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29 Jan 01 - carpet product stewardship; disposable phone; colleges; reuse for schools ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive --------------------- Excerpted from a 1/12/01 press release on the website of the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, St. Paul, MN: The Midwestern Workgroup on Carpet Recycling has endorsed a national plan to increase the recycling and reuse of discarded carpet. This national plan represents the first product stewardship agreement reached through a multi-stakeholder dialogue in the United States. Carpet, which is typically made of petroleum-based materials, is thrown away in significant quantities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 2.4 million tons of carpet and rugs were disposed of in 1998 alone. The Midwestern Workgroup, representing the interests of the carpet industry, all levels of government, as well as non-governmental organizations, agreed to create an independent, industry-funded third-party organization that will be responsible for meeting ambitious goals for the recovery of old carpet. This organization will benefit consumers, providing environmentally-preferable disposal options for discarded carpeting, such as reuse and recycling, rather than landfilling or incineration. See the entire press release at: http://www.moea.state.mn.us/media/01-01-12.cfm The website for the Midwestern Workgroup on Carpet Recycling is at: http://www.moea.state.mn.us/policy/carpet/index.cfm ---------------------- From Jeff Tumarkin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WasteWise program, Washington, DC: This was forwarded to me by a friend who works at the U.S. Department of Commerce in wireless communications. This is all we need, another disposable product. Maybe we can work with the manufacturer to implement a take-back program similar to what Kodak has done with its disposable cameras? - Believe it or not, a paper mobile phone is due to land on the market later this year, making an appearance in retail stores, fast food restaurants and vending machines. A U.S. investor has backed the disposable devices, which were created by Randice-Lisa Altschul, and plans to sell them for $10 a pop. Dubbed the Phone-Card-Phone, the paper phone is as thick as three credit cards and is constructed from recycled paper products. The phones will come with 60 minutes of calling time and a hands-free attachment. The phones can be thrown out once the minutes are used, or more minutes can be added. Altschul, who has 22 patents on the technology, says her business, Dieceland Tech Corp., has 100 million units on order. E-mail: Tumarkin ( DOT ) Jeff ( AT ) epamail ( DOT ) epa ( DOT ) gov --------------------- From an announcement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (forwarded by Sandra Thorp Nussbaum): WASTEWISE SATELLITE FORUM ON COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY WASTE REDUCTION The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise program will co-sponsor a satellite forum focusing on campus waste reduction for colleges and universities on Thursday, February 22, 2001, from 1 to 3 p.m. eastern standard time. The National Recycling Coalition's College and University Recycling Council is teaming up with WasteWise to disseminate information that will assist colleges and universities in establishing effective waste reduction programs. The forum panel will share lessons learned about campus programs for waste prevention, recycling, and the purchase of recycled-content products. Information presented during the forum will enable recycling coordinators, facility managers, students, and procurement and administrative staff to take an active role in campus-wide waste reduction activities. To view panelist biographies and updated lists of downlink sites, or to obtain information about hosting a downlink site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/wastewise/wwsf --------------------- Link to an article by William Booher in the 1/28/01 Indianapolis Star about reuse programs in Indiana that provide materials for schools: http://www.starnews.com/news/articles/reuse0128.html - end - <