United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste And
Emergency Response
(5305)
EPA 530-N-94-002
Issue #5
Spring/Summer 1994
Native American Network
A RCRA Information Exchange
AROUND THE REGIONS
EPA/VISTA Alaska Project:
A Novel Approach to Solid Waste Management
EPA and ACTION joined recently in an
innovative, two-year pilot project that
focuses on solid waste management
issues in Native Alaska. The idea for
the project grew out of the Office of
solid Waste's (OSW) participation in a
meeting of the Rural Alaska Sanitation
Task Force, held in Washington, DC in
June, 1993. At the meeting, representa-
HIGHLIGHTS
EPA/vista Alaska Project
Offers New Approach
Omaha Dump Sites Get
Dumped
Meet Our New office
Director
Information Sources
Household Hazardous
waste
FY1993 Statistics
Upcoming Events
Bulletin Board
tives of federal and state agencies
offered a variety of suggestions for
concerted governmental approaches to
the broad scope of environmental
issues among the Native Alaskan
villages.
ACTION, like EPA, is no stranger to
Alaska. Currently, there are nearly 40
VISTA (Volunteers In Service To
America) serving in the state, providing
a wide range of services to both Native
and non-Native communities. "Environ-
mental VlSTAs" were a new concept for
ACTION and a challenge the agency
readily accepted.
In developing the project, several
factors were key to ensuring its
success. First, project objectives had to
be reasonable and achievable. No one
project could possibly address all the
villagers' environmental concerns.
"Small steps, large victories" became
the project's anthem, secondly
community acceptance of and partici-
pation in the project was vital; without
it, the project could easily-and prob-
ably would-fail. And finally project
activities had to be sustainable; i.e.,
they would continue after the project
was over. Few can argue that there are
an abundance of "federal monuments"
in the Native villages; programs that
failed and buildings that fell to disuse
or disrepair once federal dollars and
attention ceased.
The project workplan developed by EPA
includes activities that culminate in a
village-wide, comprehensive solid
waste management plan. These
activities include assessing village
waste streams, developing waste
reduction and recycling programs,
exploring and initiating, where pos-
sible, alternative waste disposal
methods, and promoting environmen-
tal education. The workplan also
includes several water-related activi-
ties, designed to engage the commu-
nity in discussions on setting priorities
for addressing water issues. The
workplan is envisioned as a dynamic *>
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed on paper that contains at least 50% recycled fiber.
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NATIVE AMERICAN NETWORK
EPA/VISTA Alaska
Project: A Novel Approach
to Solid Waste Management
document; one that can be-and is
expected to be-revised as the project
proceeds.
Project leaders from both EPA and
ACTION recognized early on the need
to assemble a support team to assist
the volunteers in their work, staff from
EPA Headquarters. EPA's Alaska Opera-
tions Office in Anchorage, ACTION in
Seattle and various departments within
the Alaska Department of Environmen-
tal Conservation are available to
provide a wide variety of assistance
(e.g., resource materials and technical
assistance) to the volunteers on an as-
requested/needed basis.
But, perhaps, the most important
members of the support team are the
three regional non-profit corporations
that act as "host" to the volunteers.
These corporations are among the 15 in
the state that provide a variety of
services to the villages under their
"umbrella". Currently VISTA are supported
by Kawerak (Nome), the Association of
Village Council Presidents (Bethel) and
Chugachmuit (Anchorage). TO the VISTA,
the corporations are their link to the
villages - an important link no one else
could provide.
The VISTA were recruited nationally
and locally by ACTION, with final
selections made by EPA. Knowledge of
EPA programs and a college degree
were not required. What was required
was a commitment to the environ-
ment and to the communities they
would serve, a willingness to work and
live in often cold, remote areas, the
ability to live "simply" (volunteers
receive a $750 monthly stipend for
housing, food and personal expenses;)
and.. .a sense of humor! Chosen were
Mardell Gunn (an ex-Peace Corps
Californian), Christine Moran (who
recently received a Masters in Natural
Resource Economics from Colorado
State University), Amelie Redman
(previously involved with recycling
programs in Oregon) and George Seal
(a Yupik Eskimo from Bethel).
After their selection, the volunteers
received VISTA orientation in Seattle
and then travelled to Anchorage for an
extensive, week-long EPA training
program. EPA/HQ and Region 4,6 ami
10 staff presented the training; state
agency staff also participated. And
then...off to their respective duty
stations, armed with boxloads of
resource materials, office supplies and
a fair amount of trepidation.
Since their arrival in November, the
volunteers have been busy acclimating
themselves to their new surroundings
and the corporation staff they will be
working with over the course of the
next year. They have discussed the
workplan with staff and suggested
revisions to it based on these discus-
sions. Visits have been made to
villages. Several have taken an "Arctic
Survival" course to prepare them for
the extreme weather conditions they
most certainly will face. One has
already instituted a series of radio
spots about solid waste that is broad-
cast by satellite across the polar north.
Yes, EPA and VISTA are in Alaska!
The volunteers are only a fax or phone
call away from the project co-leaders at
EPA headquarters and ACTION. In addi-
tion, each volunteer submits monthly
reports and participates in monthly
conference calls with the project co-
leaders. The conference calls provide the
entire team with an up-to-date assess-
ment of the project and an opportunity
to get ideas for resolving problems the/
might be having.
Undoubtedly the distances among the
team members are great We at EPA
feel far removed from the Alaska
volunteers. But as one volunteer
remarked recently "You are always
with us in spirit". And indeed we are....
(For more information, contact project
co-leaders Judi Kane (703-308-8644) and
Lillian Bagus (202-260-4058) at EPA
headquarters and Billy Caldwell (206-553-
1558) at ACTION in Seattle.)
22 Illegal Dump Sites Get Dumped
Hamilton and Crew Post "No Dumping Signs"
Illegal dump sites are rapidly becoming a sight of the past on the Omaha Indian
Reservation thanks to the efforts of Jim Hamilton and his crew.
jerry Henscheid, Omaha Tribal Planner, and Jim had identified 22 illegal dumpsites
when the work began in early October.
"We have currently finished 12 of the major sites and will have the remaining
smaller sites done by the spring of 1994," said Jim.
Thurston County Roads Department is cooperating in the clean up effort by
donating "No Dumping Signs" which are being posted at the cleaned up sites. The
3'x5' signs were painted by Jim and his crew and posted at each site. >
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NATIVE AMERICAN NETWORK
22 Illegal Dump Sites Get
Dumped: Hamilton and
Crew Post "No Dumping
Signs"
"We have had some vandalism of these
signs and some illegal dumping is still
occurring," said Jim. "Anyone caught
dumping at the cleaned up sites will be
prosecuted. We are serious about
keeping these sites clean."
Tribal residents are allowed to dump
until April 1,1994, at the Omaha Tribal
dump site. This site will close on April 1
and must be properly covered by October of 1994 accord-
ing to Jerry Henscheid.
"We are in the process of putting together a solid waste
management study to develop a plan for waste manage-
ment on the reservation," said Tom Rice.
This project is being financed by $25,000 worth of profits
from CasinOmaha according to Henscheid.
The ASCS of Walthill also helped by contributing $350
worth of switch and bromegrass to be planted at the sites
for erosion and wildlife cover.
[Reprinted from Omaha signals, Page 5, December 1993
Edition, with permission of Carl Hardy, Editor.]
Be/ore An illegal dumpsite three miles west of Macy
close to the Tribal farm.
After-. The dumpsite after Jim Hamilton and his crew cleaned it up.
INSIDE OSW
Meet Our New
Office Director:
Mike Shapiro
Before joining OSW, Mike Shapiro most recently served as Deputy Assistant
Administrator and then as Acting Assistant Administrator in EPA's Office of Air and
Radiation, where he directed the implementation of the Clean Air Act Amend-
ments of 1990. From 1980 to 1989, Mike held a variety of positions in the Office of
Pesticides and Toxic Substances, where one of his responsibilities was developing
EPA's Toxic Release Inventory
Mike has a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh and a Ph.D. in
environmental engineering from Harvard. He has taught in the public policy
program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in Boston.
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NATIVE AMERICAN NETWORK
FY93
Slats
WHAT WERE THE TOP
THREE SUBJECT AREAS
INQUIRING MINDS
WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT?
Number Three (SWAS Hazardous Waste Identification
WITH 24,860 REQUESTS. ?$$$&
Number Two gWAS GeneralRCRA
WITH 25,851 REQUESTS. ^&&&!&&& r AND THE
Number One ^SUBJECT AREA IN 1993 WAS:
(DRUMROLL) ||| Solid Waste Recycling
WITH AN AMAZING 107,500 REQUESTS! Ģ
EĢk.
AND WHO WERE THOSE INQUIRING MlNDS 1BL ?
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NATIVE AMERICAN NETWORK
Household
Hazardous
Waste
Toxic Trash?
Most of us have products around that
we use to clean, repair, or improve our
homes. Such products may include
certain paints, cleaners, stains and
varnishes, batteries, motor oil, and
pesticides. The used or leftover portion
of these products are often referred to
as "household hazardous waste" (HHW)
and may pose a danger if improperly
used, stored, or disposed.
Under federal law, we do not have to
treat the hazardous portion of our
household trash any differently than
the rest of the trash. Household waste
is exempt from federal regulation as a
hazardous waste. Some landfills and
incinerator operators, however, have
special requirements for certain
materials. Check with your local landfill
or incinerator operator to learn about
any restrictions they may have.
The best way to reduce HHW is to use
a less hazardous product to do the
desired job. For example, using less
toxic batteries or avoiding the use of
batteries altogether can reduce the
amount of HHW in your trash can.
Some hazardous products (motor oil,
for example) simply can not be
avoided. For these products, buy and
use only the amount of product
needed. Leftover materials can be
shared with neighbors or donated to a
charity or business or taken to a
household hazardous waste collection
program. For example, excess pesti-
cides might be offered to a greenhouse
or garden center. Some communities
have organized waste exchanges to
swap or give away usable household
products.
Recycling is another option for handling
some types of HHW. Automobile
batteries, used oil, antifreeze, house-
hold batteries, latex paint, and flores-
cent bulbs are examples of HHW that
can be recycled. The Portable Re-
chargeable Battery Association has
offered to accept all household nickel
cadmium and small lead acid batteries
for recycling; these batteries are
collected through municipal programs.
Salvage businesses, auto parts stores
and service stations often accept
automobile lead acid batteries and
used oil for recycling. Hundreds of local
governments working with civic
organizations and private firms have
implemented successful used oil
recycling programs.
It is important to remember that HHW
is potentially toxic; HHW must always
be carefully used, stored, and disposed.
Always read and follow label instruc-
tions for use, storage, and disposal.
Keep products in their original contain-
ers and never remove the labels.
Containers that are weakened or
corroding, however, should be wrapped
or repackaged and labeled as to the
contents. Never mix leftover HHW with
other products. Incompatible chemicals
may react, ignite, or explode; contami-
nated HHW may be made unrecyclable.
If available, take HHW to a household
hazardous waste collection program.
During the 1980s, many communities
started special collection days or
permanent collection sites for handling
5
household hazardous waste. 'On
collection days, qualified professionals
collect hazardous wastes at a central
location to ensure safe waste disposal.
Over 3,000 collection programs have
been undertaken in the United States.
Check with the local chamber of
commerce, county, or state environ-
mental or solid waste agency to see if
there is a household hazardous waste
collection program in your area.
For more information call the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act Hotline,
(800)424-9346.
INFORMAnONSOURCES
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 recycling. Additional subjects
range from the history of solid waste
management in the United States to
garbage museums. The documentary
has been licensed for airing by over 100
public television stations across the
country it is also available on video-
cassette for $19.95 (plus $4 for shipping
and handling) by calling 800-858-8678
or writing FP Videos, 4415 Sanjuaro Trail,
Indianapolis, IN 46268. >
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NATIVE AMERICAN NETWORK
Three Videos Available on
MSW
Deadline on D: A Landfill Update
informs local decision-makers about
successful strategies for meeting the
new Subtitle D landfill regulations. This
video was produced by the interna-
tional City/County Management
Association (1CMA) and funded by EPA.
It provides a concise 25-minute over-
view 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
requirements of Subtitle D. Options
explored include privatizing a landfill,
going to a regional facility, 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 Composting.- Js
It Right for Your Community? intro-
duces municipal solid waste (MSW)
composting to interested communities.
Created by the Minnesota Extension
Service, the 22-minute video is a
detailed overview of mixed MSW
composting and services as a valuable
educational tool on how to develop a
composting facility appropriate to a
municipality's needs, what technolo-
gies are available for mixed MSW
facilities, and how composting com-
pares with other waste management
options. A guidebook also is available
to accompany the video. The video
costs $22 and the guidebook is $3.95.
For ordering information, contact the
Minnnesota Extension Service Distribu-
tion Center at 612-625-8173.
UPCOMINGEVENTS
1994 International Hazardous Materials
Spills Conference
Buffalo, New York is hosting the 1994
International Hazardous Material Spills
Conference from October 31 - Novem-
ber 3,1994. The Hyatt Regency Hotel
and the Convention Center in Buffalo is
the site for this bi-annual conference.
Communities, State and local govern-
ments, industry and international
guests will have the opportunity to
learn more about how to prevent,
prepare for, and respond to hazardous
materials accidents.
In the 10 years since the Bophal
tragedy, significant strides have been
made in hazardous materials safety.
These positive changes resulted from
proactive partnerships formed by all
the vested interest groups in the
private, public and international
arenas. The theme for this year's
conference is Partnerships for Hazard-
ous Materials Safety
The conference offers the opportunity
for groups with common, as well as
disparate, concerns to exchange and
develop ideas. In addition, state-of-
the-art training on various aspects of
hazardous materials safely will be
provided throughout the conference.
Conference attendees can influence
future directions of these issues
through their participation in both the
large presentations and small group
discussions scheduled to take place.
Considerable resources and energy are
being committed to ensure the overall
success of the meeting. The confer-
ence sponsors include The National
Governors' Association, The Chemical
Manufacturers Association and the
American institute of Chemical Engi-
neers, in cooperation with the Cana-
dian Chemical Producers Association
and the New York State Emergency
Response Commission.
If your work requires your knowledge
of hazardous materials safety, this is
one conference you won't want to
miss! Firefighters, government officials,
plant or transportation managers and
other interested parties are encour-
aged to attend.
Registration materials will be available
in the near future. To ensure that you
are on the mailing list, contact Angela
Moody (703) 442-9824. If you have
questions regarding the conference,
contact Sarah Bauer (202) 260-8247.
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NATIVE AMERICAN NETWORK
BULLETIN BOARD
Conference Update
The scheduled 1994 environmental
conference is off to an exciting start.
The conference will address multi-
media issues throughout Indian coun-
try All indications are that it will be
even better than the 1992 conference.
Currently, there are 27, 1-1/2 hour ses-
sions planned around tribally-submit-
ted topics. Many of the sessions have
tribal monitors and participants. An
environmental vendor exhibit is also
planned. If you would lite more infor-
mation regarding the conference,
please call Ed Almond, Director, Tribal
Environmental Office, Cherokee, North
Carolina on 1-800-451-2764.
Compensation for Native Americans
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS),
announced December 29, 1993 (58 Fed. Reg. 69106 (1993))
the availability of funding for mitigating environmental
impacts to Indian lands due to Department of Defense
activities. Indian lands is defined as all lands of American
Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages.
Recognizing that certain health and safety activities may
have caused environmental hazards on Indian lands and
negatively impacted the social and economic welfare of
the Native Americans that live on the land, Congress took
steps to assist Native Americans in planning, developing
and implementing programs designed to mitigate these
impacts.
The closing date for submission of applications is August
26, 1994.
For more information, please contact Sharon McCully at
(202) 690-5780 or Rita LeBeau, (202) 690-5790,
Administration for Native Americans, DHHS.
Badlands
The highest court in South Dakota denied the
appeals of two men convicted of illegally dumping
medical waste, sending them to prison and ordering
them to pay $20,000 in restitution. South Dakota
officials found two dumps filled with scalpels,
syringes, blood products, rubber gloves, needles and
robes. The Rosebud Sioux had requested an investi-
gation following rumors about body parts dumped
on Indian lands. The dumps were found to be on
non-Indian lands, but Telford Toffelmire and Willard
Hurst were sentenced to four and two years in
prison, respectively for theft by deception, con-
spiracy and illegal dumping. They had buried 36
trailers full of the waste and pocketed $130,000 from
generators in Minneapolis and Denver.
["Badlands" was reprinted from Medical Waste News,
Vol. 5, No. 25, Dec. 14,1993, with permission of
Business Publishers, Inc., 951 Pershing Drive, Silver
Spring, MD 20910.]
Money Natters
EPA's Office of General Counsel and
the Bureau of Indian Affairs con-
firmed that Indian grantees can use
638 funds, Indian Self Determination
Education Assistance Act (PL93638 as
amended), as a match for all EPA
grants. This is meant to clarify an
earlier misunderstanding that these
funds could only be used to match
the multi-media grants.
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NATIVE AMERICAN NETWORK
Native American Network is published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste.
Editor: judi Kane (703-308-8644); Assistant to the Editor: Anita Nickens (703-308-7049).
The views expressed in Native American Network are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect or
represent EPA policy. The intent of Native American Network is to provide a diverse array of information for those
interested in environmental issues in Indian country and to provide a forum for information exchange among tribal
governments, EPA, other federal agencies, and state and local governments.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste (5305)
401 M Street. SW
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
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