Volumne 19, No. 3
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Selected Articles:
BIRP Working to Promote America Recycles Day
Governor's Conference on Environment
Collections From Business Is Key to Recycling Growth
BIRP Assisting Operation Pride Clean Up Week
Winchester Sees Pay Dirt in Compost Facility
Steel Tops Recycling Charts in 1997
Lexmark Remanufactured Toner Cartidges
Recycling Computers and Other Electronics
Article Highlights Bottle Bill Study
BIRP Exhibits as Laurel Grocery Show

BIRP Working with Many Groups to Promote America Recylces Day
BIRP is one of many organizations working within Kentucky to promote the second annual America Recycles Day which is scheduled to take place Sunday, November 15, 1998.

More than 5,000 local recycling and Buy Recycled showcase events in 45 states and US territories are expected to be organized and to take part in this event across the country. Last year’s recycles day garnered 176 million media impressions . . . more than 3,000 events were held . . . and 750,000 Americans submitted recycling and buy recycled pledges. Sgt. first class Robert Portillo of Texas won the American Green Dream House, a home made entirely of recycled materials.

The theme this year is "If You’re Not Buying Recycled, You’re Not Really Recycling." The theme is based on the goal of America Recycles Day, which is to increase the purchase of recycled content products and recycling throughout America.

We want to make consumers aware of the importance of "buying recycled" and to emphasize the message that you’re not really recycling unless you buy recycled products.

For America Recycles Day, all Americans are challenged to make a pledge to increase their purchases of recycled content products. Another goal is to hold a buy recycled event in every participating community.

As an incentive for Americans to increase buying recycled, a national contest is being organized with a special prize. The American Green Dream House, the grand prize, is a beautiful 3 bedroom home built primarily with recycled content materials and valued at more than $200,000.

The winner will be chosen December 15 from a random drawing of entries, submitted by individuals who voluntarily pledge to recycle and buy recycled.

Thanks to you, recycling is working! The proof is that the paper, plastic, steel, aluminum and glass that you’ve been recycling is now made into all sorts of everyday products and packages. There’s just one thing left to do . . . BUY THEM!

That’s the "cycle" in recycling. You sort out recyclable materials, your city or town collects them, and manufacturers buy them to make into products again. Anyone involved with recycling programs, purchasing, or manufacturing these days has probably noticed the increasing attention to "Buy Recycled".

Buy recycled is important because in order for the materials that have been collected to have value and get used in the manufacturing of products, there needs to be a demand for those new recycled content products. You create the demand by purchasing products made and/or packaged with recycled paper, steel, aluminum, glass and plastic.

Ten Great Ways To Celebrate America Recycles Day

1. Commit to "Buy Recycled" at home and encourage the use of recycled content products at your office.
2. Organize a display of recycled content products at your church, office, school, or shopping center.
3. Ask local retailers to stock more products made from recycled materials.
4. Look for "safe bets" that always have recycled content . . . steel, aluminum, glass, molded pulp containers.
5. Purchase remanufactured products and equipment like toner cartridges, office furniture, auto parts, re-refined oil or retreaded tires.
6. Purchase products you know can be recycled in your community.
7. Teach children why "If you’re not buying recycled, you’re not really recycling".
8. Read product labels and look for recycled content, especially post consumer.
9. Act by buying a recycled product today!
10. If one of your favorite products does not have recycled content, call the manufacturer and ask them to change it.

Household Tips

Just put that in the trash. One little can of oil never killed anyone. What if everyone in your neighborhood thought that way? Little mistakes can create big consequences. Here are some quick tips on contamination prevention and conservation of our water quality.

• Don’t pour used motor oil into the bottom of your trash can or into the storm sewer. Oil can leak into lakes, rivers and wells contaminating our water sources. One pint can expand over an acre of water. Take the used oil to a recycling center.
• Don’t toss toxins into the trash. Batteries contain lead and mercury and many household cleaners contain poisons as well. These contaminants can leak into the groundwater. Take them to a special collection site.
• Don’t use your garbage disposal all the time. A disposal uses one gallon of water per minute. Create a compost pile in your back yard instead.

Five Important Reasons You Should Buy Recycled

1. Saves Natural Resources. By making products from recycled materials instead of virgin materials, we conserve land and reduce the need to drill for oil and dig for minerals.
2. Saves Energy. It usually takes less energy to make recycled products; recycled aluminum for example, takes 95% less energy to make than new aluminum from bauxite ore.
3. Saves Clean Air and Water. In most cases, making products from recycled materials creates less air pollution and water pollution than making products from virgin materials.
4. Saves Landfill Space. When the materials that you recycle go into new products, they don’t go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is conserved.
5. Saves Money and Creates Jobs. The recycling process creates far more jobs than landfills or incinerators, and recycling can frequently be the least expensive waste management method for cities and towns.

So look for and buy products made from recycled materials. And, don’t forget to celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15. (Click here to return to top.)

Governor's Conference on Environment To Be Held October 27-29
The 23rd annual Governor’s Conference on the Environment will be held October 27-29 at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Bowling Green. The conference is currently being organized and will focus on water and air issues facing South Central Kentucky and the implications for the remainder of the commonwealth. Exhibits and local tours are being planned to highlight environmental efforts in the area. For registration forms and/or further information call (502) 564-7320. (Click here to return to top.)

Materials Collections From Business Is Key to Recycling Growth
Franklin Associates Ltd., says that recovering more recyclable materials from commercial sources will determine whether the nation can reach EPA’s goal of recovering 35 percent of the solid waste stream by 2010.

The comments come from a new report by Franklin Associates entitled Solid Waste Management at the Crossroads. The study outlines a scenario in which the 35 percent target could be reached if commercial recycling makes up 53 percent of the country’s municipal solid waste recovery, with the balance coming from residential single family (51 percent) and multi family (6 percent) sources. Recycling from commercial sources currently constitutes 43 percent of municipal solid waste recovery.

The study presents a broad overview of solid waste management in America, chronicling the attitudes, laws and practices that have molded solid waste policy over the past three decades. MSW generation in the nation continues to grow, fueled by population increases, a booming economy and a trend toward smaller households.

Still, after almost 30 years of policy battles since the first Earth Day in 1970, the United States has achieved many of its garbage management goals.

According to the report, "As this century ends, many of the visionary dreams of the early 1970’s have been realized: regulations to ensure safe landfilling and combustion of MSW have been written and are being enforced; a recycling and composting infrastructure has been built, with more to come, and source reduction, while difficult to measure, is being pursued."

The consulting firm sees several key trends for the future including:

• The nation’s MSW infrastructure, from collection vehicles to materials recycling facilities to landfills, will continue to grow. One bright are in infrastructure development is the forward integration of recyclables processing to create a higher value material output or to integrate processing with a user market.
• Though markets still will be available for most recyclable materials, supply and demand will often be out of balance.
• The waste to energy sector likely will plateau or experience only minor growth.
• Curbside recyclables collection will divert substantial amounts of waste from landfills and from incinerators, but revenues from curbside collection programs are unlikely to meet operating costs.

(Click here to return to top.)

BIRP Assisting Operation Pride Clean Up Week November 7-14
Operation PRIDE will hold its fall clean up during the week of November 7-14. The various county coordinators will schedule clean up events in each county in the Operation Pride program.

BIRP will supply garbage bags for the clean up effort. The trash bags were delivered to Operation Pride headquarters on August 31, and will be distributed to the various counties from that point.

Soft drink bottlers will also be promoting the clean up effort through the use of bottle hangers, and will supply manpower to assist in various areas of the 40 county district. Other BIRP members will be involved in the clean up operation as well.

Operation PRIDE was begun last year, and expects a much greater participation this year. PRIDE stands for Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment program. (Click here to return to top.)

Winchester Sees Pay Dirt in Compost Facility
It may look like a big hole in the ground, but to officials at the Winchester Municipal Utilities, their compost facility looks like money . . . more than $70,000.

That’s how much they say they’ll save in landfill fees every year now that the compost facility is accepting leaves, limbs and other organic waste. About 31,000 cubic yards of dirt were compacted to make the 4 acre site and once the material is dumped, it will be shredded, compacted and stored until it decays into mulch. (Click here to return to top.)

Steel Tops Recycling Charts in 1997
More than 13 million automobiles didn’t drive into the landfill. More than 46 million appliances moved out of the basement. Land, more than 5.5 billion cans avoided the trash can, all thanks to steel recycling efforts in 1997.

Increasing consumer awareness and availability of recycling options helped recycling rates for automobiles, appliances and steel packaging continue steady growth in 1997.

All told, the steel industry recycled more than 70 million tons of steel last year, with recycling rates for steel cans and appliances reaching all time highs of 60.7 percent and 81 percent respectively. Additionally, cars continued to be recycled at a near 100 percent recovery rate, continuing the automobile’s reign as North America’s most recycled consumer product.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Steel Recycling Institute and a decade of tremendous growth in the steel recycling infrastructure and consumer awareness for steel recycling. Since SRI’s inception in 1988, the steel can recycling rate has grown more than 300 percent.

Bill Heenan, President of SRI said, "We are continuing to work to develop new options for steel recycling, targeting markets such as food service packaging, tire wire scrap and oil filter recycling." The trade association has also expanded its focus to the building market, helping to promote the environmental benefits of steel and other "green" products in residential construction.

Also new in 1998; is a children’s website/club containing interactive games, as well as fun facts and other information about steel recycling. ROSCOE’s Recycle Room (www.recycleroom.org) features games such as "Brand the Can" which helps children to identify recyclable steel products. The site also includes downloadable lab experiments, activity sheets and a monthly survey to help kids voice their opinions on recycling and the environment. 

Steel Recycling Numbers
Increasing consumer awareness and availability of recycling options helped to increase the 1997 steel recycling rates for cans, cars, appliances and construction materials. For example:

• CANS: The steel can recycling rate reached 60.7% for 1997 with more than 1.7 million tons of packaging recycled. That’s the equivalent of about 633 cans recycled per second for an entire year.
• APPLIANCES: The industry reached its goal of an 81 percent recycling rate for appliances in 1997. More than 46 million units were recovered, and the availability of appliance recycling options grew to more than 12,000.
• CARS: Nearly 13 million cars were recycled in 1997 (up from 12 million in 1996), while production of new automobiles also increased. Comparing the number of automobiles taken off the road to the number of new cars produced shows an automobile recycling rate of 97.6 percent.
• CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS: With the growing awareness of recycling steel from construction and demolition sites, the rates have continued to grow. In 1997, it is estimated that more than 40 percent of the rebar and more than 90 percent of the steel plates, bars and structural products were collected for recycling.

--REPRINTED FROM: The Steel Recycling Institute. (Click here to return to top.)

Lexmark Offers Remanufactured Toner Cartridges
According to an article in the Kentucky Recycling and Marketing Assistance newsletter, Lexmark International Inc., in Lexington has started producing remanufactured toner cartridges in 1997 to assure the quality of the product its customers use.

In the process, each cartridge is inspected for wear, and any critical parts that are worn are replaced. Lexmark requires certain specification for toner used with its cartridges. Lexmark also has a program called "Operation Resource" to collect spent cartridges from its customers and offers customers a "prebate" which is a discount up front in exchange for using and returning its cartridges.

The technology for remanufacturing cartridges has improved from more than 10 years ago when some companies were just drilling a hole in used cartridges and dumping in new toner. With these "drill and fill" cartridges, the print quality was poor and toner spilled into the equipment giving the industry a bad name.

With improved technology, there should be no difference in the print quality or page yield of a remanufactured cartridge. (Click here to return to top.)

Recycling Computers and Other Electronics
The Kentucky Recycling & Marketing Assistance office of the Division of Waste Management for the state of Kentucky reports that by the year 2005, an estimated 55 million computers will be discarded in the U.S. landfills. This, according to a Carnegie Mellon University study.

Other options are available, such as donating old computers to schools or other non profit organizations, taking them to scrap dealers to demanufacture them and sell the materials, or to businesses that refurbish equipment. Computers and other electronics contain valuable materials that can be recovered, including precious metals, ferrous metals, non ferrous metals, plastic and glass.

A Kentucky company taking old computers and other electronics to break down and salvage recoverable materials is Environmental Solutions Inc., 1195 Versailles Road, Building B, Lexington, KY 40508. The company also takes stereos, televisions, radios, copiers and fax machines. They can be reached by phone at (606) 252-0321. (Click here to return to top.)

Article Highlights Bottle Bill Study
Waste News featured an article in its August 31 issue taking note of the fact that a study task force has begun hearings on HB 371, the Container Deposit legislation that was introduced and defeated in the 1998 session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

The article notes that this will be a year long study of the problem of litter and how to handle it. In its original form, Representative Greg Stumbo’s bill would have mirrored California’s Deposit Law, setting a deposit price of between 5 and 10 cents on each metal, glass, or plastic container.

Consumers would have had to redeem their deposit at recycling redemption centers which would be county operated but state approved.

The task force composed of both opponents and advocates for container deposits will meet monthly to determine what action the Commonwealth should take to reduce litter.

The task force will detail its results in a report to the Legislative Research Commission by September 30, 1999.

At the first meeting of the task force, Gene Mooney, attorney and drafter of the container deposit legislation, pointed out several flaws in the original legislation and noted that the task force would have to deal with these problems.

Among the problems noted was that of fraud, i.e. those people from other states bordering Kentucky who would bring their containers back to Kentucky for the money without first purchasing the items in the state. He also noted that if the program is successful, it will lose money. A representative of the National Council of State Legislatures seemed to confirm this point.

In upcoming sessions, a variety of interests will be heard as the task force develops a more complete picture of the problem in Kentucky. (Click here to return to top.)

BIRP Exhibits at Laurel Grocery Show
The Business Industry Recycling Program booth drew a great many visitors this year. The purpose was to discuss and be brought up to date on HB 371 as well as learn about what was happening in recycling.

The two day event takes place every year, and normally draws grocers from a wide geographical area of Kentucky. This year, there were approximately 250 grocers and their families in attendance for the event.

Many grocers were unaware that a container deposit law had been introduced. Yet, a great many others had been actively involved in opposing the legislation and continue to work to promote recycling in other ways.

One of the interesting items at the show this year was new milk packaging in PET. The containers in quart sizes proved to be quite popular, and according to various newsletters, watch for PET to grow in the milk industry over the coming year. (Click here to return to top.)