WORLD WASTES STAFF

Charlotte, N.C. - The National Association for Plastic Container Recovery (NAPCOR), Charlotte, N.C., has released a public statement opposing the proposed changes to the resin identification code recently issued by the Society of Plastics Industry Inc. (SPI), Washington, D.C., and the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), Washington, D.C.

SPI introduced the present resin identification code, which includes numbers, resin abbreviations and the chasing arrows symbol, in 1988 as a result of recyclers' demands for a system to identify, sort and recycle different plastics. The code initially applied to bottles and later expanded to include all rigid plastic containers.

While the original code was not intended to be an endorsement of recyclability, the code is now mandated in 39 states and is recognized by consumers as a "recycling code." As a result, debates have centered on misuse of the code on products other than rigid plastic containers and consumer confusion about whether the chasing arrows symbol automatically implies recyclability.

The proposed new coding system, developed by the joint SPI/NRC task force, utilizes the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code and includes resin abbreviations surrounded by mathematical symbols to help recyclers sort containers for recycling. The new system eliminates numbers and the chasing arrow symbol.

NAPCOR said it "strongly recommends keeping the present numerical coding system to facilitate consumer awareness and education."

"Our most effective educational tool has been numerical identification, which is easy to understand and simple to locate," said Luke Schmidt, president of NAPCOR.

Acquisitions Waste Management Inc. in Oak Brook, Ill., has acquired Waste Away Group Inc., a solid waste recycling, collection and disposal company serving markets throughout Georgia and Alabama.

Facility Expansion Wheel-abrator Technologies Inc., Hampton, N.H., will expand the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County's composting facility, West Palm Beach, Fla.

New Projects Dade County, Fla., has approved a demonstration program that will use the Hi-Rise Recycling System, which was developed by Hi-Rise Recycling Systems Inc., Miami.

Site Selection Onyx Inc., Indianapolis, has selected Michigan City, Ind., as the site for its new manufacturing facility.