| |
03 Mar 05 - bikes; TreeHugger; businesses; plastics; activism
** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM **
-- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition
--------
Forum archive: http://www.nwpcarchive.org
---------------------
Excerpted from a 2/25/05 article in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News
(forwarded by Bob Watson), a 2/28/05 article by Jim Sanders in the
Sacramento Bee, and a 2/25/05 Copley News Service article by Michael
Gardner:
BICYCLES LATEST TARGET OF DEPOSIT LEGISLATION
California Assemblywoman Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach) introduced a bill
into the California Assembly Feb. 18 that would add a $7 disposal fee to
every new bicycle sold in the state. Karnette said there are three main
reasons behind her bill: Reducing waste into landfills, reusing and
recycling bikes, and reducing pollution.
California state law currently mandates that 50 percent of any city or
county's waste must be recycled, composted or otherwise dealt with in a
manner that doesn't send it to a landfill. The $7 fee would be charged at
the retail level, to anyone selling a new bike. The bill, AB 1103, would
establish the Bicycle Recycling and Disposal Program. It would also create
"reCycling" centers to refurbish and redistribute the bikes, either to
low-income California residents or to BikeStations, for commuters to use for
free.
For years, California has charged a deposit on cans and bottles to fund
recycling programs. More recently, the state has started collecting $6 to
$10 on every new television and computer monitor sold to offset disposal
costs. But the new bicycle proposal has sparked a debate in the bicycling
community over whether the fee would lead to more users by providing
affordable bikes or if higher prices would hurt independent dealers who
actively promote cycling through rides and education.
If given an opportunity, some commuters might opt to ride free bikes to work
each day and abandon automobiles that contribute to smog and traffic
congestion, supporters say. But opponents say the bill would hurt bicycle
sales, burden dealers with paperwork, and is not needed because a strong
secondary market already exists for metal frames - unlike cans and bottles,
they're not typically dumped as litter along state roadways. "Anytime you
add a fee to a new product, it's almost like an additional tax," said Brian
Cox, vice president of Jax Bicycle Center, a five-store chain in Southern
California. Cox said there may be better alternatives that the biking
community could explore with Karnette since her goals - reducing landfill
waste, encouraging more riders and helping those who can't afford a new bike
- are laudable.
Californians buy between 3 million and 4 million bicycles a year. Most pay
under $100 at discount department stores, according to industry figures.
California landfills take in an estimated 250,000 bicycles a year, Karnette
said.
AB 1103 could be voted on as soon as this summer. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
has taken no position on the bill.
---------------------
Link to TreeHugger. an online environmental magazine (first seen in
ReadyMade magazine):
http://www.treehugger.com TreeHugger features
"the latest news, reviews and recommendations for modern yet green products
and services."
Examples of waste prevention-related articles in TreeHugger in the past four
months include:
- Eco-laundry: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/01/how_to_laundry.php
- Coffee cups: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/11/ecotip_coffee_c.php
- Packaging: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/01/qa_ecopackaging.php
---------------------
From Dwight Mercer, waste diversion program, City of Regina, Saskatchewan,
Canada, responding to the 2/25/05 item about "Reduce Your Waste," a
calculator on the Miami-Dade County, Florida, website that helps businesses
reduce waste:
Thanks very much to the Forum for running this, and my compliments to
Miami-Dade County. The "Reduce Your Waste" website will be very useful to
both our municipal staff and, more importantly, as an on-line reference site
for businesses in our city who are just becoming interested in waste audits.
It is the best format that I have seen in five years. The introduction and
process are easy to follow, the results are clear and detailed, and options
become very apparent to the user. Result: Most likely more rapid adoption
of waste audits and action.
E-mail: dmercer (A T) regina (D O T) ca
Note: The Miami-Dade County "Reduce Your Waste" website for businesses is
at: http://reduceyourwaste.org
----------------------
Link to the website for "Action at Work," a new business waste prevention
campaign of the Ireland federal government:
http://www.raceagainstwaste.ie/take_action/large_org
This campaign was
launched in February 2005 by the Ireland Department of the Environment,
Heritage & Local Government. The website features a wide variety of program
materials, including:
Program poster:
-
http://www.raceagainstwaste.ie/take_action/large_org/downloads/Action%20at%20Work%20Poster.pdf
Factoid posters and reminder poster:
-
http://www.raceagainstwaste.ie/take_action/at_work/fact_posters/Fact%201.pdf
-
http://www.raceagainstwaste.ie/take_action/at_work/fact_posters/Fact%204.pdf
- http://www.raceagainstwaste.ie/take_action/at_work/bin_posters/Reused.pdf
----------------------
Link to "Theo and the Giant Plastic Ball," an online version of a new
children's book published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
(first seen on the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance website;
this follows up on the 2/25/05 item about the UNEP's efforts to reduce
plastic bag pollution in Kenya):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Theo_Giant_Ball.pdf
This story, written by
Carole Douglis and illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway, is about how a boy's
creativity leads him to clean up lots of plastic trash and raise awareness
of plastic litter in his village. Following the story are facts and figures
on plastics, and tips on plastic reduction.
----------------------
Link to a release and report on the lack of sustainable plastics in
U.S.-made automobiles, from the Ecology Center, Ann Arbor, MI (first seen in
the Recycling Today e-bulletin):
http://www.ecocenter.org/releases/20050223_autoplastics.shtml
-----------------------
Link to a new American Plastics Council website, "Plastics Myth Buster,"
which gives the plastics industry's response to what it calls "e-mail
hoaxes" about environmental problems related to plastics (forwarded by Gerty
Coville):
http://www.plasticsmythbuster.org
Click on "Rumor Registry" to see the specific claims that the plastic
industry seeks to debunk. For example, one of the "rumors" is, "Reusing
plastic beverage bottles causes harmful chemicals to leach into water."
Here is the Plastics Myth Buster response to that:
http://www.plasticsmythbuster.org/reusing.asp
-----------------------
Link to an essay, "How to Be an Activist," by Elizabeth May, executive
director of the Sierra Club of Canada (first seen in the Gallon Environment
Letter):
http://www.sierraclub.ca/activist-publication
This article gives a
thoughtful perspective on environmental activism.
-----------------------
Link to ActivistCash.com, an anti-environmental-group website operated by
the Center for Consumer Freedom (first seen in the Gallon Environment
Letter):
http://www.activistcash.com This website
lists a number of environmental groups and provides the Center for Consumer
Freedom's claims on who funds these organizations and what they do.
According to the Center for Consumer Freedom website
(http://www.consumerfreedom.com ), the
center "is supported by restaurants, food companies and more than 1,000
concerned individuals. The Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. We
file regular statements with the Internal Revenue Service, which are open to
public inspection. Many of the companies and individuals who support the
Center financially have indicated that they want anonymity as contributors.
They are reasonably apprehensive about privacy and safety in light of the
violence some activist groups have adopted as a 'game plan' to impose their
views."
The environmental groups and foundations targeted by this website include a
number that have been involved in toxics reduction and solid waste
prevention efforts, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, the
Environmental Working Group, the Union of Concerned Scientists and Pew
Charitable Trust, to name a few.
- end -
|
