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16 Apr 03 - diapers; Earth Day; construction; circulars; vacuums; spray bottles ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- Excerpted from a 4/8/03 BBC news service article, and the website of the Real Nappy Association, London, England: UK MOVEMENT: ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS EMBRACE CLOTH DIAPERS Nearly three billion disposable "nappies" (British slang for diapers) are thrown away in Britain every year. In a household with one baby, nappies may make up 50 percent of that household's waste. But an effort to convince parents to use cloth nappies instead of disposables has been gaining momentum recently. "Real Nappy Week," held in the United Kingdom last week (April 7-13), attracted extensive press coverage. The Real Nappy Association and the Women's Environmental Network marked Real Nappy Week this year by launching the Nappy Line, a phone number that people can call to find out where to buy cloth diapers, how to sign up for cloth diaper services, and other information. The Real Nappy Association includes cloth diaper manufacturers, cloth diaper services and environmental groups. According to the association, more than 150 local governments in Great Britain have gone on record supporting cloth nappies and Real Nappy Week. Government officials have pointed out that it costs local governments a significant amount to deal with disposable diaper waste. In response, a number of local governments and hospitals have begun cloth nappy projects in recent months. For example, according to the BBC, Scotland's busiest maternity unit, Simpson Maternity Pavilion in Edinburgh, has begun a four-month trial in which disposable nappies are being replaced by washable ones. Hospital officials say they are interested in cloth nappies for financial and environmental reasons. The pilot project will allow mothers to compare the two types of nappy. One postnatal ward at the Simpson will use real nappies and the other will use disposables. Women will be allowed to choose which ward they stay in. The Women's Environmental Network estimates that about 15 percent of the diapering parents in Britain are now using cloth nappies, and those numbers are rising. For more information about the Real Nappy Association, see: http://www.realnappy.com -------------------- Link to listings of Earth Day events around the nation, from the Earth Day Network and EnviroLink Network websites: - http://www.earthday.org/events/events-us.stm - http://earthday.envirolink.org/calendar.html Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22, 2003. Many Earth Day events are also being held on the weekends before and after. A number of these events include waste prevention education. -------------------- From Sharon Aller, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, responding to the 4/8/03 posting that gave the estimated amounts of waste generated during home construction: I'd be interested in an additional breakdown or explanation of the new home construction waste. We built a home in Arizona and I don't remember any waste to that degree. E-mail: sharon [D O T] aller [A T] metrokc [D O T] gov Note: In the original posting, the National Association of Home Builders provided these estimates of waste generated during the construction of a 2,000-square-foot home: Wood - 3,000 pounds (11 cubic yards); Drywall - 2,000 pounds (6 cubic yards); Masonry - 1,000 pounds (1 cubic yard); Cardboard - 600 pounds (20 cubic yards); Metal - 150 pounds (1 cubic yard); Vinyl - 150 pounds (1 cubic yard). -------------------- Excerpted from an article by Amelia Robinson in the 4/15/03 Dayton Daily News: DAYTON SUBURB TARGETS UNSOLICITED CIRCULARS In Beavercreek, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, the city council has given preliminary approval to an ordinance that would allow residents to "opt out" of receiving unsolicited "shopper" newspapers, circulars, handbills and similar advertising materials that are commonly left on people's porches or in their yards. The council voted 4-2 on April 14 to advance the ordinance. If it receives final approval, residents could opt out of a publisher's delivery route by sending a certified letter asking to be removed. The publisher would have to stop delivery within 30 days. Publishers who continue to deliver could be charged with a minor misdemeanor for the first offense. For a second offense within two years, the minimum fine could be $250 and that could double for the third and subsequent violations. The ordinance would not include political materials. At the April 14 council meeting, Beavercreek Vice Mayor Robert Stone noted that a couple months ago, when the winter's heavy snows melted, the city's streets and yards were littered with green and red plastic bags containing these unwanted advertising materials. "When the snow melted, it looked like Christmas all over again, the green and red everywhere," Stone said. -------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: I recently heard about two innovative waste prevention-related concepts: 1) An interesting example of a large-scale repair operation was described in a 3/19/03 e-mail from Robert Richards of Vacuum Systems International (VSI), in Cleveland, Ohio (forwarded by Kinley Deller from the Northwest Product Stewardship Council listserv). According to Richards, VSI operates a rebuild/rotation program for vacuum cleaners used in the retail chain store and hospitality industries. Their clients include Payless Shoes, The Gap, and Abercrombie & Fitch. This is how the program works: Once a chain store or hotel headquarters has signed on to the program, VSI works with them to establish a uniform type of vacuum cleaner used on their properties. When a store or hotel (anywhere in the U.S. or Canada) has a problem with a vacuum, they can call the VSI helpline. VSI estimates that 30 percent of the time, they are able to fix the problem over the phone. If it can't be fixed over the phone, a rebuilt vacuum cleaner is pulled out of the client's dedicated inventory and sent to the location; the broken vacuum cleaner is put back in the same box. Then it is sent back to VSI, where it is rebuilt and placed back into circulation. Richards says this program reduces the number of vacuum cleaners that are discarded for minor problems, and increases the lifecycle of the units by rebuilding them. A vacuum cleaner weighs 15 to 25 pounds. "On a good day, we process 80 to 100 commercial vacuums," he notes. For information on the program, see: http://www.vacuumhelpline.com/Pages/How_It_Works.html Richards says they are interested in developing relationships with other "green" companies. He can be reached at: aririch (AT) mindspring (DOT) com 2) U-Mix-It Safe Spray, a small business operated by Andy Willhoit in Northern California, sells empty plastic spray bottles that are printed with recipes for non-toxic sprays. One bottle has recipes for household cleaners (using common items such as vinegar, lemon juice, liquid soap and borax). Another bottle has recipes for garden pest control sprays (using ingredients such as onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, liquid soap, potato flour and baking soda). Some local government agencies around the country have purchased the bottles to give away at household hazardous waste collection events and other promotions. For information, see: http://www.safespray.com - end -