10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (March 12, 2014)10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (March 12, 2014)

New California Bill Tells Drug Companies to Pay for Medical Waste Disposal “The city wants to support a state bill that would require pharmaceutical companies to subsidize a drug take-back program to get rid of unused medication. Right now, unwanted pharmaceuticals pile up in medicine cabinets or get chucked in the waterways because people don’t know how else to properly get rid of them. SB 1014, introduced by Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), would require medicine-makers to establish what’s the bill calls a product stewardship program.” (SanJoseInside.com)

Group proposes recycling plant in Chesapeake “A group of recycling companies is pitching a large processing complex on land next to the Elizabeth River near the High-Rise Bridge in Chesapeake. The estimated $600 million project on 67 acres would start with a facility to extract metal and plastics from electronics, appliances and other products, said Chuck Vollmer, CEO of eCyclingUSA, one of the companies involved.” (PilotOnline.com)

Spotlight on Landfill Gas Energy: Eye on China and India “Two great countries: two enormous polluters. China and India have vast populations; booming economies; and produce mind-boggling quantities of waste. The potential for converting landfill gas to energy would seem to be enormous. The damaging impact of coal-fired power stations and urban smog has long plagued China. These are, perhaps, lower profile problems in India though nonetheless real. Yet Chinese efforts to tackle the ruinous impact of air pollution are also making the world take notice. It’s far ahead of its Asian neighbour in converting refuse tip methane gas into electricity.” (RenewableEnergyFocus.com)

Thousands rally to ban frack waste pits in Pennsylvania “Thousands of people gathered at the State Capitol Tuesday to fight against the use of frack waste pits in the state. Those in attendance urged the state Department of Environmental Protection to ban the use of open frack pits and impoundments to store waste associated with natural gas drilling. Environmental groups also presented the DEP with a petition signed by 13,000 Pennsylvanians as well as hand-written letters from residents who support the change. Supporters of the change say frack pits cause water, air, and soil pollution.” (Fox43.com)

Set designer turns Broadway trash into gold “If one man's trash is another man's treasure, that's definitely true on Broadway. Tony Award-nominated set designer Anna Louizos has sadly watched wonderful costumes, props, models, sketches and designs from adored plays and musicals get tossed in the trash when shows close. ‘When I see the stuff that we've thrown away, it seems shameful,’ said Ms. Louizos, who has created the celebrated scenic designs for Avenue Q, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella and In the Heights. This month, Ms. Louizos has done something about it: She's launched Broadway Design Exchange, a website that allows designers to sell some of their work online instead of having it end up as landfill.” (Associated Press)

Hawaii lawmakers push electronics recycling rules “Hawaii lawmakers have proposed that manufacturers of electronics goods must recycle 50 percent of the pounds of products that each company sells in the state. The bill (SB 2857) was heard in the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee on Tuesday. Its goal is to give residents on neighbor islands more options to recycle their old televisions, cell phones and a myriad of electronic devices.” (Associated Press)

Group urges Boston to boost recycling, reduce waste “Environmental advocates released a set of recommendations Tuesday that they said will create jobs, improve Boston’s abysmal recycling rate, and generate millions of dollars in revenue. The zero waste master plan was presented at City Hall by a coalition of groups that want to move Boston’s green economy into all neighborhoods and divert 90 percent of the city’s waste from landfills by 2040.” (The Boston Globe)

Lee County, Ill., landfill agreement 'shady' “The company that owns the Lee County Landfill negotiated a ‘shady’ deal with the county government in 2008 and has not lived up to its end of the bargain, a county representative says. Marv Van Weelden, the county's representative in dealing with waste companies, issued a statement Monday that criticized Phoenix-based Republic Services, the nation's second largest trash collection company. He has been trying to get a second landfill in the county for more than 5 years.” (SaukValley.com)

Peoria recycling plant going strong after five months “Pioneer Park: It’s where old TV sets go to die — and become useful again. Not just anywhere in Peoria’s industrial park but at the Kuusakoski Recycling Center, 2022 Townline Road, where cathode ray tubes, the kind found in old TV sets and computer monitors, are processed. The glass is ground up and the lead extracted. Since opening the facility five months ago, Kuusakoski has processed several million pounds of CRT glass, said Anssi Takala, VP of sales for the company based in Finland that now operates in 12 countries.” (Journal Star)

Curbside recycling program grows “In just two months, Nixa’s curbside recycling participation skyrocketed. Republic Services Municipal Services Manager Chris Snyder reported to the Nixa City Council that more than 960 Nixa homes now have 95-gallon recycling bins in addition to their regular trash carts. The growth took off when the council voted 4-1 to add a curbside recycling fee to the city’s contract with Republic Services for trash pickup.” (The Blade)