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30 May 03 - DVDs; biodegradable; Dump and Run; compost; packaging ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- The first two messages are in response to the recent postings about the Disney corporation's plan to introduce disposable DVDs in August. -------------------- Excerpted from a message from Paul Dunn, City of Omaha Public Works Department, Environmental Quality Division, Omaha, NE: I e-mailed a very short message to Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Disney Video) expressing my environmental concerns about their new EZ-D self-destructing DVD. My interpretation of their response (which I have pasted in below) is, "It's nice that you care, but we don't." I also question their claim of recyclability. My understanding of how GreenDisk deals with CDs is that they recycle the polystyrene case, and provide destruction of the CD/DVD. Also according to GreenDisk's website, there is a fee for their services (10 cents a pound, $5 minimum). Will Mickey be paying this fee? 5/27/03 response from Disney to Paul's message: "Dear Paul - Thank you for your e-mail regarding EZ-D. EZ-D's are recyclable and all Buena Vista Home Entertainment EZ-Ds will be labeled with a mailing address for GreenDisk, the centralized collection point for consumers who want to recycle their expired discs. Just mail your disc to this address: GreenDisk Services, 2200 Burlington, Columbia, MO, 65202." "GreenDisk will also work with Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Flexplay to develop collection points at various retail locations. If you have any other questions, please contact us at 1-800-477-2811, Monday-Friday, 9:30-7:30 CST. Thank you." Paul's e-mail: pdunn [A T] ci [D O T] omaha [D O T] ne [D O T] us --------------------- Link to the Working Assets "Act for Change" web page, where people can submit complaints to Disney about the new disposable DVDs (forwarded by Gary Liss): http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=15031 According to this web page, in 2002, 891.4 million DVDs were rented. If just 10 percent of those had been disposable, that would have added more than 89 million DVDs to our landfills. --------------------- From Val Blakely, City of Fremont, Environmental Services Division, Fremont, CA: I am seeking information on the myths of products labeled or containing biodegradable chemicals. From what I understand, biodegradable products can still damage the environment. If a Styrofoam cup is claimed to be biodegradable, what does that mean? Will it break down after 1,000 years and still pollute over the time of sitting around for that time frame? We have been asked whether a car wash fundraiser can use biodegradable soap instead of having best management practices in place. I have answered no, but now I am seeking information to back up my decisions. Please send me information on the myths of "biodegradable" labels and chemical contents of products. You can respond to vblakely [ A T ] ci [ D O T ] fremont [ D O T ] ca [ D O T ] us or 510-494-4786. Thanks. -------------------- The next two messages are in response to the recent postings about the "Dump and Run" programs to collect items left by college students at the end of the school year. --------------------- From John Crisley, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), source reduction program, Boston, MA: I happily disagree with Renee Kimball's mistaken conclusions in her 5/27 posting criticizing the Dump and Run college reuse and clean-out program. The Dump and Run campus reuse and sale events actively involve student groups, campus facility managers, and sometimes a faculty member or two in reusing a wide variety of top-quality used consumer goods. Students, the group Renee seeks to focus on in her comments, are in fact learning to become less wasteful by dumpster diving, rescuing and reusing a significant amount of quality finished products (TVs, microwaves, clothing, cleaning products, and computers). The Dump and Run program teaches less wasteful habits by reusing goods that would otherwise be trashed. Similarly, it brings together members of a campus community to - systematically - hold either sales or give-away events that reduce the huge increase in wasted materials that take place at the end of a school year. In conclusion, these programs begin the process of institutionalizing less wasteful daily practices by students and university staffs. The Massachusetts DEP, after extensive project design discussions with Lisa Heller, the founder of Dump and Run, awarded her organization a technical assistance grant to develop a "How To Conduct a Reuse and Recycle Move-out Event" workbook. The workbook is complete and will be available on the DEP web site later this year. In addition, Massachusetts DEP and Dump and Run held three workshops this past winter/early spring to teach more colleges how to run these programs. Lastly, I call upon Renee to, in the words of rock 'n roll maestro Pete Townshend, to "Join Together" with the Waste Reduction Band in support of this program - instead of striking a discordant note. E-mail: John ( D O T ) Crisley ( A T ) state ( D O T ) ma ( D O T ) us (Note: Renee is a member of Enuf!, a Portland, Oregon-based band that plays "enviro-boogie.") -------------------- From Laurie Stoerkel, waste prevention advocate, San Francisco Bay area: I agree with Renee Kimball, send those students a bill (for leaving excessive amounts of waste when they move out at the end of the year). E-mail: LStoerkel (AT) oaklandnet (DOT) com -------------------- The next two messages are in response to the 5/27/03 posting that warned against putting food waste into home composting bins designed for yard waste. -------------------- From Larry Warnberg, oyster farmer, Nahcotta, WA: It was interesting to read that the City of Seattle advises residents to exclude food waste from compost piles. Pests and pathogens are certainly an issue with any composting effort, whether it is in the backyard or at a large central facility. But I think good management practices can control pests, pathogens and odors. Significant reductions in solid waste may be achieved by increased composting of food residuals. Rather than discouraging people from composting food waste, I think it should be encouraged by providing information on how it can be done safely and successfully. My wife and I compost not only our own household food scraps, but also a fairly large volume of material from a local restaurant and a supermarket, producing 3-4 cubic yards of excellent compost yearly. Books are available to guide successful composting, and there is no need to repeat all that information here. But since rodent control is such a big issue, it is worth pointing out that inexpensive live traps can effectively control rats and mice, without harming pets (the rats can be trapped and then drowned, avoiding the use of chemicals). Suitable compost containers and sufficient layering with grass clippings, leaves, straw, etc. will also keep pests and odors at a minimum. As a volunteer on our Pacific County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, I am developing a program to link gardeners with restaurants, school cafeterias and grocery stores to compost food residuals locally. Since approximately one third of the solid wastestream consists of compostable material, I think it is important to divert organics from the landfills and return this valuable soil amendment to the landscape. E-mail: warnberg (A T) pacifier (D O T) com -------------------- From Dave Kunz, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR: The message in the 5/27/03 posting about no banana peels is for beginning composters. For those of us who know how and use the right equipment, avoiding vectors is easy. I have used the Earth Machine in Portland for our family of four for nearly five years, composting the majority of our kitchen waste. I generate about three cubic yards of very rich black compost each year for use in the garden. The Earth Machine is actually screwed to the ground with four lag screws. Also, we use a 30-gallon plastic can, with a locking lid, to accumulate kitchen waste - then when I mow the lawn (weekly) a combination of grass, kitchen waste and oak leaves gets the pile cooking real fast. NO rats and we live in an area known to have sewer rats. We only ship about half of a 20-gallon can to the landfill weekly, and it's mainly plastic packaging, etc. E-mail: KUNZ ( D O T ) David ( A T ) deq ( D O T ) state ( D O T ) or ( D O T ) us -------------------- Excerpted from a 5/28/03 item in Waste News (forwarded by Jeff Gaisford): COALITION PROMOTES REUSABLE TRANSPORT PACKAGING The Reusable Pallet and Container Coalition (RPCC), a trade group based in Washington, DC, is launching a national campaign to promote the cost savings and waste reduction made possible by using reusable materials. The use of reusable packaging can save businesses money by reducing waste disposal costs and, in some cases, by offering better protection to the package's contents, said coalition president Ken Smith. The Twin Cities Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board recently hosted a workshop on reusable transport packaging in Minneapolis. The RPCC, which planned the event, said it was the first workshop of its kind in the country. They said they plan to hold similar workshops in other cities throughout the year. The RPCC website is at: http://www.rpcc.us The Twin Cities Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board's Reusable Transport Packaging website is at: http://www.swmcb.org/better-way - end -