WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ARCHIVE   BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX

08 Jun 01 - germs; C & D; donations of give-aways; hotels ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From Keri Morin Handaly, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR, in response to the recent postings about disposable products: It is ridiculous how the chemical and product manufacturers manipulate public knowledge and create fear of "germs," "bugs," "bacteria," "diseases." Glenn Meyer mentioned bacteria in reusable mugs as an example of the public fear of reused objects. What we need is a counter public education campaign that reminds people that being "close" to nature is not going to kill us. In fact, exposure to these germs is what helps us stay healthy. Who wants a sterile environment where no one has any resistance any longer? Not to mention the "super" bugs that all these antibacterial soaps and sponges, etc., are helping create. No thanks - I'll take my reused coffee mug germs any day. E-mail: MORIN ( D O T ) Keri ( A T ) deq ( D O T ) state ( D O T ) or ( D O T ) us -------------------- From Michael Reed, Ramsey County Environmental Health, Saint Paul, MN, responding to the 6/6/01 posting seeking examples of effective construction and demolition (C & D) waste management studies and initiatives: Here is a link to research that Dr. Tim Townsend, University of Florida, has been involved in: http://floridacenter.org/publications/const_demo_pubs.htm I have heard him speak and he is very knowledgeable and well-respected in the field of solid waste management. Regarding a project closer to home, the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board, created by a joint powers agreement between 6 of the 7 Minneapolis/Saint Paul Metro Counties, will be contracting with URS, Inc., in partnership with Dr. Tim Townsend, to prepare a construction waste study for our local market. In our local construction/demolition market, it has been determined that the greatest opportunity for further reducing landfilled "non-MSW (municipal solid waste)" waste is to focus on the construction waste side of the issue. The local large-scale demolition contractors already have recycling down to an art. Incorporating several construction demonstration projects, the study will be looking to identify existing opportunities and barriers to reducing the volume and toxicity of the construction waste stream currently being landfilled. The study will be looking at reduction, reuse, recycling, reducing the toxicity of building-related materials and ensuring the proper removal of toxic waste products on the job site. Another phase will be to make recommendations on how to better reach these goals through possible changes/improvements to current education efforts, economics and regulations. The study will begin in the next month or two and will be completed within 18 months. I hope this information is helpful. E-mail: Michael (D O T) Reed (A T) Co (D O T) Ramsey (D O T) MN (D O T) US -------------------- From Tom Watson, National Waste Prevention Coalition and King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA: I would just like to commend the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) for something they are doing for their annual conference, which will be in Seattle in October. They just sent out a packet of information for exhibitors (the National Waste Prevention Coalition and the Reuse Development Organization will have a joint booth this year), and it includes some excellent "Green Recommendations for NRC's Exhibitors." Under the heading "Exhibitor Give-aways," the recommendations include: "Please do not over-package give-aways," and "Please have give-aways be reusable items or items made from recycled materials." But the last recommendation in this section is the one I really like: "If you don't want to ship back your give-away and it is a 'useful' give-away that local shelters or schools could use, NRC will set up a program to collect these items and donate them. Please fill out the attached form and return by September 1 if you expect you might have give-aways to donate." On the attached form, the exhibitor can describe the give-away items that might be left over, and give their booth location. I think this is a wonderful idea, and an example of NRC really going the extra mile to reduce waste! -------------------- Link to the new Green Hotel Best Practice Survey, a project of the CERES (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies) Green Hotel Initiative (first seen in the Green Business Letter): http://www.ceres.org/about/programs/ghsurvey.html Businesses and organizations that are planning meetings and conferences can give this survey to hotels, for the hotels to fill out. (When you open this page, if you get a message saying you need certain software to view it correctly, you should be able to just cancel that message, and continue.) - end -