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05 Jun 03 - DVDs; job; worm bins; junk mail ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive --------------------- The first three messages are in response to the recent postings about Disney's new disposable DVDs. A 6/3/03 posting noted that 1) CDs and DVDs are recycled in huge quantities, and 2) disposable DVDs may reduce pollution by cutting down on car trips to return rented DVDs. --------------------- From Jim Haynes, Spokane Regional Solid Waste System, business recycling program, Spokane, WA: While I do not like disposables in most every form, the comment regarding the fuel and wear-and-tear on a vehicle to return DVDs is well taken. It was my comment in the office when we first read about Disney's new product in the paper. E-mail: JHaynes (AT) SpokaneCity (DOT) org -------------------- Excerpted from a message from Sarah Grimm, BRING Recycling, Eugene, OR: I appreciate the recent comment that we should take a "deeper look" at the pros and cons of disposable DVDs. In the calculations for fuel use, it was stated that going to pick up a disposable DVD may not be a special trip but would be done on the way to or from some other trip, but this same allowance was not made for DVD rental. That skews the equation and is not even very likely. Folks that are predisposed to go for the disposable item demonstrate a lack of concern for the environment, and are more likely to have no hesitation to make a special trip. I for one always pick up my videos on my way home from somewhere and drop them back off on my way to work or to do another errand. Also, I would like to know where I can recycle CDs and DVDs in the Eugene, Oregon, community. I know of many ways to reuse them in this community, but have not found a recycling facility. Our organization, BRING Recycling, periodically revisits the idea of collecting them from the public, but we can not afford the shipping to a marketer. Even the Portland metro area does not have a recycler of that material. E-mail: sarahg [ A T ] bringrecycling [ D O T ] org --------------------- From Renee Kimball, Enuf!, Portland, OR: Regarding the efficacy of disposable DVDs vs. rental videos and DVDs: I think we have to dig even deeper in this controversy. 1) The assumption that folks only make special trips to return rentals is not always the case. The same could be true of purchasing the disposable DVDs. 2) VERY few folks recycle CDs and DVDs - the vast majority end up in the trash. By the way - where are all these locations to send the used products to? I have collected a HEAP! 3) There is packaging on the disposable DVD - what happens to that? I am assuming there is at least a plastic wrap even if there is a cardboard cover. 4) There is no accounting for disposal costs in energy, time and materials. If you recycle the DVDs, you have to package them, take them to the post office for correct postage and then they are transported to the recycler. I won't even bother with the long term landfill costs involved if they go into the trash. 5) What are the energy costs in recycling the DVDs? 6) What is the cost to society in the long term by fostering a "disposable" mentality about products? The bottom line for me is: Single use should be reserved for toilet paper only and even then I prefer composting toilets. E-mail: Renee [AT] EnufWaste [DOT] com --------------------- Link to a job posting for an Outreach Specialist with WasteCap Wisconsin in Milwaukee: http://www.wastecapwi.org/OutSpec03.htm WasteCap Wisconsin is a statewide, nonprofit environmental organization that provides waste reduction and recycling assistance to businesses. The position pays $27,000 per year, plus full benefits. The application deadline is this Monday, June 9, 2003. To apply, submit a cover letter and resume (e-mail OK). -------------------- From Renee Kimball, Enuf!, Portland, OR, responding to the recent postings about home composting and worm bins: Regarding the amount of castings generated from worm bins: Admittedly, some of our casting product comes from bedding material. However, we produce about 50 gallons of castings a year from the kitchen waste of three adults. We use no yard debris in the bin but I do throw in pulp from tomato canning. It has been my experience that the larger the bin, the more castings you get, even with the same amount of food waste. Maybe it's a better environment for worms - I have no idea. All I know is the results. We get far more worm castings than folks with small bins using the same amount of food waste. E-mail: Renee ( AT ) EnufWaste ( DOT ) com -------------------- Excerpted from a 6/4/03 article by Melissa Campanelli in DM News (a trade journal for the direct marketing industry), following up on previous postings about this agreement: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE APPROVES DISCOUNT FOR LARGEST BULK MAILER The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors approved a three-year Negotiated Service Agreement (NSA) this week between the USPS and Capital One Services Inc., the postal service's fourth-biggest customer and its largest producer of First-Class mail. (Capital One is a major financial services provider, known for its high volume of credit card solicitations.) NSAs provide pricing incentives based on increased mail volume and other productivity gains that can save the Postal Service money. The agreement with Capital One is the first NSA. Capital One will get discounts of 3 cents to 6 cents per piece for the next three years if its annual First-Class bulk volume exceeds 1.225 billion pieces. The discounts rise as Capital One's volume increases. As part of the deal, the USPS will not return undeliverable First-Class mail solicitations from Capital One. Instead, once certain volume levels are reached, Capital One will receive electronic address corrections for free, but not the returned mail pieces. The minimum volume needed is 750 million pieces. The Postal Service estimates that this will save it from having to return 80 million pieces each year to Capital One at a savings of 20 cents per piece. But Capital One will be required to improve the address quality of its First-Class mail. For example, the mailer has committed to run National Change of Address service updates every 30 days on its customer mail files and every 60 days on its marketing mail files. The update requirement for other mailers is every 180 days. Capital One also committed to use the electronic return information in future mailing campaigns. Capital One said it does not expect to save any material amount of expenses from this agreement. However, it hopes to use the electronic return and forwarding information to improve the accuracy of mail solicitations. The agreement begins Sept. 1. Capital One said it plans no significant changes to its marketing programs as a result of this agreement, nor any significant movement of its Standard mail to First-Class. Capital One expects to mail 1.2 billion First-Class pieces this year. Some mailers have expressed concern that similar arrangements could unfairly benefit certain mailers. To address these fears, the USPS put a limit of $40.6 million on the discounts Capital One can receive. Other NSAs likely will follow. "As we build toward the future, pricing innovations like NSAs will help the Postal Service preserve universal mail service," said Stephen Kearney, USPS vice president for pricing and classification. He said all postal customers will benefit because NSAs will drive mail growth and increase efficiency. -------------------- Excerpted from a 5/11/03 article by Cynthia Flash in the Seattle Times: HEY, KID, GOT CREDIT CARDS? My 9-year-old son Nathan Hemphill is one popular kid. He's been invited to apply to graduate school, has received a signed 8-by-10 photograph of President Bush, and has been offered four different credit cards. It all started in July 2001, when the Alaska Airlines frequent-flyer program offered him magazines in exchange for miles. My husband and I believed Nathan would lose those miles, so we decided to order some magazines with his mileage credit. We chose several business magazines, a weekly news magazine and a couple of sports magazines - all pretty mundane publications for suburban parents. Almost immediately, the mailbox started filling up with solicitations for Nathan. In the past 22 months, he has received 67 different offers - a lot at first but just a trickle now. He was invited to attend an investment forum, to transfer his brokerage account to three other investment houses, to purchase mutual funds, to set up a college savings account for his children, and to subscribe to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In addition, he received an offer to buy his employees Christian holiday gifts and was asked to donate to four different charities. He also received a plastic membership card to make him a card-carrying member of the Republican National Committee. I tried to track down how Nathan's name was sold. Jack Walsh of Alaska Airlines said they don't sell their frequent-flyer lists. He blamed the magazines. He referred me to The Mallett Group, a New Milford, Conn., company that he said handled the magazine promotion offer for Alaska. Joe Mammano, president of The Mallett Group, said his client, Synapse, handles the Alaska Airlines account. He said he would have Synapse call me. No one from Synapse ever did. And, I couldn't find them using the Web. So much for finding the source of these magazine offers. Chris Jarvis, spokesman for the Washington state Attorney General's Office, said he still gets mail for his dog, Abby, who he signed up for a radio offer. "Be aware that signing up for virtually everything - from the raffle at the local hardware store to any other contest, magazine subscription to video rental card - puts your name out there," he said. "People need to be careful on the information they give. Once it gets sold, it gets sold again." That hardly seems fair to a 9-year-old. "If they were selling my name, don't you think that I should get the money instead of them?" Nathan asked. "They're using my name. It's my name, not theirs to sell." - end -