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09 Oct 03 - disposables; dumping; campus tools; car-free; pesticides ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive --------------------- From Glenn Krocheski-Meyer, Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, St. Paul, MN, following up on the 9/10/03 posting about disposable dish wipes, a new product from Colgate-Palmolive: A columnist covering the food and grocery beat here in Minneapolis (Al Sicherman, aka "Mr. Tidbit") has a great track record for identifying questionable disposable products that stress convenience. By looking at the cost per use, and comparing it to a more traditional (and less wasteful) approach, I think these reviews are a wonderful approach to "waste education" for consumers. Here's an item he wrote about disposable dish wipes that ran in the 9/25/03 Minneapolis Star Tribune: DISPOSABLE DISH WIPES? Sometimes Mr. Tidbit wonders whether, in thinking a particular new product is silly, he has failed to comprehend some obvious benefit. So it could turn out that new Palmolive Dish Wipes meet some kitchen need he hadn't thought of, but he would be surprised. Dish Wipes (original or Lemon Grove) are fairly sturdy disposable 8-by-6-1/2-inch cloths (20 in a plastic tub), treated with dish detergent. You wet one, and it lathers up. Then you wash the dishes in the sink (the package suggests adding extra Palmolive dish liquid for extra-large loads), and rinse as usual. The package suggests you might use the cloth to wipe the counter after you do the dishes with it - and then you throw it away. At one discount supermarket the tub of 20 costs $3.49, so one (said to be good for "a full load of dishes") costs 17.5 cents. A precise cost comparison is difficult because the bottle of Palmolive dish liquid doesn't specify how much to use for a load of dishes, but another brand suggests "one firm squeeze," which turns out to be less than a tablespoon. At that store a 25-ounce bottle of Palmolive liquid costs $2.44. A tablespoon would cost about 5 cents - less than a third the price of a Dish Wipe. Are you surprised? --------------------- From a column by Natalie Haughton in the 10/3/03 San Bernardino County (CA) Sun: NEW PRODUCT - DISPOSABLE TOILET BRUSH Disposable cleaning products - dish wipes, window wipes, floor wipes - have become so popular that manufacturers are trying to cover every option. Now comes the Scrub 'n Flush, a disposable toilet brush designed for one-time use, manufactured by TxF Products. You simply attach a biodegradable brush tip (made from wood pulp fibers wrapped together) containing nontoxic soap and cleaning agents to a reusable plastic handle. Once the paper brush touches the water, the cleaning solution is activated and turns bright blue. Then just scrub, and when you are done, eject the tip into the toilet bowl and flush or dispose of in the trash. The package promises the brushes have been tested for safe flushing and won't cause plumbing clogs or problems. Whether you flush it away or toss it, some of the paper fibers do come off during cleaning. A starter kit (a handle and four disposable brush heads) is $5.99; eight-pack refill brush heads are $2.99. --------------------- The next two postings are in response to the article posted 10/3/03 about how much money charitable organizations such as Goodwill have to pay to dispose of unwanted items dumped on them at night. --------------------- From Steve Long, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, recycling markets program, Boston, MA: A few random thoughts on the Los Angeles Times article regarding contamination at drop-off donation sites: Here's a summary of advice I received regarding the prevention of trashing and contamination at drop-off donation sites and bins, in response to my query on a few different listservs: 1) Provide adequate lighting; 2) Provide staffing (if possible); 3) Place donation bins in heavily trafficked areas (transfer stations, religious institution parking lots, office buildings, business parks); 4) Sign appropriately (what is NOT acceptable); 5) Limit access during certain hours; 6) Enclose donation area with a fence; and, 7) Provide one-way bins so items cannot be stolen. In addition, there's a donations "Dos and Don'ts" section on Goodwill's web site at: http://www.goodwill.org/index_gii.cfm/1452 that educates the public about the types of items Goodwill can accept, as well as those items that have been deemed unsafe by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Seeing that this is such a universal problem, I'm sure there's more advice out there. Has anyone written a best practices guidance document, fact sheet, or other information that could be shared with the charities that are getting stuck with trash bills? E-mail: stephen (D O T) long (A T) state (D O T) ma (D O T) us --------------------- Excerpted from a message from Dwight Mercer, City of Regina, waste diversion program, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada: Regarding the article, "Overnight Donations Less Than Charitable": When we shut down our permanent waste paint collection and processing depot three years ago and became more like "gypsies" and set up temporary one-day, special collection events at major shopping malls throughout the city of Regina on a monthly basis, our "doorstep orphans" as we call them dropped to near zero (less than one percent of total program costs). Thirty minutes after the collection event is over, there is no sign we were ever there. The site is monitored by the local shopping mall for 4-8 hours. Any paint illegally dropped off at the site after the event is immediately picked up, and we collect about 5-20 gallons at the end of the next week. Charity groups might consider similar types of non-permanent collection events to greatly reduce their disposal costs. The shopping mall managers in our city LOVE these events. They get positive public exposure, traffic generation onto the site, and after-event sales increases. E-mail: dmercer ( AT ) regina ( DOT ) ca --------------------- Link to the website for the sustainability program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, BC (first seen in the Gallon Environment Letter, published by the Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment): http://www.sustain.ubc.ca This extensive website includes a "real time" running meter showing consumption of paper, electricity and water on the campus. It also includes detailed tools and guides for materials reduction (including paper reduction), on this web page: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/sctools/materialstool.htm UBC has a target to reduce paper use on campus by 10 percent by 2004. In 2001, UBC used almost 106 million sheets of paper. --------------------- Excerpted from a message from Larry Warnberg, oyster farmer, Nahcotta, WA, responding to the 10/3/03 posting about the idea of a car-free community: Reducing car use is certainly an important way to reduce waste of energy and resources. I gave up my car and driver's license 20 years ago, part of a general effort to reduce my ecological footprint. Social pressure to rejoin the polluted mainstream has been intense, but the rewards have so far offset the incessant demands to get a car. Wives departed due to my insistence on getting around without cars. I know very few adults who don't have a drivers' license. It is a big commitment to explore alternatives. I've had visions of sustainable communities where car use is minimized, but so far have not seen a movement coalesce. Global warming may be the catalyst/catastrophe to motivate needed changes. The 10/3/03 posting by Ed Minas is a rare expression of the need to find alternatives to autos. E-mail: warnberg ( AT ) pacifier ( DOT ) com --------------------- Link to information on the new Quebec Pesticide Management Code, from the website of Environment Quebec, a provincial government agency (related item forwarded by Carl Woestwin): http://www.menv.gouv.qc.ca/pesticides/permis-en/code-gestion-en This code, which went into effect in April, 2003, greatly limits the use of many pesticides in specific situations. - end -