Environmental News

[Bernhan]

Australia - eight in 10 Aussies want plastic bag ban

Eight out of 10 Australians want the federal Government to ban plastic bags and stop electronic waste going into landfill, a survey shows.

News.com.au reports that the poll of 1000 people by green lobby group Do Something! was released to coincide with the Environment Protection and Heritgage Council meeting of the nation's environment ministers in Hobart.

The survey found that 83 per cent of Australians want a national ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags, while 79 per cent of respondents want electronic waste to be barred from landfills.

South Australia is the only state which has banned plastic bags at check-outs.

Do Something! founder and chairman Jon Dee said the Rudd Government has failed to honour its election promise to impose a national plastic bag ban.

Mr Dee, who has known Environment Minister Peter Garrett since the early 1990s! , said the former Midnight Oil frontman was a more effective advocate as head of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

"Peter Garrett outside politics was a tremendous advocate for the environment," Mr Dee said.

"He's been in power long enough: he could have brought about change."

Retailers Target, Bunnings and Ikea have already stopped giving away free plastic bags at their stores Australia-wide, while the electronics industry has lobbied for a recycling program for discarded computers and television sets.

Mr Dee said there was something wrong with the federal Government lagging behind industry.

"Peter Garrett and his bureaucrats in Canberra are the ones holding up change," said Mr Dee, who set up the non-profit environmental group Planet Ark with tennis ace Pat Cash in 1992.

"The public have grown tired of rhetoric.

"They (politicians) talk about how they care for the environment but they're no! t backing it up with action."

The poll also found that 96 per cent of respondents wanted a national roll out of South Australia's container deposit scheme, where people are given a 10-cent refund for bottles and cans.

[Bernhan]

Africa - Europe, America, burying Africa under their e-waste

An interesting report in Ghana Business News Shaibu Iddrisu is the chairman of the Agbogbloshie Scrap Dealers Association in Ghana's capital Accra. He has been in the scrap business for more than 20 years. He knows about the value of scrap metals, but has no idea about the dangers of e-waste. He only knows that young men burn cables in the yard to extract the valuable copper wires in computer monitors and CPUs for sale. "I know that the boys dismantle computers and burn the cables for the copper wires, and I have advised them against the practice because the soot isn't good for them, " he says.

The Agbogbloshie scrap yard has become a dump site for obsolete computers and other electronics equipment like refrigerators, TV sets and sound systems. Young men struggling to make a living from whatever scrap they could lay hands on have found unusable computer! s useful. On a daily basis they go around looking for discarded electronics items to either buy or pick up from street corners to dismantle, extract copper wires and other valuable parts for sale.

Computer monitor and CPU cases litter the length and breadth of the yard, and some people even use them as stools.

An EU directive requires e-waste to be collected and imposes strict requirements on the treatment of this waste. In general, export of e-waste to non OECD countries is prohibited, whereas, for example, the export of a used but fully functional television set to a non OECD country is permitted.

At the burning grounds, heavy black and pungent smoke wafts through the air. The suffocating and acrid smell of the burning cables can be smelt over a long distance before you reach the place where the mostly young men and boys set fire to computers, TVs and refrigerator parts. Some of these boys are as young as 10 or 12 years old. They are usual! ly contracted by older men to burn the cables and extract the copper wires for a small fee. They wear neither gloves nor any protective clothing. Some of them are bare chested as they rummage through the items they have to process for onward sale to scrap dealers who buy the items for onward export to Europe.

Developing dump

No-one knows how many tonnes of obsolete computers enter Ghana from Europe or the United States, but it is believed thousands are shipped into the country and a good number of these end up being dismantled and precious parts extracted for sale. According to a report published by the Basel Action Network and the Silicon Valley Toxins Coalition titled 'Exporting Harm: The Techno-Trashing of Asia', between 50 to 80 per cent of e-waste collected for recycling in the United States is exported to developing nations such as China, India and Pakistan, where the environment is being polluted and local men, women and children are being exposed to toxins.

Accord! ing to the European Environment Agency (EEA) more than 15,000 tonnes of colour television sets were exported from the EU to African countries in 2005. On average 35 tonnes, or more than 1000 units of used television sets, arrive every day in Ghana, Nigeria or Egypt. "It would appear that the EU exports a significant quantity of used electrical and electronic products to developing countries that do not have an adequate waste management infrastructure, " the EEA report 'Waste Without Borders' concluded. "These are then probably subject to treatment that poses a threat to the environment and human health. "

People like Baba, obviously, are ready customers for importers of obsolete computers into Ghana. "We have some people who bring us the goods (computers) and we buy them for GH¢4 each and then we dismantle them and take the cables and other parts for sale, " Baba, a 26-year-old man, says. Baba has been in the scrap business for about six years. It is one of the w! ays he could make money to survive, because he said he had no other means of making a living.

Baba and his colleagues who dismantle the items, do so without any protective gear and they do it in the open. Young men dismantling computer monitors

Young men dismantling computer monitors

Mohammed is in his 20s, too. He lives with his parents in a part of Accra called Darkuman. He is one of the occasional suppliers of obsolete computers and other electronics items to people like Baba.

"I have an uncle in Germany who brings the items, " he says. "We sort them out and fix the ones we can and those that can't be fixed we sell out to the boys to use as scrap. "

Government links

Apart from individuals who export obsolete electronics equipment into Ghana, it is believed some organisations drop e-waste into Ghana under the guise of making donations, such as secondhand computers, to sch! ools.

During a check at Ghana's main sea port, the Tema Harbour, most of the containers that arrived from abroad carrying personal effects also contained a number of used computers. Some of the computers are very old versions such as 486s and Pentium Twos.

Mike Anane, former president of the League of Environmental Journalists and a UN Environmental Award winner, believes that most of the e-waste that comes into Ghana is deliberately dumped.

"I have seen e-waste products labeled 'Property of the US Government', 'US honey' and 'Property of the Scottish Government' and so on, " he says.

Meanwhile, Ghana has no policy on the handling and management of e-waste. The country has, however, ratified the Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal.

A source at the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana says the country has no specific policy on the handling and manageme! nt of e-waste, but some consultations are ongoing to develop some mechanism to deal with the issue.

The source indicated that some documents have been submitted to the immediate past government and was hopeful that the current government would give it some attention.

A report by the international environmental group Greenpeace that focused on two dump sites in Ghana raised further questions about the harm caused to Ghanaians who handle e-waste. The investigations were carried in the capital Accra and the Eastern regional capital of Koforidua with soil and water samples from the two sites. According to the report, tests showed that the soil and water around the dump sites contained toxic chemicals at levels a hundred times more than allowable limits.

On top of that, further investigations into the practice of exporting e-waste has implicated the UK government, with British newspapers revealing that computers belonging to the National Health Service (NHS) and universities had been exported to Ghana, via recycling! companies.

Damaged computers found at the Agbogbloshie dump site in Accra had NHS labels on them. Other PCs were found to have been the property of UK councils and universities, including Kent County Council, Southampton County Council, Salford University and Richmond upon Thames College.

Clamping down

The UK Environment Agency (EA) initiated investigations into e-waste following the discoveries in Ghana.

"The Environment Agency's National Investigations Crime Team are carrying out inquiries within England and Wales into the circumstances of the alleged illegal exports and we are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry, " senior press officer responsible for environment protection, Scarlett Elworthy, says.

In February, a 46-year-old man in no vulgar was arrested in connection with e-waste exports. The EA said he has been released on bail waiting to appear in court in May 2009. But it ! declined to say to which country the suspect was allegedly exporting e-waste. Computer cases litter the scrap yard

Computer cases litter the scrap yard

In March this year, the Dutch police on a routine operation stopped a container full of obsolete electronics from leaving the Amsterdam port for Ghana. The container full of broken electrical and electronics equipment from a popular chain store, which should have been turned over to recycling companies, were instead sold to be exported to Ghana.

Some days later, eight men were arrested for allegedly exporting e-waste to Ghana. According to Dutch journalist Weert Schenk, three of the men were from Turkey and the other five were Ghanaians. He said the men are suspected to have been in the business of exporting e-waste into Ghana for more than six years.

For some time now a number of shops have sprang up in and around Accra, and most of these are dealing in used electronics items. Kwame works in one of these shops ! at Kaneshie, in Accra. He says they have suppliers in Europe who bring these items to them. He says some of the items come in broken, but they try to fix those they can.

When asked what happens to the ones they are unable to repair, he says: "we sell them out to those who use them as scrap, and we also take out some parts and use to repair faulty items".

Ghanaian authorities will continue to do their paper work, as Ghana is buried under a pile of e-waste from the developed world.

[Bernhan]

Canada - reusable grocery bags "may pose public health risk"

A microbiological study of reusable bags and `first or single-use' plastic bags

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association has published a report on potential health risks of reused packaging.

There is a growing trend to reusable packaging overall in an effort to encourage reduction. The position of the plastics industry is clear. The industry strongly supports reduction and reuse, and recognizes use of reusables as good environmental practice, but it does not want to see these initiatives inadvertently compromise public health and safety. The industry believes that appropriate research and investigation must be pursued. This testing sample is but a first step.

Laboratory testing of reusable grocery bags by two independent laboratories was undertaken this spring. To ensure independence, a third laboratory was engaged to provide oversight and evaluative commentary of the results -- Toronto-based Sporometrics, the foremost experts in many aspects of fungal and environmental bacterial testing in Canada. The study found that re! usable grocery bags pose a public health risk.

Subject-matter expert, Dr. Richard Summerbell, Director of Research at Sporometrics, provided interpretation of the test results as well as critical direction and assistance in the writing of this report. Dr. Summerbell is a noted microbiologist who served as the Chief of Medical Mycology for Ontario Ministry of Health, Laboratory Services Branch from 1991-2000 and was senior researcher at the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, the world's most extensive fungal culture collection and mycological center at the Royal Netherlands Academy, in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He has also authored over 150 scientific papers.

The results complied in "A Microbiological Study of Plastic Reusable Bags and `First or single-use' Plastic Bags" show that reusables are a breeding ground for bacteria and pose public health risks - food poisoning, skin infections such as bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering of asthm! a attacks, and ear infections.

Over 30% of the bags had unsafe levels of bacterial contamination, 40% had yeast or mold and some of the bags had intestinal faecal bacteria embedded in their surface when there should have been zero.

The test results have been shared with the federal Sub-Committee on Food Safety which is currently looking into the safety of Canada's food supply chain, federal and provincial ministers of health, medical associations across the country as well as public health officials for immediate action.

Copies of the summary report A microbiological study of reusable bags and `first or single-use' plastic bags (0.1 MB) is available from CPIA's website at:

http://www.cpia.ca/files/files/A_Microb ... y20_09.pdf

Or we can email you a copy.

[Bernhan]

Ireland - Government launches new market development plan to create jobs from waste currently exported

Mr John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has launched an innovative EUR13 million Market Development Programme to develop new markets and help create new Irish jobs by transforming waste into new sustainable products. Targeting entrepreneurs, third level institutions, manufacturers and waste organisations, over the next five years, the Market Development Programme will identify and help develop markets for a variety of waste streams including plastics, paper, metals, organics, glass and wood.

Entrepreneurs interested in creating new businesses from waste can get further information at http://www.mdg.ie.

"Waste that we export often reappears back in Ireland, rejuvenated as valuable commodities that we all buy, like juice or milk cartons, fleece tops or the latest backpack schoolbag. We need to develop markets for these materials and add value here at home and that's what th! e Market Development Programme is all about - it will be a catalyst for innovation", said John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. "It will establish partnerships and create linkages between those who produce goods and those who manage waste. It has great potential to generate new 'green' jobs, it will add value to the materials in Ireland and create more revenue for our economy."

Ireland exports 1.5 million tonnes of recyclable waste a year. That's close to 76% of total recyclable waste generated in Ireland. It's waste that could be reprocessed here at home. The Market Development Programme will shortly publish a Tender seeking people to conduct demonstration trials using compost in agriculture. This will be of interest to the farming sector and compost producers.

A second Tender to quantify the amount of plastic waste in the country will determine for the first time, the volumes, locations, types and current o! utlets for a variety of plastics generated in Ireland. The results will be of particular interest to entrepreneurs wishing to add value to waste plastics. Further Tenders will follow.

The Market Development Programme will work with academic colleges and institutions to help ensure that their Research and Development projects address topics of interest to entrepreneurs. It will also work with scientific bodies and representative bodies like IBEC to ensure the needs of industry are given priority.

The Market Development Programme will develop a database of all recycled products in Ireland so that for the first time, there will be a comprehensive listing of all the products made from recycled materials in Ireland available for people to refer to when choosing to buy new products. A comprehensive database of reprocessors - people who reprocess waste materials adding value to them - will also be published in the coming weeks and will be of great value to people who are collecting waste materials and looking for outlets to sell! them to as well as people who are seeking to buy reprocessed waste materials.

The Programme will also develop "green" procurement programmes to encourage businesses and the public sector to consider buying products derived from recycled materials.

The Market Development Programme is focusing particular attention on plastic, paper and organic waste. This is all waste we are required to divert from landfill and this diversion offers opportunities for new businesses.

[Bernhan]

Europe - EU greenhouse gas emissions fall for third consecutive year

European Union emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases (GHG) declined for the third consecutive year in 2007, according to the EU's GHG inventory report compiled by the European Environment Agency.

The EU-27's overall domestic emissions were 9.3 % below 1990 levels, which equalled a drop of 1.2 % or 59 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent compared to 2006. The EU-15 now stands 5 % below its Kyoto Protocol base year levels. Falling emissions since 2005 have largely resulted from the lower use of fossil fuels (particularly oil and gas) in households and services - these sectors, not covered by the EU Emission Trading System (ETS), are among the largest sources of GHG emissions in the EU. Warmer weather and higher fuel prices were the primary causes for the drop in emissions in 2006-2007, with most of the decrease occurring in households - particularly in Germany.

Selected highlights of the report

Seventeen EU Member States reduced GHG emissions in 2007. Among EU-15 States, all but Spain and Greece reduced emissions. GHG emissions from international aviation and maritime transport, currently excluded in the national totals, have grown steadily since 1990, reaching 6 % of total EU emissions in 2007. The report includes for the first time information on the use of data and emissions reported under the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) for the purposes of preparing national GHG inventories in the EU-15. Most Member States used the ETS data to improve and refine the estimation and reporting of CO2 emissions. The report also contains, for the first time, key information about Member State emission allowances under the Kyoto Protocol.

Inventory data becomes more accessible for experts and the public ?x1; The European Environment Agency has updated the data in the greenhouse gas (GHG) data viewer, a web-based interface that simplifies access and analysis of th! e data in the GHG inventory report. The GHG data viewer can show emission trends for the main sectors and allows comparison of emissions between different countries and activities. In addition, the data viewer can produce graphics and key emission estimates.

Background on the inventory report

The EEA report Annual European Community greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2007 and inventory report 2009 has been submitted to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the European Community's official submission.

The UNFCCC, with 192 Parties, is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Their common goal is to stabilise GHG concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous human interference with the climate system. EU-27: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the! Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom. EU-15: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom. Links

The Greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2007 and inventory report 2009 are to be found at:

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/e ... tory-2009/

[Bernhan]

Scotland - recycling rate continues upward trend

Scotland's recycling and composting rate continues to make steady progress.

Figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), show that Scotland's annual recycling and composting rate rose to 33.5 per cent for the year January to December 2008, exceeding the Scottish Government's target of 30 per cent for 2008. The next target is 40 per cent by the end of 2010.

The recycling and composting rate for the third quarter of 2008/09 (October to December) increased to 31.7 per cent, an improvement on 29.2 per cent for the same quarter of 2007/08.

A total of 1.29 million tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) was sent to landfill in Scotland in 2008. This is already below the 1.32 million tonnes limit set for Scotland for 2009/10 by the European Commission under the Landfill Allowance Scheme.

Progress is also being made towards meeting the Scottish Government's target of stopping the growth of municipal ! solid waste by the end of 2010. The figures show that 3.35 million tonnes of MSW was produced in 2008.


Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment, Richard Lochhead, met with COSLA leaders to examine waste reduction measures. Addressing COSLA this morning, Mr Lochhead said: "The latest SEPA figures illustrate a real commitment from the public to recycling, and this is to be commended. It is also encouraging to see that eight local authorities in Scotland have already reached or exceeded the 40 per cent recycling target for municipal waste. We must continue to work together to accelerate the pace of which Scotland moves towards becoming a Zero Waste society.

"It is excellent that the results also indicate we have met our 2010 Landfill Directive target ahead of time, but we must not stop there. I urge local authorities who are performing less well to step up to the mark and follow the example of the public and other auth! orities who are making a real difference".

[Bernhan]

Japan - city of Kawaguchi switches focus from global warming to 'global heating' to show urgency

The city of Kawaguchi, in Japan's Saitama Prefecture, declared recently that it has officially started using the term "global heating" instead of "global warming."

Japan for Sustainability reports that this is because the city's administration believes the term global warming gives an impression of mild climate change. This change aims to appropriately reflect the critical situation of the natural environment currently facing the world.

The mayor of Kawaguchi met Japan's environment minister earlier this year, and proposed that the nation starts referring to ongoing global climate change as global heating, in order to communicate more of a sense of urgency among the public. In an organizational change for 2009, the city established a new department in its environment division to promote further global heating measures and implement concrete actions.

During this initial year of ! its new initiative, the city aims to take measures such as cutting the number of cars on the road by introducing a car-sharing system, dealing with waste more effectively, reducing the amount of waste generated, and promoting urban greening.

[Bernhan]

USA - new report details waste industry and reveals first volume decline in 20 years

A new study by Waste Business Journal details the first decline in residential waste generation in more than twenty years. The study also details an even more significant decline in commercial and industrial waste generation, particularly the 20% decline in construction and demolition wastes (C&D) that are closely tied to the economy. In the report called Waste Market Overview & Outlook 2009, WBJ estimates that 505 million tons of municipal wastes (MSW) were generated last year in the US. This was down slightly from 510 million tons in 2007. Collecting, processing and disposing of these wastes generated US$55.7 billion in industry revenue during 2008.

Despite the decline in volumes, waste firms managed to hold the line on pricing and actually win 4-6% increases that have helped them maintain positive revenue and earnings growth more than offsetting the loss of business. Municipalities have had to follow suit by raising prices as well, especially to! cover revenue shortfalls elsewhere in their budgets.

These and other vital industry statistics and analysis are part of the Waste Market Overview & Outlook 2009, which offers a thorough examination of the various segments of the business, the major players, and the evolving nature of the industry, and changing role of the private sector. It includes detailed statistics of waste generation, recovery and disposal volume, pricing and capacity by state and region that include historical statistics back to 1991, and include projections through 2013.

The recent merger between Allied Waste and Republic Services (number two and three respectively) and Waste Connections' bold purchases of assets promises a reshaped industry much further along its path of privatization. The companies understand that one way to deal with turbulent economic times amidst rising fuel, labor and equipment costs is to streamline operations and vertically integrate their markets. ! Rising costs have focused company managers on disciplined price increases especially now that the industry is more consolidated, more attentive to return on invested capital, more rational about valuing existing landfill capacity and mindful of lessons in the past when pricing was sacrificed.

The more recent decline in fuel costs will benefit company operating margins, however the volatility of those costs implies that surcharges and hedging programmes are likely to remain in place. Expect to see continued focus on controlling vehicle maintenance and insurance costs while investing in fleet upgrades and worker safety programmes. Additional cash from operations will likely go towards "tuck-in" acquisitions, asset swaps and other vertical integration measures for which companies can reap immediate cost savings.

2008 was a revealing year for the recycling business. Sky high commodity pricing earlier in the year built great confidence in the long term viability of the industry when all at once falling prices were a stunning r! eminder of its vulnerability. Community recycling programmes across the US took a big hit as the global economic downturn eroded demand and drove down prices paid for recycled materials. Some communities are likely to give up recycling programmes altogether especially since once profitable programmes now represent a significant expense. The collapse in the recycling market, where prices were off by as much as 75% to 100%, is a direct by-product of the financial crisis and our increasing reliance on markets in China and India, as demand has slumped for material to be converted into everything from boxes, to car parts and construction materials.

Communities may begin to employ flow controls, recently granted them by the Supreme Court, to assure the viability of their recycling programmes during these dire times, but are unlikely to get back into the landfill business. The high capital costs and huge economies-of-scale that attend landfills lends advantage to the pr! ivate sector, especially large publicly traded companies with greater financial wherewithal and the ability to control wastes across an entire region, needed to feed larger landfills economically. As new landfills become harder to permit, more waste is moving interstate. New York City now boasts that a third of its waste moves by rail to landfills as far away as South Carolina. Now that state's legislature and that of its northern neighbor have deployed moratoriums on new landfills. Those firms with landfills can expect to wield more pricing power, likely to justify further industry consolidation.

[Bernhan]

UK - Tesco to trial electric car charging points

(Hey, today is World Environment Day and also my last day of intership in NEA. So, this is the last news that I posted up today!But seems the number of reading is still less than 2000 times... Hope you enjoy the reading.)

Tesco is poised to announce the latest phase of its sustainability push with a commitment to trial electric car-charging points at its store and build what it claims will be the world's first "zero-carbon" supermarket.

Businessgreen.com reports that a spokesman for the company confirmed the new plans will be unveiled in a speech by Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy at the London School of Economics.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Leahy revealed the supermarket giant was investigating trialling electric car-charging points at stores in Kensington and Vauxhall in London.

If successful, the company would look to roll out charging points more widely, and Leahy added that Tesco was already in talks with several councils and electric car firms.

The company is also preparing to unveil plans for its first "zero-carbon" store in Ramsey, ! Cambridgeshire. The wood-framed store will be powered using a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power plant, which is expected to generate sufficient energy for the store to sell some power back to the grid.

Leahy is also expected to deliver an impassioned defence of consumer-focused firms' ability to deliver greener business models without the need for higher green taxes.

In the same Sunday Times interview, Leahy warned that much of the debate surrounding green taxation risked alienating consumers from engaging with environmental initiatives.

"People are so taxed already that every time green is mentioned it is with a new tax that just switches people off the whole subject," he said. "How can you contemplate the future if the promise is tax and regulation? Who is going to buy into that?"

He also warned that calls from some environmentalists for a slowdown in economic growth as the most effective means of curbing carbon emissions ! would limit the chances of emerging nations signing up to an international climate-change deal.