Waste News articles from November 2005

Waste News archives from November 2005

Commodity Pricing.(At Your Disposal)
November 7, 2005... 2 graphs: What Paper Mills Are Paying for baled paper * What Recyclers Are Paying for primarily loose materials; see print copy

Stock Report.(At Your Disposal)
November 7, 2005... 3 graphs: Waste News stock index * Calvert Social Index Fund * Dow Jones Industrial Average * table: Percentage change by market segment: see print copy.

L.A. port budgets funds for cleaner air.(News)(Port of Los Angeles)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson The Port of Los Angeles wants to move away from diesel power in an effort to improve air quality. The port sees using natural gas, electricity and alternative fuels as a way to cut pollution and has about $20...

Ohio opens small-generator hazwaste site.(News)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Small companies in Northeast Ohio now can take advantage of the state's first hazardous waste recycling center operated specifically for business. The BizMat Center, operating as a two-year pilot program, will...

Chafee helps defeat oil refinery bill.(News)(Lincoln Chafee)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Oil refineries won't have an easier road to expansion after all. A bill supported by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, went down to defeat Oct. 26 after a fellow...

Ohio senator stumps for diesel retrofit funds.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, during a recent visit to Cleveland called on the White House to provide full funding for a program that would provide federal dollars to retrofit older diesel engines with new emission...

Scrap tire fire could cost trio $50 million.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Miles Moore Three former owners of an Ohio tire recycling facility may end up liable for as much as $50 million in court-ordered penalties in connection with a massive 1999 tire fire on their property. The attorney for two of...

Tax avoidance scheme a winner.(Opinion)
November 7, 2005... In a country where pitched battles by our politicians, interest groups and the like threaten to divide us like never before, it's refreshing to see the power of cooperation. Last week in San Francisco, the city and business leaders avoided...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2005... Different type of storm I agree that attendance was down at Wastecon ["Hurricanes cast show in different light,'' Oct. 10, Page 12]. I was there. But was it just because of hurricanes? A lot of big-name companies that were not...

At Deadline.(Late News)(San Francisco plan avoids bag tax)(McWane Inc. faces indictment for air violations)
November 7, 2005... San Francisco plan avoids bag tax The plastic bag industry and grocers signed an ambitious recycling pact with the city of San Francisco last week, averting what could have been the first tax on retail shopping bags in the United States....

Drywall plant will reuse utility's byproduct.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson West Virginia will be home to a new wallboard manufacturing plant that will use a byproduct from a local coal-burning power plant as a raw material. BPB America Inc. plans to build the plant along the Ohio River...

Va. landfill operator asks court to reassess.(News)(Virginia)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Roger Renstrom Landfill operator John C. Holland Enterprises Inc. of Suffolk, Va., wants Judge Rodham Delk to vacate an Oct. 7 opinion that may jeopardize Holland's lawsuit against a waste authority. The judge's order appeared...

PLA maker nets deal with Wal-Mart.(Special Report)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini If you want to get noticed, you've got to go big. NatureWorks LLC, a manufacturer of bio-based plastics, has made its first inroad to the mega-retail industry in an agreement with Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart...

EPA prefers Clear Skies; Agency says 2 other plans are too costly.(News)(Environmental Protection Agency)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two legislative proposals targeting power plant emissions would provide larger reductions than the Bush administration's Clear Skies Act, but the added reductions would come at a high cost. That's the analysis...

Capital Briefs.(Briefs)
November 7, 2005... LEGISLATION GENERAL ENVIRONMENT District of Columbia: Bill 461 authorizes an income tax credit for homeowners and tenants who purchase or install energy conservation devices for their residences and for new home construction....

Personnel.(People)
November 7, 2005... ALUMINUM ASSOCIATION - Aleris International Inc. CEO Steve Demetriou appointed chairman of executive committee. ENSR - Ari Ferro appointed senior remediation manager. INTERNATIONAL PAPER CO. - Marianne Parrs appointed executive vice...

Toyota highlights waste diversion; Ford looks to future in its sustainability report.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Toyota diverts at least 95 percent of its waste from eight facilities in North America. Ford believes consumers are placing added brand value to companies committed to environmental responsibility. Both...

Retailers become educators in e-waste classroom.(Special Report)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Education is critical to any successful recycling program, and it may be the most significant role electronics retailers can play in developing a national solution to the electronic waste dilemma. "That's probably...

Ringing up savings not just for customers anymore.(Special Report)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini It's not just about taking out the trash anymore. Mega-retailers generate mega-amounts of traditional municipal solid waste - cardboard, paper, plastics and the like. In the olden days, high school kids earning...

WM strategy centers on price bumps.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson The solid waste business is notorious for chasing tonnage by lowering prices in order to keep revenue flowing. Company leaders have complained for years about an industrywide willingness by firms to eat their young...

Inbox.(At Your Disposal)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach I love parks, especially our national ones. And when I visit them, I want to see nature in all its splendor, pure and unsullied. Note that I said want, not expect. I know it's impossible because many thousands of...

Fla. regains footing post-Wilma.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Life is returning to normal in Florida for workers at Republic Services Inc. as they rebound from the latest in a string of devastating hurricanes that have blasted the South. Corporate headquarters for the nation's...

Massachusetts girds for winter; State may bend regulations to avert energy shortages.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Massachusetts is thinking about bending its own environmental regulations to avoid an energy shortage and possible blackouts this winter. The Department of Environmental Protection is considering allowing four...

A Look Back.(At Your Disposal)
November 7, 2005... 1953: Swanson introduces the first successful TV dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes and peas. Five years ago: Continuing its effort to refocus its attention on its North American waste operations, Waste Management Inc. sells eight power...

Allied takes hard look at assets.(News)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson America's second-largest trash company could start deciding by the end of the year how large it wants to be moving forward. Allied, under the direction of new Chairman and CEO John Zillmer, is undertaking a review...

Ewasteblog.com; 2 electronic-waste Web logs have popped up in cyberspace.(At Your Disposal)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Blogs - sometimes as fun to participate in as to say the word. A quick Google (just as fun to say) search will unearth countless blogs, or Web logs if you must, on any topic that strikes your fancy. Some people...

The big guy goes green; Market leader Wal-Mart pledges to reduce waste and then some.(Special Report)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Introspection often is one of the many things that follow major natural disasters and tragic historic events. To that end, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has come out of the closet to unveil environmental and social...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
November 7, 2005... Electronics HP targets 2006 for flame retardant Hewlett-Packard Co. said it plans to eliminate a toxic brominated flame retardant from the external case parts of all of its branded products introduced after Dec. 31, 2006. The Palo...

Flush with a new idea; N.M. town to become first in U.S. to recycle all its wastewater.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan A tourist village in the mountains of south central New Mexico is on the verge of achieving a milestone as lofty as its elevation - recycling all of its wastewater back into the community. Cloudcroft will be...

Railing against the lines; Waste groups line up to oppose railroads' exemption.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson A battle is breaking out between traditional solid waste management companies and rail firms that allegedly do not have to play by the same rules while handling trash. At issue is the status enjoyed by rail...

EPA sets due diligence rules for brownfields.(United States. Environmental Protection Agency)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Federal regulators have published a new brownfield rule establishing standards for environmental due diligence at former industrial sites. The rule will encourage more urban redevelopment by making clear the...

The big box's big green plan.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is a company that always has aggressively followed its own path. And it appears to be doing so with regard to the environment. The giant retailer disclosed a variety of environmental initiatives on which it has been...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
November 7, 2005... Glass Recycling Lincolnshire sells Strategic Materials Ownership has changed hands at one of the nation's largest glass recyclers. Lincolnshire Management Inc. has sold Houston-based Strategic Materials Inc. for $136 million to...

ESA buys Applied Compost.(News)
November 21, 2005... San Francisco-based consulting firm Environmental Science Associates has acquired the recycling firm Applied Compost Consulting. Steven Sherman, the former president of ACC, is now the San Francisco Bay area manager of ESA Solid Waste. ...

Commodity Pricing.(At Your Disposal)
November 21, 2005... 2 graphs: What Paper Mills Are Paying for baled paper * What Recyclers Are Paying for primarily loose materials: see print copy

Stock Report.(At Your Disposal)
November 21, 2005... 3 graphs: Waste News stock index * Calvert Social Index Fund * Dow Jones Industrial Average * table: Percentage change by market segment: see print copy.

Building council hands out honors.(U.S. Green Building Council awarded its Fourth Annual Leadership Awards)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... The U.S. Green Building Council awarded its Fourth Annual Leadership Awards this month at its annual conference. The winners were: * The Kresge Foundation, Community category, for its national program that provides funding and...

At Deadline.(Late News)
November 21, 2005... Gov't issues toxic materials report early The federal government has released preliminary raw data on the amount of toxic materials U.S. industrial sources emitted in 2004. Communities and others have requested that the government...

Another avenue.(US federal government issue nuclear waste reprocessing policy)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... The federal government did a 180 last week on the issue of nuclear waste reprocessing, resurrecting a policy the United States abandoned three decades ago because it was deemed too serious a threat to national security. This is a complex...

Rx needs to be renewed.(Opinion,)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... Prescription drug reuse plans need a jolt of caffeine or some other stimulant to resuscitate what was once a worthwhile idea. Some states are bogged down in the realities of running programs that aren't receiving the funding and resources...

Duo wants mercury alternative.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two associations representing state and local air pollution control authorities have proposed a mercury reduction plan that would be more aggressive than the rule adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency....

Some flourish, others lobby without nat'l e-plan.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Electronics recycling is already the law in California. Maine and Maryland will be following suit in January, and at least 25 other states are considering similar legislation. While computer and television...

WM pitches Gulf Coast style tents; Displaced workers, volunteers from across U.S. call this camp home.(Waste Management)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. Waste Management Inc., facing a shortage of housing for workers in the New Orleans area, is operating its own temporary camp for more than 100 employees working in...

Tale of the tape; Michigan firm shreds tons of newsprint at 11th hour for Chicago ticker-tape parade.(News)(Column)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson There can't be a ticker-tape parade without the ticker tape. So that meant there wouldn't have been a ticker-tape parade to celebrate the Chicago White Sox World Series victory without Secure Eco Shred. The...

Chicago paper giant makes shift.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson One of the world's largest paper recyclers plans to close as much as 20 percent of its corrugated container manufacturing facilities as part of a push to save more than $600 million annually by 2008. Smurfit-Stone...

U.N. sets cost of initial Iraq cleanup at $40M.(News)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The United Nations, working with Iraq to clean up contaminated sites throughout the country, has released the findings of a study of environmental hot spots. The United Nations Environmental Program identified...

Senators question EPA plan to halve TRI frequency.(Environmental Protection Agency)(Toxic Release Inventory)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Six senators have sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expressing concern about proposed changes to the Toxic Release Inventory program. The senators - four Democrats, one...

New Products.(Products)
November 21, 2005... METROLOGY RESOURCE CO. has introduced the Class II MRL-1 Distance Laser Sensor. The sensor is designed for noncontact measurement of solid, semisolid or most fluid surfaces in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments. For more...

Mich. firm markets bioreactor system.(EWS LLC )
November 21, 2005... Byline: Roger Renstrom EWS LLC of Marquette, Mich., is making progress with its aggressive aerobic bioreactor landfill technology system. As now used in one location, the inline system's aerobic bacteria break down municipal solid...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Seven Up/RC Bottling Co)
November 21, 2005... Environmental Protection Agency $10B spent to comply with enviro laws U.S. companies, government and other entities spent a record $10 billion to comply with environmental laws in fiscal 2005, according to the U.S. Environmental...

E-recyclers merge under Intechra name; RetroBox joins with Texas-based company.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Two electronic waste firms are merging to create one of the nation's largest electronics recycling operations. RetroBox LLC and Intechra Holding Corp. have agreed to merge their companies, creating what they say is...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
November 21, 2005... The Wal-Mart Stores Inc. office paper recycling figure in the graphic on Page 11 of the Nov. 7 issue was inaccurately calculated from projections by the company. Wal-Mart does not have an official office paper recycling figure available.

Sediment, debris are toughest hurdles, EPA officials say.(Environmental Protection Agency)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Cleaning up sediment from a 1-million-gallon oil spill near New Orleans and disposing of assorted debris across Louisiana and Mississippi make up some of the largest environmental challenges remaining in the wake of...

Del. wants to breathe new life into old plants.(Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control )(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini Delaware is taking steps to rid itself of the burden of the elderly. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has begun a rulemaking process to reduce emissions from the state's older...

A Look Back.(Metal Management Inc)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... 1932: The development of compactor garbage trucks increases vehicle capacity. Five years ago: Metal Management Inc., one of the nation's largest metal recyclers with nearly $1 billion in annual revenue, announces plans to reorganize and...

Inbox.(air pollution control)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach A new environmental battle is brewing, as many homeowners have been buying wood burning stoves and similar devices to brace themselves against the onset of winter and the expected steep increases in home heating...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
November 21, 2005... Time bomb Landfills are a potential time bomb. A large number of them pose a real threat to our aquifers. The best way for us to dispose of our waste is to convert it into a fuel and use it to create electrical power at a...

Utah pipe maker indicted; McWane subsidiary accused of air pollution violations, cover-up.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a Utah iron pipe manufacturer and two managers in connection with alleged Clean Air Act violations and attempts to cover up the violations. The six-count...

Personnel.(People)(Chris Neumann appointed to Colorado Hazardous Waste Commission)(Catherine Arnold joins as business development manager at Schreiber Yonley & Associates)(James Schultz joins as senior vice president of Waste Management Inc. )(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... ARIZONA CENTER FOR THE BLIND DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION CENTER - Sue Bass named customer service representative; Everett Hogsed named sales account manager. GREENBERG TRAURIG - Chris Neumann appointed to Colorado Hazardous Waste Commission. ...

Koch taking Georgia-Pacific private.(News)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Georgia-Pacific Corp., which uses recycled fiber to make paper products, is going private in a $21 billion deal. Koch Industries Inc., a private company based in Wichita, Kan., agreed to pay $48 per share for...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
November 21, 2005... Recycling California hits 65% for 6 months California's recycling rate has hit 65 percent for the first half of 2005. Last year, Californians recycled more than 12 billion bottles and cans, the highest container recycling figure...

Funds OK'd for nuclear waste recycling tests.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Joe Truini After suspending nuclear waste reprocessing nearly three decades ago, the federal government has taken steps to resurrect the practice. Congress earmarked $130 million for nuclear fuel reprocessing in the House...

France likely to dilute, not delete, plastic ban.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Richard Higgs French senators seem likely to water down rather than throw out a proposal to ban nonbiodegradable plastic packaging in France beginning in 2010. The lower house of France's parliament had passed the ban on Oct....

U.K. plastic film makers mobilize against tax.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Richard Higgs Britain's plastic film manufacturers believe they have put up an effective case in their battle to block a retail plastic carrier-bag tax in Scotland. Armed with what they see as an arsenal of facts, industry...

Solid waste's Big 3 agree on swapping tactic.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson They used to be called asset swaps. But these days, folks in the solid waste management business tend to call them simultaneous buy-sell transactions just to be a little more accurate. Regardless what they are...

Educators need lessons about life-cycle costs.(News)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Green building techniques can save operating costs over time, but many educational institutions don't consider those potential savings when planning new buildings. A new survey by Turner Construction Co. found that...

From low-flow to luxury, conservation is key.(News)(Company Profile)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Toto USA Inc. makes its money by providing luxury plumbing products that the company says are good for the environment. But Toto USA doesn't stop there. "We're a water technology company, and we look at...

CAPITAL BRIEFS; A summary of recent developments in federal and state environmental legislation and regulation.(News)
November 21, 2005... LEGISLATION GENERAL ENVIRONMENT Illinois: House Bill 4176 provides that, beginning on the effective date of this amendatory act and through June 30, 2012, hybrid vehicles and components for hybrid vehicles are exempt from taxation...

Green building enters realm of remodeling.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson Green building is not just the domain of new construction. Using green techniques, including the use of recycled-content materials, for home remodeling is in its fledgling stage. But the movement is expected to gain...

Post-storm litigation beginning to surge.(disaster insurance)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Michael Bradford Business Insurance Litigation after Katrina is gathering speed as attorneys file lawsuits seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages from oil companies, insurers and others on behalf of property owners damaged...

Many states struggle with Rx for drug reuse.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Each year, additional states pass legislation that would allow pharmacists to redispense prescription drugs donated by patients who didn't use them. The idea of "recycling'' prescription drugs is appealing. It...

One-way bottle leads to dead end.(Wal-Mart recycling service)
November 21, 2005... Byline: Joe Sloan Wal-Mart, a company much under fire, received great reviews for its relief work after Hurricane Katrina. The company can keep the praise going by declining to distribute a new disposable container that, if widely adopted,...

GOT ANY BOXES? Calif. company has reselling of cartons down to a science.(recycling economics )
November 21, 2005... Byline: Jim Johnson The name of this company says it all: UsedCardboardBoxes.com. Marty Metro, founder and president of the company, figures he can save consumers half the cost of boxes and still have plenty of profit for his business....