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22 Aug 03 - Canada; junk mail; food; reality TV; NRC; ordinance; wedding dresses ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive --------------------- Link to the website for Waste Reduction Week in Canada, which will be held October 20-26, 2003: http://www.wrwcanada.com Waste Reduction Week in Canada is organized by a coalition of non-government, not-for-profit environmental groups from 13 provinces and territories. --------------------- Excerpted from an 8/22/03 article by Jane Stebbins in the Summit Daily News, Frisco, CO (forwarded by David Stitzhal from the GreenYes listserv): WILL PEOPLE READ THEIR JUNK MAIL IF YOU DON'T LET THEM RECYCLE IT? A U.S. Postal Service official in Summit County, Colorado, has ordered that all recycling bins be removed from county post offices. Regional post office operations manager Sheryl Wilson said she had the recycling bins removed because, "We're in the business of delivering the mail, not helping customers discard it. It's really defeating the purpose when we turn around and provide additional spots for them to throw it out." She said her decision also concerns issues of customers' security and privacy. Some individual postmasters in the county agreed with Wilson's decision, saying that by removing the recycling option, people might be more inclined to take their advertising mail home and read it. The direct mail industry provides the Postal Service with about 85 percent of its revenue, and with increasing numbers of people signing up on "no-call" lists for telemarketers, companies have fewer options to capture the eyes of consumers. Some citizens were outraged at the decision, noting that the post offices still have garbage cans, and people will now probably just put their unwanted mail in the trash. Jim Lamb, a Green Party council member in Breckenridge, said, "Leave it to the federal government to come up with something this stupid. I will take my junk mail home, but I still won't read it. This is absolutely ridiculous. This is a huge step in the wrong direction for an environmentally friendly town." Summit County Landfill manager Ric Pocius said, "Their comment about taking it home and reading it is naive. I don't even bother opening it. Now, I'll probably end up throwing it in the trash - and the post office is going to have to pay to cart that trash away. My suggestion is that everyone put their mail in the trash to make them pay for it. And everyone should start using e-mail. This brings stupidity to a new high level." Rep. Mark Udall, D-Boulder, has sent a letter to the postmaster general in Washington, D.C., urging him to reconsider any policy that discourages recycling in post offices. Udall represents Summit County and the 2nd District. "People are very upset about this decision," said Udall's press secretary Lawrence Pacheco. "If it's a choice between protecting junk mail versus protecting the environment, Congressman Udall hopes post offices choose the latter. It doesn't make sense. This is an example of how government can be out of touch with what the local community wants." --------------------- Link to information on commercial-sector food donation programs in Oregon, on the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) waste prevention website (first seen in Jim Schrock's "Delete This Newsletter"): http://www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/foodrescue.html This website includes information on DEQ grants, which have helped local governments and emergency food providers in Oregon work together to collect edible food from local groceries, produce warehouses, and restaurants. --------------------- From Kinley Deller, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA: The National Public Radio show "On The Media" recently featured a segment about the latest "Big Brother" reality TV show in Mexico, which has put a lot of emphasis on waste reduction and recycling. I think people on this listserve may find the story interesting. Here is an introduction used for the show, followed by a link to a transcript of the segment: REALITY, WITH MESSAGE In Mexico, government planners saw an opportunity in the enormous popularity of the country's own version of "Big Brother." And so this year the show's viewers witnessed more than the standard nitty-gritty of cohabitation - they watched contestants recycle, conserve water, and make compost. Reporter Peter Aronson goes behind the scenes of "Big Brother Mexico": http://www.wnyc.org/onthemedia/transcripts/transcripts_080803_mexico.html E-mail: kinley [D O T] deller [A T] metrokc [D O T] gov --------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: NRC UPDATE This year's National Recycling Congress (NRC) in Baltimore Sept. 15-17 has a strong waste prevention (reduction and reuse) element, in addition to all the usual great recycling stuff. The waste prevention-related activities at the conference include: Sessions (some of these will also have additional speakers not yet confirmed): - "Reuse First." Speakers: Leslie Kirkland, The Loading Dock (Baltimore); Jim Lynch, CompuMentor; Bill Ewing, Maryland Food Bank. Moderator: Tom Watson, King County (WA). - "Eliminating Toxins from the Waste Stream." Speakers: Cecilia DeLoach, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment state partnership program; Mary Ann Remolador, Northeast Recycling Council; Chip Foley, American Iron & Steel Institute. Moderator: Laura Dubester, Center for Ecological Technology. - "Getting Closer to Zero Waste." Speaker: Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Moderator: Eric Lombardi, Eco-Cycle. - "Consumption and Waste Reduction on a Collision Course." Speakers: David Assmann, City of San Francisco; Tom Watson, King County (WA). Moderator: Susan Salterberg, Center for Energy & Environmental Education. - "Product Stewardship: Can the European and Canadian Models Work in the US?" Speakers: Edward Boisson, Boisson & Associates; Catherine Wilt, University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products. Moderator: Victor Bell, Environmental Packaging International. - "Environmental Management Systems: A Comprehensive Strategy for Achieving Your Goals." Speakers: Robert Noonan, Amtrak; Michael Green, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Brian Moyer, U.S. Army Research Laboratory; Greg Allen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Moderator: Ed Pinero, U.S. Federal Environmental Executive's office. - "Surplus Property Programs at Colleges." Speakers: Patricia Chase, Arizona State University; Glenn Feagley, Pennsylvania State University; Mike Painter, University of Maryland. Moderator: Ruth Daoust, Michigan State University. - "Campus Initiatives to Promote Sustainable Practices." Speakers: Rob Gogan, Harvard University; Angie Fowler, Five College Recycling Program. Moderator: Kurt Teichert, Brown University. - For details on these and other sessions, see: http://www.nrc-recycle.org/congress/programinfo/program.htm Tours: - Reuse Tour (used building materials): Loading Dock and Second Chance. - Green Building Tour: Chesapeake Bay Foundation building and Maryland Department of the Environment building. - For details on the tours see: http://www.nrc-recycle.org/congress/programinfo/tours.htm Waste Prevention Coalition booth: The National Waste Prevention Coalition will host a booth in the NRC exhibit hall this year, featuring posters, materials and products from around the country - all related to reduction and reuse. The booth will also be a meeting place for people interested in waste prevention. We'll have comfy chairs and we'll try to introduce people to others from around the country who are working on the same issues. Thanks to those who have already sent materials for us to display in the booth! If you would still like to send (or bring) something for the booth, we'd be happy to consider it - just let me know as soon as possible. We could also still use some help staffing the booth, for some one-hour shifts. Thanks! E-mail: tom ( D O T ) watson ( A T ) metrokc ( D O T ) gov Phone: (206) 296-4481 -------------------- Excerpted from an 8/6/03 item in the Indianapolis Star, following up on a 6/18/03 posting about a court case in Indianapolis: APPEALS COURT RULES ON UNSOLICITED MATERIALS ORDINANCE The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Aug. 5th that the "Renters Gazette" is a newspaper and can be placed on apartment doorsteps whether landlords and residents like it or not. The City of Indianapolis had tried to block distribution of the Gazette, published by Cary Campbell Realty, saying it is a handbill. A city ordinance bars handbills - which the ordinance defines as almost any printed materials - from being distributed on private property if owners object. The only two exceptions are the U.S. mail and newspapers. Campbell's advertising flier had evolved into the Renters Gazette, published weekly on newsprint and filled with government information, such as congressional bill summaries, along with Campbell Realty ads. The city argued that was mere window dressing, and didn't make the Gazette a true newspaper. But in its ruling, affirming a Marion County court decision, the appeals court said "government restrictions on the exercise of First Amendment rights based on the 'content' of that expression are impermissible." --------------------- Excerpted from an 8/22/03 article by Heather Won Tesoriero in the Wall Street Journal: SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING USED In a backlash against the mounting costs of pull-out-all-the-stops weddings, a surprising number of brides are selling their dresses this summer right after the honeymoon, or buying secondhand ones at a discount. In a wake-up call for the $1.4 billion wedding-dress industry, secondhand retailers say business is up 50 to 70 percent from two years ago. And the reasons are obvious: Despite the soft economy, top-tier gowns can start at $3,000 to $4,000, with custom-made Vera Wangs costing far more. Wedding experts say an older marrying age and greater life experience are contributing to women deciding to sell their gowns. Now that women wed later in life (average age 25, up from 20 in 1960) and pay for a bigger portion of their own nuptials, they're a lot more cautious about the bill. Etiquette experts are horrified, right? Wrong. "I say sell it, if you need the money," says Letitia Baldrige, former social secretary to the White House and author of several manners guidebooks. "Who has to know?" Too many young marrieds are starting off in debt because of the climbing cost of a wedding, she says. Bridal Boutique in Phoenix sold 1,500 used dresses last year, a 70 percent jump in business from 2000. In New York City, Madison Avenue's posh Michael's Consignment has seen bridal consignment sales increase 40 percent. Minneapolis' Brides of France says sales of used gowns have tripled since 2000. And websites like Nearlynewbridal.com and TheKnot.com have literally thousands of listings for used dresses, headpieces and tiaras. - end -