the administration is attempting to alter rules for the mining industry and the air conditioning industry in hopes of alleviating some legislative and...

Quote of the Week.(News)
January 19, 2004... Nobody talks about drinking water, and damn few people talk about hazardous waste. Michael McKenna, president of Washington-based public opinion firm Andres-McKenna Research, says the environmental issues that voters care about most deeply...

Personnel.(People)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... AUTOCAR LLC - Jay Sather named warranty, parts and service manager. AUTOMOTIVE PARTS REBUILDERS ASSOCIATION - Robert McLaren named chairman; Robin Gedye named manager, brake division; Peter Bain named secretary. GOOD POINT RECYCLING -...

Democrats hold edge on fading issue; Party may re-emphasize environmental positions during summertime campaign.(Special Report)(Column)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Democrats running for president have a decided edge among voters concerned primarily about the environment, according to many political observers, but they disagree about how prominent a role environmental...

Pulling strings at EPA.(Opinion)(Environmental Protection Agency)(Column)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach The other night before bed, my son Rob and I read The Adventures of Pinocchio. We both loved it. Everyone in my family has always loved Pinocchio, it seems. Even our cat, Patsy, lay still beside Rob and me, hanging...

Houston businesses will pay for contamination.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Several companies will combine to pay $100 million to settle a five-year battle over environmental contamination allegedly caused by a pesticide and agricultural chemical plant that lies adjacent to land owned by the...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
January 19, 2004... North America Jan. 20-21 - Strategies, Innovations and Solutions For Waste Management, Toronto. Contact Kelly Murray (416) 944-9200. Jan. 20-22 - Electric Utilities Environmental Annual Conference, Tucson, Ariz. Contact P. Dayal (520)...

Cleveland asks businesses to empty city's trash bins.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The city of Cleveland will not remove public trash receptacles but is banking on help from its business community to keep them in place - and empty. Cleveland Mayor Jane L. Campbell unveiled a plan Jan. 12 that could...

Candidates ignore top concern of voters; Some speeches mention air pollution issues, but electorate worries most about clean water.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Elizabeth Thompson Beckley With the exception of clean air, the environmental issues voters think are most important are not those the 2004 presidential candidates are speaking about on the stump. Emissions from energy...

Superfund lacked cash in '03.(News)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Superfund program that pays for the cleanup of the nation's most contaminated sites fell nearly $175 million short of the funding necessary to undertake all of the efforts proposed by the U.S. Environmental...

Ken Pratt Sr.(Obituary)(Obituary)
January 19, 2004... Ken Pratt Sr., the chief operating officer of Al-jon Inc., a maker of equipment for the solid waste and scrap metal industries, died of natural causes Dec. 24. He was 62. Pratt worked in the waste industry for more than 25 years, beginning...

Philip emerges from bankruptcy, again.(News)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Philip Services Corp. is getting a second second chance. The Houston-based environmental services and scrap metal company emerged once again from bankruptcy Dec. 31. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern...

Ore. launches HazWaste.net.(Oregon)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Businesses in Oregon can start using a new electronic system to report the types and amounts of hazardous wastes they generate. HazWaste.net is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to submit their...

Mining plan raises green groups' ire.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Bush administration has proposed new rules that it says would clarify limits on surface coal mining activities near streams, but environmentalists argue that the proposed changes would weaken existing...

Allied hits '03 sell-off goal.(News)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Allied Waste Industries Inc. surpassed its goal of selling at least $300 million worth of assets last year to help pay off debt. Allied, the nation's second-largest solid waste management company, has made debt...

Thomas B. Rumpke.(Obituary)
January 19, 2004... Byline: From Waste News staff reports Thomas B. Rumpke, the co-owner of one of the largest private solid waste companies in the nation, died Jan. 4 from cancer. He was 63. Mr. Rumpke spent his whole life in the family business, which is...

N-Viro to test waste-fuel conversion technology.(Products)(N-Viro International Corp.)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini N-Viro International Corp. will test new technology to convert organic waste into an alternative fossil fuel additive at a coal-fired power plant by the second quarter. The company's patented technology dries organic...

Supplier News.(Briefs)(Vermeer Sales & Service will sell Shred Max products)(PC Scale Inc. has formed an alliance with Xnetics Network Solutions Inc.)(Metropolitan Paper Recycling Inc. has opened a new paper recycling plant in Brooklyn)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Vermeer will sell Shred Max products Burnsville, Minn. - Vermeer Sales & Service for the first time will represent a line of heavy equipment that carries another company's brand name. The Minnesota dealership for Vermeer will begin...

Volkswagen, food giant invest in biodiesel; Food-based oil project could result in less polluting fuel.(News)(Archer Daniels Midland Co.)
January 19, 2004... Volkwagen AG sees soybeans as a possible pollution solution in the years to come. The global automaker is signing on with agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. to work on a new program to create so-called biodiesel to fuel future...

Journal: Industry pollution means extinction.(News)(Column)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman About one-quarter of the species of land plants and animals could be headed for extinction by 2050 unless power plants, manufacturers and other polluters drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to...

Gore blasts Bush on environment.(News)(Al Gore)(George W. Bush)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Former Vice President Al Gore, who lost a bitterly contested presidential campaign to George Bush four years ago, called Bush a "moral coward'' during a Jan. 15 speech and attacked the administration's environmental...

High court considers engine, runoff cases.(News)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in two environmental cases that could have national implications. In the first case, the Engine Manufacturers Association and the Western States Petroleum...

At Deadline.(Late News)(State and federal agencies have completed a $1 million project to clean up the Sybill Oil site in Detroit)(Ronald A. Rittenmeyer is leaving Safety-Kleen Systems Inc. after leading the industrial waste management company out of bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Duo cleans up Mich. oil recycling plant Detroit - State and federal agencies have completed a $1 million project to clean up the Sybill Oil site in Detroit, a defunct oil recycling facility. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

Letter: Curbside interloper?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 19, 2004... Thank you for your article highlighting the strengths of public-private partnerships to maintain recycling programs in cash-strapped communities ["Curbside cuts hit Ohio, nation,'' Dec. 8, Page 3]. The article demonstrates how private...

Court freezes Bush AC plan; Air conditioners' energy efficiency standards will stay in place.(News)(George W. Bush)(Air Conditioning)
January 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal appeals court has quashed Bush administration plans to roll back energy efficiency standards for air conditioners adopted during the Clinton administration and replace them with less stringent...

A Look Back.(News)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Five years ago: Casella Waste Systems Inc., a solid waste management company based in Rutland, Vt., and KTI Inc., a New Jersey recycling and waste-to-energy company, announce a $385 million plan to merge their operations. A year ago: Waste...