Waste Reduction at WasteCap... In an effort to reduce office paper waste at your office and ours, WasteCap utilizes an electronic newsletter. Past e-newsletters can be found on our website under the "E-Newsletters" tab. Check out our website at www.wastecapne.org for the latest events, publications, and new member listings for WasteCap Nebraska.

What's New for June 2007:

 View the Adobe PDF version

WasteCap News

UNL Partners in Pollution Prevention Intern at WasteCap

Brandi Munsinger, an Omaha native, is serving as the UNL Partners in Pollution Prevention (P3) intern at WasteCap Nebraska this summer.  Brandi is a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Chemical Engineering.  Her project for WasteCap involves working with the EPA’s WasteWise program by performing baseline assessments, following up on past presentation contacts, and providing technical assistance to those who are interested in becoming WasteWise partners.  If your organization is interested in participating in the free, voluntary WasteWise program, please contact Brandi at (402) 434-7376 for more information or to set up a baseline assessment.

For more information about the UNL Partners in Pollution Prevention Program, please visit www.p3.unl.edu.

Lincoln Computer Collection a Success

On Wednesday, June 13th, 2007, WasteCap Nebraska held a collection drive for Lincoln businesses to recycle electronics and universal wastes.  Thanks to funding from The Nebraska Environmental Trust, WasteCap was able to help local businesses and individuals recycle their hazardous electronic waste, fluorescent lighting, cell phones and toner cartridges.  Over 130 vehicles participated in the event.

In total, WasteCap collected 21,368 pounds of universal waste, including 313 computer monitors and over 1800 fluorescent light tubes.  On average, each vehicle participating in the collection brought 164 pounds of electronics and other wastes to be recycled.  The event diverted approximately 4650 pounds of plastic, 6600 pounds of leaded glass, and 9200 pounds of metal from the landfill. 

If you missed the June 13th collection and need to properly manage electronics or other universal wastes, please contact Sue Ellen Pegg, 436-2383, to learn about other electronics recycling opportunities. 

WasteCap would like to thank all the businesses that participated in the collection as well as give a special thank you to all our volunteers.

Upcoming Events

WasteCap Nebraska to Host Environmental Webcast Series this Summer

June 20th marked the first in a series of four environmental webcasts hosted by WasteCap Nebraska.  Topics for the webcasts include: Business Energy Conservation, Hazardous and Universal Waste Regulations, Resource Management & Solid Waste Contracting and Business Liability and Identity Theft Protection for Computer Recycling. 

These webcast events are designed to reach a larger geographic area in Nebraska and around the country with important environmental information impacting their business.  According to Carrie Hakenkamp, Executive Director of WasteCap Nebraska, “using the latest technology allows us to offer this training to businesses throughout the state that would not have otherwise been able to participate.  This allows us to expand our reach in Nebraska without added travel expense and makes it very convenient for businesses to attend the seminars from their own desks.”

Each webcast will be offered on Wednesday afternoons throughout the summer from 1-2:30 p.m. CT.

With the generous support of NDEQ, WasteCap is able to offer these webcasts at reduced rates.  Registration fees for the webcasts are as follows:
WasteCap members: $69 each webcast or $249 for all four webcasts
Non-Members: $89 each webcast or $319 for all four webcasts

Speaker bios, expanded session descriptions and registration information can be found on the WasteCap website at www.wastecapne.org.  Registrations should be received no later than the Friday prior to each webcast.  For any questions or to register for the webcasts, please contact WasteCap at (402) 436-2383 or 888-EWASTE9 or visit our website at www.wastecapne.org.

Renewable Energy Educational Seminar Series

Renewable energy, including wind and bio-diesel, will have a no-fee educational seminar series this summer sponsored by Northeast Nebraska Development Network, an organization of economic development professionals working in Northeast Nebraska.  
July 17, 2007: Solar and Wind Energy, Pilger, NE – sessions will feature discussions on Nebraska energy issues, wind rights, and commercial developments.  A tour of a 10 Kw wind turbine, a number of demonstrations and hands on workshops, and an optional tour of an off-grid farm in Lyons or a methane digester will be conducted.

August 21, 2007: Bio-diesel and Biomass, Scribner, NE - sessions will feature outlining technology and oilseeds for bio-diesel with workshops and demonstrations for oilseed crushing, crude oil refining, and bio-diesel production planned.  A tour of the new commercial bio-diesel facility in Scribner will be included for those who pre-register.  
 
Those wishing to get involved or to display at the July or August sessions should contact Robert Byrnes at (402) 685-4333 or Wisner Community Development at (402) 529-3338.  

In September, “Putting It All Together,” a wrap-up session will be held at the Northeast Community College in Norfolk.  Topics include Solar, Ethanol, Wind, Biomass and Biodiesel.  Speakers and discussion forums will be planned for the day.  

A no-fee pre-registration is requested for the events, but all are welcome to attend all sessions.  For more information or to register, contact Wisner Community Development, P.O. Box 852, Wisner NE 68791 or send an email to [email protected].

WasteCap Across Nebraska

WasteCap Nebraska Conducts Annual Outreach

WasteCap Nebraska is currently conducting annual outreach visits to all member businesses.  During this time, staff members are distributing the annual report and a hard copy of the service providers’ guidebook along with informing WasteCap Nebraska members about opportunities available with the U.S. EPA’s WasteWise program as part of a pilot project to determine the best marketing strategy for recruiting businesses and organizations to the WasteWise program. 

Membership in WasteWise can provide cost savings and technical assistance for organizations as well as environmental benefits and EPA recognition.  One environmental aspect to WasteWise partnership is the individualized climate profile tool which is available to partners.  This tool calculates greenhouse gas emissions reductions and translates these into real-life equivalents.  It is a valuable tool for communicating environmental benefits to management, employees, customers, and stakeholders. 

WasteWise is a free, flexible, voluntary program that helps organizations eliminate costly waste through waste reduction practices that benefit the business’s bottom line and the environment.  Organizations and businesses of any size and type are encouraged to join WasteWise through a simple partnership registration process.  Partners are asked to submit an assessment form with baseline data to WasteWise within two months of registering for the program.  A progress report is expected on an annual basis thereafter.  Brandi Munsinger, P3 intern to WasteCap, can assist with baseline assessments for WasteCap members this summer.  Organizations interested in learning more about the WasteWise program should contact Brandi at (402) 434-7376.

Electronics Update

Dell Achieves EPEAT Gold

As computer manufacturers move towards the production of increasingly green computers, Dell, Inc. has produced the first laptop computer to achieve gold status through the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT).  Dell’s Latitude D630 laptop along with 2 desktop models, OptiPlex 740 and 745, have met the criteria to achieve this standard that assists buyers in evaluating green electronic equipment.  For more information on EPEAT, please see their website at http://www.epeat.net/.

Source: Waste News

In the News

Senators Hope to Create Jobs and Save Energy through RISE Act

The Recycling Investment Saves Energy (RISE) Act was introduced by U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) in June.  The proposed legislation would enable companies accelerated depreciation when purchasing new recycling equipment.  These tax incentives are expected to boost recycling rates by allowing recycling service providers to upgrade their processing facilities to meet recycling needs.  The increased recycling rate is hoped to create new jobs as well as save energy.  More information may be found on Senator Carper’s website.
Source: E-Scrap News

New Auto Scrap Recycling Machine

A New Jersey recycling company is the first to use the Hawk 10, a 100 percent emission- and pollutant-free auto scrap recycling machine.  The machine was designed by Global Resource Corporation and converts materials that are normally shredded and landfilled, such as paper, fabric, wood, plastics, and glass, into oil and gas in a closed loop system.  The machine is expected to pay for itself in as little as one year’s time due to the reduced landfill fees and the waste to energy abilities. View full article…
Source: ClimateBiz.com

Colleges Make Pledges to Climate Commitment Campaign

College and University presidents from 45 states have signed an environmental pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at their institutions.  The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment was recently released with 284 institutions of higher education participating.  Three steps are involved in the commitment:

  1. Begin development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible;
  2. Implement two or more actions from a list of ways to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed;
  3. Make the action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports publicly available through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
To access a list of schools participating in the program, please see PresidentsClimateCommitment.org.
Source: GreenBiz.com

Market Corner

 

June – Chicago Region

Mixed Paper

$60-65 (0)

Boxboard Cuttings

$85-90 (+5)

News

$85-90 (+5)

OCC

$95-100 (0)

SOP

$150-160 (0)

Sorted White Ledger

$240-250 (0)
Material Abbreviations
OCC: Old Corrugated Cardboard
SOP: Sorted Office Paper		 Source: Official Board Markets