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12 May 03 - construction; clothing; job; cups; phones; South Africa; wipes ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- From Steve Long, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Boston, MA: I need some advice regarding waste prevention technical assistance for building contractors. My goal is to identify existing resources such as publications (training manuals and guidance), workshops (prepackaged and instructors), and videos. For example, the National Association of Home Builders provides guidance on framing techniques for wood source reduction: "Advanced Framing Techniques: Optimum Value Engineering." It is located at: http://www.toolbase.org/tertiaryT.asp?TrackID=&CategoryID=70&DocumentID=2021 I am especially interested in technical assistance resources that focus on the following construction and demolition (C&D) materials: Asphalt, brick, concrete, metal and wood. Massachusetts is in the process of promulgating regulations that would ban the disposal of these materials. Thanks. E-mail: stephen (D O T) long (A T) state (D O T) ma (D O T) us -------------------- From Steve Long, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Boston, MA: A Massachusetts-based clothing reuse/recycling company is having troubles with trash being thrown in its donation trailers and boxes. The containers are currently in commercial areas. Does anyone have any advice? - Signage (how effective)? - Types of containers (small openings/mailbox style door)? - Enforcement (Local Board of Health - seems impossible)? - Placement/location (secured municipal transfer or drop-off center)? Thanks. E-mail: stephen ( D O T ) long ( A T ) state ( D O T ) ma ( D O T ) us -------------------- Link to a job listing for a Commercial Waste Reduction Planner at Metro, the regional government in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area (forwarded by Meg Lynch): http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?articleid=4378 The salary range is about $43,000 to $58,000 annually. The application deadline is May 21, 2003. -------------------- The next two postings are in response to the recent postings about possible alternatives to all the disposable polystyrene coffee cups used at AA meetings. -------------------- From Charlotte Becker, Association of Oregon Recyclers, Gresham, OR: Many AA meetings do use permanent cups, especially at the so-called AA clubs. The difficult part about asking folks to bring their own is that AA has lots of people who pass through, but who may not be regular members. Many may be having trouble remembering their names, let alone remembering to bring their own mugs. However, in the spirit of the personal responsibility stressed by AA, often members at regular meeting locations take turns doing dishes and making coffee. At the clubs, many have mugs with their names on them that they bring and hang on a mug rack. Getting new AA members to bring a reusable mug is a good idea. It may help some folks feel more like they belong at a particular meeting and help keep them coming back. This is the kind of waste prevention that goes beyond cups to people. E-mail: mail [ AT ] aorr [ DOT ] org -------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: I have passed along everyone's comments on the AA coffee cups issue, including the ones that ran in last week's Forum, to the King County resident who made the original inquiry (he is active in the AA organization and would like to help them reduce waste). He sent me this message in response: "Thanks very much for the information and opinions. I feel better informed and armed with some practical ideas. Keep up the good work." -------------------- Link to information on a new reuse program for used cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and pagers, from the CollectiveGood website (forwarded by Bob Muldoon): http://www.collectivegood.com/donate_phone_Staples.htm In this program, people can drop off their used cell phones, PDAs, pagers and rechargeable batteries at any Staples office supplies store nationwide. Partners in the project are: Staples; CollectiveGood, a mobile-electronics recycling company; the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC); and the Sierra Club. Reuse is the main focus of CollectiveGood. Most of the collected phones, pagers and PDAs will be refurbished and resold in developing countries. If they cannot be reused, they will be recycled for their metals and plastics in accordance with federal and local environmental standards, according to CollectiveGood. The company adds that "a large portion of the proceeds generated" from reselling the mobile electronics devices will be donated to the Sierra Club. The rechargeable batteries are recycled through the RBRC. Staples stores can be found at: http://www.staples-locator.com ------------------- Excerpted from articles published on 5/9/03, from the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of America news services: SOUTH AFRICA GOES PAY-PER-BAG A new law went into effect in South Africa last Friday, May 9, 2003, making thin plastic bags illegal. Now shoppers will have to pay for thicker, stronger plastic shopping bags that are easier to recycle and reuse. Or, they can bring durable bags with them when they shop, or go without bags. For the new, thicker plastic bags, customers are being charged about four cents (U.S.) for a small bag, and six cents for a large one. According to the South African government, the country uses eight billion plastic bags a year. The aim of the new law is to reduce bag use by 50 percent. Plastic bags are sometimes called South Africa's "national flower" because so many of them litter the streets, clinging to bushes and fences. ------------------- Excerpted from a 5/3/03 business article by Gary White in the Lakeland (FL) Ledger: POPULARITY OF PREPACKAGED, DISPOSABLE WIPES DRIVEN BY CONVENIENCE During 20 years as a teacher, Meredith Knowles learned the importance of time management. And so the idea of cleaning the bathroom without grabbing a pail and a can of cleanser appeals to her. Like an increasing number of Americans, the Lakeland resident is enticed by the convenience of disinfectant wipes, a category of products that has quickly taken hold in the cleaning market. "The toilet (wipes) are great because I don't have to get the Comet out and my gloves and everything else," says Knowles, a mother of three. According to research by Packaged Facts, a consulting company, Americans spent $872 million on disposable wipes in 2002. The company predicts the cleaning wipes market will yield $4 billion in sales by 2007. A trip to any drug store or grocery store shows how varied the offerings of wipes have become in just a few years. Clorox and Lysol make general disinfecting wipes. Pledge Wipes are designed to be used on wood furniture, Windex Wipes on glass and mirrors and Easy Off Wipes inside microwave ovens. SC Johnson offers flushable wipes for cleaning toilets. Pledge Grab-It dusting mitts fit over the hand. There are even wipes specifically designed for cleaning pets. The appeal of such products is obvious: convenience. Manufacturers also say that disposable wipes keep people safe from the germs and bacteria that can survive on sponges and rags used more than once for cleaning. On the other hand, disposable items increase the flow of waste to landfills. Although these products promise reduced cleaning time, they are less economical than the supplies they replace. A package of 12 Pledge Grab-It cleaning mitts goes for $4.49, or 37.4 cents per mitt. A box of six Easy Off microwave wipes costs $3.29, or 54.8 cents per wipe. - end -