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This site was last updated 04/03/2008 07:09 PM
 

3/12/08

MARCH 2008 WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

In this issue -
-- Marine Shrink Wrap Recycling Program
-- "Zero Waste" Food Service
-- Massachusetts Solid Waste Notes
-- Environmental Interns

Greetings!

As we get ready for Spring, please don't forget the Million Ton Paper Recycling Campaign - to recycle a significant portion of the paper that is now wasted in Massachusetts. The business and commercial sectors represent about half of that paper so we have some work to do. This campaign is being lead by Mass Recycle. Also, remember that Earth Day is next month - April 22.

Please, remember that WasteCap is a member supported organization exclusively and we need your financial support through membership. Lets us know if your need a membership invoice. The address for membership donations is WasteCap of Massachusetts, 68 Hopkinton Road, Westborough, MA 01581 See our web site for more information about membership - http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/donorinfo/donorinfo.htm Make your checks payable to WasteCap of Massachusetts. Thank you.

Marine Shrink Wrap Recycling Program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the days get longer and Spring is just around the corner, it will not be long before you are planning to get your boat ready for the water. Shrink wrapping for winter storage has proven to be a very effective technology, especially when matched with the WasteCap Marine Shrink Wrap Program. This program was initiated and developed by WasteCap of Massachusetts with the Support of the American Plastics Council (http://www.americanchemistry.com/plastics). The Program is now managed by E. L. Harvey & Sons (www.elharvey.com), a full service recycling and waste management company based in Westborough.

When collected and baled, shrink wrap is a commodity that can be cost effectively recycled by most marinas. If you need more information or want to schedule a collection container, contact customer service at E. L. Harvey and get that marine shrink wrap recycled! Contact information for E. L. Harvey & Sons, Inc.: 68 Hopkinton Rd., Westborough, MA 01581, Phone: 800.321.3002 or 508.836.3000 Fax: 888.212.0300 Email: customerservice@elharvey.com

"Zero Waste" Food Service
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Defense supplier Raytheon Company believes in resource conservation and has initiated many waste reduction programs. A recent effort involves the collection of organic waste for composting. The Andover MA location launched the pilot project during their annual outdoor barbeque in 2006. The barbeque was dubbed a "Zero Waste" event. Cornstarch based flatware, paper plates, cardboard trays and food wastes were composted while beverage containers were recycled. Other "Zero Waste" events followed at Raytheon New England locations. The "zero waste" program is now an ongoing event for holiday meals.

On Earth Day in 2007 the program was expanded to an ongoing organic composting program for the dining center in Andover. Green bins lined with compostable trash bags are used to collect any compostable waste (food scraps, cardboard, bones etc) produced by the kitchen staff. Paper towels from select restrooms are also added to the compost. Food waste from dining center customers will soon be collected at tray return areas. The program diverts significant wet organic weight from the trash waste stream to a recycling facility where compost is made. This successful program is currently in place at multiple Raytheon locations and will soon be expanded throughout New England. Employee feedback on the program has been positive.


Massachusetts Solid Waste Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more information on the Massachusetts Solid Waste Program and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee notes, go to http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/committee/dswmpu02.htm

 Here are a few points of interest:

* Emerging Contaminants are a general DEP concern. Considering the recent news that national water supplies contain trace quantities of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, you should be aware these are among the substances on DEP's Emerging Contaminants list.
* The Solid Waste Master Plan is up for revision. This is an opportunity for input.
* "Zero Waste" in Massachusetts. The discussion has begun. What will it mean?


Environmental Interns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you need an enthusiastic, fast learning intern with a passion for the environment? Students in the Brandeis Environmental Studies program are looking for internship positions to provide them with hands-on experience. Supervised internships are required for all Environmental Studies majors and minors and the Brandeis faculty recognizes that a key ingredient of a successful internship is matching the right student to the right organization. To learn more about our accompanying internship seminar, the bi-annual Environmental Internship Symposium where students present their work, and other ways in which we we support internship sites and our students, please contact Laura Goldin, Associate Director Environmental Studies, Director Environmental Internships Program, Brandeis University, 781-736- 3075 or goldin@brandeis.edu
 

1/29/08

FEBRUARY 2008 WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

In this issue :
-- Plastic Bags and You

Greetings!

While this newsletter focuses on plastic bags and recycling, please don't forget the Million Ton Paper Recycling Campaign - to recycle a significant portion of the paper that is now wasted in Massachusetts. The business and commercial sectors represent about half of that paper so we have some work to do. This campaign is being lead by Mass Recycle.

Please, remember that WasteCap is a member supported organization exclusively and we need your financial support through membership. Lets us know if your need a membership invoice. The address for membership donations is WasteCap of Massachusetts, 68 Hopkinton Road, Westborough, MA 01581 See our web site for more information about membership - http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/donorinfo/donorinfo.htm Make you check out to WasteCap of Massachusetts. Thank you.

Plastic Bags and You
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A lot has been written about the problem with plastic shopping bags (PSB), even to the point of suggesting banning them. The hue and cry is that PSBs are a blight on the landscape and will last a thousand years in a landfill. I consider myself a concerned environmentalist and thought I would offer suggestions about sensible material use in place of a ban on a material that, if used properly, can offer societal contributions.

First, I agree that litter is a problem, but it is people who litter. Litter can be greatly minimized if some type of punitive action results when offenses occur. Bags can and do play a constructive role in preventing litter as they are used in collection and transport. I wonder what litter would be like if we did not have plastic trash bags to contain our waste and keep it from blowing away on trash collection day. Let me also point out that I have several reusable grocery bags which are handy and avoid the use of one to several PSBs each shopping trip. It's important to note that plastic bags are ALSO reusable in addition to being recyclable. Rather than purchase new trash bags, I use PSBs for rubbish disposal or just as bags. It has been years since I have used anything but a PSB for the rubbish can liner. Occasionally, that PSB will be my "glove" for squeezing out a paint roller to save paint and then turned inside out to be the rubbish bag for the used paint roller.

When I accumulate a bag of clean, dry plastic shopping bags (often ones that have torn and therefore are no longer useful as a rubbish bag), I take them to my grocery store where they have a collection bin. Recycled plastic bags are a valuable feedstock to a variety of domestic manufacturers. Most recycled bags displace the need for virgin plastic and trees in the manufacture of composite decking and lumber products. Occasionally, I will get a paper bag for my groceries when I need a collector for paper and paperboard boxes. This makes recycling these items easier. I would not consistently ask for paper because it is not the better choice when you add environmental impact and performance. Besides, paper is more costly, bulky and can also end up in a landfill where it eventually breaks down and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Try carrying a few paper bags a quarter mile in the rain, or carrying frozen items - especially when I've opted to walk rather than drive to the local market. With a little effort, we all could use fewer plastic shopping bags without sacrificing convenience. We can also make sure that litter is not an option and that bags are reused or recycled. In addition, when recycling plastic shopping bags, remember to include other recyclable bags such as dry cleaning and newspaper bags. In future articles, I will provide facts and figures that may be useful to you. In the meantime, visit www.PlasticBagRecycling.org for more recycling information. And, please, recycle!

- Stephen Greene
 

8/7/07

JULY WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

3/6/07

MARCH WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

Greetings!

The winter winds may be still have a sharp chill but Spring is three weeks way. With Spring comes a lot of put off tasks and clean up. Remember to make recycling a planned part of the work. At home or at work, there is environmental benefit with every pound of recyclable material you divert form the trash.

Please, remember that WasteCap is a member supported organization and we need your financial support through membership. The address for membership donations is WasteCap of Massachusetts, 68 Hopkinton Road, Westborough, MA 01581 See our web site for more information about membership - http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/donorinfo/donorinfo.htm


Marine Shrink Wrap
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New England Boat Show was good reminder to me of the Marine Shrink Wrap Recycling Program WasteCap kicked off in 2004 with the help of the American Plastics Council, EPA and E L Harvey and Sons Inc. More than 120 tons of marine shrink wrap are used each winter in New England and the material is an ideal candidate for recycling as the three previous years have shown. The material is used for a short period of time and is removed in an even shorter period. If not baled, it is a bulky and extremely long lived material in a landfill; thus the Shrink Wrap Recycling program is an ideal solution and it conserves resources.
If you don’t own a marina or a boat, remind your boating friends to ask their marina to look into the program. Check out the WasteCap Marine Shrink Wrap web page http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/Programs/shrinkwr ap/shrinkwrap.htm or contact Customer Service at E L Harvey - 508-836-3000. And, yes, the New England Boat Show recycled the shrink warp that covered the boats on show. WasteCap is also working on an agricultural shrink wrap program. Let us know if you are interested or share the information with folks so they can contact us. Getting volume is very important.


Construction and Demo Debris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Construction and Demo Debris bans have been in effect since last July. For more details on the bans and affected materials see DEP’s WasteBan web page http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/solid/regs0201.htm and look for the C&D streams . What I wanted to share with you is (with a little planning and managing) you can turn what might have been a regulatory burden and logistical issue into a sound business practice and good salesmanship. If you are involved in construction projects that generate waste, plan how you are going to manage the waste as a business step rather than purely a cost of doing business. Furthermore, may construction projects are going green and looking at LEED certification (see U S Green Building Council - http://www.usgbc.org/). Construction debris recycling and reuse are some of the credit points. With planning, doing good can mean doing well.
In case you have not heard, DEP has spy cams which they have used successfully to catch on-the-fly dumpers who avoid the cost and bother of properly managing waste. A number of surprised people learned that when someone offered to get rid of a load of their trash or construction debris at a “really good price”, the deal was too good to be true. The clarity of the night cameras is remarkable.


Recycling – Presidential Executive Order
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Executive Order on Strengthening Federal Environment, Energy and Transport quietly hit the news waves in Washington late in January. This executive order expands on previous environmental orders, specifically mentions all federal agencies and their contractors, 30% recycled content paper, electronics recycling and sustainability. Part of the plan for governmental green procurement is to use government spending to protect and enhance the environment rather than further degrading it. Stay tuned; this is just one of the many significant pieces of environmental news that is quietly working its way in to our daily business.

Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: wastecap@wastecap.org
phone: 781-679-2176
web: http://www.wastecap.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

1/9/07

JANUARY WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

In this issue -
-- Massachusetts Waste Ban Enforcement Begins
-- Recycling Benefits - Dollars and Sense
-- WasteCap in the News

Greetings!

Best wishes for what will be a busy year for all.

Please, remember that WasteCap is a member supported organization and we need your financial support. The address for donations is WasteCap of Massachusetts, 68 Hopkinton Road, Westborough, MA 01581 See our web site for more information about membership - http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/donorinfo/donorinfo.htm

Massachusetts Waste Ban Enforcement Begins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DEP has begun to crack down on the excessive amounts of recyclable materials that are being thrown out in the trash of businesses and institutions. In a press release on January 2, the headline read, “Landfill, Combustion Facility Sweep Finds Excessive Cardboard Disposal MassDEP: Massachusetts Businesses Still Throwing Too Many Recyclables Away “. What may have been surprising is the volume of recyclables throw in the trash. One in five truckloads failed inspection. Cardboard was a common violation. MassDEP Acting Commissioner Arleen O'Donnell stated, "Continued disposal of recyclables is a needless waste of money, raw material, and in-state disposal capacity".
Go to the Press Release to read which haulers were involved. If you are not already recycling, start your own program with a plan that is cost effective. If your hauler has not been talking to you about recycling, you should consider rebidding your waste disposal. Examine your costs carefully; a second bin will require a separate pickups, but the volume reduction in trash should be subtracted to reduce the number of picks needed for trash. And, yes, if you don’t already have them, there is a need to establish recycling habits. See the press release at - http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/press/0107wast.htm

DEP Waste Ban Enforcement


Recycling Benefits - Dollars and Sense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In last month’s newsletter I mentioned that I would provide more information on the benefits of recycling that are aligned to global climate change concerns. You will see a lot of benefits. Note the need to assign the proper weighting is important so you don’t double count or undercount. What are the obvious benefits: reduced bulk and weight in your trash (you should be able to use fewer hauls and lower tips fees); conservation of resources and energy since less of each is needed to recycle instead of using virgin material; reductions in emissions of greenhouse gasses; saving of landfill capacity - to name a few.
I suggest that you go to the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. (NERC) web site and use their Environmental Benefits Calculator. It will help you estimate environmental benefits of recycling Massachusetts waste streams. NERC has regionalized the information in the Calculator to adjust to local economic factors and conditions. EPA’S estimates to make one ton of paper using recycled fiber saves the following: 17 trees, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, 360 gallons of water, 100 gallons of gasoline, 60 pounds of air pollutants and 10,401 kilowatts of electricity. These figures are average for the US, not specific to Massachusetts and does not include greenhouse gasses. See the NERC Environmental Benefits Calculator at - http://www.nerc.org/documents/aboutcalc.html

WasteCap in the News
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WasteCap was mentioned in the Boston Sunday Globe’s Business Section, January 7, in an article by Scott Kirsner. Scott is a free lancer. The article was “Don’t just toss your old electronics. Ever think of swapping?” WasteCap was listed as one of the information resources for donations.

 

12/20/06

DECEMBER WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

In this issue -
-- Give yourself a gift this Holiday
-- Recycling and Global Climate Change
-- Remember the one million ton challenge

Greetings!

Happy Holidays and A Wonderful New Year from WasteCap of Massachusetts.

Please, remember that WasteCap is a member supported organization and we need your financial support. The address for donations is WasteCap of Massachusetts, 68 Hopkinton Road, Westborough, MA 01581 See our web site for more information about membership - http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/donorinfo/donorinfo.htm

Give yourself a gift this Holiday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have seen the ads telling you to change a bulb and save money, energy and the environment. It is time to take heed. Very typically there are bulbs in your house that are on for long periods of time and may be inconvenient to change. Change to a compact fluorescent, they last a lot longer than regular bulbs. You will save money, especially at the utility rates we are paying now. The reduced consumption of electricity will benefit the environment. Less emissions at the generating plant, fewer greenhouse gasses and less wasted heat to deal with are all benefits from using compact fluorescent bulbs.
Compact fluorescent bulb contain mercury. When the bulb eventually burns out, put it into a recycling program and you will eliminate the adverse impact if it was disposed in the trash.

Recycling and Global Climate Change
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recycling and Global Climate Change have a great deal in common. It begins with reduced energy consumption when returning a recyclable material back to productive use. The saving vary with the recycled material but it is much less than creating virgin feed stock. So when you are looking at the avoided cost of disposing your recyclables, add in the other benefits to get a better picture of what you are achieving.
In future issues of this newsletter, we will give you some guidance and conversion factors to make it easier to track the financial benefits for your business and to realize your accomplishments as an environmental steward.

Remember the one million ton challenge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are easily one million tons of recyclable paper now Massachusetts’ waste stream. Make one of your 2007 resolutions to do your part to turn this valuable commodity in to recycle feedstock.

And folks, you won’t hear from me until next year! Enjoy your Holidays!
 

11/21/06

NOVEMBER WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

In this issue -
-- Throwing $$ Away
-- UK sees major growth in commercial composting
-- Huge E Waste Opportunities
-- A Winning Solution

Greetings!

Would $100 million get your attention? It got mine. It is money that we in Massachusetts are collectively throwing in the trash and is the equivalent to every person in Massachusetts throwing $1.25 in the trash bin every month. Wasting a $100 million is bad enough but you also need to add the environmental impact of the wasted resource. So what am I talking about? Recyclable paper of course. Please see excerpts from a MassRecycle press release below about a program to get the one million tons of paper fiber that is now going to waste and costing us more than $100 million each year in trash and hauling fees. Still trying to visualize a million tons? At two tons per vehicle, it is 500,000 cars or pickups. Read more about this below.

A very Happy Thanksgiving from WasteCap of Massachusetts.

Throwing $$ Away
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MassRecycle gathered 19 key players in the State’s paper recovery game to plan a media campaign aimed at ending the practice of throwing recyclable paper in the trash. The organization estimates that each year, over 1 million tons of valuable fiber from Massachusetts is landfilled and incinerated, at a cost well into nine figures. The campaign’s financial backers currently include North Shore Recycled Fibers, the State’s largest producer of recycled paper products, Save That Stuff, Abitibi Paper Retriever, and E. L. Harvey and Sons. Other supporters include Waste Management/ Recycle America Alliance, FCR/ Casella, Integrated Paper Recyclers, Allied Waste Services, the Springfield MRF Advisory Board, and Capital Paper Recycling.
“Our state disposes of about 6 million tons of trash each year, exporting nearly a third of it to other states”, said MassRecycle President (Claire) Sullivan. “At least half of that is good, valuable material which is just going to waste”. WasteCap will also be participating by working with the business community to divert more paper from disposal to recycling.

UK sees major growth in commercial composting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We sometimes forget that other countries have similar solid waste management problems. For example commercial composting in the United Kingdom grew 35% last year to about 2.5 million tonnes. Under pressure from the European Union Directive on landfills, which diverts compostable material from landfills, the current growth in composting will require substantial increases in composting capacity. Sound familiar?

Huge E Waste Opportunities
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
US EPA reported at the October E Scrap Conference 2006 that 15% of personal computers are recycled, leaving 85% in disposal limbo. The numbers are draft and will be refined in the next few months. Some of the challenge is that many computers may not be recycled, but they are also not disposed. Right now there is a lot of debate as to what are the real numbers. While the US as a nation delays cohesive action on electronics recycling, states such as California, Maine, Washington and Maryland are legislating state level programs. This patchwork is a headache for the impacted electronics industry.

A Winning Solution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sainsbury, the UK supermarket giant plans to reduce the amount of plastic waste that goes to landfill by about 3,600 tons. The plan is to replace plastic trays, bags and wrap with compostable materials. The program will cover hundreds of store packaged products from ready made meals to produce. The compostable packaging will be made from corn based materials that are biodegradable in home composting bins. Rapid deployment of the program has been slightly delayed by an inconsistent supply of the new packaging.
From a business perspective, Sainsbury has solved a number of problems with a win, win program. It continues to provide customers with a safe and convenient package, allows for the diversion of the used packaging and especially used bags and film to compost instead of a landfill and makes it easy to compost out dated or damaged food products because labor costly separation is not need to prevent plastics contamination of the compost. I plan to have some local examples soon, such as Pat Scanlon’s waste composting program at the annual Lowell Folk Festival.
 

9/30/06

OCTOBER WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WasteCap of Massachusetts Newsletter
WasteCap News and More
September 30, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this issue -
-- Recycling Pays Communities $1.2 million
-- Smart Thinking
-- Wal-Mart Packaging

Greetings!

The Members and Board Meeting of WasteCap of Massachusetts took place on September 27th, hosted in Framingham by Staples. We welcome Kristina Stefanski of Stop and Shop to the Board. She is replacing George Sherback also of Stop and Shop whose responsibilities have changed. Thank you George for your years of service. Welcome Kristina.

WasteCap is a members supported organization. More information is available on the WasteCap web site, www.wastecap.org.


Recycling Pays Communities $1.2 million
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a business person, you may not have caught a recent DEP news story about the Springfield MRF. 45,000 tons of recyclables were processed and resulted in the pay back of $1.2 million to the involved communities. As a business, municipal recycling programs are not available to you but there is a valuable lesson here. The roughly $15 per ton the towns and cities received were a nice payment in times of tight municipal budgets, but the big news was that these cities and towns avoided tip fees on 45,000 tons. Using $70 a ton as a rough number for illustration purposes, these towns realized a savings of over $3million in disposal costs.
The point I want to share with you is that your waste management bill may be only $1,000 or $10,000 but you can still save by recycling. If you want more information about the DEP Springfield MRF news brief see http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/press/0906mrf.htm

Smart Thinking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is an idea a local recycling coordinator mentioned to me recently. The idea is to use one waste item to help collect another. Say an office supply store will give you a coupon for an ink cartridge returned for recycling. Many school systems have tight budgets and limited classroom space. Lets assume that paper recycling bins are non-existent or in short supply. So, lets say that some clever and dedicated school kids work to get special labels for their ink jet cartridges and use the cumulative value to buy classroom paper recycling buckets.
The wastebasket’s shape and blue color do the trick for separating the trash. The recyclable paper would be collected daily. And, the budget impact would continue to be positive because the school would reduce tipping fees on weight that otherwise would have been trash. This sounds like a great idea, so I plan to check back with the recycling coordinator to see if this works.

Wal-Mart Packaging
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you noticed how green Wal-Mart is getting? This is just the beginning. Expect that you, too, will be impacted as the enormous purchasing power of Wal-Mart sets new standards for packaging used for consumer goods. In conjunction with a Global Climate Change program, Wal-Mart plans to reduce packaging by 5% from its 60,000 suppliers. To do this they will measure the supplier’s ability to develop packaging and conserve natural resources. In addition to keeping millions of pounds of trash out of landfills, it is estimated that more than a half million metric tons of carbon dioxide will be avoided.
This fall, Wal-Mart will introduce metrics and tools to more than 2,000 private label suppliers to find alternative or more sustainable packaging materials. Don’t be surprised when you see the impact and benefit of this program.

 

8/28/06

SEPTEMBER WASTECAP NEWSLETTER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WasteCap of Massachusetts Newsletter
WasteCap News and More
August 28, 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this issue -
-- The Recycling Services Directory
-- U S Gypsum Wallboard Recycling Program
-- Making Paper Cups Biodegradable

Greetings!

WasteCap has weathered difficult times during the past three years and has managed to get out of debt while we continue to provide recycling information to businesses. We are completely dependent on our members for our operating budget. Starting this month we will be sending out membership support renewal letters/invoices. Please continue your financial support as your business circumstances will allow.

Categories of membership support are: BENEFACTORS ($10,000 +); SPONSORS ($5,000 - $9,999); SUPPORTERS ($2,500 - $4,999); CONTRIBUTORS ($100 - $2,499) Recommended levels: 101-500 employees $1,000+; 11-50 employees $250-$500; 51-100 employees $500- $1000; 1-10 employees $100-$250 There is more information about membership benefits on the WasteCap web site, www.wastecap.org.


The Recycling Services Directory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you know that the Recycling Services Directory (RSD) for Massachusetts lists companies that accept, collect, or purchase materials for recycling and reuse from Massachusetts businesses, communities, or individuals. This online information source is a free resource and is on the WasteCap web site. The RSD was compiled and produced by WasteCap of Massachusetts and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Service providers can list their recycling services free of charge or with an active web link for $199 Encourage you recycling vendors to list their services if they are not already on the RSD.
The new, online-searchable format serves businesses, municipalities, and individuals across the state of MA. The database provides detailed searches, resulting in better matches with service providers. The RSD displays a full-page profile of each listed company. What can the RSD do for you? It can save your business $$$, conserve resources and improve your business' public image. If you have a recycling service, it provides greater access to the business community for your services. Visit the RSD at http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/rsd2003/resources.asp.

U S Gypsum Wallboard Recycling Program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In our last newsletter, we mentioned that DEP is looking for comments on the Landfill Odor Control Policy. Much of the odor is related to wallboard fines from construction and demolition debris. Chalk up a major step in wallboard recycling. On August 8th, U S Gypsum announced that its gypsum wallboard recycling program partner, Gypsum Recycling America LLC, has begun collecting new gypsum scrap at its Cambridge plant. Processed wallboard will be used in USG’s Charlestown Plant to make new wallboard. For more information go the USG web site.

Making Paper Cups Biodegradable
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because coffee consumption is expected to grow more than 10 % each year for the next decade, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and International Paper developed a new biodegradable paper cup. Rather than use a petroleum based, non degradable liner, a compostable corn based material is used for the liner. The a new cup uses renewable resources and compliments other compostable food service items. This is an example of providing a product that meets a variety of design criteria including reduction of the product’s environmental footprint.
Go to http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com and scroll down to read more about Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s eco friendly coffee cup. The ecotainer (trade mark) cup is a very interesting answer to the 14 billion paper coffee cups that are used annually. If you go to the International Paper web site you can find more information and additional web links  http://tinyurl.com/mczcr.Not to be left behind, MeadWestvaco Corporation plans to supply a bio- resin coated paper cup laminate for Solo Cup Company.
 

12/29/05

TWO WORDS TO THE WISE!

Those words are “waste bans”. The word on the street is that the waste bans will be enforced, even to the generator level. The wise thing to do is get your recyclable materials into to a recycling program. The Massachusetts Solid Waste Regulations list materials that are banned from landfills, incinerators and transfer stations-- recyclable paper and certain containers are among the banned material.

See http://www.wastecap.org/wastecap/resources/faq/wastebans.htm for the current list and DEP regulations. Please note that DEP is in the process of updating the new requirements on their web site

Does your dumpster look like the one in the image? This is from a condo complex and shows a problem with recyclable materials in the trash.

If the picture of the dumpster looks all too familiar, it may be time to pay attention to your solid waste program. The Recycling Service Directory on our home page can help you match your recyclables with a vendor.

NEW WASTE BANS AND WASTE BAN ENFORCEMENT

If you felt that Solid non hazardous waste management had taken a back seat for the past few years, you were right. With intense financial pressure on the DEP budget and loss of the Clean Environment Funds (unclaimed bottle deposits) to the General Fund, solid waste management lost resources to keep programs with imminent public health concerns running. Not forgotten, solid waste management is gaining attention. DEP recent promulgated new waste bans for construction and demolition debris that will keep asphalt pavement, bricks, concrete, wood and metal out of transfer stations and landfills/incinerators.

At the same time the new waste bans were being proposed, DEP updated and proposed revisions to the States Solid Waste Master Plan, some aspects like an expanded bottle bill are controversial, one area that would impact many in the business community will be enforcement of the waste bans at transfer stations, haulers and even the generator of the waste. You may recall that the waste bans cover a wide range of items, from car batteries and tires, appliances, to yard waste. Don’t forget that paper and recyclable bottles and containers are also in the ban list. DEP had also listed food waste as a candidate for the banned list in the Master Plan Amendments.

 

12/27/05

New DEP Address

DEP Northeast Regional Office
has moved to:

205B Lowell Street
Wilmington, MA 01887
978-694-3200

Solid Waste Master Plan Update:
Comment period closed on DEP Solid Waste Master Plan Amendments. Comments being processed as of mid November.
 

New DEP Community Recycling Program Listing for Small and Medium Sized Businesses:
See the newly added list to the MA DEP website of business recycling programs in Massachusetts at www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/business.htm#rsd. DEP hired the Northeast Recycling Council Inc. (NERC) to conduct a formal inventory of communities in Massachusetts where small and medium-sized businesses have access to recycling services through municipal or regional programs, cooperatives, or other providers. A database was developed and will be periodically updated.

 

WasteCap of Massachusetts
68 Hopkinton Road
Westboro, MA 01581

Phone: 781-679-2176
 Fax: 978-703-1285
wastecap@wastecap.org