American Lung Association Builds Healthy House

WORLD WASTES STAFF

Johnston, Iowa - The common notion that environmentally friendly and non-toxic home materials are expensive, low in quality and a contractor's installation nightmare may be on the verge of extinction.

SThe American Lung Association (ALA) has built the Healthy House in the NorthGlenn community of John-ston, Iowa. Recycled content pro-ducts and alternatives to household hazardous materials were used throughout the home, designed with a priority on the overall wellness of the occupants and the environment.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Des Moines, Iowa, has called the Healthy House a marketable, high-quality, beautiful home.

"This house shows the choices that people have available in order to make their home more air, energy and environmentally friendly, " said Jeanine Mixdorf of the Iowa ALA.

In addition to displaying healthy options and products, the project offered the opportunity to gather information about construction and demolition (C&D) waste generation and recycling.

Although more than 250,000 tons of C&D are dumped annually in Iowa, filling a major portion of the state's landfill capacity, its recycling remains a relatively unexplored area, according to Jeff Geerts, environmental specialist of IDNR. With tipping and hauling fees steadily increasing, C&D recycling can mean considerable savings for contractors, according to the IDNR.

During construction of the Healthy House, the Metro Waste Authority (MWA) of Des Moines, Iowa, coordinated collection and recycling of C&D debris including wood waste and cardboard, while drywall debris amounts were recorded for future study.

The project represents the efforts of a partnership between the ALA; Hubbell Realty Co., Des Moines, Iowa; and Jerry's Homes, also of Des Moines. Environmental technical assistance was provided by the MWA, the Waste Management As-sistance Division of the IDNR and the MidAmerican Energy Co., Des Moines, Iowa.

Acquisition Weyerhaeuser Co., Tacoma, Wash., has ac-quired Midwest Paper Stock Inc., Bloomington, Ill.

Bonds The Delaware Solid Waste Authority, Dover, Del., has issued a series of revenue bonds to fund improvements for its solid waste management centers.

Contracts Norton Environ-mental, Independence, Ohio, has received a three-year contract extension to operate the Medina County, Ohio, central processing facility.

Martin County, Fla., has contracted Zimpro Environ-mental Inc., Rothschild, Wis., to provide a leachate treatment system at the Palm City, Fla., landfill.

Otto In-dustries Inc., Charlotte, N.C., is undergoing a $15 million, 40,000-square-foot plant and equipment expansion for its solid waste systems and mat-erials handling divisions.

The UCLA Extension Office, Los Angeles, has re-ceived an $89,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency's WasteWi$e Program, Washington, D.C., to develop measurement methods and/or models for estimating the weight of materials diverted through solid waste prevention programs.

The University of Wiscon-sin's Solid Waste Recovery Research Program has selected Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc., Falls Church, Va., to re-search the availability and economics of wood waste re-use in Southeast Wisconsin.

Joint Venture Bramble's International, Sydney, Aus-tralia has entered into a joint venture with the New York-based carting companies, Empire State Recycling and Empire State Rubbish Re-moval, to form Atlantic Waste Disposal Inc., New York, N.Y.

Camp, Dresser & McKee Inc., Cambridge, Mass., will manage the closure and redevelopment of the Gardner Street Landfill, Boston.

Olsson & Associates, Lincoln, Neb., has overseen the closure and redevelopment of the Harrison County Landfill, Logan, Iowa.

The City of Guelph, Ontario, has begun preparation for a new $24 million wet-dry collection center opening this spring.

Resources in Des Moines, Iowa, has issued a request for proposals for equipping its new regional collection center.

New Office GeoSyntec Consultants, Boca Raton, Fla, has opened a new regional office in Chicago. The new address is: 55 W. Wacker Dr., Suite 1100, Chicago, Ill. 60601.

New Program Anne Arundel County, Md., will launch a solid waste management program that includes waste composting, a regional transfer station and waste to energy.

Patent Granted Hudson Technologies Inc., Hillburn, N.Y., has been issued a patent from the United States Patent Office for its technology for recovering refrigerants from cooling systems.

Regionalization Plan The Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton, Canada, has assumed responsibility for garbage, recycling and yard waste collection for 10 member municipalities and will begin contracting new services this year.

Supply Agreement Cummins Engine Co. Inc., Columbus, Ind., and Jacobs Vehicle Equipment Co., Bloomsfield, Conn., have signed a supply agreement for engine brakes.