An Oregon Couple Builds Their Home From Recyclables

WORLD WASTES STAFF

Bend, Ore. - Taking reuse and waste prevention several steps beyond the norm, Paula and Kevin Kinzer built their 2,350-square-foot home entirely from trash.

The Kinzers trained in Taos, Mexico, to build the "Earth Ship," a name given to it in 1975 by its designer. Next, they secured a loan and the appropriate building permits for land just outside of Bend, Ore.

Their building materials included 8,000 aluminum cans, 1,300 tires, numerous glass bottles and truckloads of scrap wood.

The house is not only a tribute to recycling, it strives for energy efficiency. The Earth Ship gets its water supply from a rainwater collection system and cistern. The lights and appliances are operated by a bank of solar collection panels on the roof and one tank of propane powers the gas stove for an entire year.

This fall, the Association of Oregon Recyclers presented the Kinzers with the Alice Soderwall Reuse and Waste Prevention Award for their efforts.

Other Ore.-based recycling award winners include Rimrock Recycling, Resource Revival, Thriftway Stores, City of Sisters, the Bend Recycling Team and the Beaverton School District.

New Facility The City of Ann Arbor, Mich., has opened a 30,000-square-foot materials recovery facility to be operated by Resource Recovery Systems, Centerbrook, Conn.

RRT Design & Construction Corp., Melville, N.Y., has completed construction of a large-scale waste paper recovery and processing facility in Philadelphia.

New Office Bulldog Caster Co. Inc., San Juan Capistrano, Calif., has moved its corporate offices. The new address is: 27128A Paseo Espada, Suite 1504, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. 92675. (800) 546-7655. Fax: (714) 240-0930.

American Baler Co., Bellevue, Ohio, has opened a new office in New Haven, Conn.

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