Monday, March 27, 2006

UK - paint scheme diverts 151,000 litres from landfill

Research published by environmental consultancy SWAP shows that the paint reuse scheme Community RePaint increased the amount of paint it diverted from landfill by 15 per cent last year. Between August 2004 and July 2005, 151,500 litres of paint were redistributed by the network's 62 schemes, an increase of 19,000 litres on the previous year.
The paint was donated by members of the public at household waste recycling centres, DIY retailers and to the schemes directly. It has been used in a variety of innovative ways from decorating a lighthouse in Cardiff to painting murals. The Community RePaint network also provides additional social benefits through the creation of employment and volunteering opportunities, supporting 72 part time and full time jobs and 138 voluntary positions.

From: Resource Recovery Forum

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Monday, March 20, 2006

USA - Pay-As-You-Throw Programs (PAYT)

Traditionally, municipal solid waste collection and disposal services have been financed through property taxes or by fixed annual fees charged to households. At the same time, households are charged according to their rate of use for other utilities such as water and sewer service or electricity. As a result, residents often mistakenly perceive that solid waste services are free because of the separation between cost of services and how they pay for them. Citizens have little direct financial incentive to reduce the amount of waste they produce. Also, because each household is generally charged the same amount, small generators subsidize garbage services for those who throw away more.

Many local governments are adopting Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs for both curbside and drop-off collection systems. With PAYT, also known as “variable rate financing” or “unit pricing,” customers are charged by weight, by volume, or by a combination of the two per unit of garbage disposed. Market-based approaches such as these are proving to be important tools for dealing with environmental issues. With only a dozen PAYT programs in the late 1980s, the United States now has more than 4,000 communities with such programs.1 PAYT programs have been mandated in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. More than 30 North Carolina communities are using or are part of larger (county-run) PAYT programs.

Benefits of PAYT: These programs offer a myriad of benefits for local governments. Furthermore, PAYT programs can be structured to maximize particular benefits. Some benefits of PAYT are:

• Economic Incentives to Reduce – PAYT creates a direct link between waste disposal and cost resulting in a true economic incentive to reduce the amount of waste generated and recycle as much as possible.

• Reduced Solid Waste Tonnage – In most communities, the realization of costs associated with waste management results in a decreased tonnage of waste to be disposed. This decrease is attributable to both source reduction and increased recycling. A reduction in the tonnage of waste disposed generally results in savings from reduced tipping fees.

• Increased Recycling – The easiest way system users can save money is through increasing recycling. Increases will vary in size based on public education programs and the level of services available. Communities that receive revenues from recycling will see an increase in recycling revenues, however, these revenue increases may be quickly off-set by increased recycling hauling costs.

To read more go to this pdf link

EPA's website is very comprehensive, read the FAQ page to learn more. It's worth reading this website to case studies. This map was extracted from this website



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Japan - Bring your own cup

Japan - Trade Ministry tests "bring your own cup" vending machines

The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has installed a vending machine that allows consumers to use their own cups when they purchase drinks in the elevator lobby of the ministry building. Japan for Sustainability reports that the aim is to conduct research on consumer behaviour and convenience. This experiment, the first of its kind undertaken by a government or other public office, started on November 1, 2005.

There are about 160,000 paper cup vending machines in Japan, and it is estimated that about 2 billion paper cups are consumed every year. Should "Bring Your Own Cup" vending machines come into common use, consumption of paper cups is expected to decrease by 20 to 50% .The ministry pins high hopes on the spread of BYO cup vending machines as an effective way to reduce consumption of containers and packaging.


From: RRF news

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