United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5305)
EPA530-N-93-004
Summer/Fall 1993
NEW
Composting
Benefits
Seattle-Area
Grocery Chain
In 1991, Larry's Markets embarked
on an ambitious composting pro-
gram that can serve as a model for
other groceries in the country. Rising
landfill costs coupled with a strong
commitment to the environment
drove the Seattle-area grocery chain
to reduce the amount of waste
headed for the landfill.
Environmental audits revealed that
organic residuals were the main con-
tributor to waste generated at Larry's
stores. Of the 3,000 tons of waste and
other by-products that Larry's gener-
ates companywide each year, almost
500 tons is preconsumer vegetative
waste and floral trimmings.
The solution for dealing with this
waste was simple: compost the organic
material to produce a new product. At
each of Larry's five stores, damaged
fruits, vegetables, and flowers are
placed in specially marked dumpsters.
Coffee residuals, called "chaff," are
used to control moisture and reduce
(Continued on page 2)
Recycling and Economic
Development • Grocery
Store Composting • Paper
Procurement Guideline •
HHW Conference * Reporters'
Guide » Bottle Deposit Systems
• Degradable Ring Rule 0
Extension for Small Landfills
• Trashasaurus Rex ®
International Packaging
Legislation • Resources
Recycling Offers
for Economic Development
States across the nation are discovering that recycling canbenefitnot only
the environment, but the local economy as well. For example, Massachu-
setts reports that recycling contributes $600 million annually to the
state's economy. In Maine, recycling added nearly $300 million and over 2,000
jobs to the state's economy in 1992. California projects that meeting its 50
percent municipal solid waste diversion goal by the year 2000 could result
in as many as 65,000 new recycling jobs in the state.
Today, as recycling assumes a prominent place
in solid waste management, it offers significant
potential to bring new businesses, jobs, and reve-
nues to states and municipalities. In the past,
recycling in this country focused primarily on the
collection of materials. Now, a greater focus is
being placed on the processing and use of these
collected materials. To accommodate recycled
materials in the manufacturing process, entre-
preneurs are developing new technologies. These
new technologies help to create new jobs. To
(Continued on page 2)
with DJsastejrDebris
y^tng Association of Hawaii is planning a conference to get people
Lloformation aho:utJiow to deal with debris left behind
,_,_ tornadoes, jn^^torim^flppds^ fires, r volcanoes,, .and
^Jfe conXexej^
^pjpjjcy Deyel^pjDment," which EPA has agreed to cosponsor,
jface on January 12 to'VS,"\ 9947 on trie island of Kauai, Hawaii.
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s cpnferencfg Is" very timely;thefrontpages of our morning newspapers
iftually every day have; storiesabout thelatest flood or hurricarie or
'""""" ' " ivjr^the^
inpHcate^cleanup efforts alnd uses u^yearsjaf local waste
Jjjjy capacity," said jeffery Denit, Acting Director of EPA's Office of Solid
Isjgbripg together all the different individuals
cfibris to., share their successes and their
_* ^.^^fc ^^^^HMlMOlSBKoasfi to^neate a sgtofsteps for pre-disaster
(anning and policy development.
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Reusable News is printed with soy/canola ink on paper that contains at least 50 percent recycled fiber.
-------
Recycling Offers Opportunities for Economic Development
(Continued from page 1)
assist states inboosting their econo-
mies through, recycling, EPA has-
supported several projects to help
expand recycling businesses. For ex-
ample, this year EPA is funding a
pilot project to help the city of Phila-
delphia build capacity for the
recycled materials collected in the
local area. The Agency also is assist-
ing the city in identifying existing
tools that the local government
might use to attract new recycling
businesses and expand current
ones. With the Economic Develop-
ment Administration (EDA), EPA
also is embarking on a project to
increase investment in recycling
businesses in the Northeast.
In addition, EPA is working with
other groups and individuals from
60 state and local governments, fed-
eral agencies, environmental
groups, and business and industry
to identify potential barriers to in-
creased recycling and to explore
methods for overcoming these bar-
riers. One of the greatest barriers to
be identified has been the lack of
capital for expanding or starting up
recycling businesses. To address
this barrier, many states now offer
financial assistance (often in the
form of grants, loans, and tax cred-
its) to launch or expand recycling
activities. Forty states offer busi-
nesses financial aid for using
recycled materials to manufacture
finished products or for purchasing
equipment that facilitates recycling.
Thirty-two states offer financial as-
sistance to developing industries
that promise to make use of recov-
ered materials. Many states also
offer technical assistance to busi-
nesses concerning such issues as
siting and permitting.
For information on the types of fi-
nancial and technical assistance that
might be available in their states, solid
waste officials can contact their coun-
terparts in state economic agencies.
For more information on EPA's activi-
ties in this area, contact Tim Jones or
Kim Carr of EPA at 202-260-6261.1
Composting Benefits Seattle-Area Grocery Chain
(Continued from page 1)
odors in the dumpsters. The chaff is
spread evenly in three separate lay-
ers in each dumpster, one at the
bottom, middle, and top.
Once a week, Lawson's Disposal,
a local waste hauler, picks up the
materials and transports them to
Iddings, Inc., a nearby topsoil com-
pany, for composting. The
materials are mixed with soil, yard
trimmings, and other organic mate-
rial to make a rich mixture that is
sold for use as topsoil. The entire
composting process takes
three to five months to
complete. Recently, Larry's
has begun to buy back this
mixture for use on com-
pany landscaping projects,
thereby "closing the recy-
cling loop."
As a result of this three-
company alliance, Larry's
Markets has reduced the
amount of its waste being
landfilled by nearly 40 per-
cent. Waste reduction
alone, however, is not the
only benefit of the com-
posting project. In
addition, composting pro-
duces a valuable product
and significantly cuts dis-
posal costs. The cost for
Larry's to compost a ton of
, waste, for example, is just $67
as compared with the cost of
nearly $100 per ton for the
company to run compactors,
haul the materials to land-
fills, andpaylandfiUfees and
taxes. This difference in cost
results in a savings of ap-
proximately $15,000 each
year. "The programreally drives itself,"
says Brant Rogers, environmental af-
fairs manager at Larry's.
The composting project is part of
Larry's companywide environmental
program, which also includes collect-
ing cans, bottles, paper, and corru-
gated cardboard for recycling;
reducing packaging; donating sur-
plus materials to food banks; buying
goods made from recycled materi-
als; and educating customers.
For more information, contact
Brant Rogers of Larry's Markets at
206-243-2951.1
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EPA Revisits Paper
Procurement
In 1988, EPA developed a recycled
paper procurement guideline for
federal agencies. This guideline
recommended standards for a mini-
mum amount of postconsumer re-
covered materials content for
newsprint, tissue products, un-
bleached packaging, and recycled
paperboard. It also recommended
standards for a minimum amount of
"waste paper" content for printing
and writing paper.
Because of changes in market con-
ditions and consumer preferences,
EPA is considering revising the mini:
mum content standards. At an EPA
forum in March, a variety of propos-
als were discussed for ways to
change the recommended content
standards. These proposals can be
grouped into three main categories:
source-related (i.e., preconsumer or
postconsumer) standards, total recy-
cled fiber standards, and two-part
standards.
a Source-related standards—
Procuring agencies would purchase
paper containing a specific percent-
age of postconsumer materials,
with the term postconsumer refer-
ring only to materials that have
already been used by end users, not
intermediate users such as print-
ers. These standards focus on the
point of generation (source) of the
materials. An alternative type of
standard is "contaminant-based."
This type of standard focuses on
whether the materials require proc-
essing (i.e., cleaning) to remove
contaminants, such as ink, coatings,
and paper dips, before recycling.
Under contaminant-based standards,
procuring agencies would purchase
paper containing a specific per-
centage of processed materials.
Proponents of contaminant-based
standards contend that this type of
standard would make it unneces-
sary for manufacturers, vendors,
and purchasers to verify the source
of the material being used.
B Total recycled fiber standards-
Procuring agencies would purchase
paper containing a specific percent-
age of recovered materials,
regardless of whether they are
postconsumer or preconsumer.
m Two-part standards—Procuring
agencies would purchase paper
containing a specific percentage of
recovered materials and a specific
percentage of either postconsumer
or processed materials. This ap-
proach would combine the
standards described above.
For more information, contact
Dana Arnold of EPA at 202-260-8518.1
Reporters' Guide Gets to the Bottom
of MSW Issues
How do you know if a commu-
nity's claims about recycling are
inflated? How do you handle
emotional issues such as the siting of
a new landfill? These are the types of
questions that environmental report-
ers grapple with every day.
To help the print and broadcast
media better understand municipal
solid waste (MSW) issues in the na-
tion and in their communities, EPA
recently published Reporting on Mu-
nicipal Solid Waste: A Local Issue. The
impetus for this 82-page guidebook
was a roundtable of environmental
reporters that met to share their ex-
periences in covering MSW issues.
The roundtable took place at the
First U.S. Conference on Municipal
Solid Waste Solutions for the 90s,
which was held in June 1990. Devel-
oped under an EPA grant by the
Environmental Health Center, a divi-
sion of the National Safety Council,
the guidebook presents background
information on such issues as the
role of government in MSW manage-
ment, options for solid waste
management (source reduction, re-
cycling, incineration, and landfills),
and regulations for solid waste land-
fills. A chapter on information
sources also is included.
To order a copy of the guide, call
the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at
800-424-9346.1
Vermont to
Host
National
HHW
Conference
Although household hazard-
ous waste (HHW) programs
can help ensure that a com-
munity's HHW is managed prop-
erly, they can have a significant
impact on a municipality's budget.
To help communities contain these
costs, the Eighth National Confer-
ence on HHW Management will in-
clude a session on methods to
increase the cost-effectiveness of
HHW collection programs. The con-
ference will be held November 6 to
10 in Burlington, Vermont.
Additional conference sessions
will focus on:
m New waste prevention and
recycling endeavors.
B Inclusion of conditionally exempt
small quantity generators in
programs.
• Public education.
s Likely funding sources.
B Making the step to a permanent
collection program.
• Developing a one-day program
for the first time.
A new feature of this year's con-
ference will be demonstrations of
equipment that can be used to pre-
pare materials for recycling or waste
management. Examples of equip-
ment to be shown are an oil filter
crusher, an aerosol can evacuator,
and a paint can crusher.
For more information about the
conference agenda, contact the
Waste Watch Center at 508-470-
3044. For more information on
conference logistics, contact the
Solid Waste Association of North
America at 301-585-2898.1
3
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Two Views
Bottle deposit systems, commonly called "bottle bills," require
consumers to pay a deposit (typically 5 or 10 cents) wheti
purchasing a beverage in a glass, plastic, or aluminum con-
tainer The deposit is returned to the consumer when the
container is returned for recycling. Ten states in the nation have
bottle bills in place. Legislation also has been proposed tp
mandate a bottle deposit system at the national level. Are bottle
bills effective? Do they help or hinder recycling? Reusable NewŁ
presents two perspectives on bottle deposit systems.
Bottle Bill Made
Redundant by
Recycling
Collection
by Lowell P. Welcker, Jr.
Governor of Connecticut
In February, when my admini-
stration proposed Bottle Bill n,
which suggested that we abol-
ish Connecticut's bottle-deposit
law, it confounded many in the
environmental community be-
cause it ran counter to the conven-
tional wisdom. After all, winning
approval of bottle-deposit laws has
long been a goal of activists around
the nation.
But the howls of protest in re-
sponse to our modest proposal
missed the point: a great deal has
changed in the 13 years since
Connecticut began requiring a
nickel deposit on bottles and
cans. Our laws, as well as our
understanding of the importance
of preserving the environment,
have moved forward. In this in-
stance, however, the way we think
about these issues lags behind.
Bottle Bill n, as advanced by
Connecticut's Department of En-
vironmental Protection, would
have scrapped the bottle-deposit
law and replaced it with a nickel
tax on bottles and cans used for
soda, wine, beer, and flavored
waters. The funds raised by the
tax would have
beenusedtopayfor
environmental pro-
grams, securing a
steady stream of
revenue to support
spending for envi-
ronmental con-
servation and regula-
tion at a time when
virtually every state
agency faces significant budget-
ary reductions in these areas.
Bottle Bill n was a sound idea,
in part because Connecticut now
has a mandatory recycling law
that makes the current bottle bill
redundant. Mandatory recycling
coEection, enacted in 1987, set a
goal of collecting 25
percent of our mu-
nicipal solid waste
(MSW) for recycling
by 1991. Since then,
we have invested
more than $30 mil-
lion in developing
effective regional
recycling collec-
tion programs for
Connecticut mu-
nicipalities. According to the
most recent statistics, the state is
dose to this goal and now collects
for recycling almost 20 percent of
its MSW. As a measure of how
much our habits have changed, we
collected only 5 percent of the
waste stream for recycling when
the bottle-deposit law was enacted.
With comprehensive recycling
collection programs in place in
virtually every Connecticut city
and town, the statewide redemp-
tion system not only is
redundant, but also unnecessar-
ily expensive for both businesses
and consumers. A 1990 study by
the Connecticut Office of Legis-
lative Research estimated the
cost of maintaining the current
system at more than four cents
a can or $51 million a year.
Recycling is more effi-
cient and less expensive
than maintaining separate
systems for recycling and
bottle deposits. An esti-
mated 1.2 billion containers
now move through the de-
posit system each year. Half
the containers are valuable
aluminum cans. If these
containers came through the re-
cycling system, giving cities and
towns the opportunity to sell the
scrap, an additional $ 10 million in
revenues would be generated for
municipal programs. Maintain-
ing one system is also easier for
residents who would be able to
have their cans and bottles
collected athomeinstead of
having to take them to a re-
demption center.
Connecticut was the third
state in the country to adopt
mandatory recycling, after
Rhode Island and New Jer-
sey. Of these three states,
Connecticut was the only
one with a bottle-deposit
law in place at the time. So it
makes sense for Connecticut to
be the first state in the country to
reevaluate the continued need for
the deposit law.
-------
on Bottle Deposit Systems
A single curbside recycling pro-
gram makes sense for both the
environment and the economy.
Bottle-deposit laws have served this
state and the nation well, helping us
develop markets for recyclable
goods and encouraging all of us to
change our behavior. Bottle Bill H
may have seemed like an idea before
its time, but its time is now.!
The Time Has
Come for a
National
Bottle Bill
by Edward J. Markey
US. Representative
7th District of Massachusetts
The proposed National Beverage
Container Reuse and Recycling
Act of 1993 seeks to combat
the problems of shrinking landfill
space, skyrocketing waste disposal
costs, misspent energy and natural
resources, and litter-strewn road-
sides by setting in place a national
beverage container recycling pro-
gram. The legislation would save
millions of dollars in energy costs,
divert a significant portion of the
solid waste stream, foster the
growth of a recycling infrastruc-
ture, and help reverse the throw-
away ethic our nation has
embraced. Most importantly, the
program can be implemented at no
cost to taxpayers.
Our society generates a disgrace-
ful 200 million tons of municipal
solid waste (MSW) each year. Of that
total, containers and packaging are
not only the single largest compo-
nent, but they are also the most
easily recovered, and they account
for over two-thirds of materials re-
cycled. We can conquer the problem
of one-way, throwaway beverage con-
tainers by putting in place a national
container deposit system, much
like those that the beverage indus-
try abandoned three decades ago,
modeled on the systems in place in
10 states today.
Under these programs,
which are the law in Califor-
nia, Connecticut, Delaware,
Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts,
Michigan, New York, Oregon,
and Vermont, the consumer
pays a deposit on each con-
tainer purchased and is
refunded that amount when
the container is returned for
recycling and refilling. Consumers
in the deposit law states have
proven the effectiveness of such
legislation by reaching recycling
rates as high as 95 percent.
With just 30 percent of
the U.S. population, these
10 states account for most
of the beverage containers
recycled nationwide. Over
90 percent of all plastic
container recycling, over 70
percent of glass recycling,
and more than 50 percent
of aluminum recycling
takes place in the deposit
law states. Furthermore, recycling
in the remaining states has been fa-
cilitated by the recycling
infrastructure created by the pro-
grams of the deposit law states.
Consumers—and voters—have
demonstrated the popular-
ity of deposit laws. A public
opinion survey conducted
by the General Accounting
Office revealed that 70 percent
of Americans support na-
tional deposit legislation,
and no state has ever re-
pealed a deposit law.
The proposed legislation
would challenge states to accom-
plish a 70-percent recycling rate for
beer, wine cooler, and soft drink
containers. To meet this goal, states
would have the flexibility to put in
place deposit or curbside systems
of any sort. If a state does not take
the initiative to reach the 70-percent
goal, the bill requires the state to es-
tablish a 10-cent deposit
fee. Also contained
in the legislation is
a provision that
makes unclaimed
refunds for depos-
its—estimated by
the Congressional
Budget Office to to-
tal as much as $1.7
billion—available to
assist states in other
recycling programs.
Despite the environmental, con-
sumer, and fiscal benefits of
deposit legislation, the beverage
and packaging indus-
tries continue to de-
fend the status quo.
For the last two dec-
ades, these groups
have engineered the
defeat of deposit leg-
islation in numerous
states. While the argu-
ments put forth by the
beverage industry
have varied over the last 20 years,
they now contend that deposit leg-
islation will hurt curbside recycling
programs. They take this position
with full knowledge that substantial
evidence demonstrates the value of
deposit laws working
in tandem with curb-
side programs. While
deposit laws alone are
not the answer to our
solid waste dilemma—
comprehensive
recycling demands
that the recycling bat-
tie be joined on more
than just one front-
dearly the time has come for de-
posit legislation to be considered
a key part of this country's over-
all approach to resolving waste
management issues.®
-------
EPA Proposes
Rule on
Degradable
Ring Carriers
EPA proposed a rule in April
of this year that would de-
lineate standards for degrad-
able plastic ring carriers,
commonly known as "six-pack
holders." EPA proposed this rule
in response to a law passed by
Congress stipulating that all
plastic ring carriers be made of
naturally and rapidly degradable
materials to help prevent entan-
glement of marine animals.
The proposed rule provides a
performance standard for measur-
ing the degradability of ring
carriers. If the rule is finalized, the
performance standard would es-
sentially define the term
degradable, as it relates to ring car-
riers. In addition, the standard
would mandate ring carrier testing
under conditions that simulate a
marine environment.
Twenty-seven states already
have passed laws regarding degrad-
able plastics. EPA's proposed rule
would bring this type of regulation
to the federal level.
For a copy of the April 7, 1993,
Federal Register notice containing
the proposed rule (page 18062),
contact the RCRA Hotline (see Re-
sources on page 10 for calling
information). For more informa-
tion, contact Tracy Bone of EPA at
202-260-5649.1
Did You Know?
illions of Americans
are recycling empty
aerosol cans! That's right.
More than 500 municipal re-
cycling programs include
the collection of steel aero-
sol cans in their curbside,
buy-back, drop-off, or re-
source recovery programs.
Although most of these pro-
grams have just started in
the last few years, aerosol
can recycling programs are
springing up all over the
country. In the past, most
steel can recycling focused
on food and beverage con-
tainers. According to Bill
Heenan, president of the
Steel Recycling Institute
(SRI), a combination of fac-
tors has brought about steel
aerosol can recycling, all of
which also have contributed
to an increase in overall
steel can recycling. These fac-
tors include the strong end
market demand for steel
cans, steel cans' magnetic at-
traction, and education
about the benefits of adding
aerosol cans to recycling pro-
grams. For more information
and a copy of a recently re-
leased White Paper on
aerosol can recycling, con-
tact SRI at 800-876-7274.
Subtitle D Extension for Small Landfills
On September 27, 1993, EPA
Administrator Browner sign-
ed an extension to the RCRA
Subtitle D requirements for smaller
municipal solid waste landfills. The
extension allows certain small land-
fill owners/operators additional time
to prepare for implementing the fed-
eral regulations. The federal re-
quirements cover location, facility
design and operations, ground-
water monitoring, corrective action,
closure and post-closure care, and
financial assurance. The extension
has five elements:
A six-month extension of the
effective date (from October 9,
1993 to April 9,1994) for
landfills receiving 100 tons or
less of waste per day.
Up to a year delay of the
effective date (as determined by
the state) for landfills in the
Midwest accepting flood-related
waste, to April 9,1994.
A one-year delay of the effective
date of financial assurance for
all facilities, to April 9,1995.
• A two-year delay of the
effective date for very small
landfills (20 tons of waste per
day or less) in arid and remote
locations, to October 9,1995.
• Establishment of October 9,
1994, as the compliance date for
completing the final cover on
landfills that stop receiving
waste by the effective date.
For more information or to order
a copy of the Federal Register no-
tice, contact the RCRA Hotline (see
Resou rces on page 10). 1
-------
Trashasaurus Rex
The Dinosaur that Enlightens,
Not Frightens
Indiana artist Marilyn Brackney
sculpted "Trashasaurus Rex," a
7-foot-tall and 10-foot-long dino-
saur built out of, unmistakably,
postconsumer solid waste to raise
people's awareness of municipal
solid waste (MSW) issues.
Completed in October 1992,
Rex's scaly spine is made out of old
mittens and gloves, his frame out of
scrap lumber and chicken wire, his
insides out of used bags and egg
cartons, and the rest of him out of
everything from flashlights to fake
flowers.
Brackney, a former public school
educator, chose to create a dinosaur
for a very specific reason. The fact
that the dinosaur is now extinct
serves as a gentle reminder of what
could happen to humans if our
wasteful habits were to continue un-
abated. In addition, the dinosaur is
an image that appeals to everyone
these days, especially children.
But Rex isn't all seriousness.
Brackney created many symbols,
visual puns, and jokes in the way
she glued items on Rex. The 50
gloves and mittens running down
the dinosaur's back, for example,
show that everyone in the 5 0 United
States has a hand in contributing to
the solid waste dilemma, and that
Marilyn Brackney shows off her creation, a 7-foot dinosaur made out of trash.
each of us share a responsibility in
finding effective solutions.
Brackney collected many of the
materials used to create Rex herself.
Friends, relatives, students, and
neighbors who watched Brackney
work on the dinosaur over a period
of eight months contributed addi-
tional items, including broken
watches and toys.
This is not the first time the art
teacher has used trash to express
herself creatively. Brackney explains
that because artists and art teachers
often have to work with whatever
they can find, her materials have fre-
quently included preconsumer and
postconsumer solid waste.
Brackney has taught a class called
"Have a Green Christmas," in which
children learn how to reuse paper
and paperboard to make ornaments,
decorations, gifts, and wrapping pa-
per. She also has launched a cable
television show to teach people how
to recycle trash into art.
For her activities in furthering en-
vironmental awareness in the
community and for encouraging
others to take action, Brackney was
recently named the Indiana winner
of the Environmental Woman of Ac-
tion Award.
Although Trashasaurus Rex has
been exhibited at numerous envi-
ronmental conferences, Brackney
is presently searching for a perma-
nent home for the dinosaur. For
more information about Rex or for
information on criteria for adopt-
ing Rex, contact Marilyn Brackney
at 812-3 72-6886.1
-------
FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL
Germany
Introduces
the Dual
System
In Germany, industry has estab-
lished a system for taking back the
packaging it produces and distrib-
utes. Industry also provides for the
reuse and recycling of the returned
packaging. The system was devel-
oped in response to the Order on
the Control of Packaging Waste, or
Tfipfer Order, which received final
legislative approval in April 1991.
The main goal of the Order is to
control packaging waste. It ailso
aims to free municipalities from
the burden and cost of managing
packaging waste, while placing re-
sponsibility for the final
disposition of products and pack-
aging with producers and
distributors.
The Order gave industry a choice
of either establishing a system for
ensuring the collection and recy-
cling of packaging waste or facing
mandatory take-back require-
ments and deposit fees. Industry
respondedby setting up the Duales
System Deutschland (DSD), a con-
sortium of raw material suppliers,
packagers, fillers, and distributors.
The name refers to a "dual system,"
because it is distinct from munici-
pal solid waste collection.
Under this system, industry
members pay licensing fees to DSD
(a private, nonprofit corporation)
to use the "GreenDot" logo on their
packaging. The Green Dot indi-
cates that a recycling firm has
guaranteed to accept the packag-
ing for recycling.
The Order targets three types of
packaging:
1. Transport (tertiary) packaging,
which is used for safety reasons
or to protect goods during tran-
sit from manufacturer to
distributor. Examples of trims-
port packaging include
canisters, crates, sacks, pallets,
and shrink films.
2. Intermediate (secondary)
packaging, which is supple-
mentary, outer packaging that
deters theft, facilitates the sale
of an item, or serves a promo-
tional function. Blister packs,
films, cartons, andtamperproof
packaging are examples of in-
termediate packaging.
3. Sales (primary) packaging,
which is used by a consumer to
transport items or until the
goods it contains are used. Ex-
amples of sales packaging
include bottles, cans, pails,
trays, sacks, and bags.
France
Develops
Consortium
to Assist
Municipalities
Spurred by initiatives in Ger-
many and other European
countries, the French government
issued a directive requiring indus-
try to devise a system to collect
packaging materials destined to
become household waste. Industry
responded by forming a private
corporation, Eco Emballages, to
help municipalities in collecting
and sorting household packaging
waste and to buy materials if they
meet certain specifications.
Unlike the dual system in Ger-
many, collection of recyclables is
done by local governments. The
unofficial goal, established by in-
dustry, is to achieve 75 percent
valorization (getting a value from
waste) of domestic packaging
waste by the year 2002. Valoriza-
tion can be achieved through
reuse, recycling, or incineration
with energy recovery. France hopes
to close all landfills receiving
household waste within 10 years.
A landfill tax has been proposed to
help reach this goal and to finance
the construction of new waste
treatment plants, including new
intermediate processing facilities
and incinerators.
-------
PACKAGING LEGISLATION
Companies participating in Eco
EmbaHages pay a fee per packaging
unit. The fees are used to reim-
burse municipalities for the costs
of collection above the baseline
cost of "clean incineration" (essen-
tially defined as state-of-the-art
incineration with energy recovery).
The funds also are used to pur-
chase sorted materials from the
municipalities and to supply the
materials to organizations that are
responsible for ensuring the recov-
ered materials are reused,
recycled, or incinerated for energy
recovery.
The French system covers abroad
range of packaging materials, sets
up a comprehensive infrastructure,
and incorporates both public and
private sectors in a system of shared
responsibility.
All Sectors
Work
Together to
Reduce Waste
in the
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, an acute lack
of landfill space, coupled with rec-
ognition in both the public and
private sectors of the need to pre-
vent and recycle waste, led to the
voluntary signing of the Dutch
Packaging Covenant in June of
1991. The covenant is a binding
contract in which industry resolves
to reduce packaging in the market-
place, while the government agrees
to develop a comprehensive collec-
tion system and research and
publicize alternatives to landfill
disposal.
The Covenant establishes sev-
eral general objectives to be
realized by the year 2000:
a Eliminate the land disposal of
packaging waste.
H Require industry to take back
90 percent of packaging
materials.
• Reduce packaging 10 percent
below 1986 levels.
B Achieve a 60 percent recycling
rate for packaging.
Dutch authorities hope that
the small size of the Nether-
lands, together with the existing
level of cooperation from all sec-
tors of society, will make these
objectives possible. The most
challenging objective is the 10
percent reduction in packaging
below 1986 levels. Packaging is
otherwise expected to grow
from 2.3 million tons in 1986 to
2.8 million tons by the year
2000. The recycling goal of 60
percent also is ambitious, given
the current recycling rate of 2 5
percent and given the fact that
this 60 percent goal does not
include incineration.
The Covenant stresses a hierar-
chical strategy to solving the
packaging problem: prevention,
product reuse, material reuse, in-
cineration with high energy yield,
and incineration. The Dutch pack-
aging industry is committed to
waste prevention efforts. In addi-
tion to exploring new packaging
concepts and technologies, it has
agreed to reduce the toxicity of
waste by replacing additives and
inks containing heavy metals and
by using solvent-free paints. 1
1
Canadian Packaging
|E Users Propose
National Initiative
In Canada, packaging users are
^.responding to an increasing {
amount of packaging legislation by
g developing the Canadian Industry
|j. Packaging Stewardship Initiative !
Ss; (CIPSI). CIPSI is being led by the "r
h_ Grocery Product Manufacturers of
fe Canada, Canadian Council of Gro- 5
p|jcery Distributors, Retail Council of j
FlCanada, and Canadian Soft Drink *
jtTAssociation. CIPSI developers ex- "
f; pect this national initiative to _
g avoid the expected difficulties :
H aiid costs of meeting different re-
ri quirements legislated by each
p provincial government. ]
|t- An impetus for the initiative 4
1C was a 1990 agreement between ]
g= the federal and provincial govern- \
jfiments and the major users and ,
^distributors of packaging. This ;
t agreement, the National Packag- ,
||ing Protocol (NAPP), caUs for a 50 J
fe percent reduction in the amount
p of packaging disposed of by the !
gr-year.2000.'OPSTs goals include i
p? achieving NAPP's 50 percent re- ,
duction, ensuring that most
households can conveniently re-
cycle packaging, and supporting
market-based solutions for man- .j
aging packaging. It is the market !
development prong of CIPSI that ;
its developers assert distin-
guishes it from other proposals.
The initiative rests on a per ton \
IT -levy for all packaging entering the
p, market. The levy would provide ,
^funding for developing markets \
gt for recovered packaging materi- ;
p; als, enhancing the value of "
^recovered materials, and reducing i
t the costs of recovery. In addition, ;
^certain municipal recycling pro- 5
^-jgr'ams would receive subsidies to :
g- make it financially feasible for __
Pthem to collect packaging for re-
cycling. The legislation
t authorizing CffSI has been en- ;
tr acted in Manitoba. Negotiations ]
i.1 continue in British Columbia, •
tNoVa Scotia, and Ontario.fi
-------
i The following publications
i are available at no charge
I from the ERA
[" RCRA/Superfund Hotline.
I CaH 800-424-9346, or TDD
I 800-553-7672 for the
| hearing impaired, Monday
(through Friday, 8:30 a.m.
T to 7:30 p.m., Eastern
* Standard time. In
| Washington, DC, the
I number is 703-412-9810 or
I TDD 703-412-3323.
,- Household Hazardous Waste:
I Steps to Safe Management (EPA530-
I F-92-031). This pamphlet discusses
j what household hazardous waste
| (HHW) is, dangers of improper dis-
Iposal, ways to reduce and recycle
HHW, and safe storage and disposal
practices. """""
Household Hazardous Waste Man-
agement: A Manual for One-Day
Community Collection Programs
,"(EPA53()-R-92-027). This manual de-
f scribes how community leaders and
collection organizers can plan and
operate a successful household haz-
ardous waste drop-off program^
Used Dry CeirBatteries: tsdCdllec-
tlon Program Right for Your Commu-
•r/7/Łyf(EPA530-K-92-006). This guide
(i examines the economic and planning
f Issues to be considered before es'tab-
f lishing a collection program for used
i. dry cell batteries.
j* Safer Disposal for Sol id Waste: The
^Federal Regulations for Municipal
t Landfills (EPA530-SW-91-092). This
I educational booklet assists the gen-
ileral public in understanding the rote
pof landfills in solid waste manage-
Ł mentand howthe new federal landfill
jjcriteria support safe disposal.
p. Criteria for Solid Waste Disposal
IE Facilities: A Guide for Owners/Opera-
ftors (EPA530-SW-91-089). This^non-
:'technical guide for landfill
_•; owners/operators and communities
\ discusses implementation of the new
n
municipal solid waste landfill criteria
of RCRA Subtitle D. J
, Summary of Markets for Scrap
77/-es(EPA/530-SW-90-074B), Sum-
mary of Markets for Recovered
Glass (EPA/530-SW-90-071B),
Summary of Markets for Recovered
Aluminum (EPA/530-SW-90-072B),
and Summary of Markets for Com-
post (EPA/530-SW-90-073B). These
booklets summarize, in concise and
nontechnical language, the main
points of larger companion reports.
The jummariesjdesg^
feeling the current supply liffd de-
mand for these materials and provide
information on future market trends.
The larger companion reports are
available Trom'"the National(Technical
Information Service at 703-487-
4650, or TDD 703-487-4639 for the
hearing impaired, Monday through
Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., East-
ern Standard Time.l
Making
Garbage
INFORM, Inc., a nonprofit envi-
ronmental research organization,
recently published Making Less
Garbage: A Planning Guide for
Communities with partial fund-
ing provided by EPA Region 2.
The guide describes three basic
steps for decision-makers to
follow when planning and im-
plementing a community waste
prevention program: 1) de-
velop a clear policy statement
that includes a definition of
waste prevention that differen-
tiates it from recycling, 2) set
specific, quantifiable goals,
and 3) establish an administra-
tive structure and budget.
In producing Making Less
Garbage, INFORM surveyed all
50 states, and many examples
of successful programs are in-
cluded in the guide. Although
the guide is targeted at local
officials, it also includes infor-
mation about ways businesses
and individuals can participate
in waste prevention programs,
since local governments need
to work with everyone to imple-
ment their plans. Copies of
Making Less Garbage can be
obtained for $30, plus $3 ship-
ping and handling, by writing
to INFORM, Inc., at 381 Park
Avenue South, New York, NY
10016-8806 or calling 212-689-
4040.
Waste
in Schools
and
Universities
Educational institutions are
in a unique position to lead by
example, and many are doing
just that in the field of waste
10
-------
prevention. One such institution,
Tufts University's Center for Envi-
ronmental Management, has
published a report, Solid Waste
Source Reduction in the Colleges
and Universities: A Status Re-
port, that serves as a window into
the world of waste prevention
education.
Developed with funding from
EPA, the report is based on inter-
views with 50 educational
institutions, as well as Tufts own
internal waste prevention efforts.
The report first describes the nature
of university solid waste, then de-
tails waste prevention methods
used for specific items. The re-
searchers found that university
waste prevention programs often
target paper, packaging, dishware,
and food scraps. The report also
discusses ways universities can
practice waste prevention from a
purchasing standpoint and how to
overcome barriers to both waste
prevention and recycling.
A copy of this report can be ob-
tained for $10 by writing to The
Center for Environmental Manage-
ment, Tufts University, Curtis Hall,
474 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA
02155, or by calling 617-627-3486.
A Little
Knowledge
Goes a Long
Way
A recent study found that house-
holds generated less waste
f ollowing an education program de-
signed to teach citizens about waste
prevention. The study, conducted
by the city of Greensboro, North
Carolina, with funding from EPA,
showed that the average rate of
waste generation per household be-
fore the education program was
approximately 46 pounds per week.
After the program, the rate dropped
to just under 35 pounds per week.
This decrease represents a 23 per-
cent reduction in waste generation.
While factors other than waste pre-
vention might have influenced the
results somewhat, the findings are
encouraging for anyone planning or
implementing a waste prevention
education program.
For more information, contact
Elizabeth Treadway of the city of
Greensboro at 919-373-2074.
Tool Kit
Available
The Waste Prevention Tool Kit is
a compendium of promotional ma-
terials from communities all over
the country that can be used to
implement local waste prevention
programs. Published by Cornell
University, the 170-page book in-
cludes materials ranging from
ordinances to promotional flyers to
waste hauler contracts. Permission
has been granted by the authors of
these materials to reproduce them,
as long as the source appears on
the reproductions. For more infor-
mation or to purchase the book for
$14.95, contact Peter Gowan of the
Cornell University Resource Center
at 607-255-2080.
Composting
Report
A new report by the Institute for
Local Self-Reliance (HSR) entitled In-
Depth Studies of Recycling and
Composting Programs: Designs,
Costs, Results details the innovative
methods that 30 communities have
used in trying to obtain a high waste
diversion rate for a low cost. This
collection, funded in part by a grant
from EPA, is organized in three vol-
umes: 1) rural communities, 2)
suburbs and small cities, and 3) urban
areas. The three-volume set is avail-
able from ILSR for $45, plus postage
and handling ($3.75 for the first vol-
ume and $0.75 for each additional
volume). For more information, con-
tact HSR at 202-232-4108.
Report
Released on
Scrap Tire
Use in Roads
EPA and the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) released
a Report to Congress in June that
presents the results of a study
concerning the use of recycled
rubber in asphalt pavement. The
study indicates that asphalt pav-
ing is a promising way to help
manage a portion of the millions of
scrap tires generated in the United
States each year. Currently, most of
these tires are heaped inlarge stock-
piles that present fire hazards and
serve as breeding grounds for
pests.
The study
was required
by the Inter-
modal Surface
Transportation
Efficiency Act
(ISTEA), enacted
in December
1991. ISTEA re-
quires states
- * to pave roads
with asphalt that contains recy-
cled scrap tire rubber or other
recycled materials. (See the Fall
1992 issue of Reusable News for
more information on ISTEA.)
The study investigated the
recyclability and performance of
the pavement, as well as any
threats to human health and the
environment posed by use of the
pavement. No evidence was found
to indicate that using recycled rub-
ber would have any significantly
different impacts on any of these
areas as compared to conven-
tional asphalt pavement.
To order a copy of the report,
contact the RCRA Hotline (see page
10 for calling information). For
more information, contact Hope
Pfflsbury of EPA at 202-260-2797 or
LouPapet of FHWA at 202-366-1324.
11
-------
RESOURCES
Three Videos
Available on MSW
Down in the Dumps: America's
Garbage Crisis shows viewers what
types of items are commonly
thrown away, where they go, and
options for future management of
these materials. This documentary
was produced by Maryland Public
Television with funding from EPA
Topics covered include landfill siting
and closing, combustion, and recy-
cling. Additional subjects range from
the history of solid waste manage-
ment in the United States to garbage
museums. The documentary has
been licensed for airing by over 100
public television stations across the
nation. Itis also available onvideocas-
settefor S19.95 (plus $4 shipping and
handling) by calling 800-858-8678
or writing FP Video at 4415 Saguaro
Trail, Indianapolis, IN 46268.
Deadline on D: A Landfill
Update informs local decision-
makers about successful strategies
for meeting the new Subtitle D land-
fill regulations. This video was
produced by the International
City/County Management Associa-
tion (ICMA) and funded by EPA.
The video provides a concise 25-
minute overview of the Subtitle D
regulations. Shot on location in
Arizona, Texas, and Virginia, the
video shows how two counties and
one small city already have met
the technical and financial re-
quirements of Subtitle D. Options
explored include privatizing a
landfill, going to a regional fa-
cility, or going it alone. To order
copies of the video for $15.95 plus
shipping and handling, contact
ICMA at 800-745-8780. For more
information, contact June Beittel of
ICMA at 202-962-3615.
Municipal Solid Waste Com-
posting: Is It Right for Your
Community? introduces munici-
pal solid waste (MSW) compos ting
to interested communities. Cre-
ated by the Minnesota Extension
Service, the 22-minute video is a
detailed overview of mixed MSW
composting and serves as a valu-
able educational tool on how to
develop a composting facility ap-
propriate to a municipality's
needs, what technologies are
available for mixed MSW facili-
ties, and how composting
compares with other waste man-
agement options. A guidebook
also is available to accompany the
video. The video costs $22 and
the guidebook costs $3.95. For
ordering information, contact the
Minnesota Extension Service Dis-
tribution Center at 612-625-8173.1
neusable News is the quarterly
• ^newsletter of the EPA Office
of Solid Waste's Municipal and
Industrial Solid Waste Division.
Reusable News reports on the
efforts of EPA and others to safely
and effectively manage the na-
tion's garbage and provides useful
information about key issues and
concerns in municipal solid waste
management.
Address comments or free
subscription requests to:
John Leigh, Editor (5305)
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW.
Washington, DC 20460
The mention of publications, products,
or organizations In this newsletter does
not constitute endorsement or approval
for use by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste (5305)
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business, Penalty for Private Use $300
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