United States , \
Environmental Protection |
Agency '•
Solid- Waste and
Emergency Response
(5305W)
- June/July 195.6 ;•;. 'Y.':
&EPA
25 Recycling Goal
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of millions of
people like you, we have met our national goal of 25
percent recycling of municipal solid waste.- Building '
•on,this success, EPA is setting its sights on a proposed ..
.new target—a 35 percent recycling rate by 2005. Elliott
Laws, the Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and
Emergency Response, proposed the new goal at a celebra- •
tion honoring outstanding recycling accomplishments.
The event was held on June 17, 1996, in Newport Beach,
California.
Since EPA set the 25 percent goal in 1989, curbside recy-
cling programs have taken off and drop-off centers have
made it easier to recycle everything from milk jugs to motor
oil. In 1995, the United States recovered more than 53 mil-
lion tons of materials from the solid waste stream, a 120 per-
cent increase from the 24 million tons recovered in 1988.
Although we've come a long way, EPA recognizes that
more can.be done. The Agency is challenging the nation to
increase recycling rates for durable goods, wood, yard trim- •
mings, and food scraps, as well as to expand paper, glass,
metal, and plastic collection at multi-family dwellings.
j EPA would like to hear -what you.' think of'the prbr
iposed recycling target. Please submit comments to .-•;
EPA's Municipal and -Industrial Solid Waste Division'
;at the.address on'the back of this newsletter. Ml '
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EPA Updates Paper Guideline
^:n May 29, 1996, (61 FR 26985) EPA published the Final Paper
| Products Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (Paper RMAN)< The
Paper RMAN provides updated postconsumer and recovered fiber
content ranges for 33 paper products purchased by government agencies.
These include printing and writing papers (such as reprographic, offset, and
tablet paper), newsprint, commercial sanitary tissue products (like paper
towels and napkins), and paperboard and packaging. i
The Paper RMAN clarifies the definitions'of several importakt terms; siich.
as postconsumer fiber, recovered fiber, and mill broke, and addresses other
issues such as measuring recycled content and paper recyclability. It also rec-
ommends content levels for an expanded list of items including paper used •
for checks, bristols (e.g., file folders and index cards), and padded mailers.
The Agency first published recycled-content recommendations for paper .
in its 1988 Procurement Guideline for Paper and Paper Products Containing
Recovered Materials. The Paper Procurement Guideline has-since been
incorporated into EPA's broader Comprehensive Procurement Guideline / '
(CPG), which identifies seven categories of recycled-content items,'includ-
ing paper products, that federal agencies should purchase. • [ . :
For more information about the Paper Products RMAN-, see 'the article ipn
the Paper Products Fact Sheet in the Resources section of .this IBulIetin, of
contact the RCRA Hotline at 800 424-9346.1 ' . 1 •
f^ERC Forum Spurs Recycling Mjarkets
1 B""he Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), a coalition of northeastern state
1 recycling agencies, sponsored the first-ever .Northeast Recycling
i Investment Forum on May 7, 1996, in Boston, Massachusetts. The '
Forum, funded by a Jobs Through Recycling grant from EPA, brought togeth-
er investors and recycling businesses seeking funding for newjventures.
At the Forum, 12 recycling businesses gave informative presentations on
their technologies, plans, and projections for the future. Eight additional '
companies displayed their wares at exhibit booths. Participating businesses
ranged from small, start-up companies to well-developed industry leaders.
They exhibited a variety of products, including ceramic tile mJade from used
glass bottles and concrete products made from recycled urbanirubble. More
than 40 investors attended the event. !
For more information about the Forum, contact Mary Ann Remolador of
NERC at 802 254-3636.1 '' .. ;
Exchanging
RecycBabies ©n
the Internet .:
To make it easier to trade recy-
clable materials,, the Chicago .'
Board of Trade (CBOT) has .
launched the Recyclable^ Exchange,
on the Internet. The Exchange,
which was previously a modem-
based, system, is located at the CBOT
Web site in the."Ee;oGenter" at
•http://wwwjqbpt.com.
. The.Exchange.was
developed by "a" partner-
ship .of CBOT, EPA, the
National Recycling
Coalition, New Tork
State's Office of Recycling
Economic Development, "and
Washington State's' Clean
Washington Center. The Exchange
was established in 1995 to link buy-
ers and sellers of recovered plastic,
glass, and paper across the United
States. More than 140 companies,
municipalities, and nonprofit recy-
clers currently, subscribe to the
Exchange; Another 600 use the sys-
tem as "guests," who are able to view
information but not trade materials.
Organizers believe;that placing the
Exchange on the Internet will .pro-'
vide global users increased and more
cost-effective access to trading
opportunities.
For more information about the
Recyclables Exchange, contact Kiki
Melonides or Nancy Villanova of
CBOT at 312 435-3620.1
<§? Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.
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Building a Better
Future
eep America Beautiful, the ,
National Association of Home
uilders (NAHB), and Home
and Garden Television announced
the winners of the 1996 Build
America Beautiful Awards. These
awards honor the construction indus-
try's achievements in reducing waste
and recycling at construction sites.
Builders Greg Shinaut of Lincoln,
Nebraska, and Len Linzmeirer of
Madison, Wisconsin, as .well as the
Home Builders Association of Akron,
Ohio, received awards for their recy-
cling and waste reduction efforts.
These include recycling cardboard
boxes and packag-
ing materials,
scrap metal, saw
blades, aluminum,
and glass and col-
lecting wood waste.
for chipping into
mulch for land-
scaping and animal bedding.
"These winners demonstrate how
Build America Beautiful can assist
builders in employing greener work
practices at minimal costs," said
NAHB President Jim Irvine at the
awards ceremony, held on January
28, 1996, in Houston, Texas, during
NAHB's annual convention.
To encourage other builders to
reduce, reuse, and recycle, Build
America Beautiful kits are available
for $48 for nonmembers and $40 for
members. The kits include the pro-
gram's guidelines, membership infor-
mation, and NAHB's Construction
Site Recycling Handbook.
.. For more information about the
awards or the Build America Beautiful
program, call the National Association
of Home Builders at 800 368-5242, •
ext. 484. To' order a kit, call the NAHB
bookstore at 800 223-2665.1
United States Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW. (5305W)
Washington, DC 20460
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