IN THIS ISSUE:

Opinion Poll

News:

--Pacific Waste Services Fleet To Use Alternative Fuels

-- Waste Management VP Named to NRC Board of Directors

-- World Trade Center Cleanup May Be Finished by Summer

--Minnesota Trucking Industry Hurt by Insurance Increases

-- Seventh Annual Landfill Gas Symposium Golf Tournament Announced

Newsbriefs: Acquisition, Agreement, etc.

Events

Highlights from Waste Age's January issue

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NEWS:
PACIFIC WASTE SERVICES FLEET TO USE ALTERNATIVE FUELS
San Diego -- Pacific Waste Services has announced it will use biodiesel and San Diego-based Ethos Environmental Inc.'s fuel reformulator (FR) as a new alternative fuel source. The decision was based on results of a two-month pilot in which the alternative fuel reduced emissions by 46 percent in Pacific Waste's Chula Vista division fleet.

Sixty-two solid waste hauling vehicles, including those for trash, yard waste, recycling and container transport, now run on the new fuel, which may help to reduce more than 500 tons of pollution annually. The program, B20-Ethos, uses B20, a mixture of 20 percent of Chelsea, Mass.-based World Energy's Envirodiesel, 80 percent standard diesel, and Ethos FR, an ester formula that works with any fuel to reduce emissions.

With the program, Pacific Waste Services has converted 100 percent of the Chula Vista division fleet to the alternative fuel and has introduced B20 to all of its diesel engine vehicles without modifications or retrofitting. Total cost is estimated at $50,000 per year in fuel, but according to the company, fuel savings will recover the added cost.

The company plans to implement the B20-Ethos program in the San Diego division by the end of November 2002.

WASTE MANAGEMENT VP NAMED TO NRC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Houston -- Steve Ragiel, vice president of recycling for Waste Management Inc., has been elected to the Alexandria, Va.-based National Recycling Coalition's (NRC) board of directors for a two-year term.

WORLD TRADE CENTER CLEANUP MAY BE FINISHED BY SUMMER
New York -- According to a CNN.com report, cleanup at the World Trade Center (WTC) has an estimated cost of $1 billion and should be completed by the summer. The site originally was expected to cost as much as $7 billion and take one year to complete. The city and work crews attribute the faster and less expensive cleanup to longer shifts, a mild winter and a dedication to help victims' families. To date, more than 1 million tons have been removed from the site. p>
Additionally, steel from the World Trade Center (WTC) wreckage has been sent to India and China to be used for recycling and new construction projects.

New York's Metal Management, one of the firms cleaning steel from the area, has said it bought 70,000 tons of scrap metal from the twin towers, some of which has been shipped to Southeast Asia. But according to Metal Management, not all of the WTC metal will end up across the globe: The city will keep some metal for a memorial to those killed on Sept. 11.

MINNESOTA TRUCKING INDUSTRY HURT BY INSURANCE INCREASES
St. Paul, Minn. -- According to results of a joint survey between the Minnesota Trucking Association (MTA) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Minnesota's trucking companies are experiencing rising insurance rates, especially after Sept. 11.

The survey shows that primary, or general liability, rates increased by 32 percent for carriers renewing in 2001. Those who renewed their policies after Sept. 11 paid an average of 37 percent more. Renewal rates for umbrella insurance in 2001 increased an average of 74 percent, while rate increases after Sept. 11 climbed to 120 percent.

ATA president William Canary said that while some increases were expected because of insurance losses associated with the terrorist attacks, the sharp increase is troubling because both government statistics and the industry's experience show that trucking companies are driving safer than ever.

The MTA currently is working with the ATA to develop educational materials for state association members to help provide and promote better safety programs and practices, hiring of drivers, training and monitoring systems, safety incentive programs, and loss prevention systems.

To view the study, visit http://www.mntruck.org.

SEVENTH ANNUAL LANDFILL GAS SYMPOSIUM GOLF TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED
Seaside, Calif. - SWANA's Seventh Annual Landfill Gas Symposium Golf Tournament will be held March 29, 2002. Registration and sponsorship information are available online at http://www.swana.org/symposia.asp. For questions about the golf tournament, contact the 2002 tournament chair, Paul Stout, EMCON/OWT Solid Waste Services, at (925) 288-2025. Mailto:[email protected].

NEWSBRIEFS: Acquisition, Agreement, etc.
Acquisition
-- Gundle/SLT Environmental (GSE) Inc., Houston, has agreed to acquire the stock of Serrot International Inc., Henderson, Nev., from Waste Management Inc., Houston, for $30 million. Both GSE and Serrot provide geomembrane liner systems used in landfill applications. After the acquisition, Serrot's U.S. operations in Henderson and Wellford, S.C., will be moved to GSE's U.S. manufacturing plants.

Agreement
-- Autocar LLC, Union City, Ind., has expanded its dealer network to include Trucks West Inc., Phoenix; Central Valley Trucks of Fresno, Calif.; RDO Truck Center, Riverside, Calif.; Husky Truck Center, Seattle; HT&Co. Inc., Honolulu; Grande Truck Center, San Antonio, Texas; Truck West of New Mexico, Albuquerque; and Lonestar Trucks, Buda, Texas. These dealers join Lonestar Trucks of Houston and Oakland Truck Center, Oakland, Calif., to market and support the Autocar Xpeditor line.

Fiscal
-- Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., has reported fourth-quarter 2001 sales and revenues of $5.10 billion, compared with sales and revenues of $5.11 billion for the same quarter last year. The company also has reported a $264 million profit, the same profit for the same quarter last year.

EVENTS
March 6-8, 2002 The Work Truck Show and NTEA 38th Annual Convention Orlando, Fla. Contact: National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA). Fax toll-free: (800) 700-2099 and request document #1110. Website: http://www.ntea.com.

March 10-13, 2002
NADC 29th Annual Convention Las Vegas. Contact: Alicia D'Arcy, National Association of Demolition Contractors (NADC), 16 North Franklin Street, Suite 203, Doylestown, Pa. 18901-3536. Phone toll-free: (800) 541-2412. Fax: (215) 348-8422. Mailto:[email protected].

March 10-14, 2002 I
SRI Annual Convention &Exposition Las Vegas. Contact Lisa Ness, ISRI. Phone: (202) 662-8534. Website: http://www.isri.org.

March 12-15, 2002
WASTEC Winter Conference Stuart, Fla. Contact: Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC), part of the Environmental Industry Associations (EIA). 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20008. Phone toll-free: (800) 424-2869. Fax: (202) 966-4824.

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WASTE EXPO: MAY 21-23 2002, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

You can't afford to miss out on the industry's leading event! Join 12,000 of your colleagues at North America's largest display of exhibits, conference sessions and special events designed for all solid waste and recycling professionals - public sector, private sector and waste generators. For complete WasteExpo 2002 information visit www.wasteexpo.com
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EARN LANDFILL INDEPENDENT LEARNING COURSE CREDIT

Waste Age magazine, in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin, Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center, Madison, Wis., is pleased to offer the Landfill Independent Learning Correspondence course. The course is designed to provide continuing education opportunities to people who have an interest in solid waste disposal issues

To enroll, send your name, company, title, address, phone number, e-mail address and a check for $149 (payable to the University of Wisconsin) to Phil O'Leary, Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin, 432 N. Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706. For further enrollment information, contact: Phil O'Leary at (608) 262-0493 or mailto:[email protected]
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IN WASTE AGE'S JANUARY ISSUE:
Features:
-- A $12 Billion Start-Up: At age 29, Waste Management looked like a wounded, floundering giant. At age 30, it's young again, like a hungry start-up company with revenues of $12 billion.
-- Stink Stoppers: A survey of new methods, solutions and systems for controlling odor. Business Trends:
-- EPA Report Dishes Out MSW Facts &Figures
-- Coping with Call-Ups
-- Insurance Protection's New Price
Business Briefs:
-- NSWMA, SWANA Establish Anthrax Guidance for the Waste Industry
-- Mack, Volvo Reorganize, Autocar Expands
-- SWANA, USCC Announce Compost Certification Program
Columnists:
-- Circular File: Less Than Meets the Eye, by Chaz Miller
-- EIA: NWSMA: Focused on Safety, by David Biderman
-- Legal: Mercy for Mercury Labels, by Barry Shanoff

GOT A GREAT STORY IDEA? CONTACT WASTE AGE'S EDITORS:
-- Bill Wolpin, Editorial Director: (770) 618-0112, mailto:[email protected]
-- Features, contact Patricia-Anne Tom, Managing Editor: (770) 618-0310, mailto:[email protected]. Waste Age features provides in-depth coverage of every major business area of the industry.
-- Business Trends, contact Rebekah A. Hall, Associate Editor: (770) 618-0421, mailto:[email protected]. Business Trends analyze the news and current trends in our ever-changing waste industry.
-- Business Briefs, contact Danielle Jackson, Assistant Editor: (770) 618-0202, mailto:[email protected]. Business Briefs section offers a quick digest of current events and news.
-- Waste Age Product News, Danielle Jackson, Assistant Editor: (770) 618-0202, mailto:[email protected]. Waste Age Product News highlights the products and services in every segment of the waste industry.

WANT ADVERTISING INFORMATION?
For Waste Age Wire sponsorship information, contact Jamie Tomasic, national sales manager: (203) 358-4197, mailto:[email protected]

Tim Clary, Western Sales Manager: (972) 27-WASTE or (972) 279-2783, mailto:[email protected]

Jay Schlosser, Easter Sales Manager: (770) 618-0137 mailto:[email protected]

Gary Kazmier, Classified Ads/Jr. Display: (770) 618-0374, mailto:[email protected]

To visit the WasteExpo site, click here: www.wasteexpo.com