Oct. 22, 2001 Issue

Rebekah A. Hall

IN THIS ISSUE:

Opinion Poll

News:

- Wood Dealer Promises to Phase Out CCA-Treated Wood

- California Waste Management Statistics Questioned

- Lead Battery Recycling Rate Remains High

- Allied Waste Pays Massachusetts Workers $464,000 in Back Wages

- Scalia's Nomination Passes in Senate Committee, Heads to Full Senate

Newsbriefs: Acquisition, Agreement, etc.

Events

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NEWS:

Wood Dealer Promises to Phase Out CCA-Treated Wood San Francisco -- Following the lead of several U.S. wood retailers, wood distributor Golden State Lumber recently has affirmed its committment to phase-out the purchase and sale of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood.

CCA-treted wood is a potential carcinogen, so this is a step in the right direction for the city, according to the company, which supplies much lumber to San Francisco. Nevertheless, the city has not formally addressed how to handle CCA-treated wood, including the many park benches and playground equipment in the city that is made from the wood.

In the meantime, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is considering a ban on CCA-treated wood in playgrounds.

California Waste Management Statistics Questioned Sacramento -- While California is known for its high recycling and landfill diversion rates, some recently have questioned whether the statistics are accurate.

Experts consider the state to be a pioneer waste management with some of the nation's strictest standards. But state Sen. Gloria Romero, D, and state auditor Elaine Howle say that California's reputation is built on misleading statistics derived from formulas aimed at skewing results.

California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) spokesman Chris Peck told the Associated Press that statistics may have been inaccurate because of a 1989 law that required cities and counties to divert one-fourth of their trash from landfills to recycling centers and compost piles by 1995, and divert half of it by 2000. Many municipalities haven't met the 2000 deadlines and have asked for more time, possibly causing some to alter the statistics.

Peck added that the law makes local governments entirely responsible for waste diversion and does not require households or businesses to recycle.

But figures show that California diverts 42 percent of its waste from landfills to curbside recycling bins, hometown recycling centers and mulching firms, compared with a 33 percent national average, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C.

CIWMB officials say the state has kept 140 million tons out of landfills since 1990, has shredded millions of tires and has recycled more than 61 million gallons of engine oil per year.

But the problem, experts agree, is that California's population is surging and reflects a mixture of a poor population that has a low priority for waste management and an affluent population that overconsumes and creates additional waste. The state's population is expected to reach 40 million by 2010.

To increase recycling rates and decrease the amount of waste in the future, state government officials hope to create a more aggressive recycling industry, use more efficient electric cars and use tires that last longer.

Lead Battery Recycling Rate Remains High

Chicago -- Between 1995 and 1999, the battery industry recycled 93.3 percent of the lead from used lead-acid batteries, mostly because mandatory battery collection take-back laws exist in 42 states, according to a Battery Council Internationa's 1995-1999 National Recycling Rate Study.

The Battery Council International (BCI), the trade association for the lead-acid battery industry, tracks the lead recycling rate from used automotive, truck, motorcycle, marine, garden tractor and other lead-acid batteries.

Allied Waste Pays Massachusetts Workers $464,000 in Back Wages

Boston -- Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Allied Waste Industries Inc. has agreed to pay $464,000 in back wages to about 300 workers who were underpaid while working for the trash hauler on municipal contracts in Massachusetts between June 27, 1997, and Dec. 31, 2000.

About 80 percent of the back wages will be given to temporary workers who were paid between $6 per hour and $10 per hour, below the average trash hauling wage of between $12 per hour and $19 per hour.

The case is part of an effort by Massachusetts officials to address the wrongful use of temporary labor on taxpayer-funded contracts.

Scalia's Nomination Passes in Senate Committee, Heads to Full Senate

Washington, D.C. -- The Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee has voted 11-10 in favor of Eugene Scalia's nomination as the Labor Department's top lawyer.

Union workers had lobbied intensely to defeat Scalia because of his opposition to ergonomics regulations aimed at improving workplace safety. Scalia said at his confirmation hearing last month that he thought ergonomics-related injuries existed but that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) went too far by making rules for it.

As labor solicitor, Scalia would be in charge of enforcing nearly 200 labor laws and would provide legal advice and guidance in nearly every aspect of the department. The nomination now awaits a vote in the full Senate.

NEWSBRIEFS: Acquisition, Agreement, etc.

Acquisition

- Terex Corp., Westport, Conn., has completed its acquisition of CMI Corp., Oklahoma City.

Agreement

-The Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC), Washington, D.C., has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which makes USAID’s Global Technology Network (GTN) available to WASTEC members free of charge. The GTN assists U.S. small- and medium-sized companies seeking access to emerging overseas markets by attempting to match the needs of companies in developing countries with the appropriate technology solutions of U.S. companies. The GTN also aids in communication and coordination between prospective buyers and sellers. GTN's priority sectors include agriculture, environment, energy, health and information technology.

vAlliance

- Atlanta-based CAPS Logistics and E3 Corp. have joined to resell CAPS’ transportation and supply chain management (SCM) products as a component to E3’s demand planning, forecasting and inventory management solutions.

EVENTS

November 28-29, 2001

Business Energy Solutions Expo Orlando, Fla. Contact: The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). Fax: (770) 381-9865. Website: http://www.aeecenter.org/bese.

November 30, 2001

Take It Back! Global Packaging Mandates: How to Design for Environment and Save Money

Las Vegas. Contact: Michele Raymond, Raymond Communications. Phone: (301) 345-4237. Fax: (301) 345-4768. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.raymond.com/conference/index.html.

December 3-6, 2001

14th International Conference on Site Remediation and Environmental Management

Orlando, Fla. Contact: Paul Reneau, Gas Technology Institute (GTI), 1700 South Mount Prospect Road, Des Plaines, Ill. 60018-1804. Phone: (847) 768-0780. Fax: (847) 768-0501. mailto:[email protected].

December 4-7, 2001

17th Annual Pollutec International Exhibition of Environment Equipment, Technologies and Service for Industry

Paris-Nord Villepinte, France. Contact: Emmanuelle Cade, International Trade Exhibitions in France Inc., 1611 North Kent Street, Suite 903, Arlington, Va. 22209. Phone toll-free: (888) 522-5001. Fax: (703) 522-5005. mailto:[email protected]. Website: http://www.pollutec.com.