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05 Sep 01 - paper; hand dryers; reuse workshop; electronics; fire extinguishers; houses ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From Rachel Balsley, Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Source Reduction & Recycling Board, San Leandro, CA: Hi list members - I am conducting research on paper use reduction for a guide that our agency is developing for businesses and public agencies. It would be much appreciated if anyone could forward me any websites, reports, case studies, or other publications that specifically address reducing paper use. Documented cost savings, strategies, or ways to overcome barriers (such as the perceived need to still print a hard copy for the files) would be of particular interest. Thanks in advance for your help! Email: rbalsley ( A T ) stopwaste ( D O T ) org Phone: (510) 614-1699 Fax: (510) 614-1698 Mailing address: Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Source Reduction & Recycling Board 777 Davis Street, Ste. 100 San Leandro, CA 94577 --------------------- From David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR: I am doing some research in support of a school that is considering replacing paper towels with forced-air dryers. I've reviewed the considerable amount of information already on the Waste Prevention Forum Archive, as well as some other literature. At this point, I'm looking for more information on the following topics: 1. The typical labor cost to replace a paper towel dispenser with a hot air dryer (or just to install a hot air dryer without removing the paper towel dispenser), assuming no major electrical retrofits are needed. 2. The electrician at the school is concerned that the installation of the hot air dryers will overload the building's electrical distribution system. However, some of the wiring and supply boxes may be replaced as part of an upcoming building remodel. Also, a small lighting retrofit at the school is planned and while this will reduce electrical load somewhat, the electrician believes that any savings will be overwhelmed by increasing plug loads (computers). I am not an electrical engineer and hadn't encountered this problem before. Does anyone have any experience with it? Specifically, if the supply boxes are going to be replaced anyways, what is the marginal cost to add the extra capacity required to run the hot air dryers (which pull about 15 amps of current each)? 3. Any information that answers the claim that forced-air dryers "blow bacteria around." The relative effectiveness of paper towels vs. hot air dryers at reducing different types of bacteria remaining on the hands after washing has been studied by several academics (using different methodologies, and arriving at conflicting results). In addition, some research indicates high levels of bacteria inside the air nozzles. This leads to the claim that activating a forced-air dryer "blows bacteria around", thus depositing them on other people, etc. My question: Does anyone know if this is a legitimate public health concern, a red herring, or something in between? Please respond to allaway [ DOT ] david [ AT ] deq [ DOT ] state [ DOT ] or [ DOT ] us or (503) 229-5479. Thank you! -------------------- Excerpted from e-mails from Julie Rhodes, Reuse Development Organization (ReDO), Indianapolis, IN, and from information from the National Recycling Coalition, Alexandria, VA: As part of the National Recycling Congress in Seattle, ReDO will present a Reuse Workshop at the Seattle Convention Center on Sunday, Sept. 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. This "nuts-and-bolts" workshop will help you learn how reuse programs actually get funded, start up, operate day-to-day, expand, and sustain themselves over the long term. We have a great line-up of speakers: - Terry McDonald, executive director, St. Vincent de Paul, Eugene, OR. St. Vincent's in Eugene has been a leader in innovative reuse programs. - Shane Endicott, director, the ReBuilding Center, Portland, OR. Shane started up and operates a building materials reuse center that provides assistance to low-income people for refurbishing their homes. The ReBuilding Center also recently started a deconstruction branch. - Kathleen Hennesey, the Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA. Kathleen has set up a successful program to divert all the materials left behind after conferences at this major convention center. - Jim Petuch, recycling division, Youngstown State University in Ohio. Jim started up Re:CREATE, a joint venture between the university and the county's solid waste district to divert reusable art, craft, and theatrical supplies to local non-profits and schools. - Michael Murphy, Hillsborough County (FL) Recycling Task Force. This task force has started up numerous reuse programs that divert building materials, guns, university waste, computers and more. - Anna Traktoueva, New York City Department of Sanitation. Anna leads NYC's new Stuff Exchange, a toll-free automated phone system that helps people find reuse centers in the community. - Buddy Grimmett, an executive with TVI, Inc. which is headquartered in the Seattle area. TVI operates Value Village and Savers, two of the largest, for-profit thrift store chains in North America. Julie Rhodes from ReDO will moderate the workshop. The cost for the workshop is only $15 for National Recycling Congress attendees and $20 for non-attendees. There are already more than 40 people signed up for this workshop, so register in advance to make sure you get a spot. For registration information, call NRC at (703) 683-9025 or see their website at: http://www.nrc-recycle.org/ If you have specific questions about the workshop, you can contact Julie at: info ( AT ) redo ( DOT ) org ----------------- From Tanya Schaefer, Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative, Portland, OR: WESTERN ELECTRONIC PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP WEBSITE LAUNCHED Electronic products are proliferating throughout American society at an accelerating rate, and with them come environmental, health and waste impacts. Under the current scenario, local governments end up with the responsibility for handling discarded electronic products, and taxpayers end up footing the bill. Governments may also respond by adopting regulations, requirements and standards that businesses must comply with. The Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (WEPSI) is a project designed to find a more effective and fair solution to this problem. WEPSI is organizing multi-stakeholder dialogues throughout the Western states, which engage manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, recyclers, nonprofit organizations, government and consumers. Through a collaborative process the groups will explore product stewardship models, environmentally preferable purchasing and collection infrastructure. Visit WEPSI's new website at http://www.recyclingadvocates.org/wepsi to: - Read WEPSI updates and meeting summaries; - Learn about WEPSI organizers, stakeholders and projects; - Find product stewardship information and links to related sites; - Locate computer product recycling information for the northwestern US; - Subscribe to the WEPSI listserve. For more information, contact Wayne Rifer, WEPSI Project Manager, at wrifer [ A T ] concentric [ D O T ] net ---------------------- The next two messages are in response to the 7/11/01 posting from Stephanie Davis, asking what to do with expired fire extinguishers. (Note from Tom: Stephanie sent me all her responses, but she got so many - her question was also posted on a number of other listservs - that we only have room for a couple here. If you are especially interested in this topic, write to Stephanie at ScD18 [AT] WasteReductionRemedies [DOT] com and she could forward you all the replies.) --------------------- From Michelle Minstrell, North Carolina State University, recycling and solid waste, Raleigh, NC: The contracted company who was refilling/refurbishing fire extinguishers at my last job would use or dispose of the powder inside the extinguisher when recharging it annually. On reusing an extinguisher, the ones with metal nozzles/necks, are reusable/rechargeable The cheaper ones, sold for kitchen or car, with plastic nozzles/necks are not reusable/rechargeable, as the plastic cannot handle repressurizing. So, purchasing new, one would want to get an extinguisher with a metal neck to be able to take it back in. When the needle is out of the "good" zone, the powder and/or pressure is likely no longer sufficient to actually extinguish a fire - so it is false security. Actually, the pressure should be checked about every 3-6 months and the extinguisher turned upside down and pounded with a rubber mallet to "re-fluff" the powder so it does not become stuck in the bottom. Check with local fire extinguisher sales/service companies to see if they can use old ones to refurbish. Also, the fire department may want to use them to demonstrate with. If the pressure is gone and the nozzle off (it generally just unscrews), then I suppose they can be recycled just like any other metal cylinder. Be careful of ones that are not the ABC powder; there are different rules for them. -------------------- From John Handzo, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, pollution prevention, Richmond, VA: I talked to a representative at Badger Fire Extinguishers. He pointed out that there are basically two types of fire extinguishers: Household and commercial/industrial. Household are usually made with plastic valves, and there isn't much you can do with one once the pressure is gone (this is what the gauge is measuring). Commercial/industrial extinguishers can be recharged by a vendor. Look in the yellow pages for companies which perform this service. He also stated that it is necessary to shake the extinguisher every so often. This prevents the powder or chemical from settling. ------------------- Excerpted from an article by Julie Iovine in the 8/30/01 New York Times: MUSCLE HOUSES TRYING TO LIVE LEAN Decades after the first Earth Day dawned with the mantra "small is beautiful," the environmental movement is facing growing pains on the home front. As trend-conscious architects and their clients start to think green, dedicated environmentalists are left to ponder the pros and cons of the 5,000-square-foot-plus home with a conservation agenda. These jolly green giants are live-in contradictions, touting the latest energy-efficient accessories like photovoltaic roof tiles while admitting indulgences like climate-controlled wine cellars and motorcade-size garages. "People think they're doing something good if they build their walls out of straw bale or rammed earth," said Daniel Chiras, who teaches courses on the environment and biology at the University of Denver. "But if it's a 5,000-square-foot house, it has to be furnished, heated, cooled and maintained. That takes a lot of resources and energy. They're fooling themselves if they think that's O.K." As being green goes mainstream, more homeowners want to participate, but without sacrificing their amenities. More than anything, Americans value size. Today's average house is 2,305 square feet, compared with 1,500 square feet in 1970, according to the National Association of Home Builders. In the same period, the number of occupants per house has dwindled from 3.2 to 2.6. The environmentalist credo of living lightly on the land is clearly at odds with the reality of acquisitive homesteading. "People tell themselves that if they can afford a 10,000-square-foot house, then that's what they should have," said Mr. Chiras, who lives with his two children in a 2,400-square-foot house with walls made of packed tires and straw bales, and is the author of "The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes" (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2000). "But I wonder if the earth can afford it," he said. Who's to dictate what the right shade of green is? One or two green-tinged measures make most homeowners feel as if they're doing their part. Geothermal heating is especially fashionable; after installation costs of $3,000 to $5,000 more than conventional heaters, a typical geothermal system can save as much as $600 a year in heating bills. Architects - increasingly those who do not even bill themselves as especially environmental - are ready to oblige with a tempting selection of greenish features that help compensate for the grand scale. - end -