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11 Apr 02 - mercury; McDonough; computers; Olympics; satellite forum ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From the website of the Clean Car Campaign and the website for the State of Maine: On April 10, 2002, Maine Governor Angus King, Jr. signed the nation's first law to mandate manufacturer responsibility for the removal of mercury from vehicles. The Maine law creates a manufacturer-funded system for removing and disposing of mercury-added components, such as switches in hood and trunk lights, before vehicles are crushed or shredded for recycling. Currently, there is no such system, and many mercury switches remain in the vehicles as they go through the recycling process, which can potentially lead to environmental and health hazards. Automakers opposed the legislation, and sought instead to create a state-run system funded by fees on new and used car sales through dealers. This amendment, along with other weakening provisions, ultimately failed to gain enough votes. The law also prohibits mercury switches from being added to new cars sold in Maine, as of January 1, 2003. In addition, auto makers must provide information and technical assistance to identify makes and models of vehicles containing mercury switches. For more information on the law, see the Clean Car Campaign website at: http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/mainerelease.html -------------------- From Lisa Heller, Dump & Run Inc., Brookfield, MA, responding to the recent posting about environmental designer William McDonough's efforts to make manufacturing more sustainable, and a follow-up comment in the 4/8/02 Forum saying that McDonough may be the most important person of this decade: This man is as much of a hero as the firemen and policemen of New York City. Not that I want to denigrate what they did, but McDonough is looking at tomorrow. That's what makes him my hero. E-mail: lih13 (AT) pitt (DOT) edu -------------------- Link to the Northeast Recycling Council's new manual, "Setting Up & Operating Electronics Recycling/Reuse Programs: A Manual for Municipalities & Counties" (forwarded by Miranda Clark): http://www.nerc.org/adobe/survey/index.html This comprehensive manual was published in March, 2002. It was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. -------------------- Link to the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (forwarded by Dwight Mercer): http://www.saltlake2002.com/sloc/beyond_sport/environment/assets/Final_Integrated_Waste_Management_Plan.pdf The report is dated January 31, 2002, which is a week before the Olympics began. Among other things, this report covers source reduction, and the goal for these Olympics of "zero waste disposed." Note from Tom: The only actual waste generation statistics from the Olympics that are currently available on the Olympics website are through Feb. 17, which was about halfway though the games. At that point, the waste recovery rate (recycling and composting) was 96.28 percent. The source reduction measures in the plan (including packaging guidelines and procurement policies) helped contribute to this high rate. -------------------- Excerpted from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website (forwarded by David Flora): On Wednesday, May 1, 2002, from 1 to 3 p.m. (Eastern time), the U.S. EPA will sponsor a satellite forum entitled "Communities: Setting Trends in Waste Prevention and Recycling." This program will assist solid waste managers in establishing effective waste reduction programs. Panelists will include: Tom Padia, Alameda County (California) Waste Management Authority & Source Reduction and Recycling Board; Charlie Reighart, Baltimore County (Maryland) Department of Public Works; John Reindl, Dane County (Wisconsin) Department of Public Works; and Laura Weber, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe (in New York state). In addition to the panelists' presentations, video clips will highlight other successful programs, and viewers can call in and ask questions. The satellite forum will be offered at locations nationwide. To host a forum viewing, to find the location nearest to you, or for additional information, see the forum website at: http://www.epa.gov/wastewise/forum/index.htm - end -