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15 Aug 03 - resale shops; liquefied; plastic bags; jobs; roadways ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive --------------------- Excerpted from an 8/15/03 Wall Street Journal article by Shelly Branch: HIGH-END CONSIGNMENT SHOPS ON THE RISE In one of the more curious retail trends in recent years, the popularity of resale or "consignment" shops has surged. The National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops says its membership has more than doubled in the past 10 years and estimates that nationwide, resale stores number more than 15,000. The association says it appears that consignment shops catering to high-end fashion shoppers are enjoying some of the fastest growth. For example, Decades Two, a resale shop on trendy Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, counts stylists, entertainment executives and celebrities among its customers. Sales at Decades Two, which opened four years ago, are expected to exceed $1 million in 2003, up about 50 percent over last year. --------------------- Excerpted from an 8/1/03 Associated Press story by Ashley Grant: NOT BIG ON BURIAL OR CREMATION? JUST MELT AWAY On August 1, a law went into effect in Minnesota that will allow a new method of disposing of human remains: chemically dissolving them. Supporters say it is more environmentally friendly than burial, entombment or cremation. Minnesota joins at least two other states, Florida and Michigan, that permit the process. "We see it as the method of the future because it is nonpolluting," said Dr. Gordon Kaye, a professor at the Albany Medical College in New York. "And it is much less expensive to operate." He helped develop the process as a method for disposal of animal carcasses generated from biomedical and pharmaceutical research. In Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic had asked the Legislature to make the process legal for human remains. The chemical process, called alkaline hydrolysis, uses high temperature, pressure and sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide to break remains down to a sterile liquid and powdery bone residue. Proponents say the process sterilizes any bacteria or disease that may have existed in the body. The end product is a liquid that can be legally emptied into most sewer systems, plus some soft bone fragments. While the process itself might cost less than other ways to dispose of human remains, the alkaline hydrolysis "digesters" that make it possible cost at least twice as much as incinerators. The digesters sold by an Indianapolis-based company called WR2 (Waste Reduction by Waste Reduction) can cost more than $150,000. That puts them out of reach for most funeral homes, said Kelly Guncheon, executive director of the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association. "It's a very expensive process from a funeral home standpoint," Guncheon said. "For larger, institutional settings, it might make sense." Kaye acknowledged that medical schools and large hospitals are more likely to adopt the process now, but he said technology is emerging that might eventually make it feasible for funeral homes, too. --------------------- Excerpted from an 8/4/03 MSNBC News article by Sean Federico-O'Murchu: IRELAND LEADS THE WAY WITH PLASTIC BAG TAX According to the Ireland Department of the Environment, shoppers in Ireland used around 1.2 billion plastic bags per year before the country imposed a tax on plastic shopping bags in March, 2002. Since then, plastic bag use has dropped by around 95 percent. And as a result of the tax, the department has received an influx of cash to fund recycling programs from the 15 Euro cents (about 17 U.S. cents) charged for every shopping bag purchased. As of July 28, 2003, the tax had raised 13.5 million Euros ($15.15 million U.S.), which the department has plowed into recycling facilities around the country. Government data shows that plastic bags now comprise about 0.3 percent of Ireland's litter, compared with 5 percent before the tax. The Ireland tax has caught the eye of environmental groups around the world. In Australia, the government is investigating the Irish system as part of its pledge to reduce plastic bag litter by 75 percent, and the British government has also vowed to give it consideration. Separately, Bangladesh has sought to ban plastic bags from the capital city of Dhaka after they were blamed for two devastating floods because they blocked drainage and sewage lines. And in May, South Africa made it illegal for shops to offer flimsy plastic shopping bags, which had been disparagingly called the nation's national flower because of the large numbers that were dumped around the country. Instead, retailers are offering, at a price, more ecologically-friendly polypropylene bags or thicker plastic bags that are more economical to recycle. And many South African customers are bringing their own containers. Supermarket chains in several countries, including Germany and Canada, have taken their own initiative by asking shoppers to pay for shopping bags. In addition, the German-headquartered Aldi chain - which has stores across the United States - asks customers to pay for their bags. However, U.S. environmentalists are skeptical the Irish system can be imposed in the United States, the wealthiest consumer society in the world. Richard Denison, a senior scientist with Environmental Defense, a New York City-based activist organization, said he would love such a program. "It would be a way, through a market mechanism, to both reduce use and drive home to people the external cost of using (plastic bags)," Denison said. But he added that most supermarket chains would be reluctant to impose it on their own, fearing it would put them at a competitive disadvantage. Joe Glynn, a researcher with Friends of the Earth in Ireland, explained that it took 12 years of campaigning to persuade the Irish government to impose the tax. "It's been a huge success because people didn't need to take all these bags," he said. -------------------- Link to a job announcement for a Business Manager responsible for managing the Iowa Waste Exchange and the "Buy Recycled, Iowa!" program (forwarded by Gary Liss): http://www.recycleiowa.org/docs/recyclepos.doc Annual salary for this full-time position in Des Moines, Iowa, is $41,366 to $61,386. The closing date for applications is Sept. 5, 2003. -------------------- Link to a job announcement for a part-time Program Management Assistant for the Alameda County (CA) Waste Management Authority (forwarded by David Allaway): http://www.stopwaste.org/job-pma.html Salary is $35 per hour, with no benefits. This part-time position of about 25 hours per week is based in San Leandro, CA (near Oakland). The person will start in September or early October. Ninety percent of this person's time will be spent working on projects within the business assistance program, primarily on the StopWa$te Partnership, which provides technical assistance and other services to companies and agencies with 50 employees or more. The rest of the time will be spent working on the compost bin and worm bin distribution program. There is no closing date for applications; the position is open until filled. -------------------- From Dwight Mercer, City of Regina, waste diversion program, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada: The City of Regina is experiencing solid waste collection problems from a recent series of unique, higher-density residential developments including "bare-land" condominium developments where the roadways remain private property. Some developers propose reduced standards for roadway construction, reduced roadway widths, introduction of gates with locks, tighter turning radii for solid waste collection trucks and "ad hoc" communal areas for solid waste on these private sites. The City of Regina is seeking assistance from other municipal governments regarding existing development standards and guidelines for proposed higher-density residential developments - especially involving private roadways. The objective is to develop standards for solid waste collection via private roadways to enable us to effectively service these proposed developments. Thanks. E-mail: dmercer (AT) regina (DOT) ca (Note from Tom - I think the waste prevention angle here is that some of these new types of residential developments may benefit the environment and reduce waste - by increasing density, reducing street width, encouraging natural drainage, etc. However, as Dwight notes, local governments must also consider the effects on service by garbage and recycling trucks and other utility and service vehicles.) ------------------- From Renee Kimball, Enuf! (an "enviro-boogie" band), Portland, OR, following up on her 8/4/03 posting offering copies of worksheets to make musical instruments out of reusable items: My apologies to anyone who requested a copy of the worksheets who has not received one. I got an overwhelming number of responses and some were snagged by my "spam protector" - and I may have deleted you. If so, please send another e-mail. E-mail: rrrrenee (A T) aracnet (D O T) com - end -