United States Environmental Protection Agency Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5305W) EPA530-N-97-003 Spring 1997 REUSABLE NEWS ____________________________________________________________ EPA's Solid Waste Sites on the Internet Feel like surfing the Net today? Information about EPA's solid waste programs and services is available at the click of a button. Internet surfers can learn about everything from the ins and outs of the pay-as-you-throw program to how solid waste reduction can help reduce green-house gas emissions. Here's a list of key EPA solid waste-related sites on the Net: * This site provides an overview of EPA's initiatives in the municipal solid waste arena. It's a good place to start if you're not already familiar with EPA's various solid waste activities. Copies of "Reusable News" and many other EPA publications can be downloaded from this site. * index.htm On the WasteWi$e homepage, you can learn about this voluntary program to help businesses prevent waste, recycle, and buy recycled products; discover What services are available to WasteWi$e members; and access WasteWi$e progress reports, newsletters, and tip sheets. Current WasteWi$e members can access goal-setting forms online, and organizations interested in joining can access the registration form online. Plans are also underway to allow these forms to be submitted electronically via the homepage. * This site provides a description of EPA's pay-as-you-throw program, which encourages communities to set rates based on each unit of trash set out for collection. Fact sheets and the pay-as-you-throw guidebook and workbook can be downloaded here. * index.htm The full cost accounting (FCA) homepage provides a description of this accounting tool for local governments. Copies of the FCA primer and resource guide can be downloaded from this site. * http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/sub2/plan.sub/waste_rd/ This page explains the link between climate change and EPA's solid waste programs. Several fact sheets can be downloaded, and links are provided to other sites with climate change information. ************************************************************ Coming Soon to a Computer Near You In addition to the current EPA sites described here, several others are in the works. Keep an eye on future issues of "Reusable News" for homepage addresses for the following programs: * Tribal municipal solid waste initiative. This site will help tribes and native Alaskan villages adopt environmentally sound solid waste management practices. Tip sheets and resource guides will be available for downloading. * Jobs Through Recycling (JTR). The JTR homepage will offer descriptions of each JTR grant project, JTR list server information, and JTR and Recycling Means Business reports. EPA's Solid Waste Sites on the Internet ************************************************************ Resuable News List Server Now Available Attention all readers! "Reusable News" can now be delivered to your computer instead of your mailbox. We've set up a list server to automatically forward the latest issue of "Reusable News" via e-mail to interested readers. To subscribe to the list server, simply send an e-mail message to: listserver@ unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov Leave the subject line blank and in the message body, type "subscribe reusable-news firstname lastname" (e.g., "subscribe reusable-news Jane Doe"). You will receive an ASCII version of each issue when it is published, as well as the Internet address of the Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) version. To remove your name from the list server, send another e-mail to the same address, leaving the subject line blank and typing "unsubscribe reusable-news." Please note, you will continue to receive a paper copy of "Reusable News" unless you send an e-mail to rcra-docket@epamail.epa.gov indicating you would like to be removed from our mailing list. Those of you who gave us your e-mail address on our survey (see article on Reader Survey Results Are In) do not need to subscribe to the list server. Your e-mail address has already been added to the list server. JTR Producing Impressive Results EPA has strategically invested more than $5.7 million in grant money in 42 state, regional, and tribal organizations to help create a stronger recycling infrastructure. A preliminary review of the Jobs Through Recycling (JTR) program shows that more than 1,400 jobs were created in 3 years, and a variety of products--from sheet aluminum and door jambs to houses and furniture--are being manufactured. Just a few of the program's successes to date include: * More than 200 jobs have been created in Nevada due to the expansion or development of 10 recycling businesses. * Maryland has retained or created 560 recycling-related jobs in firms with a combined capital investment of $27,835,000. * A disassembly/recycling center for computers, peripherals, and consumer electronics will open in Rhode Island by May 1, 1997. The state expects the center to employ 75 people by the year 2000. * More than $250 million has been invested in recycling projects in Arizona. The state has forecast the creation of 1,000 jobs by the end of 1999 as a result. * The Hualapai Tribe in Arizona has built a prototype "EarthShip" house using commonly available recyclables, including tires, old corrugated cardboard, and cans. Through JTR participation, state grantees are learning valuable lessons about program implementation, including the importance of partnering, communication, and training. Tom Polk, an environmental industry representative with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, emphasizes that successful programs require "establishing good communication links and making the best use of the resources you have." Celia Hildebrand, recycling economic development advocate for the state of Nevada, recommends that "recycling professionals involved in economic development receive formal training and become fully integrated into the culture and operations of an economic development agency." Other state personnel emphasize the importance of investing the time to locate and develop substantive recycling projects. Randy Coburn, a recycling business development specialist with the state of New York, said, "We've learned to be patient. Everything takes longer than one expects, but the results are exceeding our expectations." Greg Fisher, director of the state of Arizona's recycling market development program, said the program developed a balanced assistance portfolio of financing incentives, technical support, and marketing assistance, then "marketed the heck out of the program." For more information on the JTR program, contact John Leigh of EPA at 703 308-7896. WasteWi$e Partners Share Successes Seventy WasteWi$e partners recently met face to face in order to exchange information and share resources. Two regional forums held in 1996 marked the establishment of nationwide networks to enable business and institutional partners to achieve their goals in source reduction, recycling, and buying recycled products. On November 20, partners in Chicago discussed pooling recyclables to make recycling more cost-effective, working with suppliers to reduce packaging waste, and motivating employees to expand waste reduction efforts. On December 2, partners in Washington, DC, shared information on composting, as well as on methods for increasing electronic communication both among partners and between partners and EPA. "By networking with other companies involved in waste reduction activities, we can help each other work toward the same goal," explained Ken Gair, plant manager at Sligo Adventist School, a WasteWi$e partner who attended the DC event. In 1997, WasteWi$e will host regional forums in New York, Dallas, and San Francisco. For more information, call the WasteWi$e helpline at 800 EPA-WISE (372-9473). Collection Savings By improving collection efficiency, cities across the United States are increasing the cost effectiveness of their municipal solid waste (MSW) management programs. Collection of residential solid waste and recyclables can comprise up to 62 percent of the total cost of MSW management. There are four major strategies that can help reduce collection costs, according to case studies prepared by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). These strategies include increased automation, routing management, changing the frequency of collection, and dual collection of MSW and recyclables. For example, Rochester, New York, implemented semiautomation for its collection and achieved an average annual savings of $900, 000. The city also reduced worker injuries, decreasing worker's compensation claims by 52 percent. Charlotte, North Carolina, started using an automated routing system generated by a specialized computer software package and achieved an estimated savings of $26,000 a year in labor costs. In an effort to share information and help local communities improve collection efficiency, SWANA, with EPA's help, has organized 1-day interactive workshops for local decision-makers and MSW and recycling managers. Approximately 24 workshops will be held at locations across the country in 1997. For more information, contact Dianne DeRoze of SWANA at 301 585-2898. Cooling the Greenhouse Is it possible to alleviate the greenhouse effect by preventing waste? The New York State Office of Recycling Market Development (ORMD) is helping show that it is. Through a grant from EPA, ORMD is establishing two wood reclamation facilities to make value-added products, such as furniture, out of reclaimed wood. This project has the potential to divert 9,600 tons of wood per year from disposal, as well as reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Reclaiming wood, rather than throwing it away, mitigates the greenhouse effect by decreasing the use of virgin timber (leaving trees standing to absorb carbon dioxide) and keeping discarded wood from being landfilled or burned in incinerators (where it gives off greenhouse gases). The project is one of six funded by EPA in 1996 to promote source reduction, recycling, and buy recycled activities as ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other projects include establishing at least 20 new programs in New England to recover printing and writing paper from small businesses and residences, promoting the purchase of recycled products by placing attractive shelf markers in stores, and encouraging residents to reuse products instead of disposing of them. All of the projects funded by EPA in 1996 have a strong potential to be replicated nationwide. For more information about the projects or other EPA initiatives relating to climate change, contact Clare Lindsay of EPA at 703 308-7266. Reader Survey Results Are In Approximately 500 of you responded to the survey distributed with the August/September 1996 issue of "Reusable News". Thank you to all who took the time to respond! We appreciated hearing your input about how "Reusable News" can better meet your needs. An overwhelming number of you indicated a preference for a leaner, meaner "Reusable News". You also told us you enjoyed reading both short, timely articles and longer, in-depth case studies. So look for both in future issues chock full of the latest EPA goings-on. In addition, several of you expressed a desire to receive electronic copies of the newsletter. We've set up a list server (see article on EPA's Solid Waste Sites on the Internet) to ensure that people who wish to receive "Reusable News" electronically can do so. With your help, we'll continue to make "Reusable News" a valuable source for solid waste information and the latest EPA news. RESOURCES >>Financing Recycling Businesses<< To foster the nationwide development of recycling and reuse markets, EPA recently published "A Financing Guide for Recycling Businesses: Investment Forums, Meetings, and Networks." Produced for EPA by the National Recycling Coalition and Kirkworks, the guide provides information on private sources of capital, financing strategies, and business planning for recycling businesses. This publication is also designed to be used by government and nonprofit agencies to help recycling and reuse businesses find financing. The Financing Guide is available from EPA by calling the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 800 424-9346. Request document number EPA530-R-96-012. >>Building Away Waste<< Home builders looking to save money by reducing, reusing, and recycling wastes from home construction can consult a new publication entitled "Residential Construction Waste Management: A Builder's Field Guide." Published by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in cooperation with EPA, this guide describes practices such as separating and collecting recyclables, reusing wood and drywall waste on site, and structuring subcontracts to improve waste management. For a free copy of this publication, contact the NAHB Research Center at 301 249-4000 or write to them at 400 Prince George's Boulevard, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774. >>The Benefits of Recycling<< The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has published a detailed analysis of the benefits of recycling. In "Too Good to Throw Away: Recycling's Proven Record," NRDC describes recycling's upstream benefits of reduced pollution and use of virgin resources, as well as the downstream advantages of decreased waste and reliance on landfills. The report also takes a close look at the costs of recycling and disposal in terms of community economic development. For a copy of the report, send $7.50 plus $1.45 shipping and handling to: NRDC Publications Department, 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011. The report is also available via NRDC's homepage at (http://www.nrdc.org/nrdcpro/recyc/recyinx.html).