Waste News articles from July 2004

Waste News archives from July 2004

Report: Warming inevitable but reducible.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A new report says curtailing emissions of greenhouse gases and planning methods for adapting may lessen the impact of climate change. "It's important at the outset to realize that even if Draconian measures were...

Container recycling has lost its fizz.(Opinion)(National Association of PET Container Resources)(Beverage Producers Environmental Council)(Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers)(Minnesota)
July 5, 2004... Byline: David Wood Recent moves by the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers designed to spur improvements in plastic beverage container recycling offer a glimpse into not only the problems facing domestic processors, but also into...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
July 5, 2004... Hauling Avalon sells unit to concentrate efforts Warren, Ohio - Avalon Holdings Corp. has reached an agreement to sell its transportation businesses to focus on its waste operations. The June 25 agreement includes the sale of all...

Soil tainted by paper firms headed to Wisconsin site.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Initial shipments of contaminated soil from the cleanup of PCBs in the Fox River should start heading to an Onyx Waste Services Inc. landfill within a few months. Onyx Waste has captured the hauling, transportation...

States receive soot notification.(News)(United States Enviromental Protection Agency ntifies standards of pollution control)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Nearly 100 million people in 243 U.S. counties live in areas designated as having unhealthy amounts of fine particle pollution, such as soot emitted from cars, buses, power plants and industrial sources. The...

Toxic release report paints murky picture.(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues the toxic inventory in june 23)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Depending on the math, U.S. toxic chemical releases increased or decreased in 2002. Adding to the confusion, a new study claims the federal government has significantly underreported toxic air emissions from...

Blocking maneuver; Ohio fights U.S. EPA's new ozone rule in court.(News)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The state of Ohio has gone to federal court in hopes of blocking the federal government's plan for implementing new ozone standards. Ohio officials said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plan would not...

U.S. helps Mexico with bus emissions.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Mexico is dipping its toe into diesel emissions reduction through a pilot project funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A new $511,000 program aims to retrofit 20 diesel-fueled buses in Mexico...

EPA takes heat over mercury reduction plan.(News)(Enviroment Protection Act)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Michigan environmental groups are taking to the airwaves to push for cleaner air while U.S. congressional members criticize the Bush administration's plans to cut mercury emissions. The Michigan Environmental Council...

Malleable benchmarks.(Opinion)(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency checks om Txis inventory waste)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Releasing environmental data should help clarify conditions, not further confuse them. Unfortunately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's disclosure of its latest Toxic Release Inventory raises more questions than provides answers. ...

GAO questions military cleanup estimates.(General Accounting Office, United States, Department of Defense)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A congressional report questions Defense Department cost estimates for cleaning up operational military ranges and whether the agency has adequately identified contaminated sites. In addition, the report from...

Council warns of additional NSR lawsuit; Indiana, Ohio or Louisiana may face court date with groups over air regulation reform.(News)(New Source Reform)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Environmentalists are preparing to launch yet another legal challenge to the Bush administration's New Source Review reforms. Environmentalists already have filed two federal lawsuits against the U.S....

New Maine owner; Contaminated mill sold to city.(News)(First Paper Holding Corp)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Hundreds of drums and other containers full of hazardous waste are being removed from a shuttered paper mill that's been turned over to the town of Brewer. Brewer took possession of the former Eastern Pulp and Paper...

Up in the radioactive air; Uranium waste may spark lawsuits from Ohio, Nevada.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The threats of lawsuits surrounding a uranium enrichment facility in Fernald, Ohio, are piling up like the radioactive waste at the site. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro threatened June 25 to sue the U.S. Department...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... (With graph: Corrugated containers): STEADY EDDY: The recovered newspaper market is stable but quiet. Domestic and overseas mill demand is consistent. Exports range from $100 to $105 per ton on the East Coast and $115 per ton on the West Coast....

Paper recovery passes 50%.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Less than half of all paper made in the U.S. is going into landfills for the first time. Paper recovery hit an all-time high of just more than 50 percent last year, according to new statistics from the American...

Out of bankruptcy, Safety-Kleen replaces Rittenmeyer with new CEO.(News)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Safety-Kleen Corp. has replaced the man that led the company from bankruptcy. On June 28, the company named Frederick J. Florjancic Jr. its president and CEO, replacing Ronald A. Rittenmeyer. Rittenmeyer joined...

Supplier News.(Briefs)
July 5, 2004... PC Scale opens new office in Fla. Oxford, Pa. - PC Scale Inc. has opened a field office in Jacksonville, Fla., to provide technical support and installation and training of its software systems to customers in the South. PC Scale's...

China's appetite for paper overwhelming.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson North America, the largest supplier of recycled fiber to the growing Asia market, will need help from the rest of the world to meet the continually growing demand from the East. "I just don't think we can do it...

Tight trucking market; Paper companies shipping recycled material compete with other sectors for transportation.(News)(William Edwards Inc creates a transportation market for recycyled paper)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Moving tonnage can be more difficult these days for the nation's paper recyclers as a variety of factors have conspired to create hurdles. An improving general economy, for one, has created a tight transportation...

Guidelines may assist paper industry rookies.(News)(specifiations of recycling of paper )
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Ralph Simon remembers back to 1976, as a young man entering the recycled paper business. He remembers picking up a scrap specification circular covering the many different grades of recovered fiber. He remembers...

Rubber removal; Ohio makes progress on scrap tire cleanup.(News)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Miles Moore By the end of May, the state of Ohio had cleaned up 30 million scrap tires within its borders in a concerted 14-year effort, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Twenty-two million tires have been...

Last call for haulers; Waste News seeks firms' data for annual ranking.(News)(waste management industry surveys)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Waste News needs your help. If your company hauls, processes or disposes of solid, hazardous, liquid or other types of waste, please visit our Web site and complete our Hauling and Disposal survey. The 100 largest companies in North...

Mo. papers give mixed recycling report.(News)(Missouri publications )
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Most Missouri publications reporting their recycled paper usage exceeded a state goal of using at least 50 percent recycled content paper. Eighty-five publications in the state reported their recycled paper use to...

Personnel.(People)(appointment of the officials in various companies)
July 5, 2004... AUGUST MACK ENVIRONMENTAL INC. - Hari Krishna promoted to senior engineer. AUTOCAR - Charlie Luper appointed director of sales services. CALGON CARBON CORP. - Michael Mocniak elected senior vice president, general counsel and...

A Look Back.(News)(Citigroup plans for waste disposal )(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Five years ago: A federal judge issues a preliminary injunction blocking a group of new laws adopted by the state of Virginia aimed at restricting the importation of garbage into the state. A year ago: Citigroup says it expects to eliminate...

NOT QUITE THE BRICKYARD.(News)(Air & Waste Management Association)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Toy stock cars race around a track set up for attendees to enjoy at the Air & Waste Management Association conference - held in Indianapolis, of course.

New Products & Technology.(Products)
July 5, 2004... BANDIT INDUSTRIES INC. has introduced the hydraulic feed, drum-style Model 1290-H. The 37-inch diameter drum is nearly double that of competitive 12-inch drum-style chippers on the market, the company said. The added diameter enables the 1290-H...

Strong belief in wet trash; Onyx makes huge strides toward bioreactor landfills.(News)(Onyx Waste Services Inc)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Count Onyx Waste Services Inc. as a believer in bioreactor landfills. What has now become years of work in the field has the nation's fourth-largest solid waste management company believing it can reduce landfill...

Onyx makes Mich. inroads.(News)(Onyx Waste Services Inc plans for road construction)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Some 19,000 residents in Pontiac, Mich., saw some big changes last week with their trash collection. Onyx Waste Services Inc. privatized the city's trash collection June 28 as the company began a 20-year contract...

Time's e-wasting.(Opinion)(Electronic industry planning for devlopment)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... When is a deadline not a deadline? Whenever those in the electronics industry set one. Three years after a group convened a series of meetings to create a national electronics recycling system, the country still does not have one. In...

At Deadline.(Late News)
July 5, 2004... New fisheries rule will cut wastewater Washington-A new rule impacting farm-raised fish facilities will reduce discharges from sites that generate wastewater and discharge it directly into U.S. waters. When the agency fully implements...

Quote of the Week.(News)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... This is the EPA trying to talk itself out of a parking ticket. Angela Ledford, director of Clear the Air, says the EPA's decision to reconsider a provision it adopted last year as part of its New Source Review reforms is simply an attempt...

Tenn. grapples with waste diversion issues.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson The amount of trash heading to Tennessee landfills, on a per capita basis, has increased, according to the latest statistics from state officials. The state, which measures its landfill rate using 1995 as the base...

Super-sized psyche.(Opinion)(Environmentally Friendly Cars)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat Do we think what Madison Avenue tells us to think? Maybe a little more than we'd like to admit. In the movie-documentary "Super Size Me,'' director/guinea pig Morgan Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's food for a...

EPA to reassess New Source rules.(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman U.S. environmental officials have agreed to reconsider a provision that it adopted as part of New Source Review reforms last year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - citing petitions from environmental...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
July 5, 2004... Wind Energy Court favors Cape Cod wind project Boston - A federal appeals court has sided with the developers of a Cape Cod wind energy project, dealing a blow to opposition of the proposed wind farm. The U.S. Court of Appeals for...

Snail's pace for e-waste; Group reports progress, but finance plan not set.
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The electronics industry made progress on a national electronics recycling financing model at its spring meeting in Washington, but failed to reach a consensus as some had hoped. Members of the Electronic Industries...

Baltimore saves recycling, trash services.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Mayor Martin O'Malley didn't get all the new tax revenue he wanted, but Baltimore's curbside recycling program has been spared. Baltimore city officials opted to keep the program as they hammered out a $2.1 billion...

Population boom means more pollution in cities.(News)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The world's rapid population growth is placing increasing pressure on the environment, according to experts. In addition, populations are moving from rural settings to urban centers, which concentrates the...

Industry needs assist with sustainability.(News)(Cinergy Corp plans solve the enviromental problems)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Adopting sustainable environmental practices makes economic sense for businesses, but the government must provide more leadership in that area, according to panelists at a recent conference. James E. Rogers,...

A large mine fine; Ariz. site bypassed controls, gov't says.(News)(Phelps Dodge Sierrita Inc pays for the illegal discharge of sulfur dioxide)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini An Arizona copper mining firm will pay $1.4 million for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act under a June 21 settlement . The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates Phelps Dodge Sierrita Inc. illegally...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
July 5, 2004... North America July 12 - Integrity in Science, Washington. Call (202) 332-9110 or visit www.integrityinscience.org. July 15-17 - Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Summer Board/Committee Meeting, Washington. Call (202) 737-1770 or...

WTE industry showing signs of a rebound; Factors that spawned growth in 1970s and 1980s are recurring, consultant says.(News)(waste-to-energy)
July 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Despite uncertainty about the future of the waste-to-energy industry in the United States, one expert believes there's reason for optimism. The waste-to-energy industry has been on a roller coaster, rapidly...

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)(public opinion on unted states trucks to travel on highways)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2004... Q: Will allowing Mexico-based trucks to travel U.S. highways harm air quality? (Pie chart) A: Yes: 73.0% No: 18.6% We'll see: 8.3% From the Waste News Web site, June 21-28, 2004. To vote in the current Waste News Poll,...

Contract buoys hopes; Pact should reduce number of ships in James River.(News)(Marine Metals)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Federal maritime officials hope a contract awarded to a Texas company will reduce the size of its Ghost Fleet of obsolete ships moored in the James River. The U.S. Maritime Administration, which is in charge of...

Rock-Tenn shuts down Mich. mill.(News)(Facility Closures)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A recycled-based paperboard mill, with an annual capacity of more than 100,000 tons of production, is closing is doors. Recycled packaging products maker Rock-Tenn Co. is shuttering its Otsego, Mich., mill in a move...

EU mulls Sonoco venture; S.C. recycled products maker seeks merger of European operation.(News)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A proposed joint venture between Sonoco Products Co. and a Finnish company is receiving increased scrutiny from European regulators. The European Union wants to take a harder look at a proposal for Sonoco to combine...

HP shoots for 1 billion pounds recycled.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Hewlett-Packard Co. has set a goal to recycle 1 billion pounds of electronics and printing supplies by 2007. The Palo Alto computer maker and imaging and printing firm unveiled its accelerated global recycling plan...

Waste News Pricing Report.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... (With graph: Los Angeles Recovered PET): A REGIONAL BOOST: Export demand has given recovered polyethylene terephthalate prices on the West Coast a boost while prices remain constant in most other parts of the country. Los Angeles prices edged...

Follow these two leaders.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Office Depot Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. have taken a significant step to address the growing electronic waste problem. The two companies are launching the first free national e-recycling program in the United States. Office Depot will...

A Look Back.(News)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
July 19, 2004... 1899: The federal Rivers and Harbors Act restricts dumping in navigable rivers to keep them clear for shipping. Five years ago: Waste Management Inc.'s stock drops nearly $20 in a single day after the company reveals a $250 million...

At Deadline.(Late News)
July 19, 2004... GAO urges SEC to stiffen disclosure regs Washington-Congressional investigators are recommending that federal regulators require publicly traded companies to better disclose environmental issues facing the companies. Congress' General...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
July 19, 2004... Electronics Dell offers free recycling to buyers Round Rock, Texas - Dell Inc. is offering free computer recycling for a limited time for customers buying new Dell desktop or notebook computers, the company said July 13. The...

Utility feels Texas heat; Whistleblower alleges AEP burned hazardous waste.(American Electric Power Company Inc.)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A former American Electric Power Company Inc. environmental official claims the company cooked the books as well as hazardous waste at three Texas power plants. The company exceeded permitted emission and heat input...

Oil industry sues Calif. in water dispute.(News)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The oil industry has filed a federal lawsuit to block the state of California from pushing its water quality rules on oil platforms operating in federal waters. The Western States Petroleum Association filed the...

Q&A with Michael Cordesman.(Special Report)(Interview)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Michael J. Cordesman is president and chief operating officer for Republic Services Inc., the nation's third-largest solid waste management company. Cordesman oversees the day-to-day operations of the Fort Lauderdale,...

Recicle telefonos; ReCellular to provide cell phone recycling services in Latin America.(News)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini An American electronics recycler is working with a Spanish trade group to expand cell phone recycling in Latin America and the Caribbean. ReCellular Inc. has signed a five-year pact to provide cell phone recycling...

EPA gets low marks for petroleum supervision; Inspector general says agency must improve monitoring of industry's emissions.(News)(Environmental Protection Agency)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Petroleum refiners are not receiving proper pollution oversight from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a report from an agency watchdog. EPA Inspector General Nikki Tinsley released a report...

A plastic bottleneck; Bottle bills discussed, but association mum.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken Plans by the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers to develop a lobbying position on how to boost recycling have hit a snag. Several sources at the group's late June board meeting in Seattle said the...

Both sides claim win in Yucca Mt. decision.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal appeals court rejected many of the state of Nevada's arguments seeking to block construction of an underground storage site for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. However, it agreed that the government...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
July 19, 2004... North America July 30-Aug. 2 - Society for Conservation Biology Meeting, New York. Contact Mary Tobin (845) 365-8607 or visit www.www.conbio.org/2004. Aug. 1-4 - Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers Conference, Las Vegas....

EPA takes action vs. DuPont.(The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Federal regulators are taking action against DuPont for not providing regulators with information the company discovered about potential health and environmental risks of a chemical used to make Teflon. The...

Making heroes & villains.(ban on Kellogg Co.'s giving away of f mercury toys along with cereals)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat What was Kellogg Co. thinking? The cereal company came out with a marketing tie-in to a popular new movie, a strategy we've all become very familiar with in recent years. In conjunction with Spider-Man 2, Kellogg...

Cereal toy with mercury battery creates debate, disposal issue.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Kellogg Co. is promising not to use toys powered by batteries containing mercury in future promotions after environmentalists and New York state officials criticized the cereal company for an ongoing toy giveaway....

Green groups prevail in mine case.
July 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini In a victory for environmental groups, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot allow mine waste valley fills under a general permit usually reserved for projects that cause minimal...

Picking season.(paper recycling)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... In tight, competitive business markets, companies that adapt and branch out usually stand the best chance of holding their own. And thanks to a spate of new document-privacy laws that have been adopted at the federal and state levels, the paper...

Corporate giants share EHS perspectives.(Environmental, health and safety)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Some of the largest companies are adopting environmentally sustainable practices throughout their supply chain to enhance profits and reduce liability. "[Environmental, health and safety] is under utilized in...

New Products & Technology.(Products)
July 19, 2004... STELLAR INDUSTRIES INC. has introduced the Model 9000 Tire Service Crane, a 90,000 foot-pound crane with the capacity to lift 9,000 pounds at 10 feet. The crane's maximum horizontal reach is 16 feet from the centerline, and it rotates 290...

Haulers promote safety for dual benefits.(Special Report)(trash haulers )
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Safety is at the forefront for many trash haulers these days as they deal with the very real dangers and costs of sending thousands of workers out on the streets to pick up the nation's discards. The costs - both...

Bush's mercury plan too lax, Dems assert.(News)(George W. Bush)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Senate Democrats held a hearing July 9 to receive testimony about the Bush administration's proposal for addressing mercury emissions from power plants. At least two senators speaking at the hearing criticized...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
July 19, 2004... Construction Groups may sue over stormwater runoff Washington - Federal regulators have until early September to set standards to control stormwater runoff from new construction sites before two environmental groups follow through with...

HP, Office Depot offering limited, but free, e-cycling.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Office Depot Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Office Depot Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. are launching the first free nationwide electronics recycling program in the United States. Office Depot will accept any brand of electronics at its 850 U.S. retail locations...

Not stuck in idle; Technology aims to assist railroads.(News)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson New technology is being touted for the railroad industry to cut emissions by 90 percent from idling diesel engines. An $85,000 grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transportation...

Recyclers lose ground to shredders.(Paper recyclers)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Paper recyclers can either jump into the shredding business or watch as part of their business erodes before their very eyes. Continued and increased emphasis on document destruction is forcing more and more...

Capital changes boss, moniker.(News)(Capital Environmental Resource Inc. appoints Charles A. Wilcox)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Capital Environmental Resource Inc. is getting a new leader and a new name. Charles A. Wilcox has succeeded Larry D. Henk as president and chief operating officer. Henk held those positions for about a year at the...

Imports up in Virginia.(News)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Virginia saw municipal solid waste imports increase by more than 21 percent in 2003, according to the state's new solid waste report. About 5.5 million tons of municipal solid waste generated by homes and businesses...

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)
July 19, 2004... Q: Who do you support in Pa.'s battle over a $5 per ton charge on in-state trash? (pie chart) A: Waste haulers: 50.7% The governor: 26.1% Businesses that generate waste: 16.1% None of the above: 7.1% From the Waste News...

Top haulers.(Special Report)
July 19, 2004... 6 tables: Top solid waste haulers * Top hazardous waste haulers * Top liquid waste haulers * Top medical waste haulers * Top C&D debris haulers * Top nuclear waste haulers: see print copy.