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01 Dec 99 - Dryel; electronics; opting out; reuse guide; Christmas spending ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive --------------------- >From Dave Kunz, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR, responding to recent postings about Dryel, a new product from Procter & Gamble that allows people to clean clothes at home that are labeled "dry clean only": While Dryel promotes less chemical use than regular dry cleaning, there is still a concern about what chemicals end up in the waste stream. The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for Dryel lists water and "biodegradable cleaning agents." Nothing else. Some toxins are biodegradable. So, more information is needed before it can be determined if businesses disposing of the waste material should consider it a hazardous waste. We would also like to know what constitutes the chemicals entering the residential waste stream (if any). We have a call into Procter & Gamble on this matter. I'll let you know the results. E-mail: KUNZ (D O T) David (A T) deq (D O T) state (D O T) or (D O T) us ------------------- Excerpted from a message from Julie Rhodes, Reuse Development Organization (ReDO), Indianapolis, IN (from the ReDO listserv): Just a reminder that the National Recycling Coalition's next online Electronics Recycling Forum will be held Thursday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. Eastern time. This forum also deals with electronics reuse. This month's topic is State and Local Policy Initiatives and Voluntary Programs. Participants will have the opportunity to speak directly to officials from Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin about activities in their states and localities. In response to suggestions, NRC has changed the format of the online discussion. Please read the fact sheet on state and local activities and come to the chat prepared with questions. (Questions may also be posted in advance to the message board in the forum.) Links to the fact sheet and the online forum and chat room are available at: http://www.nrc-recycle.org/Programs/electronics/online.htm For more information, check out the website, or contact Dawn Amore at NRC. Phone: (703) 683-9025, ext. 205. E-mail: dawna [AT] nrc-recycle [DOT] org ---------------------- Excerpted from an item in the 11/28/99 Seattle Times: The Center for Democracy and Technology, based in Washington, DC, has a website called Operation Opt-Out. The site is designed to make it easier for consumers to opt out of having their personal information shared and sold by marketers. Opting out should reduce junk mail and telemarketing calls. The site is located at http://opt-out.cdt.org/ It includes links to the websites of companies that allow consumers to opt out online. It also will generate an opt-out form that users can mail to companies that have no online way of getting off lists. ---------------------- Excerpted from an 11/29/99 press release from the Delaware Economic Development Office, Wilmington, DE: As part of its reuse initiative, the Delaware Economic Development Office announced that its publication, the Delaware Guide to Reuse for Consumers and Businesses, is now online. The Internet version of the document includes links to web resources and an interactive database for reuse businesses and organizations interested in being listed in the Reuse Guide. A printed copy of the guide is also available. The document provides listings of companies and organizations offering such diverse products and services as used building materials, office furniture repair, appliance repair, computer donation opportunities and secondhand clothing. It also includes sections on household hazardous waste, recycling and junk mail prevention. Nationally, it is estimated that 30 million tons of durable goods are disposed of every year. Close to 4,500 workers are employed by the reuse industry in the state of Delaware, at an annual payroll of over $97 million. The Delaware Reuse Project is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The guide is online at: http://www.state.de.us/dedo/publications/reuse/ For more information, contact Rob Propes at (302) 739-4271 or by e-mail at: rpropes ( AT ) state ( DOT ) de ( DOT ) us ---------------------- >From an item in the 11/26/99 New York Times: Consumers are expected to spend an average of $849 on gifts this shopping season, a 4.3 percent increase from last year. - end -