Time bomb: Military ordnance in Gulf of Mexico poses threat to shipping, says expert

Millions of pounds of unexploded bombs and other military ordnance that were dumped decades ago in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as off the coasts of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, could now pose serious threats to shipping lanes and the 4,000 oil and gas rigs in the Gulf, warns oceanographers.

URL: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/earth_climate/recycling_and_waste/~3/hdP4k_Yr704/120929140342.htm

Paper or Plastic? Some Communities Say Neither

Governments around the country are approving restrictions and fees on paper and plastic shopping bags in an effort to encourage consumers to bring their own.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/business/energy-environment/communities-curb-use-of-paper-and-plastic-shopping-bags.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Waste Management takes control of Land and Lakes Co.

Hauler served Chicago area; deal includes three composting facilities

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS04/120929911

Fla. metals recycling center guard recovering from police shooting

A security guard at a metal recycling facility in Lauderhill, Fla., is recovering at a hospital after being shot by police.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS06/120929919

Plastics Recycling Update Magazine: Scotland looks to boost domestic recycling

## Scotland looks to boost domestic recycling


_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

Scottish plastic recycling firms may be eligible for new loan funding and support.

Zero Waste Scotland and business organization Scottish Enterprise have jointly established a [$4 million loan fund](http://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/plasticsloanfund) to support plastic sorting and processing facilities in Scotland. Specifically, the two groups hope to help create more plastic recycling businesses in the country, as well as develop sorting and recycling methods for rigid plastic containers, film, PVC building materials and other items. Backers of the loan program hope to divert 55,000 tons of plastic material from landfill by 2015.

Scotland generated over 551,000 tons of plastic waste in 2011, but recycled only a fifth of that volume domestically. The move is supported by the Scottish government, which has a goal of recycling 70 percent of all waste generated in the country by 2025.

[ ](http://www.plasticsrecycling.org/news/news-archives/58-press-release/172-caps-on-bottles-for-recycling)

**_To return to the Plastics Recycling Update newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/PRUe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3111

E-Scrap News Magazine: E-Scrap Conference attendance hits 1,300

## E-Scrap Conference attendance hits 1,300

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

Approximately 1,300 e-scrap recycling professionals came together in Dallas, Texas this week to make the largest audience ever gathered for the electronics recycling industry.

The record-breaking tenth anniversary of the annual E-Scrap Conference saw attendees from 43 states and 29 countries. Coupled with sessions on global electronics recycling and commodities markets, laws and policies, and a completely sold out exhibit hall, attendees benefitted from a truly international experience.

The opening keynote presentations offered those in attendance rare insight into the state of electronics recycling within the broader enterprise and consumer electronics industries.

"Managing electronics is a challenge because this industry in particular is driven by the next big thing," explained Consumer Electronics president and CEO Gary Shapiro, addressing the audience. "We've all seen the horrible images of what can happen to electronics after they're discarded. We need to ask 'what can we do to keep these products out of the informal sector?' And one of our biggest challenges is to change consumer behavior."

Also offering valuable insight in the opening session were David Daoud, research director for personal computing and green IT for market research firm International Data Corp., as well as Leo Raudys, senior director of environmental sustainability and services compliance for retail giant Best Buy. Both shared their predictions for the changing near-term composition of the electronics recycling waste stream, as well as the latest data on how the market for buying products and disposing of products is changing.

"The PC is not dead -- contrary to what you may have heard," said Daoud, unveiling new research findings released by IDC. "There is still strong demand from enterprise but for the first time, consumer IT spending is outpacing enterprise."

As for Best Buy's experience operating one of the widest-reaching take-back programs in the country, Raudys said the company had made impressive strides in showing that such a program can be operated sustainably. "We want to make recycling easy for our customers, regardless of where they are. We essentially break even on recycling, and considering the service it provides, that's pretty good."

Next year's E-Scrap Conference will be held in Orlando, Florida on Sept. 11-12, 2013.

[ ](http://www.jtenv.com/r2.cfm)

**_To return to the E-Scrap News newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/ESNe-news092012.html)_**

&nbsp_place_holder;

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3107

N.J. recycling center closed after hazardous materials scare

A New Jersey recycling facility was closed yesterday after pesticides and chemicals were thrown in with household trash.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS06/120929917

Plastics Recycling Update Magazine: NewsBits

## NewsBits


The **ASTM Plastics Committee** has announced the development of the new [ASTM D7473](http://www.astm.org/Standards/D7473.htm) standard, which tests weight attrition for **plastic materials in a marine environment**. The test is aimed at makers of degradable and bio-degradable plastic materials.

A California Superior Court judge has [ruled](http://www.plasticstoday.com/articles/San-Francisco-plastic-bag-ban-ruled-valid-by-judge-091420122) that **San Francisco can continue its ban on plastic bags**. The Save the Plastic Bag Coalition had filed a lawsuit against the city claiming it had enacted the ban without conducting a required environmental review. The group is planning to appeal the ruling.

The **Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, Illinois and Curbside Value Partnership** have launched a new campaign dubbed "[Recycle First. Trash Last.](http://www.recyclefirsttrashlast.org/)" The marketing strategy utilizes radio, online, transit and event advertisements to encourage Lake County residents to **recycle more materials**.

[Giant plastic bag slugs](http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2012/09/plastic-bag-creation-day-slow-slugs-angers/3419/) have invaded the town of Angers, England! The colorful creatures are composed of **40,000 used plastic bags each** and are part of an annual performing arts festival.

[ ](http://www.amut.it/Default.asp)

**_To return to the Plastics Recycling Update newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/PRUe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3109

Plastics Recycling Update Magazine: Toronto clamshell recycling moves forward

## Toronto clamshell recycling moves forward


_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

Toronto residents can now recycle PET clamshell containers, following a pilot study at the city's Dufferin Materials Recovery Facility.

Dufferin MRF, which handles approximately half of the city's solid waste, sorted rigid clamshell containers, bakery trays and egg cartons from the commingled stream over the course of the past year, in an effort to assess the feasibility of accepting the containers as part of Toronto's [Blue Bin](http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/bluebox/) recycling collection program.

Even with the year-long pilot program, the collection of clamshells, trays and cartons had to be delayed while the city searched for a purchaser for collected material. Dufferin will continue to take curbside material under the new arrangement, and a new plastic recycling plant will be constructed in the city next March to handle the additional volume.

Toronto is just the third Canadian city, after Ottawa and Calgary, to offer curbside recycling for clamshell containers.

[ ](http://www.amut.it/Default.asp)

**_To return to the Plastics Recycling Update newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/PRUe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3114

Plastics Recycling Update Magazine: Patent watch

## Patent watch

Krones AG has submitted Patent Application No. 20120238650, which describes a **plastic recycling method** that involves flexible switching between processing lines. The method is said to work best with PET plastic.

Tokyo-based Konica Minolta Business Technologies has submitted Patent Application No. 20120235327, which describes **a system for reprocessing recycled resin**. The method of sorting, pulverizing, washing and classifying of recycled material is also described.

For more information on these or any patents, please consult the U.S. Patent Office database [online](http://patft.uspto.gov/).

_Copies of patents can be ordered by number for $3 each from the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA, 22313-1450._

[ ](http://www.herboldusa.net/pru)

**_To return to the Plastics Recycling Update newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/PRUe-news092712.html)_**

&nbsp_place_holder;

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3110

Plastics Recycling Update Magazine: PetroChem Wire: Recycled PS grades higher in September

## PetroChem Wire: Recycled PS grades higher in September


_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

Prices for some grades of recycled polystyrene rose during the first half of September.

Natural GPPS regrind sold for 48 cents per pound, up from 45-47 cents per pound in late August. HIPS black repro sold earlier in September at 72-74 cents per pound, up from 69-71 cents late in the previous month. HIPS MC pellet was reported offered at the beginning of the month between 68-70 cents per pound, versus 65-67 cents in August. Other grades were stable earlier this month, with HIPS MC regrind offered at 57-59 cents per pound, unchanged from August. Generic spot prime HIPS prices were unchanged during the first half of September.

For more information about _PetroChem Wire's Repro/Regrind Resin Report_ and daily prime grade polymers and monomers report, or to arrange a free trial subscription, contact Cindy Bryan at [cindy@petrochemwire.com](mailto:cindy@petrochemwire.com) or (713) 385-1407. To see sample issues of PCW publications, click [here](http://www.petrochemwire.com/Sample_Issues/Our_Publications.html).

[ ](http://www.sdslogistics.com/quick-quote?src=droptrailersplastics)

**_To return to the Plastics Recycling Update newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/PRUe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3113

Resource Recycling Magazine: Alcoa invests $2 million to accelerate recycling

## Alcoa invests $2 million to accelerate recycling

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

Alcoa and its charitable giving branch, the Alcoa Foundation, will invest $2 million into a new recycling initiative that seeks to significantly increase the national recycling rate.

The announcement was made earlier this week at the Clinton Global Initiative, with Alcoa saying it will make a sizable contribution to Action to Accelerate Recycling (AAR), [an initiative launched at a summit in February](http://resource-recycling.com/node/2503) by nearly 80 businesses, environmental groups and industry associations with the goal of boosting the U.S. recycling rate by 20 percentage points in three years. The new commitment from Alcoa aims to increase awareness of recycling, create incentives to recycle, and provide greater access and infrastructure to aid in the recovery of aluminum, plastic, glass and paper for recycling.

The announcement from Alcoa comes months after [Novelis withdrew from Evermore Recycling](http://resource-recycling.com/node/2933), the joint used beverage container (UBC) buying venture between the two aluminum behemoths. _The Wall Street Journal_ this week [reported](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443589304577633410750041328.html) that, since the two companies have parted ways, they have been in a battle to collect more aluminum cans for recycling, with Alcoa keeping the reins for Evermore.

"For every can that is recycled, we save energy and money, reduce our environmental impact, and create economic opportunities in U.S. communities," said Klaus Kleinfeld, chairman and CEO of Alcoa, in a prepared statement. "Our partnership with Keep America Beautiful is a 'call to action' for companies, consumers and community organizations to make recycling a priority. Together with our industry partners, we set and can achieve an ambitious, yet achievable, 75-percent aluminum can recycling rate by 2015 in the U.S."

Specifically, AAR will include the following Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation programs:

* "Pass the Can" – For every virtual can passed through this Facebook app, the Alcoa Foundation will donate $1 (up to $75,000) to Keep America Beautiful, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Planet Ark to fund recycling programs around the world.
* Net Impact – "Small Steps, Big Wins" Campus Challenge will reach 50 college campuses around the world to offer incentives for students to take 50,000 small steps towards environmental action.
* DoSomething.org – The largest youth-led aluminum recycling drive in the U.S.
* Tailgate Recycling Programs – The Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, Purdue University and Clemson University will create innovative recycling programs that encourage fans to recycle in parking lots during football season.
* Pennsylvania Resources Council – The program will educate consumers about the recyclability of pet food cans and create a model for collecting cans that can easily be replicated.

Alcoa will also be working with Keep America Beautiful and Action to Accelerate Recycling will incorporate the following programs from the national beautification organization:

* Industry Pledge to Increase Recycling – Solicit industry to pledge a 10-percent increase in the recycling of aluminum, paper, plastic and glass in the workplace through variety of programs.
* Recycling Media Campaign – A multimedia campaign to reach 200 million people.
* State Fairs Recycling Initiative – Provides recycling access and develops best practices in four to six underserved state fair venues with funding from Alcoa.

According to an internal memo from Erin Billman, managing consultant at the sustainability oriented consulting company Blu Skye, several projects affiliated with AAR have already been launched.

"We find ourselves now at a natural transition point," wrote Billman in the memo. "Several projects are established and appear to be on their way to excellent partnership with established organizations. We believe that AAR has served its purpose in promoting action and inspiring progress that would not have otherwise existed."

One of these projects seeks to create partnerships between the private sector and communities that will create funding models allowing for the implementation of curbside best practices. So far, according to the memo, the current priority with the project is identifying a pilot that would create value for potential investors and can be scaled and replicated across the country.

KAB has also selected advertising agency [Pereira & O'Dell](http://pereiraodell.com/) to work on a national awareness campaign for recycling, according to the memo. Currently, the project is in its research and planning phase.

Another project is in the works that seeks to capture better data that will be used in developing priorities and establishing baselines. According to the memo, the next steps will depend on proposed legislation to reform the collection of recycling data as well as decisions made by the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment, an industry organization concerned with environmental packaging issues, who is working on the project.

The memo notes that during the AAR summit, suggestions were made to establish a "Funding and Governance" group. However, it appears that such a group will not be formed due to the overabundance of recycling organizations already in existence that could fulfill the goals of AAR, as well as companies being more interested in funding projects than overhead.

[ ](http://www.call2recycle.org/)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news092812.html). _**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3126

Resource Recycling Magazine: Atlanta expands curbside recycling

## Atlanta expands curbside recycling

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

The City of Atlanta will launch a new expansion of its residential curbside recycling program.

Beginning Oct. 15, 66,000 Atlanta households will receive 96-gallon recycling carts, replacing the current 18-gallon bins that 30,000 residents already have. Currently, Atlanta residents generate 96,000 tons of trash annually, which costs the city $7 million a year to dispose of in landfills. Diverting recyclables from landfills produces revenue for the city at a rate of $30 per ton.

The Curbside Value Partnership, a national invitation-only program meant to help communities grow their curbside recycling programs, will help the lead expansion and will develop and measure an education campaign to encourage residents to use their new carts.

[ ](http://www.buhlergroup.com/optical-sorting)

[ ](http://www.herboldusa.net/pru)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news092812.html). _**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3125

Plastics Recycling Update Magazine: Plastic push generates unlikely opposition

## Plastic push generates unlikely opposition


_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

In the U.K., the plastics industry is criticizing a government mandate to double the amount of plastic collected for recycling in five years. According to the British Plastics Federation, the government plan includes no viable plans on how to achieve this target.

The government has set targets to raise the recycling rate from its current 32 percent to 57 percent by 2017, prompting the British Plastics Federation to issue a statement claiming that this goal is unrealistic without significant investment in the logistics of collection and recycling.

"In answer to recent parliamentary questions, the government continues to say that the onus is on packaging producers to ensure that enough material is collected but in reality it is local councils that control collection," said Barry Turner, CEO of the Packaging and Films Association. "The fact is that, in the absence of resource-based recycling targets, there is no incentive for councils to invest in collection services -- even less so when their budgets are already stretched to the limit."

According the federation, the plastics recycling capacity in the country would need to be increased by an additional 512,000 tons per year to meet the target.

"The result of this ill thought out and fragmented approach will be that the companies obligated under these targets will be left to foot the bill for recycling that can't be delivered," said Philip Law, public and industrial affairs director of the British Plastics Federation, in a prepared statement. "This is a no-win for everybody including the Government who will have to explain their failure in the future."

[ ](http://eriez.com/)

**_To return to the Plastics Recycling Update newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/PRUe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3112

Composting Council seeks poster submissions

The U.S. Composting Council is looking for an artist's touch.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS02/120929921

Fort Wayne, Ind., installs new recycling bins

Fort Wayne, Ind., is increasing access to recycling on its downtown streets.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS02/120929918

Resource Recycling Magazine: E-Scrap Conference attendance hits 1,300

## E-Scrap Conference attendance hits 1,300

Approximately 1,300 e-scrap recycling professionals came together in Dallas, Texas this week to make the largest audience ever gathered for the electronics recycling industry.

The record-breaking tenth anniversary of the annual E-Scrap Conference saw attendees from 43 states and 29 countries. Coupled with sessions on global electronics recycling and commodities markets, laws and policies, and a completely sold out exhibit hall, attendees benefitted from a truly international experience.

The opening keynote presentations offered those in attendance rare insight into the state of electronics recycling within the broader enterprise and consumer electronics industries.

"Managing electronics is a challenge because this industry in particular is driven by the next big thing," explained Consumer Electronics president and CEO Gary Shapiro, addressing the audience. "We've all seen the horrible images of what can happen to electronics after they're discarded. We need to ask 'what can we do to keep these products out of the informal sector?' And one of our biggest challenges is to change consumer behavior."

Also offering valuable insight in the opening session were David Daoud, research director for personal computing and green IT for market research firm International Data Corp., as well as Leo Raudys, senior director of environmental sustainability and services compliance for retail giant Best Buy. Both shared their predictions for the changing near-term composition of the electronics recycling waste stream, as well as the latest data on how the market for buying products and disposing of products is changing.

"The PC is not dead -- contrary to what you may have heard," said Daoud, unveiling new research findings released by IDC. "There is still strong demand from enterprise but for the first time, consumer IT spending is outpacing enterprise."

As for Best Buy's experience operating one of the widest-reaching take-back programs in the country, Raudys said the company had made impressive strides in showing that such a program can be operated sustainably. "We want to make recycling easy for our customers, regardless of where they are. We essentially break even on recycling, and considering the service it provides, that's pretty good."

Next year's E-Scrap Conference will be held in Orlando, Florida on Sept. 11-12, 2013.

[ ](http://www.rotochopper.com/)

[ ](http://mrpcompany.com/)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news092812.html). _**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3124

Veteran nurse fired as gets sent kidney to medical waste

One nurse resigned and another was fired for their role in an incident where a kidney destined for transplant was disposed in medical waste instead.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS01/120929923

Connecticut town rejects plastic bag ban

A town in Connecticut rejected a plastic bag ban that environmentalists sought over the last two years.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS08/120929920

Greenstar adds carton recycling to 6 cities

Six more U.S. cities now have access to carton recycling.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS02/120929928

EPA attempting to extinguish fire in recycled glass pile

Work is expected this weekend to split a 60,000-ton pile of recycled glass in Attica, N.Y., into smaller piles in an attempt to extinguish a fire smoldering inside the pile, the Daily News reported.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS02/120929922

Pouches a hit with booze marketers

A baby-food trend has made its way to booze.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS03/120929925

Small town's big idea: Clothing at the curb

Queen Creek, Ariz., and its pilot textile curbside recycling program is helping to turn items such as clothing, towels, blankets, sheets and shoes into home insulation.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS02/120929927

Partnership helps Coke push ahead with plant-based PET

Continuing its promise to build up the worldwide capacity to produce plant-based mono ethylene glycol for its PET bottles, Coca-Cola Co. is partnering with an Indian company to build a second pMEG plant, this one in Brazil.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120928/NEWS03/120929924

Resource Recycling Magazine: NewsBits

## NewsBits

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

Long-time _Resource Recycling_ columnist, **Roger Guttentag**, has launched a new website, [recyclingandreuse.com](http://resource-recycling.com/aggregator/rss/recyclingandreuse.com), which will house all of his Recycling Online columns and other resources for recycling professionals of all stripes.

Nine Dragons, **China's largest recovered paper consumer**, had sales of $4.3 billion ($US) in its last fiscal year. This was up 11.4 percent from the previous year. Gross profits of $688 million rose 2.6 percent. The company sold 8.9 million metric tons of recycled paper and paperboard produced on 33 machines at mills located in six regions of China. The company's design capacity is 11.5 million metric tons annually, although this will rise to 14.0 million tons by June 2014.

Can simple assumptions influence the outcome of a **life cycle analysis**? Does **EPR** influence product design? How does can government and industry produce high performance in product stewardship programs? What are the best options for managing **plastic bags and films**? These questions will be answered during the **Product Stewardship Institute's** upcoming [webinar series](http://www.productstewardship.us/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=963).

If you thought that recycling was something that humans just started doing during the last 100 years or so, you are wrong, according to researchers at a Catalan university. A recently published study has found that **humans were recycling stone tools 13,000 years ago**. Via [_Science Daily_](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120920082536.htm).

[ ](http://www.call2recycle.org/)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news092812.html). _**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3120

Resource Recycling Magazine: AF&PA: paper news roundup

## AF&PA: Paper news roundup

According to recently-released figures from [the American Forest & Paper Association](http://www.statmill.org/), total production and shipment figures were a mixed bag for boxboard, containerboard, Kraft paper, printed-writing paper and recovered paper in August 2012.

Total [boxboard](http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=2830) production dipped 0.8 percent compared to August 2011 but increased 2.2 percent from last month. Unbleached Kraft boxboard production also dropped over the same month last year and decreased compared to last month. However, the production of recycled boxboard increased compared to August 2011 and increased when compared to last month.

[Containerboard](http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=2836) production rose 2.2 percent over July 2012 levels and was flat when compared to the same month last year. The month-over-month average daily production also increased 2.2 percent. The containerboard operating rate for August 2012 jumped 2.1 points over July 2012, from 95.4 percent to 97.5 percent.

[Kraft paper](http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=2837) shipments were 133,000 tons in August, a decrease of 3.6 percent compared to the prior month. Total inventory was 77,800 tons this month and both unbleached and bleached Kraft shipments decreased year-over-year (YOY).

According to the report, total [printing-writing paper](http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=2838) shipments dropped 5 percent in August compared to August 2011. Too, all four major printing-writing grades posted single-digit decreases compared to last August. U.S. purchases of printing-writing papers also decreased, down 6 percent in August. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels decreased 5 percent from last month, primarily due to double-digit decreases in mechanical-grade paper inventories.

Total U.S. industry consumption of [recovered paper](http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=2839) in August was 2.56 million tons, a 6 percent jump from 2012. Year-to-date total consumption in 2012 is 4 percent lower YOY. U.S. exports of recovered paper, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, increased 5 percent in July compared to June, led by a 14 percent increase in mixed paper exports. Year-to-date exports of recovered paper in 2012 are 6 percent lower than during the same period in 2011.

[ ](http://web.hammermills.com/the-e-cycler-/)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news092812.html). _**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3121

Resource Recycling Magazine: The wide world of recycling

## The wide world of recycling

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

The plastics industry in the U.K. gripes about new government-imposed recycling targets and Denmark's container deposit system is facing serious budget cuts.

In the **U.K.**, the plastics industry is criticizing a government mandate to double the amount of plastic collected for recycling in five years. According to the British Plastics Federation, the government plan includes no viable plans on how to achieve this target.

The government has set targets to raise the recycling rate from its current 32 percent to 57 percent by 2017, prompting the British Plastics Federation to issue a statement claiming that this goal is unrealistic without significant investment in the logistics of collection and recycling.

"In answer to recent parliamentary questions, the government continues to say that the onus is on packaging producers to ensure that enough material is collected but in reality it is local councils that control collection," said Barry Turner, CEO of the Packaging and Films Association. "The fact is that, in the absence of resource-based recycling targets, there is no incentive for councils to invest in collection services – even less so when their budgets are already stretched to the limit."

According the federation, the plastics recycling capacity in the country would need to be increased by an additional 512,000 tons to meet the target.

"The result of this ill thought out and fragmented approach will be that the companies obligated under these targets will be left to foot the bill for recycling that can't be delivered," said Philip Law, public and industrial affairs director of the British Plastics Federation, in a prepared statement. "This is a no-win for everybody including the Government who will have to explain their failure in the future."

In **Denmark**, certain bottles and cans might cost more as a result of the government's plan to cut funding for the stewardship organization that manages the Scandinavian country's container deposit system. Dansk Retursystem, the non-profit organization that oversees deposits, is facing a 64 million kroner ($11 million) shortfall in funding, which could impair its operations, reports [_The Copenhagen Post_](http://cphpost.dk/news/national/no-more-deposit-no-more-return).

The paper quotes an official from Dansk Retursystem saying that the cut could result in reduced return rate and higher prices for consumers. Additionally, several projects being undertaken by the organization, including unmanned collection stations that allow consumers to redeems all their bottles and cans at once, might be put on hold if the cuts go through.

[ ](http://www.pellencst.com/en)

[ ](http://www.sdslogistics.com/quick-quote?src=forlifebannerrecycling)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news092812.html). _**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3123

Resource Recycling Magazine: _ReuseConex 2012_ brings reuse industry together

## _ReuseConex 2012_ brings reuse industry together

While it's true that the "3Rs" have become a catalyzing movement of the times, the "reuse" part of this waste management trilogy is often overlooked. ReuseConex, the International Reuse Conference & Expo looks to change that at its second bi-annual conference to be held Oct. 18-20, 2012 in Portland, Oregon.

According to conference organizers, if you work with a local or regional reuse organization, if you shop at thrift stores or online resellers, if you buy or sell reusables, if you're interested in green-collar jobs, and if you're concerned about climate change -- come to Portland for ReuseConex.

"At ReuseConex, you will find out more about the 'triple bottom line' benefits of reuse, learn from and share best practices and network with leaders in the reuse industry," says Reuse Alliance executive director, MaryEllen Etienne. "The theme for the conference this year is 'Growing Reuse Communities' and we hope you'll join the conference's organizers while we explore new methods and replicable models to expand reuse in your community."

The keynote speaker at the conference is Kyle Wiens, co-founder of [iFixit.com](http://www.ifixit.com/), who will be providing attendees with a rousing example of how reuse entrepreneurs are making a difference in their communities around the world, while still making a living.

"Stuff breaks," says Wiens, "and, often, a 10-minute repair is all that it takes to save something from a landfill. Although you might know how to patch a hole in a pair of jeans, maybe you don't know how to change an iPod battery. When we share repair knowledge, we all have more power over what happens to our stuff."

It's not too late to get involved in ReuseConex -- there are [sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities](http://www.reuseconex.org/sponsor) still available. [Book a room](http://www.reuseconex.org/register/hotel-discount) and [register for the 2012 ReuseConex](http://www.reuseconex.org/register/) today. For more information, go to [www.reuseconex.org](http:// www.reuseconex.org) or click on the banner below.

[ ](http://www.reuseconex.org/)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news092812.html). _**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3122

Sandia experts help when sinkhole opens up in Louisiana

The U.S. Geological Survey turned to Sandia National Laboratories for help when the earth opened up last month near Bayou Corne, La.

URL: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/earth_climate/recycling_and_waste/~3/JRRVLeu3edc/120927091230.htm

After 3½ months on job, Swisher Hygiene CFO resigns

Departure follows another missed deadline for company to file overdue financial statements

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS01/120929926

E-Scrap News Magazine: Certification scorecard

## Certification scorecard


With the roster of companies attaining third-party certifications or audits continuing to grow, _E-Scrap News_ has compiled a round-up of the firms announcing certification this past week.

* Both **U.S. Micro's** Atlanta and Las Vegas facilities are certified to R2 and ISO 14001.
* **A.R.M.S. Inc.** of DePere, Wisconsin; **Data Shredding Services of Texas, Inc. II** of Grapevine, Texas; **Doc Shredding Corp.** of Plainville, Massachusetts; **M1 Document Solutions Ltd.** of County Monaghan, Ireland and **The Shred Guy Central Texas** of Smithville, Texas have all either achieved or renewed their NAID Certification for Physical Destruction of Hard Drives.

Has your firm completed a CHWMEG audit or an ISO 9001, ISO 14001, R2, RIOS or e-Stewards certification? Email [henry@resource-recycling.com](mailto:henry@resource-recycling.com) to be included in this section and in _E-Scrap News_' quarterly directory.

[ ](http://www.greeneyepartners.com/)

**_To return to the E-Scrap Conference newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/ESNe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3116

E-Scrap News Magazine: CRT glass headed to CA landfills

## CRT glass headed to CA landfills


_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

CRT glass may be heading to California landfills -- legally.

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has issued an emergency regulation that will allow recycling firms in the state to send some of their CRT glass material to approved landfills. Provided they are unable to find a recycling option for their material, processors can now send funnel glass to hazardous waste landfills and send panel glass to solid waste landfills, so long as testing shows there is minimal risk of lead leaching into the environment.

Undertaken specifically to deal with the collapse in demand for CRT glass and growing volume of stockpiled material, DTSC said the action was needed to avert a greater environmental hazard.

"[CRT glass] demand has shrunk to almost zero, leaving recyclers with few options and increasing the likelihood of mismanagement and subsequent release of hazardous materials," said DTSC Toxics in Products Program head Karl Palmer. "This regulation will encourage the development of new recycling technologies and where recycling is not feasible, it will put in place a process and requirements that will allow safe disposal of CRT glass."

The new emergency regulations are set to expire after two years. Processors that have stockpiled CRT glass for six months or longer at that time will be granted an additional six months to send the glass to an approved location.

More information on the regulations is available [here](http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/LawsRegsPolicies/Regs/CRT_Glass_Disposal.cfm).

[ ](http://Ousei.jp)

**_To return to the E-Scrap Conference newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/ESNe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3119

E-Scrap News Magazine: E-Scrap News exclusive: The rise of electronics recycling in Brazil

## _E-Scrap News_ exclusive: The rise of electronics recycling in Brazil


_By Jake Thomas, Resource Recycling_

Brazil has arrived. In recent decades, the Latin American country's economy has grown to become the world's sixth largest and boasts a burgeoning middle class hungry for new electronics. Now the country is confronting what to do with all the waste that accompanies its new-found prosperity by enacting a law that regulates how certain products can be disposed, including electronics. _E-Scrap News_ spoke with Marcus Oliveira, the sustainability director of the Brazilian Association of Electric and Electronic Recycling Companies, at the 2012 E-Scrap Conference in Dallas about the challenges ahead.

**_ESN_: The Brazilian federal government recently enacted a new law covering many materials. I was hoping you could tell us about that.**

MO: The new legislation is not specific, it's a very wide range of all solid waste, from house waste to electronics and pesticides and packaging for chemicals, everything is under that legislation.

But some of the wastes are under an article that says they must have a reverse logistics system. One of them is electronics, but it doesn't say how to do it. They created a task group with several representatives in the industry. So this industry must agree on how the reverse logistics system will work and who has what responsibility. This process must come with documents of agreement signed by everybody in the meeting, and the government will sign some kind of decree enforcing this to be done. But there's a possibility that the industry doesn't arrive at the same point. If the industry doesn't find a solution, the government signs a decree and everyone must follow it.

What we already know is that the main responsibility is on the manufacturers. The manufacturers say that the responsibility to receive the material is on the retailer, not on them, because they say they don't sell directly to people, they sell to distributors or retailers. You know it's difficult because in the legislation it says retailers must give the material back to manufacturers, but how can you give your material back to the manufacturer if you have everything mixed? You have to sort it out before you send it. So the manufacturer says, I can only receive my own material; I cannot recycle everyone's material. So it's the retailer saying, I can't sort all the material. So there are all these points of view that are being defended, but I think pretty soon we'll have something like the very same idea.

**_ESN_: What do foreign manufacturers operating in Brazil think about this law?**

MO: Most manufactures are positive about the new law, but they are afraid of the cost. Most of them are not stepping ahead of each other. They are not seeing recycling as opportunity. They are seeing it as a cost. They don't want to take the first step when a competitor isn't, making them less competitive. That's the biggest issue.

**_ESN_: So are there any collection targets or will that be worked out?**

MO: There are no collection targets at the beginning at least. The manufacturers are saying we recycle 100 percent of what we receive. They say they cannot go to peoples' houses and put a gun to their head and say give me back the product. How can I reach the target if I cannot force people to give the material back? Before they set targets, they need to work on the infrastructure of the system because there are not many companies in Brazil working on recycling.

Logistics is pretty bad because most of the licensed companies are located in the south of Brazil. Sao Paulo is in the southeast, where most companies are. There are 3 millions square miles of country, so there's no point in bringing it from the very north to recycle it in Sao Paulo. It doesn't make any sense economically and environmentally because you're producing more carbon dioxide in transporting it than recycling it.

The goal of the government is to have the recycling facilities close to the collection points. They don't want the material to travel so much. But we don't have these people working in those cities yet. So there's good opportunity in developing new enterprises in those locations.

**_ESN_: What about the actual processing of electronics? Does Brazil have the processing infrastructure?**

MO: No. Most recycling is hand dismantling. In our company, we have automatic tools to dismantle. There's no shredding process. Our labor is not very expensive, although it's becoming more expensive. Especially in the less developed areas it's very cheap. The technology is very expensive, so buying a shredding line for electronics costs millions and millions of dollars and that's a very difficult investment at the moment because we're not sure how much waste will come into our facilities and labor is cheap.

**_ESN_: With hand dismantling are there limits to that approach?**

MO: Yes. CRTs are the main concern. The CRTs are almost impossible to process by hand and there are many health and safety issues.

**_ESN_: Is there much export of e-scrap from Brazil?**

MO: The only exports are printed circuit boards. Circuit boards are exported for smelting. Brazil doesn't have any smelters for processing or recovering precious metals, but that's not a big issue because there's a good market. So, most of Brazil's boards go to Europe, Japan or Canada. They're being well handled. Most of the other materials -- metals, plastic, glass -- are processed in Brazil. We have a big recycling value for those types of products. Brazil is the biggest recycler of aluminum in the whole world.

**_ESN_: How is outreach and education with electronics recycling going in Brazil?**

MO: Most of the people know they cannot drop electronics in the regular bin or trash. But they don't know what to do if they have five to 10 cell phones. They don't know where to drop it. There are some people who are trying to find information about it, but there's not much education on how to treat this. Batteries are a big problem in Brazil because we use lots of them, regular alkaline batteries. The more developed the areas are the more aware of this problem. The less developed areas in north and northeast are less informed. But it's getting better all the time. People are trying to learn.

This new legislation -- we think, we hope -- will be a very big step for Brazil in attaining environmental responsibility. We have a big potential to become a very important sustainable country to lead this process.

**_ESN_: A lot of Brazil's recycling and waste infrastructure relies on informal scavengers. Have electronics been something they've handled?**

MO: That's a big issue because the new legislation wants to use those people in the system, but we know that electronics recycling is much different from recycling a beer can. It doesn't make sense to pick up a large TV and take it somewhere where they charge you to take it. It's a special kind of waste. So that's already a common sense in the discussion that we cannot use scavengers walking around picking up recyclables to treat e-waste. We need a better solution than that.

**_ESN_: How much e-scrap is currently being recycled?**

MO: It's difficult to know, because most companies don't want to make their information public. There are only a few companies that are fully compliant or licensed. So, it's only a guess how much is being recycled. But based on the research for the next two years, the potential for recycling is about 1 million tons based on the quantity of what's being sold and the life cycle of each product. Next year, it's growing maybe 20 percent. But this is only based on production and not historic inventory in peoples' homes. There was a study that said it was even more in peoples' houses.

**_ESN_: Is there much of a market for refurbished computers?**

MO: There is a market for refurbishing, but it's not very well seen by the manufacturers. Most recyclers don't do refurbishing. There's a big black market for computers in Brazil. People in recycling don't want to mess up their business with this kind of market. They don't want to feed the black market with their products.

But I think if we have a whole system, we can manage and create a very good business because there are markets for refurbished material in Brazil. Even Brazil being the third biggest market, there are people who can't access new computers and they could buy a refurbished computer for much cheaper.

**_ESN_: What would say the biggest obstacle is in bringing more formality to Brazil's e-scrap recycling?**

MO: The main thing is infrastructure. Most of the companies are centralized in one part of the country. Costs are an issue as well, because Brazil is a huge country. Logistics are very expensive and there are some small things in the legislation that makes it more difficult. We don't want to make so much bureaucracy that it makes the whole system more difficult. The electronics industry could be a successful case that could be reproduced in many other industries. It's a good opportunity for developing new enterprises. There are many business opportunities because we need this market to spread and not be concentrated in Sao Paulo. We have more cell phones than people. We need to reach this material in peoples' homes and bring it back to recycling.

[ ](http://mrpcompany.com/)

[ ](http://www.sdslogistics.com/quick-quote?src=drayescrap)

**_To return to the E-Scrap Conference newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/ESNe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3118

E-Scrap News Magazine: NewsBits

## NewsBits


The **U.S. Postal Service has expanded its electronics take-back program** to 3,100 retail locations. USPS has [partnered](https://www.usps.com/ship/recycle-through-usps.htm) with Environmental Reclamation Services subsidiary MaxBack to provide consumers with quotes for the estimated trade-in value of their items and the shipping of used electronics to recycling facilities.

The **R2 Technical Advisory Committee will hold its next public meeting October 9-10** in Chicago to discuss the upcoming R2:2013 revisions to the standard. Those interested in attending are encouraged to [contact](mailto:jodyse352@gmail.com?subject=attending%20R2%20TAC%20meeting) Jody Erikson of The Keystone Center.

The **Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality** has [announced](http://www.nebraska.tv/story/19637997/nedq-announces) nearly $1.7 million in grants for waste reduction and recycling projects, including over **$22,000 for continued e-scrap collection events**.

**Solvay has opened a pair of rare earth recycling lines in France**. The project, which has been in development for over four years, will [recover](http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/27/idUS85604+27-Sep-2012+HUG20120927) materials from light bulbs batteries, and magnets from automotive and WEEE scrap.

[ ](http://www.clovertech.com)

**_To return to the E-Scrap Conference newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/ESNe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3115

E-Scrap News Magazine: E-scrap recycling awareness on the rise

## E-scrap recycling awareness on the rise


_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

Nine out of 10 consumers believe it's important to recycle their old electronic devices and 63 percent know how to do it, according to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association.

The CEA's [_CE Recycling and Reuse 2012 Edition_](http://store.ce.org/CE-Recycling-and-Reuse-2012-Edition_p_459.html) study found that awareness of the importance of electronics recycling and locations is on the rise. Recently, the trade association has worked with local, state and federal governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, to educate consumers on the availability and accessibility of electronics recycling locations.

"The CE industry aims to make recycling consumer electronics as easy as purchasing them. The marked increase in consumer awareness of how and where to recycle their electronics illustrates the progress our industry has made on this issue," said Walter Alcorn, CEA's vice president of environmental affairs and industry sustainability, in a prepared statement.

According to the CEA, the consumer electronics industry will grow to a record high this year. Additionally, according to the CEA, six in 10 consumers removed at least one device from their homes in the last year. Nearly half (48 percent) of those consumers donated the device for reuse, and 26 percent recycled the device. Of those who donated a device, the majority (63 percent) gave it to friends and family. Of the 12 percent of consumers who reported putting a used CE device in the trash during the last 12 months, most cited convenience as the driving factor for their choice of removal. The remaining 14 percent gave or loaned the product to a family member, or disposed of it in some other way.

In the past, the CEA has launched [www.GreenerGadgets.org](http://greenergadgets.org/), where consumers can find the closet location to turn in their used electronics to a third-party certified company. Recently, it issued the Billion Pound Challenge as part of its eCycle Leadership Initiative to responsibly recycle 1 billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016.

The study is free to CEA members. Non-members may purchase it from the association's [store](http://mycea.ce.org/Research_c_9.html).

[ ](http://www.jtenv.com/r2.cfm)

**_To return to the E-Scrap Conference newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/ESNe-news092712.html)_**

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3117

Company loses contract for lacking 'character, honesty and integrity'

The NYC Business Integrity Commission rejects application from Chelsea Transfer Station & Recycle Corp.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS08/120929932

Bronx residents fear Donald Trump's gas

Trump's golf course project atop a closed NYC landfill has led to a spike in methane levels.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS01/120929929

Santa Cruz, California, to extend bag ban to restaurants

Plastic bags already banned at retail outlets

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS08/120929938

Worker crushed at Alabama recycling center

A 55-year-old man was killed on Sept. 26 after he was crushed by a piece of equipment while working at an Alabama recycling facility.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS06/120929931

Anti-flow-control bill signed into law in California

Law outlaws communities from prohibiting or limiting importation of trash into its landfills.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS08/120929933

California cracks down on illegal bottle, e-waste redemptions

Governor Jerry Brown signs new restrictions on state's bottle bill.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS08/120929936

Man shot, injured at Florida metal recycling center

Police in Lauderhill, Florida., shot and injured a man early this morning at a metal recycling facility.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS06/120929930

British Columbia recycling program to accept light fixtures, lamps

More than 200 free collection sites around BC will accept burnt-out lights and 80 will accept fixtures.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS02/120929934

Landfill turns leachate into a resource

Vetiver grass plantings can save millions, says expert

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS01/120929941

Waste Management driver honored for stopping crime in Indiana

Suspects tried to steal $1,000 in booze from PGA event

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS06/120929935

Chinese recyclers respond to proposed regulations

Face-to-face with officials from the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection, the country's plastics recyclers talked about industry conditions and shared their take on the ministry's initial draft of new and stricter regulations on the import of...

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120927/NEWS02/120929937

National mercury switch recycling program reaches 4.5 million mark

A national program to collect and recycle mercury-containing automotive switches has reached the 4.5 million milestone.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS02/120929939

Woman's body found at Florida recycling facility

The Miami-Dade County (Fla.) Police Department were called to a recycling facility yesterday after employees discovered a woman's body.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS06/120929945

Illinois recycling company files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, closes

An Illinois recycling company shuttered its doors this week after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS04/120929943

Illinois recycling group honoring 'heroes' on Oct. 27

Event will be at Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS01/120929942

Balcones opens single-stream MRF in Texas today

Balcones Resources Inc. is opening a new $25 million materials recycling facility in Austin, Texas, today.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS02/120929947

San Rafael, Calif., passes polystyrene ban

San Rafael is set to become the 57th community in California to enact a city-wide ban on extended polystyrene takeout packaging.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS03/120929948

BUSINESS NOTES

Grants

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS03/120929950

Bag ban returns in Homer, Alaska

The ban on single-use disposable plastic carryout bags is back on in Homer, Alaska.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS03/120929949

New Jersey site removed from superfund list

An ore processing site once contaminated with thorium and rare earth metals was removed from the U.S. EPA superfund list, the agency announced.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS01/120929946

California makes emergency ruling on glut of CRTs

If recyclers are unable to find an appropriate market for cathode ray tubes in California, they may be sent to a hazardous waste landfill under an emergency regulation being issued by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS02/120929944

China could alter global market for recycled plastics

China's Ministry of Environmental Protection is drafting a policy that could have direct impact on the global market for recycled plastics.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS02/120929952

European Union commissioner urges green future for plastics

Plastics have some important environmental advantages but the plastics industry can do more to reduce their overall impact, according to Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120926/NEWS03/120929951

WM settles with Seattle for $1.24M over strike

Waste Management and Seattle came to a settlement today after collection service was disrupted earlier this summer.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS02/120929953

New data on the biofuel ecobalance: Most biofuels are not 'green'

First tops, then flops. That is one way of summing up the history of biofuels so far. A new study gives an up-to-date picture of the ecobalance of various biofuels and their production processes. Only a few are overall more environmentally friendly than petrol.

URL: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/earth_climate/recycling_and_waste/~3/4bqYGGY9HpI/120924111644.htm

Changes in e-waste law could sink nonprofit organization

Changes in the way Manitoba handles electronic waste is threatening the fiscal stability of a nonprofit organization that collects electronics and strips them down for various metals and parts, the CBC reported.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS02/120929956

Chicago workers make gruesome discovery

Body discovered in trash in city's Marquette Park neighborhood

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS01/120929954

Capital Briefs: Bill would end energy loan program

United States: House Bill 6213 limits further taxpayer exposure from the loan guarantee program established under the Energy Policy Act.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS08/120919934

Winnipeg moves to citywide automated trash, recycling collection

Winnipeg, Manitoba, is ditching manual trash collection and switching to new automated garbage and recycling carts.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS02/120929958

Hawaiian says transfer station is 'most beautiful place' on the Big Island

The most beautiful facility on all of the big island of Hawaii? Well, a transfer station, of course.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS08/120919935

Veterinary health products company pays fine for waste violations

A veterinary health products company agreed to pay a $68,475 civil penalty to settle violations surrounding the mishandling of mercury waste in St. Joseph, Mo., the U.S. EPA announced.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS01/120929957

PERSONNEL

The latest promotions and hires in the waste and recycling industry.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS01/120929955

United Kingdom recycling targets 'unachievable,' says industry

The United Kingdom's plastics industry has slammed the government over its refusal to move its position on its recycling targets, adding that ministers had no plan on how such targets should be delivered.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120925/NEWS02/120929959

Researchers call for specialty metals recycling

An international policy is needed for recycling scarce specialty metals that are critical in the production of consumer goods, according to researchers.

URL: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/earth_climate/recycling_and_waste/~3/4s7L95FLXL8/120924175211.htm

Alcoa invests $2M to help increase national recycling rate

$2 million to help fund national initiative to increase aluminum recycling rates.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS02/120929961

Congressional waste diversion program sends 3, 700 tons to Covanta WTE facility

The Architect of the Capitol recently announced that in the first nine months of a waste diversion program 3,700 tons of nonrecyclable solid waste from Congressional facilities has been sent to a Covanta Energy Corp. facility in Alexandria, Va..

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS08/120929963

First Japanese tsunami debris in Hawaii spotted

A four-foot cube plastic bin is the first confirmed piece of Japanese tsunami debris to wash ashore in Hawaii, officials from the state said.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS01/120929968

Smurfit Kappa makes push into U.S. paper recycling business

Smurfit Kappa Group plc is acquiring Orange County Container Group, a producer of 100% recycled containerboard that operates seven recycling centers in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS02/120929965

Maryland composting operation to open next month, among state's largest

A Maryland composting company plans to open one of the state's largest organic waste facilities.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS02/120929966

Radioactive material found at Pa. landfill

A shipping container was discovered to contain radioactive material and has been quarantined at an eastern Pennsylvania landfill.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS01/120929967

Best Buy to require electronics recyclers to be dual certified

Best Buy Co. Inc. will require the electronic recyclers it hires to be certified in both Responsible Recycling (R2) and e-Stewards.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS03/120929971

Casella looks to sell shares, refinance debt

Casella Waste Systems Inc. is looking to raise millions of dollars through a public offering of common shares.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120924/NEWS01/120929970

Nano-engineering electrodes to give tiny generators a boost

Could our waste be part of the answer to humanity's energy problems? Some researchers think so, thanks to bacteria that chow down on everything from sewage to heavy metals and give off electricity as one of their own waste products. 

URL: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/earth_climate/recycling_and_waste/~3/9Hs7_F0TQMY/120920082237.htm

Intercon Solutions, BAN continue legal wrangling

The legal fight between Intercon Solutions and the Basel Action Network has continued, as Intercon Solutions has filed a motion to dismiss BAN's counter-lawsuit against the electronics recycler.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120921/NEWS02/120929978

Recology subsidiary CleanScapes cutting 11 jobs

CleanScapes Inc., the Seattle-based subsidiary of Recology Inc., is restructuring and eliminating 11 management and administrative positions, the company said.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120921/NEWS01/120929979

Progressive sees opportunties in Northeast despite economy

The CEO of Progressive Waste Solutions Inc. recently told stock analysts on a conference call that the company is on track and work is continuing to improve Progressive Waste's operations in the northeastern United States.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120921/NEWS01/120929983

Study: 63% of consumers know where to recycle electronics

Nine out of 10 consumers believe it's important to recycle electronic devices and 63% of consumers know where to recycle the items, a study from the Consumer Electronics Association said.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120921/NEWS02/120929980

Casella Waste could sell more as company looks to turn profit

Casella Waste Systems Inc. could end up selling off more assets as the company continues efforts to turn a profit.

URL: http://wasteandrecyclingnews.com/article/20120921/NEWS01/120929981

Resource Recycling Magazine: Zero waste in the Lone Star state

## Zero waste in the Lone Star state

_By Jake Thomas, Resource Recycling_

You might think the middle of Texas is unusual place for an ambitious zero waste program, but Austin is an unusual place -- for Texas.

In 2009, the capital city passed a resolution that set Austin on a course to produce virtually no waste by 2040. However, getting there won't be easy in a state where tipping fees are cheap and there is little support from state officials. Bob Gedert, the director of Austin Resource Recovery, spoke with _Resource Recycling_ about success and challenges ahead during the 2012 Resource Recycling Conference in Austin, Texas.

Gedert got his start in recycling by helping organize a recycling program at the University of Cincinnati in 1975. Since then, he's worked in Indiana, Ohio and California helping develop zero waste programs. Gedert hopes that Austin's plan will result in green jobs by creating a regional network of companies of that manufacture goods from material recovered locally.

**_Resource Recycling_: When Austin hired you on for a zero waste program, what was one of the first things you did?**

Bob Gedert: The first thing I did was stakeholder meetings to start to gather what the city is doing right and what the city is doing wrong. This was more of a citizen initiative for the City Council, and it felt comfortable adopting zero waste in 2009 because there was enough citizen input and desire for it. What they really needed was how to move the diversion rate from 35 percent to 50 percent to 75 percent diversion.

The second step was committing to writing a master plan. We originally called it a zero waste master plan, but it turned out to be a city department master plan to redesign the department to match the zero waste goals. It's become a strategic plan for the department.

**_RR_: Was there any low-hanging fruit? **

BG: Real simple, the city moved to single-stream recycling before I came in, and the low-hanging fruit was basically getting every container and every site with the proper container sizing for the recyclables. Part of the low-hanging fruit we're still going through is making sure people are effectively using the blue cart. That's the basic building block right there. You have 85 percent of the residents using the blue cart, but are they effectively putting their recyclables in the blue cart?

**_RR_: Are you thinking of doing any incentive program? **

BG: We looked at Recyclebank, and there are a few alternatives out there. Although I like those programs, they don't seem to fit Austin.

Austin is doing recycling not for economic reasons, not to save money, not to have a store coupon. That incentive base is kind of like an externalized incentive base. Austinites have an internal incentive of doing the right thing for the environment, and it translates into water conservation and solid waste and recycling and composting. So, what Austinites need is not an economic incentive; what they need are instructions and services to do the right thing. They have the desire but not the mechanical infrastructure or the knowledge of what to do. The master plan that we have right now is more of an instruction manual.

**_RR_: You have a pilot program for hard to recycle materials like mattresses. How's that coming along? **

BG: We're developing the contracts right now. We hear what stakeholders want, then we start the development of the planning, like in the master plan, then we go back and we kind of announce to the public that this program is up-and-coming.

We are getting close to signing contracts with the management of that program. It would likely go to nonprofit, like Goodwill. We are setting up our routes so that we can collect the mattresses on a separate route and deliver it to the facility. This would be a disassembly facility where they disassemble the parts and recycle it. So far, we've done the due diligence that the program is a legitimate diversion program. I'm always cautious about developing a program and then finding that the material goes to the landfill. So, we're probably going to deploy that program in two months.

**_RR_: You mentioned nonprofits organizations will run the program. Is there a reason? **

BG: In our master plan, and this came up in the stakeholder meetings, there is a certain amount of private sector interest and we believe in public-private partnerships there. There is also a protected nonprofit sector, and they have their service network and we don't want to disrupt it, we want to augment it.

One of the things that we were missing in most of our recycling programs was waste-reduction and reuse elements. The nonprofits have really taken off on the second-hand reuse of material. I want to get more material into the reuse sector, so I'm talking to and negotiating contracts with the nonprofit sector.

**_RR_: You've worked in the Midwest and California and now Texas. How is Texas different from these other places? **

BG: Well, you've got Austin, and you've got Texas. They're two different animals. Texas does not have a state infrastructure for recycling. It doesn't have within its state government any incentives or technical assistance for recycling. It's defaulted to the local community.

So Austin, being a different city than the rest of Texas, the residents take pride in the green image of the city. The residents don't necessarily live a green lifestyle as much as they project it. So, the leadership question is how to get the residents to live the values that they are promoting. You're not pushing the residents to do something they don't want to do; you aren't pushing the residents to do something they want to do.

It's really different than my work and career elsewhere in that these are residents that want to do the right thing, but need the help to get there. In Fresno, California, we moved the diversion rate up from 29 percent to 75 percent, but it was a tug of war to get residents to value that need.

**_RR_: What's been the most difficult thing with trying to Austin to zero waste? **

BG: The most difficult thing is shifting gears between a wasting economy and a resource-management economy. All infrastructure, the working relationships between the private and the public sector, have been based on waste-management techniques. You're managing waste, you're managing waste contracts, and you're managing which facility that material goes to for final disposal. We're shifting to a materials management program that changes the relationships with the players and the economics of who's receiving the contracts. You're diverting material away from the landfill, so you're robbing monetary resources from the landfill to other programs. I'm reshuffling and reprioritizing expenses to a materials management platform. The hardest part of my job is changing that working relationship with the business community.

**_RR_: How big of an obstacle is Texas' lack of infrastructure? **

BG: In a sense, you have no hope of financial assistance or technical assistance from the state, so you build your programs on a self-help basis. You basically build your program from the ground up knowing that it's a local value with local resources and local revenue. So, you have to build your revenue base and you're entire economic base locally. I don't view it as an obstacle; I just view it as a point of reality.

**_RR_: Money is tight. So how do you do this? **

BG: I don't have an external revenue source, no grants. It's all internalized. I have a city budget, and I have to reprioritize the expenses of the city budget. With litter collection, I pay 25 workers each morning to pick up litter, and we send that litter to the landfill. Now we can do an assessment of that litter and find that it's 65 percent recyclable. We move that 65 percent to a recycling service instead of a disposal service and there's an economic savings. The way we have structured our recycling and waste hauling contracts, the city earns money off the recyclables, and therefore we save money by moving that material to a recycling contract and then the money saved allows me to use that for litter abatement.

Another example is I've challenged my routing staff to route our trucks better. We send 200 trucks out on the road every day. The way we do our routes in a smarter way reduces the mileage and reduce the gas and reduces the fuel expense, and the economic savings for this next fiscal year is about a million dollars in fuel savings. From that effort operational efficiency, I saved a million dollars that I dedicated to the reuse program. It seems to be working.

**_RR_: To what extent did you base the zero waste plan on West Coast cities? **

BG: I think very little, actually. West Coast cities get a good push from their state governments. In California, if you're not at 50 percent, you're being charged a fee per day, and the state is pretty serious about it. Oregon and Washington have similar financial mechanisms.

Here in Texas, we don't have any of that guidance from state government, so Austin is doing zero waste in a different way based on what the citizens want. It's a citizen initiative. The citizens brought it to the City Council in 2009, and I meet monthly with the citizens' group. We have stakeholder meetings with specific groups, like the hauler or with restaurants on food collection. We listen to the businesses and the citizens in the area with the mission of diverting as much from incineration and landfill as possible. The structure is really home-grown. It's really a different structure than what you might see in San Jose or the Bay Area.

**_RR_: Do you see any signals that any other Texas or southern cities want to do what you're doing? **

BG: Absolutely. We're planting the seeds. San Antonio is getting very aggressive. They're moving toward zero waste. Fort Worth and Dallas have been discussing it. Dallas, just last week, passed a resolution on zero waste. Fort Worth has been quietly working toward zero waste. Denton is working on it. Brownsville, Corpus Christi. Houston is struggling. But what I'm seeing is a little speckle here and there in interest, and it's not about avoiding cost in a landfill, which is a very low cost in Texas. They're seeing a citizen base that's interested in sustainable living.

**_RR_: Everything's bigger in Texas. Is this true for anything in your job?**

BG: Our citizens tend to not like small pilot projects. I like the pilot projects to learn lessons, but the general working philosophy is to do it city-wide. That's what they did with single-stream. Instead of testing it in a few neighborhoods, they just went city-wide. This is a city that has grown dramatically. We'll hit a million pretty soon. The number one question from new residents is "where is my recycling cart?"

I'm looking at a different type of education campaign where I'm looking at low areas and high areas of education and sort of adjusting education, and the city expressed concern about that I'm not doing it across the city. Everything has to be city-wide.

[ ](http://www.herboldusa.net/pru)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news091312.html). _**

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URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3095

Resource Recycling Magazine: Walmart piloting recycling consolidation center

## Walmart piloting recycling consolidation center

_By Jerry Powell, Resource Recycling_

America's largest retailer is piloting a recycling processing center and will possibly open more than 30 in North America if the center is a success.

If the pilot meets goals, the new plants will process and store recyclables and organic materials generated by company stores and distribution centers. Recoverable materials will be delivered by back-haul trucks.

"This is a big thing for us right now," says Bobby Fanning, a director on the firm's sustainability team. &nbsp_place_holder;"This will give us the ability to broker our own recovered products."

According to the retail giant, expanding the program will wait until completion of the pilot.

"Walmart is currently piloting one recycling consolidation center program in Bentonville, Arkansas and we currently have no plans to take it to scale. &nbsp_place_holder;Once the pilot is completed, a decision to take the program to scale will be made at that time," said Walmart Vice President of Facilities Management, Harry Eng.

[ ](http://web.hammermills.com/the-e-cycler-/)

**_To return to the Resource Recycling newsletter, click [here](http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news091312.html). _**

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URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3097

Resource Recycling Magazine: NewsBits

## NewsBits

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

**SP Fiber Technologies LLC** (SPFT), a maker of newsprint and paperboard with mills in Dublin, Georgia and Newberg, Oregon, has announced that it has **acquired** all of the assets and certain liabilities of **SP Newsprint** and its subsidiaries in a court-approved sale. SPFT will relocate its corporate headquarters to its facility in Dublin, Georgia.

**China is cracking down on plastic scrap imports**, [announcing](http://www.scrap-ex.com/news/export_market/china_enforce_regulation_imports_recycled_plastics.html) that recycling companies can expect more inspections and greater scrutiny to make sure imported material meets minimum quality benchmarks. Additionally, the Chinese government says it will no longer allow the sale of unwashed plastic leftover after sorting commingled plastic and paper scrap.

**San Diego** is the [latest city to add food and beverage cartons to its recycling program](http://www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/pdf/geninfo/news/2012/091112CartonRecycling.pdf), thanks to the efforts of the **Carton Council**.

The **PepsiCo Dream Machine Recycle Rally** has kicked off its third year. The national program seeks to raise awareness of the importance of recycling among **students K-12** by offering participating schools the chance to earn rewards and compete for prizes. Since the program launched in 2010, more than 500,000 students in 900 schools have **recycled 25 million containers** to date. For more information, visit [www.dreammachinerecyclerally.com](http://www.dreammachinerecyclerally.com/).

A **Strategic Materials glass recycling facility** in Franklin, Massachusetts is [facing a maximum $177,500 fine](http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/franklin/2012/09/franklin_glass_recycler_faces.html) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for alleged stormwater drainage violations of the Clean Water Act.

A Missouri couple -- Tim and Cathleen Coffman -- have been [fined $20,000](http://www.amm.com/Article/3086978/Scrap/Couple-fined-20000-for-e-scrap-operations-in-home.html) for illegally disposing of electronic waste. The **Coffmans had set up an unregistered electronics recycling operation in their home**.

[ ](http://www.reuseconex.org/)

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URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3089

Resource Recycling Magazine: New report questions effectiveness of EPR

## New report questions effectiveness of EPR

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

If you think that the U.S. could bolster its recycling rate by adopting extended producer responsibility policies, which require manufacturers to manage and fund the recovery of their discarded products, you are wrong, concludes a new study from the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

The [report](http://www.gmaonline.org/file-manager/Sustainability/GMA_SAIC_EPR_Report_091112.pdf), produced by consulting firm SAIC for the association, found that mandatory EPR programs covering food, beverage and consumer product packaging (not hazardous products) do not create more cost-effective residential recycling programs, nor do they encourage manufacturers to change packaging design. Instead, according to the study, U.S. communities that have adopted alternative policies have achieved better recycling rates and better costs for a broader range of the waste stream than EPR mandates.

For the study, SAIC analyzed recycling rates, system costs, packaging changes and other data from various European and Canadian jurisdictions that have implemented EPR. Additionally, SAIC looked at recycling and waste management data for parts of the U.S. that have high recycling rates, such as Ramsey County, Minnesota.

The report found that the U.S. recycles 24 percent of its municipal waste without the aid of an EPR scheme. According to the report, the U.S. has a higher recycling rate than Canada and the European Union, where EPR policies are common and have produced only 18 percent and 23 percent recycling rates for municipal waste, respectively.

Additionally, the report found that packaging use has declined at a faster rate in the U.S. than in the EU. Also, the report concludes that EPR is not necessarily more efficient and increases government and administrative costs.

Ramsey County, Minnesota, a non-EPR jurisdiction, has a lower net cost per ton ($156) than EPR programs in Manitoba ($166) and Ontario ($202), according to the report.

In recent years, support of EPR policies has been growing. In 2010, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution calling for the advancement of EPR in hopes of relieving local governments of managing waste and recycling. Shareholder advocacy group As You Sow has [been pushing for EPR](http://resource-recycling.com/node/2930). Nestle Waters North America has come out in [favor of the policy](http://resource-recycling.com/node/2531) and has been working closely with a new group called Recycling Reinvented to [establish EPR policies at the state level](http://resource-recycling.com/node/2616).

[ ](http://www.rotochopper.com/)

[ ](http://www.amut.it/Default.asp)

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URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3094