| |
27 Jul 05 - Freecycle; mops; RFP; drugs; reusables; Goodwill; photos; banners
** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM **
-- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition
--------
Forum archive: http://www.nwpcarchive.org
---------------------
From Sondra Flite, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,
Trenton, NJ, responding to a 7/18/05 posting that questioned whether the
Freecycle Network, an online exchange service, should be given 501(c)3
nonprofit status by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service:
I suppose Freecycle only diverts less than a percent of all municipal solid
waste, but the donation of bulky items is a help to municipalities. People
will bring the small stuff to a church, but they'll put big furniture on the
curb, and it will most likely go into the garbage truck. A quick perusal of
a rich town's curbs on garbage morning is astounding. Since all effort
expended is that of the person who wants the stuff, it is automatically
well-spent. The public determines what has value, rather than government.
Despite the drawbacks (too much e-mail, vultures who take everything, lack
of education on not buying things in the first place), Freecycle has several
advantages:
- It corresponds to how people increasingly obtain things online. It
replaces former non-profit arrangements. Local drop-offs at the dump are
becoming a thing of the past for reasons of insurance, staffing, and the
cost of land. Charities that formerly picked up and stored big items can no
longer afford to do so.
- It's voluntary and not preachy, and it reminds people of how much they
have. The gap in New Jersey between the haves and have-nots is significant.
It may sensitize people to reconsider the value of what they discard.
- Most states have no source reduction program at all. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency is about to cut the WasteWise program. It
seems silly not to offer tax-exemption to a private agency that wishes to do
part of my job for me.
E-mail: Sondra ( DOT ) Flite ( AT ) dep ( DOT ) state ( DOT ) nj ( DOT ) us
----------------------
Excerpted from a recent issue of the "Women in Motion" newsletter (forwarded
by Leanne Meyer):
EDITOR'S PICK - STARFIBER REUSABLE MOP
If you like the convenience of disposable floor dusters and wet mops like
Swiffer, but don't like the cost, try a Starfiber mop from AquaStar. We
love the larger head surface and ultra-soft reusable cloths that cover a
larger area. They can be used wet or dry. They're thicker and we found
they do a better job then the disposable version. The extra-long handle
makes it a breeze. Pay for it once, then reuse it over and over. Simply
wash the pad. For more information, see:
http://www.starfibers.com/mops.php
----------------------
Link to a request for proposals from the City of Palo Alto, CA, for
consultant services to develop a "Getting to Zero Waste" program (seen in
the Recycling Today newsletter):
http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/administrative-services/purch-solicitations.ht
ml
Scroll down and click on the link to the RFP document. Proposals
must be submitted by Aug. 9, 2005. The City has budgeted a maximum of
$150,000 for this project for the 2005/2006 fiscal year. Palo Alto is a
city of 60,000 residents located just south of San Francisco.
-----------------------
Excerpted from the Summer 2005 newsletter of the Product Stewardship
Institute, Boston, MA:
PROJECT SEEKS TO REDUCE PHARMACEUTICAL WASTES
The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) recently received funding from five
local government agencies (King County, WA; Santa Monica, CA; San Francisco,
CA; San Benito County, CA; and Central Vermont Solid Waste Management
District) to conduct initial scoping for a national product stewardship
dialogue on pharmaceutical wastes. The proposed goals of this project
include: Developing a nationally coordinated system for the management of
unwanted/waste pharmaceuticals; reducing the generation of unwanted/waste
pharmaceuticals; and increasing their collection and safe management. For
more information, contact Scott Cassel at: scott ( A T ) productstewardship ( D O T ) us
-----------------------
Excerpted from an article by Rachel Lebeaux in the 7/21/05 Wellesley
Townsman, following up on the news item posted 7/5/05 about the Town of
Wellesley, MA, closing its reusables exchange area for budgetary reasons:
VOLUNTEERS MAY SAVE REUSABLES AREA
In Wellesley, a suburb of Boston with a population of about 30,000, a
non-profit group called Wellesley Friends of Recycling is working with town
officials to reopen the reusables exchange area at the town's Recycling and
Disposal Facility, by staffing the reusables area with volunteer labor. The
town closed the reusables area at the end of June. Frank Hays, president of
the Friends of Recycling, said that nearly 60 people have expressed an
interest in volunteering to oversee the area, performing duties such as
monitoring incoming materials, sorting and organizing, and helping residents
understand which items are appropriate for the reusables area.
----------------------
Links to information about a new partnership in the San Francisco Bay area,
between Goodwill and Dell, to recycle and reuse computers:
- http://www.computerrecyclingproject.com/sanfranciscobayarea/about.html
- http://www.sfgoodwill.org/sfbacrp
----------------------
Link to the Chris Jordan Photography website, following up on a 2/24/04
posting about Chris Jordan's work:
http://www.chrisjordan.com Chris Jordan is a
Seattle photographer who has recently been specializing in large photos of
mass quantities of waste. The 7/24/05 Sunday New York Times arts section
ran a major feature story on his work. He will be opening solo exhibitions
in September in New York City, Seattle and Italy.
His website has been updated with his newest photos of electronics waste
(click on Images for those and other photos).
---------------------
Excerpted from an article by Bruce Wright in the July/August 2005 issue of
Print, a magazine for graphic designers:
BANNERS AND SIGNS DON'T HAVE TO BE VINYL
Designers and fabricators of banners and signs are still working with
vinyl-based processes that are a health hazard. But the industry is moving
toward more environmentally-friendly alternatives.
Within the signage industry, materials and methods of fabrication are
dominated by vinyl substrates and ink-jet printers. This came about when
budget sign companies began to flourish following the introduction, in the
1990s, of low-cost and reliable ink-jet printers and inks that adhere to
vinyl. As a result, many traditional banner makers found themselves forced
out of business or pushed to adopt vinyl-based technologies. But because
the techniques and chemicals required to produce vinyl banners are highly
toxic and unsustainable, this shift has produced a more dangerous work
environment in the shops.
Now, a number of graphic designers, sign shops, and their clients are
finding alternative materials and processes. A few examples:
- The City of Tukwila, Washington, is using appliquéd acrylic banners
outdoors, as a sustainable alternative to the typical vinyl.
- At the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a 24-by-45-foot
banner sign is made of black vinyl mesh fabric, made by Ferrari Textiles in
France. It can be recycled in Ferrari Textiles' Texyloop recycling system,
which breaks down the banner's constituent parts into polyester fiber and
vinyl pellets that can be used again.
- A recent National Building Museum traveling exhibition, "Big & Green,"
designed by Pure+Applied and James Hicks, New York, expressed sustainable
design principles throughout. A system of recycled/recyclable cardboard
tubes held up the exhibit graphics, which were printed on Tyvek, an
efficiently-produced and recyclable fabric. The cardboard tubes were
attached to each other by mechanical ties to ease disassembly, and were
shipped from a nearby location to reduce the energy used in transport.
Except for the Tyvek, some hardware, and the painted floor, all the
exhibition materials were biodegradable. The designers refrained from using
glues and finished surfaces, to encourage recycling. Because the materials
used were inexpensive, the designers said they came in below budget.
- end -
|
