Waste News articles from March 2004

Waste News archives from March 2004

Dwindling funds.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Superfund program funding has dropped 35% over the last 11 years, according to a congressional study. (year): Total Appropriated* 1993: $1.90 billion 2004: $1.24 billion See story, Page 5 *Constant-year 2003 dollars

Waste News Poll.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Q. What's a reasonable time frame for electronic makers to announce details to finance a national e-waste recycling system? (pie chart) A: End of March: 25.2% Midsummer: 31.9% Autumn: 8.9% End of '04: 34.1% From the Waste...

What's hot.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The export tonnages of the following scrap metal commodities increased the most from 2002 to 2003. COMMODITY: PERCENTAGE GROWTH No. 1 Bundles: 185% Tinned Iron: 61% No. 1 Heavy Melting Steel: 37% Cut Plate and Structural:...

New Products & Technology.(Products)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst DINGS CO. has introduced a 12-inch eddy current separator specifically engineered for material recovery facilities. Using rare-earth magnets to product strong eddy current forces, the unit separates aluminum, plastic...

Send it there & there.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... These countries increased their consumption of U.S. scrap steel from 2002 to 2003. They also are 3 of the 5 largest consumers of U.S. scrap steel by tonnage: COUNTRY: PERCENTAGE GROWTH Malaysia: 104.1% China: 17.6% South...

Pa. group launches material trading site.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Pennsylvania businesses have a new outlet for their discards - an online service that strives to connect waste generators with those who could reuse the material. A new Web site, Pennsylvania Material Trader, lets...

Higher power; EPA seeks review of emissions case.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt wants the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court decision that has hampered the agency's efforts to force the Tennessee Valley Authority to...

'Polluter pays' plan returns; Two senators push for reinstatement of Superfund tax.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two members of the Senate Environment Committee renewed their calls for reauthorizing a Superfund tax, while releasing a study that showed the program has undergone a 35 percent decrease in funding when adjusted for...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... North America March 3-5 - Work Truck Show 2004, Baltimore. Call (800) 441-6832 or visit www.ntea.com. March 10-11 - 5th Annual Recycled Product Trade Show, sponsored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, Sacramento,...

Feds push to restart case.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal court to restart litigation against Alabama Power Co. for alleged clean air violations. The department filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Northern...

Scrap metal bonds bend.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The last thing businesses need is another obstacle to using recycled material in the manufacturing process. But that's what's threatening to happen as a result of soaring scrap metal prices. Fueled by high export demand, particularly from...

At Deadline: Four industries must meet new air rules.(Late News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Four industries will be required to upgrade their facilities to reduce annual air emissions by 88,000 tons within five years, according to new federal standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the rules Feb. 26, which...

Power and risk.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The news that two of the nation's biggest power companies have agreed to disclose to their shareholders the potential financial impact of various environmental-regulatory scenarios has broad implications, not just for utilities but for all of...

UPS joins SmartWay greenhouse program.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Brown is going green. United Parcel Service of America Inc., the world's largest package delivery company, is signing on to a national transportation program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The...

Dietrich exits Onyx after decade at top.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A longtime leader in the solid waste business, Bill Dietrich, has resigned as CEO of Onyx North America Corp. Dietrich has spent the last 10 years as a CEO in the solid waste industry, first with Superior Services...

Machine compresses waste costs, users say.(Products)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst All steel teeth and rolling menace, the medieval-looking Mammoth Roll-Pack compactor squeezes more space out of open-bin containers and reduces the number of loads hauled to a landfill, according to officials of...

The end of the world.(Opinion)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Major European cities will sink beneath rising oceans and Britain will be plunged into a Siberian-like climate by 2020 due to global climate change, according to some foreign newspapers and recent Internet postings....

Emissions impact egg farm.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A massive egg farm in Ohio, with a long history of environmental problems, will spend more than $2 million on pollution controls and civil penalties. Egg farms in Croton, Marseilles and Mount Victory, Ohio, all come...

Automakers lose switch case.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Automakers failed in their latest attempt to derail a Maine law requiring them to pay for removal and collection of mercury switches from junked cars. A federal judge last month upheld a 2002 law requiring vehicle...

Chicago uses stickers, ties, grants to promote recycling.(NewsD)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Chicago officials kicked off two programs Feb. 23 to improve the city's municipal blue bag recycling program. The effort includes a grant program for nonprofit groups and a pilot project that will make residential...

Electronics firms work to clear gridlock.(Opinion)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Heather Bowman The U.S. technology industry leads the nation in developing products that become more environmentally friendly year after year. Despite this progress, our industry is coming under intense environmental regulatory...

A Look Back.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... 1657: The city of New Amsterdam (now Manhattan) passes a law prohibiting the casting of waste in the streets. Five years ago: Virginia lawmakers approve a bill aimed at curbing waste imports from other states, setting the stage for a legal...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
March 1, 2004... Farming Virginia county settles biosolids case Lynchburg, Va. - Appomattox County, Va., will pay $225,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by 11 county farmers that challenged local biosolids ordinances. The settlement follows...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... (With graph: Sorted office paper Ontario/Western N.Y.): A GROWING OFFICE: Sorted office paper prices have increased significantly since the end of 2003. Markets have jumped as high as $135 to $140 per ton, compared with $100 to $110 per ton...

Court tells EPA to redo WTE rules.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal appeals court has told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that its pollution standards for some waste incinerators are inadequate and need to be rewritten. The ruling will impact about 90 small...

Support strong for N.Y. bill.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini As proposed legislation to expand the New York's bottle bill again meanders through the state legislature, a recent poll shows 70 percent of the state's residents support the measure. Public Policy Associates, a...

Capital makes Texas-size moves in U.S.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Capital Environmental Resource Inc. is bulking up its U.S. assets with the addition of a new landfill and transfer station in Texas through a $35 million deal. As a result of the company's continued push into the...

Clarification.(Correction)(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2004... * The data on Page 16 of the Feb. 16 issue should have noted that Nashville's recycling program also includes information from Davidson County, Tenn.

San Diego promotes recycled water usage.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Roger Renstrom San Diego is scrambling for more ways to market and use an abundance of reclaimed sewage water. And soon the city may penalize businesses unwilling to use accessible reclaimed water. San Diego has expended...

Carmakers push residue recycling; Partnership funds Changing World Technologies' waste-to-oil process.(News)
March 1, 2004... Carmakers are taking a left turn in their continued push to find ways to recycle automotive shredder residue. A pilot program just under way aims to prove whether the residue, which is commonly landfilled, can be converted into oil through...

Business booms for auto wipe recycler.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson An Indiana recycler of used polypropylene rags from the automotive assembly business has seen volume double in the past year as more and more plants sign on for the service. Mobile Fluid Recovery Inc. has 11 Midwest...

No paint; MBA Polymers suggests tactic to manufacturers.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Trip Allen has a suggestion for manufacturers who want to make sure the plastics parts they paint are easily recycled. Don't paint them. Allen and his Richmond, Calif.-based company, MBA Polymers Inc., have...

Mo. tries to restart tire fee.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Miles Moore Missouri is trying to reinstate an expired waste tire fee to fund the state's efforts in scrap tire cleanup and management. The fee - 50 cents per tire sold in Missouri - lapsed Jan. 1 after the Missouri Assembly...

2 firsts for utilities; Duo to report greenhouse gas liabilities.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Two major electric power players will be the first utilities to report on possible greenhouse gas liabilities amid shareholder resolutions calling for more transparency. American Electric Power Company Inc. and...

Medwaste group thwarts UL proposal; Some blood would have been disposed of with regular solid waste.(News)(Underwriters Laboratories Inc)(Medical Waste Institute)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Medical Waste Institute and its allies have successfully blocked Underwriters Laboratories Inc. from adopting an industry standard for alternative medical waste treatment technology. The Medical Waste...

Judge takes bench despite opposition; Enviromental groups dislike Clean Water Act rulings from Alabama's former attorney general.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman President Bush used a weeklong Senate recess to bypass the normal confirmation process and appoint a controversial judicial nominee opposed by environmental groups, ending a filibuster by Senate Democrats who...

Water woes; Marines to investigate alleged contamination.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The head of the U.S. Marine Corps has convened an independent panel to review events at Camp Lejeune, N.C., between 1980 and 1985 when thousands of base residents were allowed to drink water from contaminated wells....

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
March 1, 2004... Solid Waste Management WMI sells transfer stations in N.Y., N.J. Sloatsburg, N.Y. - Interstate Waste Services Holding Co. completed the acquisition Feb. 18 of two transfer stations in New York and New Jersey from Waste Management Inc....

League hands out enviro scorecard.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The League of Conservation had low scores and harsh words for Republicans in general and committee leaders in particular in its 2003 report card Feb. 23 for members of Congress based on their votes on environmental...

Scrap metal prices soar as battle brews; Recyclers enjoy windfall, but makers and users of steel may seek federal intervention.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Soaring scrap steel prices have taken a bite out of steel manufacturers and product makers, and fears that the situation will get worse are fueling a potential row over free trade between scrap recyclers and scrap...

Recycling letter could aid manufacturers; Plastics group would certify that containers won't harm recycling.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken Plastics recycling always has seen tension between packaging companies enamored of new technologies that improve bottle performance and recyclers who fret that the new technologies make it harder to turn the bottles...

Sens. urge pullback from mercury plan; Trio dislikes Bush's cap-and-trade idea.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A group of U.S. senators from New England wrote a letter dated Jan. 29 urging Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt to abandon a plan announced in December for regulating mercury emissions,...

Personnel.(People)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ALLIED WASTE INDUSTRIES INC./HAWKEYE DISPOSAL - Doug Collins appointed operations manager. AUTOCAR LLC - J.R. Dabasinkas appointed director, product distribution. EARTH TECH INC. - Jeffrey Kissel appointed chief financial officer;...

Report: Climate plan needs funds.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Bush administration's revised strategic plan for addressing climate change is "much improved'' compared with an earlier draft, but the biggest drawback is an apparent lack of funding, according to a report...

Supplier News.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Duo purchases firm that processes oil Hazleton, Pa. - A 42-year-old recycling company, Hazleton Oil & Environmental, was recently sold to Sloane Six and Scott Clemens. The facility serves industrial waste oil generators in Pennsylvania...

Conn. recycler closes doors; Obex took all types of plastic waste, made lumber products.
March 1, 2004... Byline: Angie DeRosa Plastics recycler and extruder Obex Inc. is out of business, ceasing operations at its Stamford headquarters in early February. The maker of landscape product NovaWood, started by entrepreneur Celeste Johnson, had...

Greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2002.(News)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Emissions of greenhouse gases increased by 0.7 percent between 2001 and 2002, according to a federal report released March 3. Moderate economic growth in 2002 that increased demand for electricity and fossil...

Sept. 11 to create more debris; Groups reach deal to collapse bank damaged in attack.(Deutsche Bank AG)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson More than two years after one of the nation's greatest tragedies created a mountain of debris in Lower Manhattan, another huge building is going to come down. Exactly how much demolition debris will be created and...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 15, 2004... * The data on Page 11 of the Feb. 16 issue should have noted that Philadelphia's residential recycling rate is 6.4 percent.

Scrap export face-off; Export controls could make matters worse, history says.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Robin Wiener The pace of the global scrap and steel markets today is dizzying. Demand, prices and exports are up. For U.S. scrap processors and steelmakers alike, 2004 has begun as a banner year. The global ferrous scrap market...

SCA paper mill tests use of recycled water.(Briefs)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson SCA North America's tissue mill in Flagstaff - which already uses recycled fiber to create new bath tissue, paper towels and napkins - is now turning toward the use of recycled water. The mill historically has used...

McCain and Lieberman to try bill again; Global warming legislation spotlights industry emissions.(News)(Joseph Lieberman)(John McCain)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and John McCain, R-Ariz., pledged during a March 3 Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing to bring to the floor again this year a bill to combat global warming. ...

Calif. legislator pushes phone recycling; Bill would place responsibility on retailers, makers.(News)
March 15, 2004... A California legislator has introduced what is believed to be the stiffest mobile-phone recycling bill in the nation, a move that comes as state regulators consider adoption of a telecommunications consumer bill of rights that could serve as a...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
March 15, 2004... Global Warming Senate OKs climate change research Washington - A Senate committee has approved a measure that would set aside $60 million to establish a scientific research program on abrupt climate change. The measure, sponsored...

S.C. nuclear plant panned.(News)(South Carolina)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Inadequate waste management practices at a South Carolina nuclear weapons plant threatens drinking water supplies in the Southeast, according to a report released last week by an environmental group. The...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... YESTERDAY'S NEWS RISES: Recovered newspaper markets and prices have remained strong this month. Domestic mill prices surged, ranging between $85 and $95 per ton in the East and Midwest and up to $110 per ton on the West Coast. Export buyers are...

Business partner may reduce risk; Companies experienced with recycled plastics can assist virgin firms.(News)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Virgin resin manufacturers can look at partnering with other firms to develop their recycled materials markets instead of taking on additional risk by themselves. Hooking up with another company that already has...

Superfund list may increase.(News)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed adding 11 new hazardous waste sites to the Superfund National Priorities List. The locations include former lead and copper mines, and former industrial and...

Q & A with Vicky Sullivan.(News)(Interview)
March 15, 2004... During 2003, Waste News published four overviews of waste generator market sectors: construction, energy, agriculture and mining. In 2004, we revisit those markets, conducting Q&A interviews with one prominent official from each sector. This...

Pittsburgh nabs 'greenest' label.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson This town has been described plenty of ways over the years, and the words have been less than flattering many times. Pittsburgh has been known as Steel City, the Smoky City and even the City of Champions thanks to...

Findings may change cell phone disposal.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jeffrey Silva A new government-funded study says mobile phones and other high-tech gear often release enough lead to be classified as hazardous waste under federal law, a finding that could force the Bush administration and states...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Waste management industry conferences)(Calendar)
March 15, 2004... North America March 21-24 - 19th International Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Management, Philadelphia. Contact Dr. Ronald Mersky (610) 499-4059 or visit www.widener.edu/solid.waste. March 21-24 - Paper Week 2004 Annual...

Colorado company earns distinction.(News)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... The Colorado Association for Recycling has honored Eco-Cycle with its Outstanding Recycling Program Award. Eco-Cycle was recognized for its Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials, which accepts electronics, outdated books and manuals,...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
March 15, 2004... Landfills Delaware site faces fine for emissions Wilmington, Del. - A Wilmington, Del., landfill faces proposed penalties of more than $200,000 regarding alleged Clean Air Act violations involving methane gas emissions. The Cherry...

Personnel.(People)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... ASKO INC. - Mark Nicholas named director of sales, North America. ASTM INTERNATIONAL - Jonathan Kuhns named chairman of Committee D34 on Waste Management. IFCO SYSTEMS - Fred Heptinstall appointed senior vice president and general...

Lowman: Counter emotion with facts; Plastics industry must defend stewardship record.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Scientists and engineers in the plastics industry need to rely on the facts when getting unfairly blasted on their environmental record, the president of the American Plastics Council believes. "We have to realize...

Court ruling favors Utah nuclear waste site.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A federal appeals court has cleared another hurdle for a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in Utah, ruling that the government can license facilities not located at the nuclear reactor site. The U.S. Circuit...

Firm sues Lexmark, begins selling new chip.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini In the cat-and-mouse game that is the toner cartridge remanufacturing business, a North Carolina company thinks it may have outmaneuvered its largest foe. Static Control Components Inc. announced March 2 that it has...

Ohio shootings give pause; State takes over litter patrol after trash agency halts crews.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Columbus, Ohio - A rash of two dozen Columbus-area highway shootings, which included one fatality, has prompted a local waste authority to abandon litter collection efforts near the area of the shootings. ...

Scrap export face-off; Temporary export restrictions needed to normalize prices.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bob Stevens I am strongly in favor of temporary steel scrap export restrictions to bring the price of steel scrap and steel products back to normal levels. Those that argue that we need to believe in free trade and let the market...

Beat the clock.(News)(environmental management saga of electronics)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... The environmental pressure is building on the electronics industry. Legislation in California calling for strict mobile-phone recycling and a University of Florida study that links those same devices to hazardous waste are the latest...

WMI realigns its execs.(Waste Management Inc.)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Management Inc.'s new CEO doesn't see a change at the top of the nation's largest trash company making much of a difference to the outside world. David P. Steiner, who had been chief financial officer, was...

Corporate giants like WMI decentralize power.(News)(Waste Management Inc.)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Management Inc. is following a corporate trend of distributing power at the top of the company. David P. Steiner is succeeding A. Maurice Myers as CEO of the trash giant, but he will not become chairman of the...

Army's chemical incinerator in Ala. to undergo more tests.(News)(Alabama)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Federal environmental officials want to know why a chemical weapons incinerator smokestack in Alabama emitted higher-than-expected PCB levels during trial burns in November 2003. In a letter dated March 1, the...

Fax or fiction? Calif. metal recycler alleges Sims tinkered with price quotes.(Briefs)(Sims Group Ltd. )
March 15, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini A California scrap metal recycler is suing Simsmetal USA Corp. for allegedly using dirty tricks to steal customers. American Metal & Iron Inc. filed a lawsuit Feb. 26 in the Superior Court of California in Santa...

Association to address plastics shortfall.(News)(Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken Pushed by increasingly tight supply and a booming export market to China, the plastics recycling sector is gearing up for an unusual lobbying effort. The main trade group for bottle recyclers, the Association of...

Panel will examine WTC air issues.(World Trade Center)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A new panel will look into any ongoing indoor air quality concerns arising from the World Trade Center collapse and the air pollution it created more than two years ago. The panel will seek to determine if there are...

A Look Back.(News)
March 15, 2004... Five years ago: Allied Waste Industries Inc., the third-largest solid waste management company in the United States, completes its $9.1 billion acquisition of Browing-Ferris Industries Inc., the second-largest. The merger produces a powerhouse...

Regs fuel gas price surge; Environmental rules reduce sulfur pollution but spark price spike.
March 15, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Environmental regulations often come at a price, and Americans may be seeing a little bit of that at the pump. Gasoline prices will likely reach historic highs this spring, averaging between $1.71 and $1.93 per...

News summary.(News)
March 15, 2004... THE ECLECTIC AND ELECTRIC STING: Musician Sting shows off one of the gas-electric hybrid vehicles he and other entertainers used to travel to last month's Academy Awards. Best Actress winner Charlize Theron and Best Supporting Actor winner Tim...

Senators grill EPA chief during hearing.(Michael Leavitt)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Senators from across the political spectrum lobbed criticism last week at the federal government's environmental leader. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt fielded questions and...

Shared load.(News)(environmental protection costs)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Improving the environment does have a cost. It's a cost that not only business should pay but all of us consumers as well. Recent increases in gasoline prices may be an example of that. While there is some debate, many believe part of the...

Reinstatement of Superfund tax fails.(Late News)
March 15, 2004... Washington - The U.S. Senate voted 52-44 to reject an amendment to the budget that would have reinstated a tax on petroleum and chemical companies to help pay for Superfund cleanups. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who had introduced the...

Supplier News.(Briefs)(USL Environmental Services Inc.)(OEM Solutions Group.)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Perma-Fix makes buy Atlanta - Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc. has signed a letter of intent to purchase the assets of USL Environmental Services Inc. USL operates A&A Environmental of Baltimore and US Liquids of Pennsylvania...