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31 Dec 01 - Toyota; diapers; NRC ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- Link to Toyota's first comprehensive North America Environmental Report, released on 12/11/01: http://www.toyota.com/html/about/environment/news_awards/enviroreport.html This report is in Personal Document Format (PDF). Toyota's North America waste prevention goals listed in this report include: - Implement a nationwide waste tracking program by Fiscal Year 2003. - Set nationwide waste reduction targets by Fiscal Year 2003. - Implement returnable-packaging program at parts distribution facilities, where volume warrants, by Fiscal Year 2005. - Increase returnable-packaging and direct shipment programs to vehicle distribution centers where practical. (These goals and others are in Section 3, "Greening Sales, Distribution and Service." --------------------- The next two postings are in response to the 12/26/01 posting of the letter to the editor in the New Yorker magazine, which criticized disposable diapers as a waste of resources. -------------------- From Sharon Aller, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA: I believe our esteemed garbologist at University of Arizona, Bill Rathje, discovered that disposable diapers act as sponges in landfills, absorbing liquids that otherwise pool at the bottom. And let's not forget there's a whole other group at the other end of life who also use disposables. We need to be careful when we get into this issue. E-mail: sharon [ DOT ] aller [ AT ] metrokc [ DOT ] gov -------------------- From Renee Kimball, waste prevention advocate, Portland, OR: While there IS a choice when diapering your baby, at the other end of the age spectrum, there is NO choice. I am going through this experience with my mother right now. As our population ages, and more and more of us stare into a future that may include dealing with incontinence, it would be nice to know there is somebody on the case. With a baby, you are looking at probably a maximum of two years of diapers. With elders, you could be looking at decades. The least offensive "aid" is a thin pad (which, incidentally is MUCH larger for men), lined in plastic and filled with a substance that turns to gel on contact with liquid. Worst case scenario is a humungous diaper to fit someone weighing over 200 pounds. Of course they are all chlorine bleach white, and who knows what the gel is. It doesn't take an Einstein to do the math on this and TRUST ME, there are no options. I can't even find out what people did 100 years ago. Any suggestions? Anybody interested in making a fortune selling a high-priced environmentally considerate product to those of us appalled at the fact we had to go to weekly garbage from monthly because of the volume of pads and diapers? E-mail: rrrrenee [AT] aracnet [DOT] com -------------------- Excerpted from an article by Emily Nelson in the 12/27/01 Wall Street Journal: PAMPERS ON THE MARCH Procter & Gamble (P&G) is working to expand its Pampers brand of baby diapers by offering many different types of Pampers, and also by launching various other related products. These include: Pampers Bibsters, disposable bibs introduced in the U.S. a few months ago; Pampers Wipesters, packaged face-and-hand wipes; and Pampers Sunnies - sunscreen lotion on a wipe - a product being tested in Europe. P&G also recently struck a licensing deal to make Pampers Clean 'n Play, a cleanser that parents can spray on toys or other surfaces. Pampers is P&G's biggest global brand, generating about $5 billion in annual sales worldwide, or roughly 13 percent of P&G's yearly total of about $39 billion. In the U.S., Pampers has about a 24 percent share of the $4.3 billion of diapers sold, trailing Huggies, the best-selling Kimberly-Clark brand that holds a 42-percent share. --------------------- From Maggie Clarke, consultant and educator, New York City: I'm wondering if anyone has a hotel room they'd like to share to reduce expenses for the upcoming National Recycling Coalition conference in Seattle? Or if you'd like to share but don't have a room, I'm sure rooms are still available, and I could reserve one. Please let me know. E-mail: mclarke ( A T ) shiva ( D O T ) hunter ( D O T ) cuny ( D O T ) edu - end -