Waste News articles from October 2007

Waste News archives from October 2007

All of the above.(Opinion)(Conference notes)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Allan Gerlat It's an age-old question about recycling. What motivates us more to do it - morality, economics or emotions? The National Recycling Coalition wrestles with that issue all the time, and now they're pursing the...

Revisiting the nuke debate.(Opinion)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... It's back! After some 30 years, applications have been made for two new nuclear power plants in the United States. And that likely will heat up the nuclear power debate. NRG Energy is seeking to build two new facilities in Texas, the first...

Wash. wind farm OK'd despite objections.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has given final approval for the development of a wind farm in central Washington despite objections from some neighboring property owners and the Kittitas County Board of...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
October 1, 2007... Oct. 8-12 - North American Hazardous Materials Management Association 22nd Annual Conference, San Diego, Calif. Call (602) 309-7827 or visit www.nahmma.org. Oct. 9 - Better Regulation for Waste, Brussels, Belgium. Contact Sarah Clifford...

Tinker toying with trash.(At Your Disposal)(Tinker LLC)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A California arts and crafts studio is trying to teach kids not only about art, but also recycling and reuse. Tinker LLC, in Sherman, Oaks, Calif., is a "drop in'' studio that invites parents and their children...

Wal-Mart goes green.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini An effort by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to reduce the energy consumed to make the products on its store shelves has received some sharp criticism for trying to appease liberal interest groups and force suppliers to toe the...

AERT building plant in Okla.(Special Report)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Matt Griswold Plastics News Springdale, Ark.-based Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc. is building a new recycling plant in Watts, Okla. Expected to open in the first quarter of 2008, the plant will be able to...

Landfill clearance; Furniture retailer recycles mountains of packaging.(Raymour and Flanigan Furniture)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson Selling 8,000 pieces of furniture each day means the folks at Raymour & Flanigan Furniture have to contend with packaging for 8,000 pieces of furniture each day. And that's a whole lot of cardboard, plastic and...

All together now; New single-stream facility to take on WM recycling monopoly in Denver.(Special Report)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini A privately held waste and recycling company has opened a single-stream material recovery facility in Denver to challenge Waste Management Inc.'s monopoly in the area. Alpine Waste and Recycling started operations at...

NYC tweaks the market.(standards of recycling)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... New York City's dramatic increase of the fines it levies for the theft of recyclables shines a light on a fascinating case study in market dynamics. Stealing paper from New York City recycling collection points has become an easy way to...

CAPITAL BRIEFS; A summary of recent developments in federal and state environmental legislation and regulation.(Briefs)
October 1, 2007... LEGISLATION SOLID WASTE California: Assembly Bill 1048 corrects an erroneous cross-reference and provides that illegal dumping enforcement officers shall be among those persons who enforce provisions of law relating to solid waste...

Europe hopes for pressure on President.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan European environmental leaders doubt President Bush will make a 180-degree turnaround on his voluntary approach to curbing global warming just because they're in town. But they figure pressure from U.S....

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
October 1, 2007... Electronics Dell pledges to become carbon neutral Dell Inc. Chairman Michael Dell has thrust his company into the forefront of addressing climate change by vowing to be the first major computer company to become carbon neutral. ...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
October 1, 2007... Recycling Sims Group to buy Metal Management Australia-based Sims Group Ltd. will purchase Chicago-based Metal Management Inc. to create the world's largest publicly traded recycling company. Metal Management's board of directors...

Inbox.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach Fiord Explorer: The global warming craze keeps topping itself for weirdness. The latest ripple, a peculiar little fad called climate tourism, has nutjobs (I mean, people) booking trips to hot spots in the Arctic and...

Paper trail gets hotter; NYC increases fines for theft of recyclables.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini Apparently the phrase "not worth the paper it's written on'' means zip to organized thieves snatching tons of scrap paper from New York collection points. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a bill on his desk that could...

Plug-in cars lead electric evolution.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan When the country's former chief spy starts comparing fuel oil to salt, do you stick around or leave the room shaking your head? All 130-plus participants at a conference on plug-in hybrid vehicles remained...

At Deadline.(Late News)
October 1, 2007... East Coast smog emissions on decline Many East Coast residents should be breathing easier as smog-forming emissions of nitrogen oxides from power plants and industry continue to decline. Summertime emissions fell 7 percent - more than...

Critics want more action at abandoned mines.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman A report prepared by environmental groups is calling for the state of Pennsylvania and the federal government to do a better job of regulating disposal of fly ash in abandoned mines. Groundwater and streams near...

New Products.(introduction of drum compactor by Benko Products Inc.)(product introduction of Peterson Manufacturing Corp.)(liquid flow meters introduced by Ravine)
October 1, 2007... BENKO PRODUCTS INC. has introduced a Drum Crusher/In-Drum compactor. Features include 60,000 pounds of compaction force, rugged welded steel construction, a nonsparking compaction chamber and a quick-change head for easy conversion to in-drum...

Toolbox fixes to boost commodity recycling.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson Call it enlightened self-interest. Or how to boost aluminum can recycling rates while helping out other commodities in the process. However the Recycling Communicator's Toolbox is described, one thing is clear:...

Energis emerges as Geocycle at NRC.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson For an operation that views itself as one of the larger waste management firms and one of the largest recycling companies in the country, Rob Davies' company hasn't done much to let that be known. But with a new...

NRC to build platform with new manifesto.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Rachael Whitcomb A new manifesto aimed at turning "sometimes'' recyclers into "always'' recyclers was unveiled by the National Recycling Coalition at its 26th Annual Congress and Expo in Denver Sept. 18, but the reception among...

Personnel.(People)
October 1, 2007... AMERICAN FOREST & PAPER ASSOCIATION - Jan Poling named vice president and general counsel. ASSOCIATION OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS - Daniel Allan and John Patterson elected to board of directors. BAY WEST INC. - Bryan Murdock appointed...

B. Braun likes to B. Green.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Perhaps B. Braun Medical Inc. should think about renaming itself "B. Green.'' Such a moniker would accurately reflect the Pennsylvania manufacturing company's longtime approach to environmental stewardship....

Kenworth makes strides toward greening its fleet.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Chrissy Kadleck Kenworth Truck Co. has a heavy-duty drive to provide environmental solution to its customers. A leading manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks, Kenworth cut its teeth on aerodynamics more than 20 years ago...

Allied goes biodiesel in Calif.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson Allied Waste Industries Inc.'s trucks are blue on the outside, but more than 200 of them in California are going green on the inside. The company said 225 vehicles operated in San Mateo County are converting to...

Turning a new page; NewPage purchases paper and pulp mills.(News)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson A recycled pulp mill in Duluth, Minn., is part of a $2.5 billion takeover in the North American paper industry. NewPage Holding Corp. is buying Stora Enso's North American paper operations, including the recycling...

Companies honored for climate concern.(Catalyst Paper Corp and Doubletree Hotels Corp. awarded for innovative environmental management )
October 1, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Catalyst Paper Corp., of Vancouver, B.C., and the Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center in Portland, Ore., were honored for innovative environmental business practices during the Green Power Corporate...

A Look Back.(At Your Disposal)
October 1, 2007... 10 years ago: The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency fines Rumpke Inc. $1 million in connection with a massive landslide at one of its Ohio landfills. 5 years ago: A federal judge orders the state of Nebraska to pay more than $150...

NRG seeks to build 2 reactors.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini Supporters hail the request to site the nation's first new nuclear reactor in some 30 years as a low-emission solution to meeting increasing U.S. energy needs, but not everyone is as optimistic. NRG Energy Inc. filed...

CEOs leading charge on environment laws.(News)(Conference notes)
October 1, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Attitudes toward climate change are shifting, and businesses will likely face some type of federally mandated carbon constraints within the next few years, according to a panel of speakers at a recent conference on...

Stock Report.(At Your Disposal)
October 1, 2007... 3 graphs: Waste News Stock Index * Calvert Social Index Fund * Dow Jones Industrial Average * table: Percentage Change by Market Segment: see print copy.

Court tackles question of trash turf.
October 15, 2007... Byline: Ed Kelbon, Jim O'Toole A recent decision by the United States Supreme Court has raised more questions than it has answered regarding the scope of local "governmental control" over interstate waste hauling and disposal. In...

Parties debate database particulars.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan One Republican figures renaming the country's flagship pollutant database will assuage naysayers. But Democrats say they won't be satisfied until it's restored to its original intent. "It" is the Toxics...

New products & technology.(Products)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst AIR-WEIGH ON-BOARD SCALES has announced the launch of a new company Web site, www.Air-WeighScales.com. The information on the site has been reorganized and is focused toward the U.S. audience. For more...

Stock Report.(At Your Disposal)
October 15, 2007... 3 graphs: Waste News Stock Index * Calvert Social Index Fund * Dow Jones Industrial Average * table: Percentage Change by Market Segment: see print copy.

A Look Back.
October 15, 2007... 10 years ago: USA Waste Services is fined $8 million in a plea deal over illegal federal campaign contributions. 5 years ago: Gateway introduces a thin LCD computer monitor, eliminating the lead-laden cathode ray tube monitor. 1 year...

Study: Ethanol may harm water quality.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Advocates of ethanol are hailing it as a tool for combating global warming, air pollution and oil shortages. But increased production of crops to produce ethanol and other biofuels could significantly damage water...

WN reporter wins award.(News)
October 15, 2007... Waste News Senior Reporter Jim Johnson won first place in an Ohio journalism competition for a story on needle and sharps disposal. Johnson's story in the July 31, 2006, issue of Waste News looked at California's new law banning sharps and...

At Deadline.(mining permission not granted by Judge Robert Chambers)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Judge halts plans for mountaintop mining A federal judge has halted plans by operators of a West Virginia coal mine to engage in mountaintop mining. U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers on Oct. 11 granted a temporary restraining order...

Decorative paper distributor goes wholesale eco-friendly.(service introduction and environmental aspects of Legion Paper)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Chrissy Kadleck When it comes to environmentally friendly paper companies, Legion Paper Corp. qualifies as one virtual tree hugger. The largest distributor of fine art, museum mounting board, decorative and digital arts papers...

AWARDS.(Briefs)
October 15, 2007... NRC recognizes East Baton Rouge The National Recycling Coalition last month presented the Beth Brown Boettner Award for Outstanding Public Education to the East Baton Rouge [La.] Recycling Office. The award was presented to Susan...

Firms to pay $1M to clean Md. fly ash site.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini Constellation Energy Group and mining company BBSS Inc. will pay a $1 million penalty and clean up groundwater contamination at a fly ash disposal site. Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and the Maryland...

CAPITAL BRIEFS.(laws, regulations and rules of waste management)
October 15, 2007... LEGISLATION SOLID WASTE Illinois: House Bill 364 eliminates a tire collection fee for retail customers and provides for deposit of tax collections into the Emergency Public Health Fund. Vetoed by governor and sent back to House Sept....

N.J. firm to install 2-megawatt system.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Hall's Warehouse Corp., a family-owned distributor of refrigerated and frozen foods, plans to install the largest rooftop solar energy system at a corporate site in the United States. Hall's has partnered with...

ELVS collects old mercury switches.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson More than 600,000 tiny mercury-containing switches have been removed during the past year through a voluntary program aimed at junked vehicles. The program, a partnership between automobile makers, recyclers,...

Crop firm partners for fuel.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Ceres Inc., a California-based developer of energy crops, is partnering with Texas A&M University to develop a high biomass sorghum that could be used in manufacturing ethanol, a cleaner-burning fuel. Ceres -...

Ill. museum offers CO2 credits.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson A Chicago museum is becoming the first in the country to offer some carbon mitigation to go along with the exhibitions. As folks head down to the Field Museum to learn about Charles Darwin or see the dinosaurs, they...

Chairs chatter about climate change.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Despite President Bush's disapproval, two key U.S. representatives are making preliminary rumblings about advancing economywide climate change legislation that would allow emitters to buy and sell greenhouse gas...

Coming Events.(Calendar)
October 15, 2007... Oct. 16-17 - Northeast Recycling Council Fall Conference, Northampton, Mass. Contact Mary Ann Remolador (802) 254-3636 or visit www.nerc.org. Oct. 16-18 - Wastecon 2007, Reno, Nev. Call (800) 467-9262 or visit www.swana.org. Oct....

Senate panel: Green switch won't be easy.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan If, as New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman recently declared, green is the new red, white and blue, then the American economy could be poised for protracted patriotism. More and more workforce collars...

Mich. solves can scam.(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini Michigan law enforcement officials have busted two Ohio-based smuggling rings that allegedly defrauded the state's container recycling fund out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Operation Can Scam nabbed several...

Recycler Greenstar grows.
October 15, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini Newly formed Greenstar North America has completed the acquisition of Mid America Recycling Co., making it one of the largest privately held recycling companies in the United States. With the acquisition,...

Letters.
October 15, 2007... Insight on Inbox I thoroughly enjoy your Waste News Daily E-mail. Keep up the good stuff! Regarding the folks in San Francisco that are down and out ["ATM For Addicts,'' Inbox, Aug. 30], many of them choose to be there and do NOT want...

Transforming technology; New Mexico artist gets crafty with cast-off circuit boards.(At Your Disposal)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson For Marion Martinez, making art also is about making a statement. The Glorieta, N.M.-based artist's medium is considered by some to be electronic waste. But she recycles used circuit boards into functional pieces...

Special events recycling requires special care.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson A lot more goes into recycling at special events than setting out containers and hoping for the best. A combination of research, planning and execution all must come together to make sure the recyclables go where...

Shear affection; Workers shave heads to show love for sick colleague.
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson About 15 guys are walking around bald these days at Sanitary Services Co., where employees and owners alike talk about being a family. One after another, the employees came into the office one recent day and had...

Less oil, more jobs?(waste disposal facilities of petrochemical industry)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Even if a certain powerful resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is suffering from Category 5 denial, America is on the cusp of weaning itself of foreign oil. And that, says Apollo Alliance president Jerome...

AEP, feds settle for $6 billion.
October 15, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan After fighting the federal government, states and environmental organizations for almost a decade, an Ohio-based coal-burning power company finally relented. An out-of-court settlement - announced Oct. 9, the...

Supplier News.(Redbox Corps. contract with Wastequip for disposal of waste)(Wingfoot Commercial Tire Systems L.L.C. opens a new Pilot Truck Care Center )(Pro-Act Microbial recieves patent for its biotech waste management system)
October 15, 2007... Toilet-rolloff maker signs national deal RedBox+ has signed an exclusive manufacturing agreement with Wastequip that will enable it to ship its portable toilet-rolloff container products nationwide more economically. "This agreement...

WM's road less traveled by.(Opinion)
October 15, 2007... Waste Management Inc. CEO David Steiner's announcement that the company plans to double the amount of material it recycles and to invest $5 billion to cut vehicle emissions constitutes a big leap of faith. The bet here is that leap will...

Utah releases report to combat climate change.(News)
October 15, 2007... Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has released a report on climate change that says Utah will warm faster than most of the planet and that outlines steps the state should take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report was prepared by the Blue...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
October 15, 2007... Scrap Metal Steel Dynamics to acquire Omnisource Steel Dynamics Inc. is purchasing OmniSource Corp., a privately-owned scrap recycling company. Both companies are based in Fort Wayne, Ind. Steel Dynamics, which produces steel...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
October 15, 2007... Government House committee OKs two energy bills A House science panel has advanced one bill focused on energy-storage technologies and another to enhance industrial energy efficiency research and development. The House Committee...

Inbox.(Letter to the editor)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach It seems like forever since we've paid a visit to our semidormant Worm Dung Department. So here's a nice article I stumbled across from the Wilkes-Barre [Pa.] Citizen's Voice detailing the recent activities of...

Airtricity sells unit to German firm; E.ON buys North American biz for $1.4B.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini Dublin, Ireland, wind developer Airtricity Inc. has agreed to sell its North American business unit to Dusseldorf, Germany-based E.ON Group for $1.4 billion. Airtricity North America, based in Chicago, owns 210...

National asbestos ban close.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan If the House and President Bush follow the Senate's lead, the United States could join the 40-plus countries that already ban asbestos. After six years of prodding by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate...

Clovis aims to take waste Full Circle.(Products)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst Plasma torches are known for laser-like precision, but a Clovis, Calif.-based company is taking aim at a wide swath of energy and environmental issues with its plasma technology. Full Circle Energy Inc. plans to...

Doubling down on green; WM unveils plan to boost recycling, reduce emissions.
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson There once was a time - really not that long ago - that Waste Management Inc. was trying to decide whether it wanted to be in the recycling business at all. Now the company figures to more than double the amount of...

Something's gotta give.(causes of and environmental aspects of waste disposal)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Allan Gerlat Most of us think these things at one point or another: Why is it easier and cheaper to buy something new rather than to fix it? Why are we such a disposable society? A Canadian professor points to psychological...

WN Summit details emerge.(summit of waste management industry)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... Sessions are set for the Waste News Capitol Hill Summit, a two-day conference on environmental legislation and regulation scheduled for Feb. 12-13, 2008, in Washington. The first session looks at the flow control issue in light of a recent...

Red tape vs. right to know.(report of management of toxic waste)(Brief article)
October 15, 2007... The debate continues over making changes in the Toxics Release Inventory reporting process. Essentially, it's an argument over the public's right to know vs. unnecessary bureaucracy for small businesses. The TRI was reformed last year so...

Blame game; Prices have gas, ethanol makers pointing fingers.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The producers of ethanol are in a public relations battle with the producers of gasoline as to who is to blame for high gasoline prices and whether Congress should mandate increased use of ethanol-blended fuel. ...

Dow puts millions into new Mich. plant.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Dow Corning Corp. will invest tens of millions of dollars in new equipment for a silicon-materials plant in Midland, Mich., that will reduce pollution and consumption of natural gas, the company said Oct. 1. ...

Correction.(Correction notice)
October 15, 2007... In the annual Recycling Ranking (Oct. 1 issue, Pages 14-17), Tomra North America's 2006 revenue should have been stated as $220 million, and Weyerhaeuser Co.'s should have been $794.1 million.

Company creates bio-friendly trays.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Joe Truini A new company dedicated to developing compostable food packaging sprouted seemingly from nowhere this month, but had been operating under the radar for several years. On Oct. 2, The Instone Group Inc. unveiled New...

Environmental trust gathers for summit.
October 15, 2007... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Conservationists with low expectations for President Bush's late-September global warming gathering at the White House claimed their own parallel summit was more useful because it kept momentum churning toward a...

Study: Paper shifts to green.(News)(Report)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson There's still plenty of work to do, but a consortium of more than 100 environmental groups believes a green wave is hitting the paper industry concerning environmental issues. The Environmental Paper Network has...

Shape up, or no shipping out?(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson A trio of environmental groups and a well-known California politician believe that oceangoing vessels - carrying both freight and people - have essentially been given a free pass when it comes to greenhouse gas...

N.C. sets recycling sights on cleaning crews.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Jim Johnson When Matthew Todd sat back and thought, he wondered where was the missing link in recycling at commercial buildings in North Carolina. The employees were engaged. The haulers were engaged. But the link...

Climate change legislation on the horizon.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Rachael Whitcomb It's been a long time coming, but for those who have been working tirelessly in its favor, it seems legislation to help combat climate change may finally be on the horizon. The key, it seems, is cooperation...

GM goes solar in California.(News)
October 15, 2007... Byline: Bruce Geiselman General Motors is adding a solar power installation to the roof of a service and parts warehouse in Fontana, Calif., and the automaker plans to add similar installations at other facilities worldwide. GM...

Indiana facility to recycle 28%.(News)
October 15, 2007... A proposed $12.5 million recycling center and transfer station in northeastern Indiana will handle the area's growing waste generation while being one of the first facilities of its kind to use recycled materials in its construction. The...