A New Way to Turn Plastic Into Fuel?

By MATTHEW L. WALD
Source : http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/a-new-way-to-turn-plastic-into-fuel/

Envion Envion, a Washington, D.C., start-up, aims to turn plastics into fuel — with minimal mess.

Entrepreneurs have been trying for years to turn low-value wastes into high-value products. Waste plastic is among the lowest in value, and gasoline or diesel fuel the highest, but machines that carry out that conversion usually consume a lot of energy and get gummed-up by leftover materialthat they cannot convert.

Now a company in Washington, D.C., is trying out a new way — heating the plastic to a very carefully controlled temperature range, with infrared energy.

Bottled Water Versus Tap Water, Which Is Better

Studies Show That Tap Water Is As Good Or Better Than Bottled Water

Jun 20, 2009 Sara Wittenberg

Many people spend substantial amounts of money each year on bottled water because they believe that it is cleaner or safer than tap water.

Studies conducted in the U.S. show that tap water is often cleaner and safer than bottled water. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conducted a study evaluating contaminants in bottled water. They tested 103 brands of bottled water and found that one-third contained contaminants, and one even exceeded allowable limits ("Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?" NRDC March 1999.).

The Scary Truth About Bottled Water

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring that many products people purchase for consumption are safe. However, companies who package and sell their bottled water within the same state, which constitutes 60-70 percent of all bottled water consumed in the U.S., are exempt from inspection by the FDA. Those that are overseen by the FDA are actually not tested as stringently as city tap water is - bottled water is not required to be disinfected, filtered or tested for contaminants such as viruses. Bottled water is tested for bacteria once per week and synthetic chemicals once per year, in contrast to tap water which is tested weekly and quarterly for bacteria and chemicals, respectively. Even fecal traces are allowable in bottled water, provided they're not too high ("Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?" NRDC March 1999.).

Labeling of bottled water is meant to inspire images of crisp clean flowing mountain spring water, bottled directly and sold straight to the buyer. Surprisingly, anywhere from 25-40 percent of bottled water sold in the U.S. is simply tap water that has been put in a bottle, labeled attractively, and had a price tag attached. It was discovered that in one case "pure glacier water" was indeed bottled public city water, and one labeled "spring water" actually came from a source near an industrial parking lot and hazardous waste site!

Read more at Suite101: Bottled Water Versus Tap Water, Which Is Better: Studies Show That Tap Water Is As Good Or Better Than Bottled Water http://waste-reduction.suite101.com/article.cfm/bottled_water_versus_tap_water_which_is_better#ixzz0r7wsFJED

Recycled Cigarette Butts Will Lower Energy Use & Stop Corrosion

Jun 14, 2010 Lara Johns

Recycling cigarette butts can lower energy use in homes and keep steel pipes, used in the oil industry, from rusting and corroding.

By now most people have heard about and realize the serious and harmful effects that cigarettes and cigarette smoke cause but what most people do not realize is that the discarded cigarette butts contribute to landfill costs. As well, cigarette butts contain harmful highly toxic materials and do degrade in a manner that lasts for years.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel however as many companies are working on ways to recycle cigarettes butts and put them to good use. China’s scientists have developed ways to "extract chemicals from discarded cigarette butts in order to protect steel pipes from corrosion." A community in London believes that Igloo Environmental, a U.K.-based recycling company, has found a way to use recycled cigarette butts and turn them into insulation products.

Cigarette Butts Help Stop Corrosion

Chinese scientists have worked to find a way to get some good out of the number one littered item. With more than "4.5 trillion cigarette butts make[ing] their way into the environment each year" there was a need to do something and the Chinese saw a solution, according to Earth911.com.

Cigarette filters are made up of cellulose acetate and nine other chemicals including, of course, nicotine. Scientists were able to remove those different chemicals and use them to prevent corrosion on steel that is used in the oil industry. The effects were favorable. Helping keep steel from rusting is a "major ongoing cost for oil producers" and this research provided by Chinese scientists will prove extremely useful for keeping corrosion and expenses down.

Cigarette Butts Help Lower Home Energy Use

The Igloo Environment recycling company realized that by recycling cigarette butts, they could lower the cost of city expenses associated with liter and landfills. The need to do something about 30,000 tons of littered cigarette butts a year was great and the Igloo Environment Company focused on turning fiber waste streams into useful insulation products, according to Earth911.com. The cigarettes will have to go through a sterilization and recycling process to remove the toxins. They then will be "broken down into their paper and fibrous material components and compacted into insulation "pillows." The insulation pillows are used in homes to decrease energy consumption associated with heat loss." This is another step in protecting our environment from "toxins associated with rainwater runoff and landfilling, while providing a 100 percent recycled insulation product for home use."

Read more at Suite101: Recycled Cigarette Butts Will Lower Energy Use & Stop Corrosion http://pollution-control.suite101.com/article.cfm/recycled-cigarette-butts-will-lower-energy-use--stop-corrosion#ixzz0r7t4xxSr

Hazardous Waste

Source :

http://www.epa.gov/waste/hazard/dsw/index.htm

Definition of Solid Waste

These definitions are crucial to understanding the regulation of hazardous waste under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Before a material can be classified as a hazardous waste, it must first be a solid waste. The resources listed below and throughout this website are provided to help determine whether materials are solid wastes and therefore potentially subject to hazardous waste regulation. Users unfamiliar with the Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) regulations may wish to use the Definition of Solid Waste Tool below as an introduction.

The definition of solid waste is in Section 261.2 of the RCRA Regulations.

Definition of Solid Waste resources:

• DSW Public Meeting - Information regarding the June 30, 2009 public meeting on the DSW final rule
• DSW Tool - An interactive guide through the DSW regulations, with links to key resources, to help determine if a material is subject to RCRA hazardous waste regulations.
  
• DSW Compendium - A collection of written materials addressing specific issues related to the federal definition of solid waste.
  
• DSW Federal Register Notices - Provides information on current and past rulemakings and links to Federal Register Notices specific to the definition of solid waste.
  
• DSW Resources - Provides links to other resources relating to the definition of solid waste, such the relevant Code of Federal Regulations language and RCRA Training Modules.
• DSW Implementation Support - A resource for facilities managing hazardous secondary materials under the 2008 Definition of Solid Waste final rule.
• Environmental Justice Methodology for the DSW Final Rule – Information regarding EPA’s efforts to conduct an environmental justice analysis for the EPA rule.

Local Governments' Efforts to Reduce Plastic Bags Spread Nationwide

Image by The BrassPotato. Some Rights Reserved.

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) of Japan conducted a nationwide survey on local governments' efforts to reduce plastic shopping bags on November 1, 2008. According to the results compiled on January 14, 2009, 80 percent of prefectures and 40 percent of municipalities have already implemented schemes to in some way reduce the use of plastic shopping bags. Including prefectures that plan to join such activities or plan to devise original activities, almost all prefectures in Japan are actively involved in schemes to reduce plastic bags.

With regard to charging for plastic shopping bags, Toyama, Yamanashi and Okinawa have carried out a scheme throughout the prefecture, and at the municipal level, 245 municipalities have started the charge under the tie-up agreement with supermarkets. As compared to the last survey in April 2008, which found that about 30 local governments had such schemes, many more local governments have implemented measures to reduce plastic bags. Three more prefectures plan to implement similar schemes by April 2009, and 125 municipalities will by the end of March 2010.

Some local governments have successfully started reducing plastic bags by installing a system allowing consumers who decide not to use plastic bags to receive local currency or shopping points, which can then be exchanged for discount tickets or gift certificates. Some local governments have asked businesses such as supermarkets for cooperation, leaving the selection of such methods up to them. MOE reported that local governments' efforts in reducing plastic shopping bags are steadily expanding nationwide.

A SEED JAPAN's Zero-Waste Approach a Big Success at Outdoor Concerts

Copyright international environmental NGO "A SEED JAPAN"

The "Zero-Waste Navigation," program conducted by international environmental NGO "A SEED JAPAN," has long been active at concerts and other outdoor events held in Japan. The NGO was founded in 1991 mainly by Japanese people in their twenties who felt responsible for the well-being of future generations of Japanese. The program is a participatory-style of environmental activity at outdoor events, getting people to pick up trash and garbage in order to reduce the amount thrown away. The key idea is not to bring in volunteers to do the work, but to get the actual participants at the events involved in cleaning up.

Triggered by the sight of enormous quantities of rubbish left behind at events, this approach was started in 1994, dealing with separating trash, distributing trash bags, recovery and recycling of resources, and a system to reuse dishes. As 70 percent of rubbish at these events is disposable dishes, the organizers of the program decided to lend out reusable dishes.

In 2008, all of the efforts helped to reduce 5 tons trash, but thousands of reusable dishes went missing, which was seen as a big problem. Organizers are therefore encouraging people to bring own cups and plates from now on.

Since music festivals and other outdoor events are very popular during the summer in Japan, the group has high expectations for the Zero-Waste Navigation approach. It was used at six events during the summer of 2009, and will be continued this autumn and later.

[Youth Action] A SEED JAPAN
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029220.html
Statement Adopted at World Youth Forum Toward Toyako Summit (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/027148.html
[Newsletter] Universities and Students Tackling Environmental Issues No.18 (February 2004)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/mailmagazine/newsletter/pages/
027776.html