WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ARCHIVE   BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX

29 Mar 99 - paper towels; wedding reception; Internet bill paying; box es ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition --------------------- >From Jeffrey Smedberg, County of Santa Cruz Public Works, Santa Cruz, CA, responding to the 3/22/99 posting asking about signs for dispensers of paper hand towels, to encourage people to minimize the number of towels they use: Ecology Action of Santa Cruz came up with a nice sticker: Graphic of a roll of towels with a picture of a tree on each sheet of paper. Text: "Yes... paper towels DO grow on trees. Thanks for using only what you need." Simple production: Black-and-white laser-printed on crack-n-peel paper, 4"x5". (We don't want to use up too many resources trying to save some, do we?) Contact: Victor Aguiar at vaguiar [ A T ] ecoact [ D O T ] org I'm sure they would be happy to share. Since I once lived near forests that were being clear-cut for tissue paper, I have a personal solution: I carry a handkerchief which I use for a variety of purposes, including drying my hands. (When the towel dispensers are out of paper, I'm the only one not complaining.) Not sure when this will become fashionable again. E-mail: dpw179 [AT] scruza [DOT] cahwnet [DOT] gov ------------------ >From Jesse White, Resource Management Group, Tallevast FL, clarifying his 3/24/99 posting about a U.S. Postal Service project (that he worked on) to switch to a high post-consumer content paper hand towel made in part from recycled mail. I would like to clarify to the list that it was NOT the MAIL that made the towel product of lower quality, it was the particular grade of towels, which includes its basis weight and the towel finish. Actually, mail is a decent fiber source for many paper-making applications. I think it's important to understand that the mill always has and continues to use mail in its recipe. Each towel product attempts to fill a market niche, and it turned out that the USPS could not satisfy several goals with this towel product. Which was really my point, that we need to be mindful of why we are buying recycled, closing the loop, or seeking waste reduction alternatives, achieving a bottom line gain for the environment. Overall, I think this was an innovative and progressive move on the part of the USPS to close the loop, conserve resources, reduce waste, and be cost-effective. All of which help the organization move toward sustainability. E-mail: Jessewhite [A T] aol [D O T] com ------------------- >From Susanne Brunhart, Montgomery County Master Recycler/Composter Volunteer Program, Derwood, MD, responding to the 3/23/99 posting seeking ideas for an "environmentally light" wedding reception: I am getting married at the end of June, and we *are* going to use paper plates! We decided that using "real" forks and spoons was more important that using "disposable" plates. We will collect the plates and food scraps, and feed them to my various worm bins and compost bins. The cutlery will be mismatched items from flea markets and thrift shops. My family thinks I am nuts, but we like the idea a lot, and it will reflect our priorities and personal habits. Our reception "tablecloths" will be reused (and cleaned) aisle runners salvaged from an area university campus chapel, where I have worked on occasion. Two widths of runner sewn together will drape each table beautifully. I have been trying to avoid the use of reply cards in favor of phone and e-mail replies (we even set up a special e-mail account for the purpose!), but experience with a recent party indicated that this would be a complete bomb. Only three of 25 invitees bothered to reply. So, using the same amount of paper for the task, I think I will amend the invitation design to include a postcard -- no reply cards or envelopes. The invitation design will include recycled paper which I made (from leftover posters announcing an open house at our MRF, no less!) and flower petals salvaged from a local florist shop which I have pressed in phone books. E-mail: mrc [AT] windsor [DOT] com ------------------- Excerpted from e-mail from Talia Beck, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN area: I represent a company introducing Internet bill paying. This is a way to reduce the amount of paper mail you receive and send. Statistics show that nearly 60 billion paper bills are mailed in the United States every year. We would like to include the environmental benefits as part of our argument for changing consumer behavior from traditional forms of paying bills to paying them through an Internet service. Do you know of any statistics specific to paper usage on bills or anything that would help me make the calculation of number of bills to number of trees killed each year? I would very much appreciate any information or additional contacts you may have to offer. Thank you. E-mail: TBeck [ AT ] Shandwick [ DOT ] com Note from Tom: I received this e-mail and thought I would forward it to the Forum in case anyone is interested in responding. I do not know Talia and do not know anything about her company. -------------------- >From Sami Izzo, Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste District, Norwich, VT: A local country store owner has been heating this Vermont store (a wonder of an old country store) with wood. He typically burns his cardboard boxes in the wood furnace in winter, after carefully removing plastic, etc., and then in warm months he recycles it. Vermont regulations make his wood furnace an incinerator as soon as the cardboard is put in; it is illegal at that point. Vermont also says that incineration is never, at any point, recycling or reuse. Anyway, he is asking for help in this issue - burning cardboard has been effective for him, and winter recycling + buying more wood is a problem for him. Where can I post this to ask folks? Anyone know of states that allow this type of burning for businesses? Any ideas other than the obvious recycle year-round? Any other businesses doing this? Thanks for your help. E-mail: GUVSWD [AT] valley [DOT] net Note from Tom: If anyone replies to Sami and the replies have to do with waste prevention (for example, reuse ideas for the cardboard), feel free to send me a copy of your reply for the Forum. If your reply is about recycling or air quality issues, send the replies directly to Sami only. - end -