Waste News articles from November 2004

Waste News archives from November 2004

Ruling annulled; Lexmark loses latest battle over remanufacturing of cartridges.(News)(Column)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Toner cartridge remanufacturers won a battle last month in the war over printer cartridge reuse. A federal appeals court overturned a lower court decision Oct. 26 that prohibited the remanufacturing of certain...

Soil concerns; E-mail prompts worry about Texas smelter.
November 8, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The federal government is ignoring its own lead contamination standards and putting children at risk just to save a few bucks, according to the United Steelworkers of America. The union uncovered an e-mail from 2003...

Time to shift gears.(Opinion)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat George W. Bush has won a second term as president in the most compelling election in a long time. Voters had a clear choice and they made it - barely. It was an extremely close election because Americans seem...

A Look Back.(News)
November 8, 2004... 1885: The nation's first garbage incinerator is built on Governor's Island in New York. Five years ago: The reuse of disposable medical devices is expected to become more difficult as federal regulators propose new rules to restrict the...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... (With graph: New York recovered HDPE): HDPE SURGE: An unusual increase in demand and higher virgin resin prices are pushing prices for recovered high-density polyethylene upward throughout the country. Processors have upped their buying price...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
November 8, 2004... Wind Energy Group sees big year for wind projects A new wave of proposed projects coming on the heels of the extension of the federal wind energy tax credit should lead to a record year of wind energy installation in 2005. In...

Industry supports EPA's stance; Appeals court to hear CO2 case this April.(News)(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A coalition of industry groups has submitted a brief to a federal appeals court supporting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision not to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide, which many scientists...

Artist finds peace working with corrugated cardboard.(News)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson There once was a time when Mark Alan Langan saw old corrugated containers as trash, something to be torn up and thrown away. There's no recycling offered in Langan's hometown, he said, so he would try to compact...

Creativity reigns when it comes to landfill names.(Special Report)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson There's Spruce Ridge, Oak Ridge, Columbia Ridge and Chestnut Ridge. There's Modern in Pennsylvania and Modern in New York. And then there's Orchard Hills, Forest View and Pine Tree. Landfills, by any other...

Crooked Crown; N.J. landfill may end up on Superfund list.(News)(New Jersey)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Immediate work is needed to repair a portion of the Crown Vantage landfill in Hunterdon County, N.J., damaged by recent heavy flooding, federal officials said. The landfill is being proposed for placement on the...

Calif. winemakers praise compost from food scrap.(News)(California)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Northern California winemakers have experienced remarkable results fertilizing their fields with food scraps. Norcal Waste Systems Inc. has been marketing its compost as an alternative to synthetic fertilizer for...

Letters.
November 8, 2004... Phrase foul By including the phrase "polluter pays'' twice in your Oct. 25 issue - once in your Page 8 editorial and again in your candidate comparison on Page 12 - I hope the use of quotations indicates generic references to this concept,...

Smurfit rebounds.(News)(Smurfit-Stone Container Corp)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., one of the world's largest collectors and users of recycled fiber, jumped into the black for the third quarter thanks to price increases and flat costs. Chicago-based Smurfit-Stone, a...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
November 8, 2004... North America Nov. 15-19 - Environmental Compliance Boot Camp, San Antonio. Call (800) 769-1199 or visit www.absconculting.com Nov. 17-19 - Dangerous Goods Advisory Council Annual Conference & Hazardous Materials Transportation Expo,...

Idaho recycler starts tire tests.(News)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini An Idaho tire recycler hopes to convince state regulators that its proprietary process can help the state reduce scrap tire piles and avoid future waste tire problems. Integrated Resource Recovery LLC has commenced a...

WMI unveils financial plans.(News)(Waste Management Inc)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Management Inc. is increasing its dividend by a nickel per year - up to 80 cents per share - and plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually on stock buybacks. The nation's largest solid waste...

Calif. reviews plastics law.(News)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken California may scrap its plastic trash bag recycling law and replace it with an expanded effort that would target other plastic film uses in industries like agriculture and construction. The state's Integrated...

Calling Canada; E-recycling program expands northward.(News)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The rechargeable battery industry has expanded its wireless phone and rechargeable battery recycling program to Canada. The Rechargeable Battery Corporation launched its Call2Recycle program in Canada last month....

Calif. recycler to open second plant overseas.(News)(California)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken Electronics and durable goods recycler MBA Polymers Inc. said Oct. 27 it is building its second commercial scale plant, this one in a partnership with Austria's largest metal recycler. The $15 million to $20...

Mich. import injunction nixed.(News)(Michigan)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal judge has refused to issue a preliminary injunction that would have delayed Michigan from enforcing new laws aimed at reducing the amount out-of-state waste flowing into Michigan landfills. Judge Avern...

Shell fuel emits fewer pollutants.(News)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Shell Oil Co. has released the results of a yearlong trial of a vehicle fuel derived from natural gas that could become the most cost-effective fuel for reducing transportation emissions. The company released the...

Energy expecting regulation, survey says.(News)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Most power companies agree it's a matter of when, not if, the federal government will mandate greenhouse gas reductions, but some apparently are still dragging their feet. A national survey representing companies...

Personnel.(People)(City Carton Recycling)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... ACCENT WIRE PRODUCTS - William Sims named president. CITY CARTON RECYCLING - Katherine Boston promoted to non-fiber marketing specialist. DATA GRATER SHREDDING - Ronald Hannon named president. FEDERAL SIGNAL ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS...

Q&A with Tom McMonigle.(Special Report)(Pennsylvania Waste Management Industries Association)(Interview)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Tom McMonigle has been president of the Pennsylvania Waste Management Industries Association for the past two years. He is a registered engineer who has worked for Chrin Brothers Inc., which has operated a landfill in...

Council begins rating existing buildings green.(News)(U.S. Green Building Council)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Green building is going retro with the introduction of a new rating system for existing buildings. Up until now, green building certification has chiefly been confined to new construction. But the U.S. Green...

29 firms form doc-destruction giant.(News)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A group of 29 companies is joining together to create Information Protection Solutions of America, which calls itself the second-largest American-owned document destruction company in the world. IPSA, based in...

Allied no more; Van Weelden leaves Arizona-based trash giant 3 weeks after demotion.
November 8, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Charles H. Cotros realized soon after taking control of Allied Waste Industries Inc. that having former CEO Thomas Van Weelden stay on as part of top management wasn't going to work for the company. So three weeks...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)(Compass Environmental Services Inc.)
November 8, 2004... Landfills Calif. landfill backers defeat ballot issue Advocates of the proposed Gregory Canyon landfill defeated an expensive San Diego County ballot proposition Nov. 2 and kept the controversial project alive. More than 63 percent of...

Rob Peter to pay Paul?(Opinion)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Sometimes good intentions can't be just shoehorned in. That seems like the situation in California, which is considering substituting one plastic product recycled content requirement for another. The state wants to drop requirements that...

GOP election victories excite business groups; New majority could sway environmental policies.(Grand Old Party )
November 8, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Representatives of the business community and industry said they were encouraged about future environmental and energy policies following last week's re-election of President Bush and Republican gains in the House...

Wheels of justice.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Back and forth and up and down the Michigan-Canada trash import war seesaws. Michigan has won the most recent round against the National Solid Wastes Management Association, with a federal court having rejected the association's effort to...

At Deadline.(Late News)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Russia fully endorses Kyoto Protocol Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill Nov. 5 that ratifies the Kyoto Protocol. The Russian parliament had voted to ratify the pact Oct. 22. Russia's ratification was necessary for the...

U.S. gov't makes green progress.(News)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The federal government is making significant progress in improving environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, according to a report recently delivered to President Bush. "We continue to work diligently...

Allied aims to update trash truck fleet.(News)(Allied Waste Industries Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Allied Waste Industries Inc. plans to buy more new trash trucks after experiencing higher maintenance costs for its aging fleet. Allied, the nation's second-largest trash company, wants to spend the next three years...

Waking giant.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... It's hard to overstate the significance of China's announcement that it is embarking on a green building program. Assuming the nation follows through, it will be an enormous benefit to the environment and the planet. China is truly the...

Starbucks to use 10%-recycled cups.(Starbucks Coffee Co.)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Maybe the nation's most well-known coffee company expects to start using millions of pounds of recycled paper fiber in its coffee cups starting next year. Starbucks Coffee Co., with its thousands of locations,...

Filling the info void.(Opinion)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat Countless ideas never happen, for a variety of reasons. It can be disagreement over morals, a lack of money, an excess of politics. Or the idea can be just plain bad. One of the more common and unfortunate reasons...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
November 22, 2004... North America Dec. 5-8 - International Maintenance Annual Conference, Naples, Fla. Contact Terrence O'Hanlon (239) 985-0317 or visit www.maintenanceconference.com. Dec. 6-9 - Mixed Waste Treatment Forum, Nashville, Tenn. Contact...

A Look Back.(News)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Five years ago: Citing the lack of a nearby landfill to accept trash from the New York City, Republic Services Inc. bows out of the city's solid waste market as part of an asset swap with Allied Waste Industries Inc. A year ago: Senate...

Q&A with Lee Fuller.(Special Report)(Interview)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Lee Fuller is vice president of government relations for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, which represents thousands of U.S. independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies. Fuller...

Industry deals with slew of enviro regs.(Special Report)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The petroleum industry begins in the middle of the ocean and ends up in your gas tank, and the myriad environmental regulations covering that distance hit oil and natural gas producers' bottom line. "We're committed...

At Deadline.(Late News)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... EPA deletes 6 chemicals from toxin list The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has removed six chemicals from its hazardous air pollutant list, a move that the agency said it hopes will create incentives for industry to use less toxic...

Ethanol backers look to Dec. meeting.(Special Report)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The ethanol industry is not only going back to the drawing board next year, it plans to come back even stronger. Congress' failure to pass a national energy bill may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the...

A round rubber ban; Tires among waste Mich. blocks from its landfills.(News)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Miles Moore The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has banned the disposal of whole tires in landfills on the orders of the state legislature, which approved the ban in March. The new rule, which became effective Nov....

New Products & Technology.(Products)
November 22, 2004... STANDARD HAMILTON CO. has introduced the Dump-Pro, a dump insert for pickup trucks. The lightweight (under 40 pounds) patented unit enables a user to go from pickup to dump truck in minutes using the quick change-out option. The unit's dump...

Allied in flux.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Since mid-September, Allied Waste Industries Inc. has undergone significant changes. But there's even more to come. First, Allied officials told investors that the company would alter its business strategy from one that focused on debt...

Waste News Pricing Report.(News)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... (With graph: No. 6 News): DECLINE CONTINUES: Sorted office paper markets are down again this month, with prices ranging from $125 per ton for baled material in the eastern part of the country to $130 per ton on the West Coast. Recovered...

Quote of the Week.(News)
November 22, 2004... Presidential elections have a way of freeing up minds and loosening lips. Thomas P. Dunne, acting assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, says President Bush's...

NYC tower to be nation's 1st green skyscraper.(News)(Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson When the 2.2 million-sq.-ft. Bank of America Tower opens in late 2007 in New York City, the building will become the first green skyscraper in America. The 945-foot-tall building, located at One Bryant Park, will...

Paper made into building tiles overnight.(News)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson This was some busy waste... uh... make that raw material. From generation to collection to transportation and then production, old newspapers collected from the U.S. Green Building Council's annual conference in...

The greening of Asia; China to launch green building program.
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Red is going green. China - the world's most populous nation - is unveiling a plan to embrace green building practices as a way to better utilize its resources. "All of us have the same dream, same goal to...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
November 22, 2004... Electronics White House, agencies commit to green The White House and 11 federal departments and agencies have committed to using more environmentally friendly electronics. The offices signed a memorandum of understanding Nov. 15...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)(WCA Waste Corp)(Rural Disposal Inc)
November 22, 2004... Recycling RAA opens five e-waste depots in Wis. Recycle America Alliance LLC has opened five collection depots to provide electronic scrap recycling services to Wisconsin businesses and residents, the company said Nov. 15. The...

Panelists seek ways to spread the word.(News)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Allan Gerlat Many obstacles remain to putting industrial byproducts to use, officials agree. But the biggest challenge right now might be just getting the word out. In its third year, the Byproducts Beneficial Use Summit has...

N.C. vs. TVA; State to sue authority if it fails to cut emissions from plants in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee.
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The Tennessee Valley Authority could face a federal lawsuit if it does not curb emissions from its coal-fired power plants. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper notified TVA this month that it intends sue the...

Show merger talks begin.(News)(WasteExpo)(WasteCon)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson A journey toward a potential consolidation of the waste industry's two largest trade shows will take lots of baby steps, one stakeholder believes. This view comes after officials from Waste Expo and Wastecon met...

A network is born; Firms partner to find uses for byproducts.(News)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Kansas City businesses are developing partnerships to find new raw materials while beneficially ridding themselves of waste. Several members of the Kansas City Regional Byproducts Synergy Initiative met Nov. 8 at the...

Sites that recycle deemed safer, official says.(News)(WasteCap Wisconsin)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson There are many well-known benefits to recycling, but even the executive director of a Wisconsin recycling organization says there's a surprising one not often considered. Safety. WasteCap Wisconsin is a group...

Refiners take to initiative; EPA plan to assist industry results in reduced emissions.(Special Report)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Two frequent combatants are working together under a federal program that is cleaning the air while building a cooperative relationship. Oil refiners are taking advantage of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

Pa. initiates auto-mercury alliance.(News)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Pennsylvania is launching a new partnership with scrap dealers, industry and environmental groups aimed at recycling 600 pounds of mercury during the next two years. The consortium wants to remove mercury-containing...

Shell, GM launch hydro effort.(News)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini Shell Oil Co. opened North America's first hydrogen dispenser this month at a retail gasoline station in Washington, D.C. The station will service a General Motors Corp. fleet of six fuel cell vehicles as part of a...

EIG questions EPA enforcement.(News)(Jim Johnson)(United States. Environmental Protection Agency)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson One of the nation's most prominent environmental groups is blasting the Bush administration's alleged lax enforcement of pollution laws. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is out with its own data...

Official: EPA needs to change focus.(United States. Environmental Protection Agency)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Joe Truini The federal government needs rewrite its environmental policy, and this post-election period may be the perfect time. Writing and enforcing waste disposal regulations should no longer be the U.S. Environmental...

High hopes for Med-Shred; BFI co-founder Ramsey takes reins at small Houston firm.(News)(Roger Ramsey)(Med-Shred Inc)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Roger Ramsey - who founded Allied Waste Industries Inc. 15 years ago and retired from the board of directors in 2002 - has returned to the waste industry. This time, though, he's leading a company that treats...

2 giants to test landfill strategies in '05.(News)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Jim Johnson Landfill pricing can be a tricky business. Companies have to constantly straddle the line between maximizing the value of their disposal assets by charging as much as possible and chasing away business by charging...

Report: PET recycling fell to 19.6% in '03.(News)(Polyethylene terephthalate)
November 22, 2004... Byline: Steve Toloken The recycling rate for polyethylene terephthalate bottles dipped slightly in 2003, to 19.6 percent, even as Asian markets bought record amounts of recycled plastic, according to a new report. Environmentalists...