Solid Waste and Recycling Legislative Update

The Wisconsin Legislature has wrapped up its fall floor session after taking action on several bills related to recycling and solid waste. Most notably the Legislature adopted bills related to used electronics, oil filters & oil absorbents and mercury containing products. Below are some of the bills that have been introduced during the current session that may impact solid waste and recycling programs across the state. Continue reading on SHWEC’s blog.

SCRAP PROCESSORS SMELL A LEMON IN CASH FOR CLUNKERS

From Resource Recycling:

Just two weeks old but already wildly successful, the Senate voted on Thursday to provide an additional $2 billion dollars for the Cash for Clunkers program, which allows qualifying customers to trade in their gas-guzzlers for up to $4,500 towards a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle. Overwhelming demand threatened to shut down the program early with over 75 percent of allocated funds already spent within a week of the program's launch.

But many auto scrap processors are complaining that the program's mandate that engines of traded-in vehicles be destroyed is hurting their bottom line. Intended to keep clunkers from reappearing on roadways as unregistered vehicles, the program is set up to send a trade-in from the dealership to the shredder as quickly as possible. Sodium silicate is used to foul the engines before the cars head to the scrap heap, often destroying many reusable and re-sellable parts in the process. According to the Automotive Recyclers Association, engines and drive trains account for 60 percent of processors' revenue from a scrap vehicle.

The approval this week of an extension of the clunker program comes at a time of improving ferrous scrap market conditions. Scrap prices rose in both July and August due to improved export demand and a modest upturn in domestic steel production. Low industrial activity this summer has resulted in many scrap yards holding little inventory of processed scrap. Thus, several industry observers are saying that a scrap surge created by the federal program -- estimated by some to be about 400,000 tons -- can be absorbed under current market conditions.

Think Outside the Recycling Bin

Think Outside the Recycling Bin
~DEP offers eco-friendly tips for reducing, reusing and recycling non-traditional items at home and in the office~
TALLAHASSEE- As the winter season comes to an end and Floridians begin to think about spring cleaning, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) encourages residents to apply the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle –and discover ways to recycle items that may not normally be considered recycle-friendly.
“We all understand the importance of recycling,” said Mary Jean Yon, Director of DEP’s Division of Waste Management. “Reducing waste can also help keep our landfills from filling up. Most people think of recycling newspapers, cans and bottles, but your closets, desks and drawers are filled with items that can also be recycled.” (More.....)

Final Definition of Solid Waste Rule

On October 7, 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new final rule that streamlines regulation of hazardous secondary materials to encourage beneficial recycling and help conserve resources. By removing unnecessary regulatory controls, EPA expects to make it easier and more cost-effective to safely recycle hazardous secondary material.

The final rule and associated documents can be found here:

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/dsw/rulemaking.htm

The rule excludes materials from the federal hazardous waste system that are:
•generated and legitimately reclaimed under the control of the generator;
•generated and transferred to another company for legitimate reclamation under specific conditions; or
•determined by EPA or an authorized state to be non-wastes on a case-by-case basis via a petition process.
The rule also contains a provision to determine which recycling activities are legitimate under the new exclusions and non-waste determinations. These exclusions are not available for materials that are considered inherently waste-like, used in a manner constituting disposal, or burned for energy recovery.

We cannot use the provisions until WIDNR adopts them.

Practical Steps to Zero Waste

Here is a notice about a webinar on Tuesday, July 15.

"Practical Steps to Zero Waste"

Tuesday - July 15, 2008
12:00 pm Eastern/9:00 am Pacific
Approximate duration: 90 minutes

A Presentation of the CURC Webinar Series

While many colleges and universities across the nation work to build and expand recycling programs, a growing number of schools are looking to the next level at ways to reduce and perhaps one day eliminate all their trash. Zero waste has become a common buzz word in recycling circles, but what does it mean? More importantly, how does it translate to the realities of a large institution managing its waste stream in the real world. This webinar from the College and University Recycling Council (CURC) will answer some of these basic questions about the zero waste concept as well as provide examples of schools that are working to implement policies and practices that move them closer to that ultimate goal.

For more information and to register, visit: http://nrc-recycle.org/zerowaste.aspx

How much will it cost you? It depends... A note from Eileen Norby

This webinar is free for AROW/NRC members. Current UW campus members are UW-Madison, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Extension and UW System Administration. The cost of the webinar to non-members is $35. For information about joining the Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin (AROW), which includes membership in the National Recycling Coalition, please go see the attached brochure, or visit AROW's website at:
http://www.arow-online.org/index.html

The cost for an AROW government membership is $95. If you have any questions about AROW or NRC, feel free to give me a call.
-Eileen Norby, 608-262-8252

2008 Wisconsin RecycleMania results

RecycleMania is a competition among college and university recycling programs. Over a 10-week period, campuses compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate. The main goal of this event is to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization.

For more information on Wisconsin results: http://www.uwsa.edu/oslp/em/compliance/recycling.html

For more information on RecycleMania: http://www.recyclemaniacs.org/index.htm