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09 Jul 01 - packaging or junk mail?; corpse composting; NRC; electronics ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Portland, OR: The Oregon DEQ is planning a waste prevention initiative focused on non-residential waste generators. Initially, the initiative will focus on one or two types of generators or best management practices. We are currently in the process of deciding the details and focus of the initiative(s). Right now we are talking with potential partners in Oregon to determine their level of interest in two project concepts: a packaging waste prevention project, and a direct mail generation waste prevention project. We would appreciate any opinions, suggestions, feedback, etc., that subscribers to this forum would like to share regarding either of these two concepts. Have you tried something like this in your community or business? Did it work? What would you have done differently? Do you think there is significant potential - or significant challenges - to implementing one or both of these concepts successfully? If you were a state agency, which of these two campaigns would you implement? Both? Neither? Something different? A few more details: The packaging project could include: working with those who receive packaging and helping them communicate with suppliers' requests for more resource-efficient packaging; working with companies who buy and use packaging to use more resource-efficient packaging; developing tools to conduct packaging analysis; developing and promoting case studies of businesses that use resource-efficient packaging; conducting or co-sponsoring workshops or other educational activities to help users and receivers of packaging improve the resource-efficiency of the packaging they use/receive. The direct mail project would work with businesses, non-governmental organizations, and governments that send direct mail to implement and document savings resulting from best management practices such as those contained in the Direct Marketing Association's publication, "Environmental Resource for Direct Marketers." These include less-wasteful mailings (alternate formats and frequencies), as well as improved mailing list management. Like the packaging project, activities could also include developing and promoting case studies, and conducting or co-sponsoring workshops or other educational activities to help organizations that use direct mail to be more resource-efficient. Any feedback or comments you would like to share would be much appreciated. Please feel free to respond to the forum, or to me directly. Thanks much. E-mail: allaway [ D O T ] david [ A T ] deq [ D O T ] state [ D O T ] or [ D O T ] us Phone: (503) 229-5479 ------------------ From Lynn Leopold, Tompkins County Solid Waste Management Division, Ithaca, NY, responding to the recent postings (6/21/01 and 6/22/01) about composting corpses, as an environmentally-preferable alternative to burial or cremation: Bravo to Jim McNelly for taking composting AND dealing with our mortal remains to the next, environmentally conscious level. However, considering how many toxic substances are sequestered in the average Homo sapiens (i.e., dioxins, PCB, DDT, lead, mercury, you name it), what happens to these substances in the composting process? I am assuming that cremation releases the same materials into the air, barring any decent scrubbers for such pollutants. Seems like we need to know more about what happens to the toxics during the composting process. Would it be the same as for farm mortality composting? Farm animals are part of the food chain too and are exposed to the same stuff as the rest of us. Any info out there? E-mail: lleopold (AT) tompkins-co (DOT) org ------------------ From Janet Nazy, Washington State Recycling Association, Tukwila, WA, following up on the 7/3/01 posting about the upcoming National Recycling Coalition (NRC) conference in Seattle this fall, which will include a wide range of recycling and waste prevention sessions and activities: Are you interested in attending the NRC Congress this fall (Sept. 30 through Oct 3 in Seattle) but have budget limitations? Then why not consider volunteering? The Washington State Recycling Association is organizing volunteers for the Congress and if you fit the description above we are interesting in talking to you. Volunteers who work more than 12 hours get a free conference registration. Volunteers working under 12 hours also get discounts. For more information, contact the volunteer coordinators: - Charlene Gallagher: (253) 593-7708. E-mail: cgallagh ( A T ) ci ( D O T ) tacoma ( D O T ) wa ( D O T ) us - Bill Reed: (206) 296-4402. E-mail: bill ( DOT ) reed ( AT ) metrokc ( DOT ) gov ------------------ Excerpted from a 7/2/01 release from the University of Tennessee's Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies (forwarded by Janet Nazy): NATIONAL ELECTRONICS PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVE MOVES AHEAD Representatives from the electronics manufacturers, government agencies, environmental groups, and others met formally for the first time in late June in San Francisco to develop a joint plan in the United States for managing used electronics. This "product stewardship" initiative involves a sharing of responsibility for the reuse and recycling of electronics by those who produce, sell, and use these products. With the growing number of obsolete electronics, there continues to be an increased demand for facilities that manage used electronics. The infrastructure for collecting, reusing, and recycling electronics in the United States has not kept pace with this growing concern, and all parties involved - federal, state and local governments, manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, and environmental groups - are working together to address this issue. The National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI), which was organized in late April of this year, consists of 45 participants, split evenly among industry, government, and a third group that includes environmental groups, recyclers, and retailers. The NEPSI group's main goal for the dialogue, agreed to in San Francisco, is "the development of a system, which includes a viable financing mechanism, to maximize the collection, reuse, and recycling of used electronics, while considering appropriate incentives to design products that facilitate source reduction, reuse and recycling; reduce toxicity; and increase recycled content." NEPSI participants also reached agreement on the types of electronic products to be included in this system, as well as a number of general attributes that a national system should contain to effectively collect, reuse, and recycle electronics. The group has agreed to meet six times over the next year, rotating meetings around the country to acknowledge the unique regional circumstances faced by state and local agencies. Participants hope that this dialogue will result in a voluntary national agreement that will obviate the need for regulatory or statutory action, and will lower the cost of recycling by coordinating state efforts. More than 20 state environmental agencies are actively engaged in the dialogue. The University of Tennessee's Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies (CCPCT) is coordinating the NEPSI process under a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For additional information regarding NEPSI, contact any of the following NEPSI Core Group members: INDUSTRY Heather Bowman, Electronic Industries Alliance, (703) 907-7582 GOVERNMENT Scott Cassel, Product Stewardship Institute, (978) 934-4855 Maureen Hickman, Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, (651) 215-0271 Sego Jackson, Snohomish County (WA), (425) 388-6490 Clare Lindsay, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, (703) 308-7266 ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS Ted Smith, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, (408) 287-6707 Jeremiah Baumann, Public Interest Research Group, (202) 546-9707 Or contact CCPCT director Gary Davis, (865) 974-4251 - end -