Environmental News

Controversial electronics recycling fees in Ontario, Canada, have industry groups pushing for legislation reforms. Ontario Electronic Stewardship, the organization that oversees electronics recycling in the province, introduced a new model for applying recycling fees to electronics purchases May 1. Currently, OES collects so-called "eco fees" from the electronics manufacturers, retailers and distributors in the province, based on the amount of products they put into the market each month. The fees are then used to pay the companies responsible for collecting, transporting and processing used electronics, said Jonathan Spencer, executive director of OES. The eco fees are passed on to the consumer in the form of an increased point-of-sale cost. Last year OES collected about $58 million in fees and spent $83 million on recycling and refurbishing, intentionally running a deficit to eat up an existing surplus. The new funding model was designed to be based primarily on the actual cost of processing used electronics, and will be updated each year based on the previous year's costs. Formerly, fees were based on estimate. Under the new model, fees for some items decrease, while fees for other items increase. Many of the fees are a few dollars or less. A controversial point has been the significantly higher fee for large-screen display devices like televisions. The recycling fee for display devices smaller than 30 inches remained the same at $12.25. But the fee for devices larger than 30 inches jumped from $27.60 to $39.50. The higher fee is intended to cover the cost of recycling the televisions getting replaced, likely several years old and containing cathode ray tubes, which are expensive to process responsibly. Source: Waste & Recycling News, 5/23/13

The C-U Area Medicine Take-back Program will give area residents the opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted or expired medications 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week, via collection boxes in the lobbies of the Champaign, Urbana, and University of Illinois Police Departments. The program is a partnership between the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Champaign Police Department, Urbana Police Department, University of Illinois Police Department, Champaign County sheriff's office, the National Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program, the cities of Champaign and Urbana, Illinois American Water, the University of Illinois Student Sustainability Committee, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department, WCIA and the Prairie Rivers Network. Source: The News-Gazette, 5/22/13

An eco-label called JUST aims to increase transparency in the building-materials business by providing buyers with information about suppliers' social justice, labor and social responsibility practices. "We are not satisfied with not knowing what we are buying," says Living Building Challenge co-founder Jason F. McLennan. "If we are going to eat on it or sit on it, we have a right to know what we are exposed to." Source: GreenBiz, 5/21/13

As demand for resources grows, a strategy that focuses solely on food production while ignoring inefficiency and waste will not be enough. Source: Ensia, 5/15/13

The Obama Administration released updated Principles and Guidelines (P&G) for federal investments in water resources to accelerate project approvals, reduce costs, and support water infrastructure projects with the greatest economic and community benefits. The modernized P&G will allow agencies to better consider the full range of long-term economic benefits associated with water investments, including protecting communities against future storm damage, promoting recreational opportunities that support local businesses, and supporting other local priorities as well as their water delivery, navigation, and flood prevention functions. Climate change provisions are included as well. The updated P&G will foster consistency and informed decision-making across federal agencies engaged in water resources planning. The draft Guidelines will be available for public comment until June 27, 2013. Source:

Does the retail chain measure up? EDF's Bentonville office weighs in. Source: GreenBiz, 5/17/13

The tool gives facilities a score for their water management efforts by shedding light on water use and prioritizing opportunities for conservation. Source: GreenBiz, 5/20/13

Green building-rating systems have been around for well over a decade. The best known in the United States is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the certification system administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is for the "horizontal infrastructure" world of buildings. But what about "horizontal infrastructure" -- our roads, bridges, railways, landfills, water and wastewater-treatment plants, power-transmission lines, and public spaces in our cities and towns? Source: Governing, 5/20/13

The burgeoning biochar industry may soon find footing in Kane County as a Michigan-based energy company made an early pitch Thursday to build a local production plant. Source: Daily Herald, 5/16/13

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched the first interactive website to help homeowners, contractors and builders choose the right light bulbs, fixtures and controls to maximize energy savings, calculate lighting costs and achieve lighting effects to meet a wide range of needs in their homes. It also shows how to design safe, healthy lighting for aging adults. Source: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 5/20/13

Connecticut has passed the nation's first-ever extended producer responsibility (EPR) bill for mattresses that supporters say will save local governments about $1.3 million and increase recycling opportunities for businesses. The law will require mattress manufacturers to finance and manage a mattress collection and recycling program. Source: Environmental Leader, 5/20/13

A series of workshops next month on compliance with RoHS and other directives will help US companies looking to break into the European market. A trio of trade groups -- ITI, IPC and SEMI -- in June will host UK environmental regulators Steve Andrews from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and Chris Smith and Matthew Bignell from the National Measurement Office for a series of private sector seminars on product policy and compliance. The speakers will provide implementation and enforcement updates on a range of European Union regulatory approaches, including RoHS, WEEE, REACH and the ErP Directives. Other company environmental professionals will discuss sector compliance strategies, and subject exports will cover US, Canadian, Asian and Latin America developments and conflict minerals issues. They will be joined by legal, technical and compliance experts from industry, law firms and consultants. The series will take place June 6 in Round Rock, TX; June 10 in Santa Clara, CA; and June 12 in Schaumburg, IL. One of the featured presenters, Chris Smith, Technical Manager, Enforcement Authority in the UK, spoke with Mike Buetow by phone on May 7. Source: Printed Circuit Design & Fab Magazine, 5/15/13

More than 100 million pounds of electronic waste has been collected in Wisconsin since it began an e-waste recycling program three years ago, state officials said. The Department of Natural Resources program, called E-Cycle Wisconsin, bars the disposal of many consumer electronics in landfills and incinerators. "It definitely adds up when you think about how many electronics we use now and how often we replace them," said Sarah Murray, E-Cycle Wisconsin coordinator. The DNR's latest household survey found that Wisconsin residents own about 7 million televisions, or about three per household. TVs are at the top of the list of electronic waste. More than 24 million pounds of old TVs were collected in Wisconsin in the year ending June 30, 2012. With spring cleaning underway at many households, the DNR is urging residents to take advantage of more than 400 registered collection sites across the state. Source: Associated Press viaTwin Cities Pioneer Press, 5/13/13

The Innovation Center for US Dairy has published a guide to help dairy companies and farms measure and report on sustainability. Source: Environmental Leader, 5/17/13

Two University of Illinois scientists have developed an environmentally friendly and more economical way of pretreating miscanthus in the biofuel production process. Source: Biomass Magazine, 5/15/13