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18 Oct 99 - litter box; paint brochures; reuse job opening; Denmark ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive ------------------- >From Brian Foran, California Integrated Waste Management Board, Sacramento, CA, responding to Glenn Meyer's 10/13/99 posting about the KatKit, the disposable kitty litter box made by the Oil-Dri Corp.: Glenn says that "the fact that they (Oil-Dri Corp.) are using recycled content in several of their products makes it a bit awkward to mock them." I disagree. Use of recycled materials does not give a company license to manufacture and market a blatantly wasteful product. Oil-Dri should be shamed for the design of their KatKit - it is just another example of generating waste in the name of convenience. E-mail: bforan [A T] CIWMB [D O T] ca [D O T] gov ------------------ Clarification (also in reference to Glenn Meyer's 10/13/99 posting): The state of Minnesota has been considering using the disposable kitty litter box in its "smart shopping" program as the NEGATIVE example; the positive example would be using regular litter and a durable litter box. ------------------ >From Rachel Donnette, Thurston County Environmental Health Division, Olympia, WA: Hundreds of copies of "Give Excess Paint the Brushoff," a guide to reducing leftover household painting products, are available free to a good home that is not in or near Thurston County, WA. This brochure contains excellent information on safe use, reduction, reuse, clean up, disposal, and estimating paint needs. Unfortunately the disposal information is out of date with local policies, and this information is in different parts of the brochure, so it could not easily be stickered-over. I could see their use in a class, training or conference session that is focusing on paint waste reduction (high school level or above). They're probably not appropriate for an agency to distribute to citizens. The brochure does pull together a lot of good research on paint. For more information, contact me at: donnetr [ AT ] co [ DOT ] thurston [ DOT ] wa [ DOT ] us ---------------- Excerpted from a job listing from Julie Rhodes, Reuse Development Organization, Indianapolis, IN: JOB OPENING The Reuse Development Organization (ReDO) is seeking a Direct Donations Coordinator. This person will coordinate donations of reusable materials (initially building materials) to be distributed to domestic non-profits, either for their own use or for redistribution to other 501c3 charities. Contract amount: $26,000-30,000, commensurate with experience. Currently, the position has been funded for one year. Applications by mail or fax are due by October 29, 1999. For more information, or to receive a more detailed job description, e-mail Julie Rhodes, ReDO executive director, at: info (AT) redo (DOT) org ------------------- Excerpted from an article by Warren Hoge in the New York Times, reprinted 10/12/99 in a Seattle newspaper: DENMARK HAS BECOME ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER >From alternative energy to waste prevention and recycling, Denmark has become one of the most ecology-minded places in the world. Wind energy already accounts for seven percent of Danish energy consumption, and is expected to reach 50 percent by 2030, according to the Danish government. Denmark has a population of 5.3 million. Other environmental activities in Denmark include: - To coax people out of their cars, the country has set up more than 6,000 miles of marked bicycle routes. Parking lots have reduced the number of spaces for cars to add spots for bicycles. In downtown Copenhagen, there are distinctly-colored public bicycles, activated by putting coins in the handlebars. - The famous Tivoli Gardens amusement park in Copenhagen uses its kitchen waste as feed for 1,400 pigs. - Businesses pay a tax on their carbon dioxide emissions, with the revenue going to finance various energy conservation and efficiency plans. - end -