Waste Prevention News
ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO RE-USE!
GOODBYE TO PAPER AIRLINE TICKETS
Representatives of the world's airlines, meeting in Singapore at the annual summit conference of the International Air Transport Association in early June, have approved an initiative to eliminate paper tickets and replace them with electronic tickets (e-tickets) globally by 2007. In recent years, most United States airlines have largely replaced paper tickets, but many foreign carriers still issue a high percentage of paper tickets, which are far more costly to distribute and process.
Source: June 8, 2004, business column by Joe Sharkey in the New York Times.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS
The growing world of "refurbished" products presents opportunities to save money on electronics. Most brand-name manufacturers take items that have been returned (in some cases unused), put them through a battery of tests, spiff them up and then resell them at up to 75 percent off the store price. Almost all come with warranties (though some expire sooner than with new units), and extended warranties are also available.
Merchants from Dell to Apple to IBM are funneling hundreds of thousands of refurbished products back into the market every year, mainly because it costs more to destroy than sell them. Look for these products - sometimes called "reconditioned" or "certified used" - on the company's website under the link "outlet" or "special deals." Amazon, eBay and other online retailers have their own "refurb" sales, covering everything from appliances to power tools.
Source: Dec. 23, 2003, item by Peter Meyers in the Wall Street Journal.
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HIGH-END CONSIGNMENT SHOPS ON THE RISE
In one of the more curious retail trends in recent years, the popularity of resale or "consignment" shops has surged. The National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops says its membership has more than doubled in the past 10 years and estimates that nationwide, resale stores number more than 15,000. The association says it appears that consignment shops catering to high-end fashion shoppers are enjoying some of the fastest growth.
For example, Decades Two, a resale shop on trendy Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, counts stylists, entertainment executives and celebrities among its customers. Sales at Decades Two, which opened four years ago, are expected to exceed $1 million in 2003, up about 50 percent over last year.
Source: August 15, 2003 Wall Street Journal article by Shelly Branch.
SAN FRANCISCO ADOPTS PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
San Francisco has become the first city in the U.S. to adopt the Precautionary Principle - a new policy framework widely used in western and northern European countries for developing laws that protect health and environment.
For years, Bay Area leaders from the breast cancer, public health, environmental health and environmental justice communities have worked to promote the Precautionary Principle. Now, as a result, the City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors has passed a new environmental code that embraces the Precautionary Principle as the lens through which future regulations will be evaluated.
So just what is this Precautionary Principle? It is a way of thinking that seeks to prevent diseases caused by environmental pollution. The Precautionary Principle shifts the burden of proof. Rather than asking, "How much harm is allowable?" it forces us to consider, "How little harm is possible?"
When science cannot yet fully establish a cause-and-effect relationship, but can provide reasonable evidence of harm, this principle urges us to take precautionary measures. In other words, if we wait until we're absolutely certain, we may have waited too long. For example, a lot of time went by, despite early scientific warnings, before the dangers posed by lead, cigarettes and asbestos were addressed. Lives might have been saved if governments had acted sooner.
Will the new ordinance make any difference? "Yes," said Jared Blumenfeld, who heads San Francisco's Department of the Environment. "The world cannot be 'risk-free,' but there are safer alternatives to the many toxic, carcinogenic and environmentally destructive practices and products in use today." The Precautionary Principle, Blumenfeld pointed out, forces us to reframe the questions faced by government officials. Instead of asking, for example, "How much air pollution from fossil fuels should we tolerate in the Bay Area before we're absolutely certain it causes respiratory illnesses?", the Precautionary Principle directs us to look for cleaner sources of sustainable energy.
Source: June 19, 2003, column by Ruth Rosen in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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DISNEY TO BEGIN RENTING DISPOSABLE DVD
"This disc will self-destruct in 48 hours." That is the warning The Walt Disney Co. will issue this August when it begins to "rent" DVDs that after two days become unplayable and do not have to be returned. Disney home video unit Buena Vista Home Entertainment will launch a pilot movie "rental" program in August that uses the self-destruction technology, the company said.
The discs stop working when a process similar to rusting makes them unreadable. The discs start off red, but when they are taken out of the package, exposure to oxygen turns the coating black and makes it impenetrable by a DVD laser. Buena Vista hopes the technology will let it crack a wider rental market, since it can sell the DVDs in stores or almost anywhere without setting up a system to get the discs back.
The discs work perfectly for the two-day viewing window, said Flexplay Technologies, Inc., the private company that developed the technology using material from General Electric Co. The technology cannot be hacked by programmers who would want to view the disc longer because the mechanism that closes the viewing window is chemical and has nothing to do with computer technology. However, the disc can be copied within 48 hours, since it works like any other DVD during that window. Buena Vista did not disclose pricing plans but said the discs, dubbed EZ-D, would be available in August in selected markets, featuring several recent releases.
Activists who oppose the new disposable DVDs have set up this web page where people can submit complaints to Disney about the product.
Sources: May 16, 2003, Reuters news service article and the Working Assets "Act for Change" web page.
FIFTEEN ELECTRONICS WASTE HANDLERS AGREE TO STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE
On Feb. 25, 2003, fifteen private electronics recycling and reuse firms in the U.S. and Canada announced they have taken a pledge to properly handle electronics wastes.
Among other things, the companies agree to:
- Prevent hazardous electronics waste (e-waste) from going to municipal incinerators or landfills.
- Prevent the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries.
- Use free-market rather than prison labor to dismantle or recycle e-waste.
- Support extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs or legislation, to develop viable financing mechanisms for end-of-life for electronics products.
- Support design for environment and toxics use reduction programs or legislation for electronics products.
Source: Basel Action Network.
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REUSE OF WATER BOTTLES MAY POSE HEALTH RISK
While people may think they're doing a good deed for the environment when they reuse water bottles for anything from orange juice in a bagged lunch to a week's worth of water refills from the office water cooler, researchers say they could be risking their health. Dangerous bacteria and potentially toxic plastic compounds have been found in the types of water bottles typically reused in classrooms and workplaces.
A study of water bottles at a Calgary elementary school found bacteria in kids' bottles that would prompt health officials to issue boil-water advisories, had the samples come from a tap. Researchers discovered bacterial contamination in about a third of the samples collected from kids' water bottles at the school. Some samples even showed evidence of fecal coliforms. "If a town water supply had fecal coliforms in it, it would have to be shut down," said Cathy Ryan, the University of Calgary professor who authored the study.
The bacteria likely came from the kids' hands and mouths over time as they repeatedly used the same bottles without washing them or allowing them to dry, Ryan said. While researchers in her study collected samples from only 76 bottles at one elementary school, which has not been identified, Ryan said the results would likely be the same anywhere else. When the study results were published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health in the fall, the local school board advised parents to make sure kids' bottles were taken home and washed properly and frequently.
However, a study conducted in the United States suggests the kind of thorough washing that could kill bacteria might make the bottles unsafe in another way. Frequent washing might accelerate the break-down of the plastic, potentially causing chemicals to leach into the water, the study found. Preliminary research conducted by a graduate student at the University of Idaho found that with repeated use, toxic chemical compounds can migrate out of the bottles into the liquid inside.
Although plastics experts contend the bottles are safe, the study ultimately concluded little is known about what happens when the bottles are used over and over again. "The fact is, a lot of these compounds have not really been studied in terms of their human health effects," said Margrit von Braun, a University of Idaho professor. Single-use soft-drink and water bottles are commonly made of a plastic called polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which, while considered safe for its intended use, was found to break down over time. "The longer you used it, the more stuff ended up in the water," said von Braun.
One of the toxins that frequently appeared in water samples from the reused bottles was DEHA, a carcinogen regulated in drinking water because it has been found to cause weight loss, liver problems, or possible reproductive difficulties. It is also suspected that DEHA can cause cancer in humans. Von Braun said she was surprised to discover how widespread the reuse was - and how long some people would hold on to a single bottle. "A lot of people use them for weeks, and sometimes months, literally until it's leaking," said von Braun.
The Canadian Bottled Water Association advises against reusing the containers altogether. It says the containers are made for single use and should be recycled afterward, not reused. People would be unable to properly sterilize the bottles at home, and the industry doesn't evaluate the safety of the bottles for multiple uses, said Elizabeth Griswold, executive director of the Canadian Bottled Water Association. Reuse of the plastic bottles "is not something we recommend," said Griswold.
Source: Jan. 26, 2003, Canadian Press news service article by Jen Horsey.
CONSUMERS CAN OPT OUT OF CATALOG MARKETING DATABASE
When you buy something from a mail order catalog, your transaction is likely to be reported to Abacus (a division of DoubleClick, an international direct marketing company), which compiles a cooperative database of catalog and publishing companies' customers. Your name is then sold to other mail order companies who contact you with their catalogs and offers. This explains why you are likely to receive several unsolicited catalogs after ordering from a mail order company. To opt-out of the Abacus database, send an e-mail to: optout@abacus-direct.com Include your full name (including any middle initial) and your current address (and previous address if you have been at your current address fewer than six months). You can also send a letter or postcard with the same information to: Abacus, P.O. Box 1478, Broomfield, CO 80038. For more information, see this Abacus webpage. It appears that people who sign up for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Mail Preference Service will automatically be included on the Abacus opt-out list. However, people registered for the DMA list may also wish to register for the Abacus list, as an additional safeguard. Information on the DMA Mail Preference Service is at this DMA webpage.
Sources: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and DoubleClick.
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REPAIR SHOPS HARDER TO FIND - JUST ASK ELMO
The number of repair shops across the U.S. has dropped by half during the past decade to about 9,000, even as consumers snap up a record $95 billion worth of gadgets a year. Much of the blame goes to the falling price of electronics, which has made it tempting for people to throw broken items away and prompted makers to pare back on service. Now, with the sluggish economy making people think "repair" instead of "replace," finding help can seem impossible, says Ron Sawyer, executive director of the Professional Service Association, a repair-shop trade group. "There's just too much demand and not enough service."
Sony says demand for repair support from customers is up 15 percent this year, while Phillips Electronics says calls are running 5 percent higher. In contrast, over the last decade, nearly a quarter of the almost 60 million households with broken items opted to ditch them, according to a survey by eBrain Market Research. But in order to defray costs, many companies, including Sony, Epson, Hewlett-Packard and Handspring, now charge a fee - ranging from $10 to $25 - just to talk to a technician on the phone. In some cases, they're taking planned obsolescence to new heights, making gadgets that can't be repaired - with backs sealed shut or batteries that can't be replaced. At the same time, local fix-it shops, squeezed by low reimbursements for in-warranty repairs and the low prices of replacements, are raising prices - or going out of business.
Even Elmo has had to adjust. Luis and Maria's Fix It Shop on "Sesame Street," which used to repair toasters, closed this season after 32 years in business and was replaced by the Mail It shop, where the monsters can use fax machines and mail packages. The show "had to stay relevant," said a producer.
Source: September 27, 2002 Wall Street Journal article by Nancy Keates.
TAX REDUCES USE OF PLASTIC BAGS IN IRELAND
In Ireland, a tax on the free plastic bags given away in supermarkets has cut the number of bags in use by 90 percent since it was introduced at the beginning of March, according to the government's environment department. Shoppers must pay 15 cents per bag, and the $3.4 million paid since March is to be spent on environmental and waste-management projects. The tax is expected to result in a billion fewer bags in circulation this year.
Source: August 21, 2002 New York Times.
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MAINE GOVERNOR SIGNS LANDMARK MERCURY LAW REQUIRING AUTO MANUFACTURER RESPONSIBILITY
On April 10, 2002, Maine Governor Angus King, Jr. signed the nation's first law to mandate manufacturer responsibility for the removal of mercury from vehicles.
The Maine law creates a manufacturer-funded system for removing and disposing of mercury-added components, such as switches in hood and trunk lights, before vehicles are crushed or shredded for recycling. Currently, there is no such system, and many mercury switches remain in the vehicles as they go through the recycling process, which can potentially lead to environmental and health hazards. Automakers opposed the legislation, and sought instead to create a state-run system funded by fees on new and used car sales through dealers. This amendment, along with other weakening provisions, ultimately failed to gain enough votes.
The law also prohibits mercury switches from being added to new cars sold in Maine, as of January 1, 2003. In addition, auto makers must provide information and technical assistance to identify makes and models of vehicles containing mercury switches.
Sources: State of Maine, Clean Car Campaign.
NEW ZEALAND HEADS TOWARD ZERO WASTE
On March 1, 2002, the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment announced a new Waste Strategy for New Zealand, "Towards Zero Waste and a Sustainable New Zealand." The strategy sets targets for: Reusing and recycling high-volume wastes; Minimizing and managing hazardous wastes; upgrading waste disposal facilities; and charging waste generators the true environmental cost of treatment and disposal.
Source: New Zealand Ministry for the Environment.
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