New EPA Report Details $27 Billion Pollution Control Market
According to a recently release EPA report, U.S. manufactures spent $5.9 billion on capital expenditures and $20.7 billion on operating costs for pollution prevention and treatment in 2005. The report is called "Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures (PACE): 2005" and is believed by the agency to be the most comprehensive one available. It provides details on pollution abatement expenditures, categorized by type of pollution media and abatement activity by industry and state. The reported costs include capital and operating costs for treatment and capture, prevention, recycling, and disposal, as well as depreciation of pollution abatement equipment...Read More »
E-Waste Law Shaping Up in 2008
Congressional principals for federal e-waste legislation as articulated in a recent concept paper have drawn generally supportive responses from more than 40 groups and companies. In particular, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) favors a federal approach that supersedes and rationalizes many disparate and various state level measures. However, the CEA has concerns with elements of the concept paper that call for recycling targets because "there's no correlation between sales of products and recycling of products," said CEA Environmental Counsel Parker Brugge. "To have manufacturers have their obligation be based on consumer behavior seems to us to be unreasonable." While the CEA is not seeking to preempt state laws per se, it believes that states should not be able to set stricter standards as proposed in the concept paper...Read More »
US EPA Orders Republic to Cap Troubled Portion of Countywide Landfill in Ohio
In the ongoing efforts to resolve underground fires and resulting odors at Republic's Countywide landfill in Stark County, Ohio, the US Environmental Protection Agency has ordered installation of a clay-and-synthetic cap. The EPA expects the cap to keep water and snow from getting into an 88-acre tract where problems have occurred since 2006. It is also expected to help the landfill extract gas without allowing odors to escape. Republic Services, which owns the landfill, is required to submit a plan for doing so within 15 days for work that is expected to begin this summer...Read More »
Ohio EPA Approves Landfills to Accommodate More Coal Plant Waste
The Ohio EPA has approved two landfills and is considering four more to accommodate potentially millions of tons of additional ash and sludge wastes which are the byproducts of coal-fired power plants. The power plants having upgraded pollution control equipment in compliance with new federal regulations are significantly reducing air emissions leading to greatly increased residual waste production. The EPA passed the Clean Air Interstate Rule in March 2005 with the aim of reducing smog, acid rain and soot tied to power production. It requires a 57% reduction in sulphur dioxide and 61% cut in nitrogen oxide emissions by 2015. To the Ohio EPA, containing the material in a protected regulated facility is a far better alternative ejecting it into the atmosphere...Read More »
Coca-Cola Clothes from Recycled Bottles to Launch in Wal-Mart
Coca-Cola is launching a line of clothing made from recycled plastic bottles. T-shirts that read "Make your plastic fantastic" and "Rehash your trash" will soon line the shelves of Wal-Mart stores. In response to withering environmental criticism about its beverage containers ending up in landfills, the company is attempting to make the proverbial silk purse from a sow's ear with what it terms "Drink 2 Wear" apparel. The company's overall goal is to recycle or reuse 100% of the bottles and cans in the U.S. marketplace where they have spent $60 million on recycling programs already...Read More »
Waste Pro Awarded $180 Million in New Municipal Contracts
Longwood, Florida-based Waste Pro USA announced winning four new major long-term contracts collectively accounting for $180 million in new business. The exclusive service contracts are for Palm Beach County, Orange County, Manatee County and the City of Crestview Florida for which Waste Pro will service over 140,000 homes and additional 4,000 business and industrial locations. Waste Pro was established in 2001 with five people and two trucks. Today it is one of the largest private firms in the Southeast employing over 1,200 people and operating a fleet of more than 700 trucks...Read More »
RecycleBank Secures $30 Million to Begin Big Push
The recycling rewards company RecycleBank has secured $30 million in Series B funding from a group of leading venture capital firms. The company plans to use the funding to rapidly scale its already successful program to the entire US and even into Europe in the next 24 months. The firms behind the deal are luminaries Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers (KPCB), RRE Ventures, Sigma Partners and The Westly Group. RecycleBank rewards consumers who recycle with coupons from local and national merchants who enjoy more store traffic. Where deployed, the programs have shown to double local recycling rates...Read More »
Sioux Falls Landfill Methane to Fuel Ethanol Plant
The city of Sioux Falls, SD contracted with ethanol producer Poet to build a 10-mile low-pressure methane pipeline from the city's landfill to Poet's plant in Chancellor. Methane from the landfill will eventually replace 30% of the plant's natural gas usage by 2025. The Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill, which takes in about 500 tons of waste each day, currently flares its landfill gas on site. The project is expected to cost $4.3 million and generate $1.8 million in annual gross revenue...Read More »
Waste Management adds New Landfill Gas to Energy Facility in Ottawa
Waste Management broke ground on its latest landfill gas to energy (LFGTE) facility in Ottawa, Ontario. It is expected to produce 6.4 megawatts of power once operational in the fall of 2008. The Ottawa facility is the company's second Canadian LFGTE project after one in Ste. Sophie, Quebec which powers the nearby Cascades paper mill. Plans are in the works for a similar project its soon to be expanded Warwick landfill near Watford, Ontario and possibly its landfill in Petrolia, Ontario later on. The projects are part of an ambitious company goal to build 60 new renewable energy facilities by 2012. Currently the company operates more than a hundred landfill energy projects producing enough energy to power more than 1 million homes. They hope to double that output by 2020...Read More »
Renegy Holdings to Buy 20 MW Biomass Power Plant
Tempe-based Renegy Holdings Inc. agreed this week to buy a 20-megawatt biomass power plant in Loyalton, Calif., from Sierra Pacific Industries for $13 million. The operating plant which currently sells 10 MW of its electrical power output to Sierra Pacific Power, is expected to be making money for Renegy later this year. It draws half of its fuel from sawmills and the other half from municipal wood waste. The announcement follows one last week involving the purchase of an idle, 18-megawatt biomass plant in Ione, Calif., for $5.35 million. Renegy plans to open a 24-megawatt biomass plant in Snowflake, Ariz., this year, and it also owns an idle plant in Susanville, Calif. that could restart this year. Having amassed a portfolio of biomass power plants with a collective capacity of 75 MW is expected make Renegy a self-sustaining business beginning in 2009...Read More »
EIA and NSWMA Hire New Director of Communications and Public Affairs
The Environmental Industry Associations welcomed the recent appointment of Thom Metzger as director of communications and public affairs. He will be responsible for developing a broad strategic communications and public affairs strategy to enhance the voice of the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) in the local and federal legislative and regulatory arenas, in which its members have significant financial and reputational interests. Most recently Metzger was director of marketing and public relations for the American Chemistry Council (ACC) where helped develop a highly successful $20 million media campaign...Read More »
Covanta to Announce First Quarter Earnings on April 23
Covanta Holding Corp. will release first quarter financial results on Wednesday, April 23. The company will host a conference call the following day at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) to discuss those results...Read More »
WCA Waste to Announce First Quarter Earnings on April 30
WCA Waste Corp. plans to announce first quarter earnings on April 30 following the market close. The company will host a conference call the next morning at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) to discuss those results...Read More »
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