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 April 2007:

 View the Adobe PDF version

WasteCap News

WasteCap Welcomes Two New Members

Lincoln Public Schools have long had recycling programs within District Offices and schools within the district. In 1998, LPS received grant funds from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a pilot at 10 schools to determine the feasibility of having a coordinated multi-material recycling program at each educational level. Results from the pilot showed that the response to the program was positive and that an economic cost savings was seen for the district. The recycling program has grown to all 60 LPS locations and is one of the few districts in the state to have a comprehensive recycling program. LPS employs over 5,100 personnel and has an enrollment of nearly 33,000 students.

Shred Monster is a high-security, onsite document destruction service headquartered in Columbus, Nebraska.  They provide secure paper shredding services primarily to East and Central Nebraska, Western Iowa and Southern South Dakota with truck mounted state-of-the-art industrial shredding equipment. Shred Monster provides free locking security containers in different sizes for the collection of confidential materials.  All materials are destroyed on location inside the mobile shredding truck capable of shredding up to 3,000 lbs. per hour.  The shredder is viewable by a video monitor for total security.  The industrial shredder reduces documents to unidentifiable material that is transported to facilities for recycling. At Shred Monster, they aim to please each customer with the BEST customer service in the industry and the BEST method of secure document destruction.  They pride themselves on delivering high security, cost-effective and convenient "On-Site" shredding services to each and every client.

WasteCap Welcomes New Staff Member

WasteCap Nebraska is proud to present Joaquin M. Munoz to fill the position of Market Development Coordinator. Joaquin is originally from Seville, Spain. He graduated from UNL in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies. He has background experience in solid and hazardous waste management principally in Mexico where he worked for the private sector, cooperatives and the Mexico State Government. Furthermore, he specialized in vermicompost with experiences in rural areas outside of Mexico City as well as landfills.  He is warmly welcomed back to USA and to our team.

Congratulations to WasteCap Nebraska Member recipients of the NE Safety Council Conference Awards

Congrats to the members of WasteCap Nebraska who received awards at the NE Safety Council Conference!

Also, we would like to congratulate the Nucor Corporation for winning the Business and Specific Environmental Project Award from the Nebraska Industrial Coalition on the Environment.

Upcoming Events

2007 Household and CESQG Hazardous Waste Collections

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department will be holding hazardous waste collections for households and conditionally exempt small quantity generators throughout 2007.

Household Hazardous Waste Collections:
Dates and locations can be found below.  All collections are from 9 am – 1 pm.

Saturday April 21st
State Fair Park, 4-H Youth Complex
Saturday May 19th
Pfizer Inc., 601 W Cornhusker Hwy (includes latex paint exchange)
Friday June 22nd
Union College, 52nd & Cooper (parking lot)
Saturday June 23rd
NE Wesleyan University, 56th & Huntington (parking lot)
Saturday Sept. 8th
Goodyear Tire & Rubber, 4021 N 56th St.
Saturday Oct. 6th
Lincoln Plating, 600 West E St. (sponsored by Yankee Hill Brick)
Saturday Nov. 3rd
State Fair Park, 4-H Youth Complex (sponsored by Novartis Consumer Health Inc.)

Collections are for households only; not for businesses. Only residents of Lincoln and Lancaster County can bring items to collections.

Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQG) Collections:
Hazardous waste collections for conditionally exempt small quantity generators in Lancaster County will be held on April 20 and November 2.  Interested businesses should contact Ralph Martin at (402) 441-8640 to receive the proper paperwork.  Once this paperwork is submitted and approved, the business will be contacted to arrange a time to drop off their waste at the collection site. 

Natural Gas: The New Green Standard

Jim Harger, Senior Vice President of Clean Energy, will be the guest speaker for Natural Gas: The New Green Standard, a webinar presented by WasteNews on April 25. Harger will cover the fundamentals of natural gas, and go into depth about the positive business aspects which come with switching from diesel to natural gas in fleet vehicles. For more information, and to sign up, please visit WasteNews.

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Environmental Awards

Do you know of someone who deserves appreciation for their environmental awareness? Nominate individuals, businesses, and/or community groups for the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Environmental Awards. Awards will be given for 2006 in the categories of pollution prevention, waste reduction and recycling, water conservation, cleanup and beautification, residential and commercial development, and environmental education. Click on the LLCHS logo for more information and nomination forms.

2007 Safety Health Summit

The National Safety Council, Greater Omaha Chapter, will be holding the 2007 Safety Health Summit on May 16th and 17th, at the Qwest Center in Omaha. The summit will host 42 topics, with expert speakers, as well as give the opportunity to view the latest products and services at the tradeshow. For a complete list of topics and exhibitors please visit www.SafetyandHealthSummit.com.

Groundwater Foundation Conference

‘Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Drinking Water: Potential Risks and Best Practices’ is the topic for The Groundwater Foundation’s April conference, held in Lincoln. These products are increasingly leaking into our groundwater and streams and posing as a potential risk factor. The conference is open to the public, although pre-registration is required, at a discounted rate before April 18th. For more information on the seminar and registration, please call 1-800-858-4844 or visit The Groundwater Foundation online.

OSHA Compliance Week

The Nebraska Safety Council will be hosting a safety training session titled “By the Slice” May 7th through 11th. This is the first time the Council has held an event of this kind, and their plan is to fill it with useful OSHA information. The training is open to anyone wishing to attend and is one step toward earning your National Safety Council Certificate of OSHA Compliance. For more information, including the schedule for the week, visit www.nesafetycouncil.org, and click on Workplace Safety Training > OSHA Compliance Week, or call (402) 483-2581.

EMS Sustainability Workshop

The University of Missouri-Rolla-Havener Center will be holding a workshop titled “Using EMS to Achieve Sustainability”. The workshop will provide examples of sustainability to participating organizations. Participants will also find examples of environmental policies, significant aspects, objectives-targets, programs, and legal and other requirements from a sustainability based EMS. Registration is limited to 20 participants, with a registration deadline of Monday, April 23rd, so please act fast. For more information call (573) 341-7600.

WasteCap Across Nebraska

April, May, and June Filled With WasteCap Events

With the start of spring, WasteCap Nebraska is getting ready for an event-filled couple of months. Please click on each event name to view the event flyer.

Clean Your Files Week 2007

Clean Your Files Week will be held April 22nd through 28th. This is an opportunity to clean out your old documents, make a positive impact on the environment, and compete with other area businesses. A plaque will be given to the business with the largest amount of recycled paper per employee. If your business is interested in competing, contact Kari at    (402) 434-7376.

Shred Day

WasteCap, along with the City of Lincoln Recycling Office, Midland Recycling, Recycling Enterprises, and Shredding Solutions, will be ending Clean Your Files week with the first ever Shred Day! Shred Day will allow households and businesses to shred their confidential information AND have the paper recycled. On April 28th from 9 am until 12 pm, bring your documents to:

There is no fee for the first 75 pounds, equivalent to a large banker’s box. Those with more than 75 pounds should contact WasteCap at (402)434-7376 to schedule an appointment. In-kind donations will be accepted, with proceeds supporting local recycling programs. For more information contact Kari with WasteCap Nebraska at (402) 434-7376.

Omaha Computer Collection

WasteCap Nebraska, the Nebraska Environmental Trust, the Nebraska State Recycling Association, and the City of Omaha present the Omaha Computer Collection. Bring your used computers and electronics to Tranquility Park, April 25th, from 9 am until 2 pm for collection. The first computer system is free, with a WasteCap/NSRA member discount charge of $9 per monitor, and $0.30 per pound for other electronic equipment after the first system. Non-members can recycle additional systems for $10 per monitor and $0.35 per pound for other electronic equipment. Toner cartridges and cellular phones will be accepted free of charge.

Lincoln Computer Collection

WasteCap Nebraska, the City of Lincoln Recycling Office, and the Nebraska Environmental Trust will be hosting the Lincoln Computer Collection at State Fair Park, June 13th from 9 am until 3 pm. The first computer system is free, after that, charges are $9 per monitor and $0.30 per pound of electronic equipment for WasteCap members, $10 per monitor and $0.35 per pound of electronic equipment for non-members. Fluorescent light tubes will be accepted at $0.40 per tube up to 4 ft., $0.60 per tube over 4 ft. Toner cartridges and cellular phones will be accepted free of charge.

*** For all collections, please remove all confidential information using a "wipe drive" program or reformatting the hard drive prior to recycling. ***

Electronics Update

Keep America Beautiful Partners with Sprint Nextel

“Wipe Out Wireless Waste” for the Great American Cleanup™ is the title for the new nationwide community improvement project brought on by Keep America Beautiful and Sprint Nextel. Participating Keep America Beautiful affiliates will be holding related events and providing postage paid envelopes to encourage their communities to recycle used cell phones. Sprint Nextel will be providing grants to the first 100 affiliates that register with an award of $5,000 to the top performers. Proceeds from the recycling project will benefit community improvement through Keep America Beautiful. To download a postage paid label, visit the Keep America Beautiful website or contact Jane Polson at 486-4562.

E-Recycling Laws Are Not Identical for Every State

With more states developing electronic waste laws, companies are finding it confusing to comply with the variants from state to state. Each state may differ in what they require for electronic recyclables and how they regulate their constraints. There is also a difference in what each state currently charges and what they plan on charging in the future. With this in mind, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) would like to set a nationwide standard for the recycling of computers and electronic waste, eliminating uncertainty and making e-recycling a nationwide requirement. The law, called for by the CEA, would split the cost between manufacturers, retailers, and consumers, so that the responsibility would fall on all parties involved, not just those producing the products.
Source: Yahoo! News

Turning Trash into Electricity

A group of scientists at Purdue University have developed a machine that converts paper, food, and plastic waste into electricity. The machine, which was developed for the U.S. military, processes the different types of waste at once, turning them into fuel to power generators. When tested in November, the scientists found that the machine was capable of producing 90 percent more energy than it was consuming. Using a dual process, organic food material is separated from residual trash. The food waste is sent to a bioreactor where it is fermented into ethanol. The trash is sent to a gasifier where it is heated into low-grade propane gas and methane. With the success of the “Tactical biorefinery”, as it is being called, civilian use could be in the near future.
Source: Refuse News, Vol.40 No.1

Wal-Mart Seeks to Sell Sustainable Electronics

Starting in 2008, Wal-Mart plans on using a scorecard system when selling electronic products. Using the scorecard as incentive for electronic suppliers to produce more environmentally sustainable products, Wal-Mart will ask the supplier to fill out the scorecard, and then allow buyers to use the completed scorecard as an influence on their purchase. Each card will evaluate the items on energy efficiency, durability, upgradeability, end-of-life solutions, and size of packaging. Use of materials allowing for reduction of hazardous materials will also be taken into account. With the use of these scorecards, Wal-Mart hopes that all suppliers will make it their norm to produce efficient machines.
Source: Refuse News, Vol.40 No.1

In the News

EPA Proposes to Modify Definition of Solid Waste

In an attempt to make recycling a more achievable process, the EPA has proposed loosening its definition of ‘solid waste’. If passed, the proposition would simplify the current restraints on recycling, making it easier to recycle metals, solvents, and other chemicals. "EPA estimates that streamlining the management of secondary materials in a cost efficient but safe manner will result in an average cost savings of $107 million a year from both reduced regulatory burden and increased recycling."
Source: www.epa.gov

UNL One of Ten Universities to Receive Grant from USDA

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service division of the USDA will be providing $5 million in air quality grants to 10 U.S. universities, including the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, which will be given $498,562. While the funded programs vary between universities, UNL will be conducting ‘extension educational programs on best management practices for air quality issues in animal agriculture’. This program, as a whole, is the largest grant program within the USDA.
Source: www.crees.usda.gov

Boston First Major City to ‘Go Green’

Boston city officials plan to ask the Boston Redevelopment Authority to incorporate “green building” standards, in an attempt at a city-wide green initiative. If taken into affect, this would make Boston the first U.S. city to require green building standards for private developers. This not only would make new and renovated buildings more environmentally friendly on the outside, by way of recycled building materials, but would require them to be more energy efficient as well with the use of efficient heating and cooling systems. Many cities hold such standards for public building projects, but moving those standards to the private level has yet to be done. An increase in building costs is expected to come with the proposed standards, but some local officials say that the minimal cost is worth the positive outcome.
Source: MFE Online

USDA Offers Clean Energy Grants and Loans

The USDA is offering $176.5 million in loans and $11.4 million in grants as support for small businesses and agricultural producers to make energy efficient improvements. Loans are available for up to 50 percent of the projected costs, while grants will cover 25 percent. Deadlines are May 18th for grant applications and July 2nd for loan or grant/loan combination applications. For more information, and application forms, please visit the USDA rural development website.

Market Corner

  April – Chicago Region

Mixed Paper

$70-75 (0)

Boxboard Cuttings

$80-85 (+10)

News

$85-90 (-10)

OCC

$100-110 (-10)

SOP

$150-160 (0)

Sorted White Ledger

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