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10 Jun 99 - Seattle reuse guide; Intel; textbooks; thanks; composters; job; goddess ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive ------------------- >From Thor Peterson, Seattle Public Utilities, responding to the 6/7/99 posting from Roger Guttentag commenting on Thor's 6/4/99 posting about the online reuse directory Thor is developing for Seattle Public Utilities: Hello Roger, and all that have responded to my posting about "Use it Again, Seattle!": I just wanted to give some more information and respond a bit to Roger's points, which are very much appreciated and reassuring, since many of the considerations he voiced exist in some way with the directory and information list. Thanks for the input - it and any more that people can offer will come in handy. What follows is a truncated and paraphrased list of Roger's points, and my clarifications/responses. Refer to Roger's 6/7/99 posting to read the full text of Roger's points. 1. Roger's first point had to do with organization of the directory and information list. Use it Again, Seattle! will have two sections, a searchable database of Seattle businesses involved in reuse activities, and a supplemental information list. The business database is the central element, and will be searchable by product category, reuse activity (our categories: repair, rent, buy used, consign, or donate), ZIP code, key word, or a combination of these. The information list will be accessible as an additional layer of information behind the database, or viewers can browse it separately. Most categories in the information section are short enough (information is layered so as not to overwhelm) that the separate rental/repair/used/donate sections can be quickly scanned. 2. Roger's comment: ....Additional Internet-based reuse resources to consider would include: Free classifieds; barter or swap exchanges; auction sites; and web sites devoted to do-it-yourself information.... There is an additional section to the site, titled "Other Places to Find and Get Rid of Stuff" that lists exchange activities that do not fit into the business-focused database, including Internet reuse opportunities (including auctions, classifieds, and materials exchanges) and old-fashioned reuse opps, such as garage/estate sales, neighborhood garage sales, community exchanges, tool libraries and lending circles, etc. Web sites with do-it-yourself information are listed in the information list, under the "repair" subheadings. I'm sure there are many more sites than I've found, so please feel free to send your favorites! 3. Roger's comment: ....Another type of resource that would be helpful would be a listing of non-profit or educational organizations that accept donations of specific usable products (e.g. office supplies, building materials, electronic products, etc.).... I've found a few of these (e.g., software donation, computer hardware, building materials and tools) and these are included both under the specific product categories and in a general "Donations" section of the site. 4. Roger's comment: ....I would go easy on trying to pack the site with too much information relating to what I would call environmental trade-off issues, and I would be careful in its placement on the site so that its presence does not obstruct the site's main purpose, which is to promote product reuse.... We've had a similar debate about the environmental trade off issue, and my personal fear of veering into the realm of viewing reuse as a solid waste panacea, the way recycling has. I feel it would be irresponsible to promote reuse without providing a context in which it actually is the environmental thing to do. I completely agree, however, that we don't want to make decisions so complex that consumers throw up their hands. My solution (please feel free to critique - that's the point of sharing this with all of you!) was to point out that reuse becomes more complex in two areas: where health/safety are concerns and with products that affect the use of other resources (those that have resource inputs themselves, such as appliances, power equipment and cars). I then provide links, by product category, to safety recall databases and energy/resource efficiency sites (such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar program, and the Green Seal site). 5. Roger's comment: ....With respect to repair shops, the much bigger issue concerns reliability and honesty. It would be great if there was a way that a repair establishment's business integrity could be certified, and that certification was the basis for then being listed on your site. That alone, I'm certain, would drive a lot of traffic to the site.... This has been another area of discussion here at Seattle Public Utilities. Given that we want the site to be reasonable to maintain and update (and this in itself is a challenge given the volatility of the reuse market and the number of small businesses involved that are here one year and gone the next) we've settled for the following disclaimer: "This directory is a service designed to provide information only. An attempt was made to include those businesses who offer repair, used goods, and rental services. Not all businesses responded. The City of Seattle has not investigated and does not endorse the charities listed." The prospect of certification was just too daunting; we toyed with the idea of letting customers rate businesses, but felt the controls on such a system would be too loose. So we settled for links to the Better Business Bureau, State Attorney General's Office, and tips on finding a reputable business. We also linked to the King County (in which Seattle resides) "Green Business Directory" to assist people in finding businesses (such as auto repair shops and home improvement contractors) committed to recycling, waste reduction, and buying recycled products. 6. Roger's comment: ....With respect to reuse, it would be helpful to have short factsheets about how to buy certain kinds of high-end reusable products such as appliances, electronics or even cars.... We have attempted to accomplish this with the information list included on the site, as well as links to sites that have buying information on particular products. Any suggestions to help flesh out these resources would be great! Thanks Roger, and everyone, for the input - I hope this response makes it clearer what Seattle is trying to do with Use it Again! I'll let you all know when the site is up and running. Once again, please e-mail me with any suggestions, comments, etc. E-mail: thor [ D O T ] peterson [ A T ] ci [ D O T ] seattle [ D O T ] wa [ D O T ] us --------------------- The next two messages are also in response to the recent postings about the on-line reuse directory being developed by Seattle Public Utilities: --------------------- >From Eric Nelson, King County Environmental Purchasing Program, Seattle, WA: I have talked with people about the utility of a sort of "personal material exchange" like this, and it's great to see the topic discussed here. The network age has brought us closer to the ideal of a "friction-free" economy, and the "exchange" concept will be especially well-served by this development. As "exchange" does not often make money, getting resources to develop and maintain it will be problematic, but I continue to argue, from every stump I can climb to, that this can yield major public benefit and should be a priority for government. I'd like to second Roger Guttentag's comments re: design of a "reuse directory." Though I am not well-informed about this project, it seems to me his "functional" approach will make it easiest for people to use. E-mail: eric (DOT) nelson (AT) metrokc (DOT) gov --------------------- >From Darin Cosgrove, Reuses.com, Brockville, Ontario: Thor may want to check out http://www.reuse.org for an example of a reuse directory in the Toronto area. The web site is the online companion to a printed publication produced by the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) and is meant to point residents to businesses and other organizations that promote/encourage/support reuse. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether they did a good job with design/usability of the web site itself, but it may prove useful in helping you to put together a list of features to include or avoid on the Seattle site. E-mail: darin [AT] reuses [DOT] com -------------------- The next two postings are queries that are ostensibly about recycling, but we are running them because responses (ideas, solutions, comments) might conceivably be related to reuse or reduction (our topics here in the Forum). If you have a comment or reply that is focused on recycling, please reply directly to the person making the query. If your response does deal with reduction or reuse, feel free to submit your response to the Forum. -------------------- >From Mark Egbert, Waste Reduction Manager, Pacific West Site Services/Intel, Hillsboro, OR: I am the waste reduction manager for Pacific West Site Services. I currently an managing Intel, Oregon. This company is having trouble building the recycling program due to a mind set from Intel that we have reached a point of diminishing returns. They don't want to put more money into a program that has reached an acceptable landfill diversion rate (74 percent). We can certainly research more materials to be recycled, and have done so, but implementation of a new program would be "costly" and not worth a shift in the bottom line. To recyclers, this is very hard to understand. The long-term success of the program is under serious scrutiny by this large company to figure a way through this situation. How can we manage a recycling program that captures all possible recyclable commodities and curve the point-of-diminishing-return ideology of a corporation mind? I would appreciate any response you would have or any referral that would offer assistance. Thank you. E-mail: markx ( D O T ) a ( D O T ) egbert ( A T ) intel ( D O T ) com ------------------- >From Gail Baasch, City of Richland, WA: Hi. I'm the Environmental Education Coordinator for the City of Richland. I was recently asked if I knew where college/university textbooks could be recycled. They are used, various subjects and various publication dates. Besides pulling or cutting from the binders and recycling the paper, I don't know of another avenue to recycle. Do any of you environmental gurus know? Thanks! E-mail: gailb [A T] ci [D O T] richland [D O T] wa [D O T] us ------------------- >From Jane Dewell, Belt Collins Hawaii, Honolulu, HI: Just wanted you to know that I got 14 responses to my 5/24/99 posting asking for examples of public education programs for solid waste. I received some very good information on programs from California, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Thanks! ------------------ >From Mari Zak, Clark County, WA, responding to the 6/2/99 posting asking for information on Master Composter programs around the nation: We're out here doing the very things you want to know about! We train volunteers, put on community workshops and "wormshops" for teachers and the general public. Our volunteers also make presentations in classrooms as well as out in the community. And we do a whole lot more. A "fun" experiment being conducted with county solid waste is an attempt to compost biosolids with worms. If you want to know more about our program, you can reach us at: wormsgotoschool (A T) hotmail (D O T) com ------------------- >From a 6/9/99 posting on the Reuse Development Organization (ReDO) listserv: KANSAS CITY REUSE CENTER SEEKING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Executive Director sought for unique 15-year old nonprofit organization. The Surplus Exchange specializes in reusing and recycling business equipment. Equipment is collected from area businesses, and made available to area charities and the general public. In addition, technology education, environmental education, and occupational programs, and services that utilize the donated equipment, are conducted to serve the community. Seeking candidates with entrepreneurial, leadership, management, environmental, financial and program development skills. Send resume, with salary range to The Surplus Exchange, P.O. Box 025763, Kansas City, MO 64102. Please, no phone call or e-mail inquiries. Thank you. For more information on the Surplus Exchange, see their website at: http://www.surplusexchange.org/index.html ------------------ As featured in the National Enquirer (thanks to Paul Dunn for sending this in): "The Goddess of Garbage Turns Trash Into Art!" See the Goddess' official website at: http://www.goddessofgarbage.com/ Check out the Goddess' "Tips Archive" for crafts projects with reused materials, and the "Recycling Facts" section (which mostly consists of reuse ideas). - end -