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EPA ANNOUNCES CREATIVE APPROACHES FOR HELPING AMERICANS RECYCLE, RECOVER ENERGY, MINIMIZE WASTE AND REVITALIZE THE LANDSCAPE

Release Date: 09/09/2002
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Note to Correspondents

Urging Americans to take renewed responsibility for their individual impact on the environment, EPA today announced the kickoff of a campaign challenging Americans to meet or beat two goals by 2005: boosting the national recycling rate from 30 percent to at least 35 percent and curbing by 50 percent the generation of 30 harmful chemicals normally found in hazardous waste. To help meet the goals of the Challenge, EPA also announced 12 new innovative projects that will test creative approaches to waste minimization, energy recovery, recycling and land revitalization.
The program, called the “Resource Conservation Challenge,” was announced by EPA at the National Recycling Coalition’s 21st Annual Congress and Exposition in Austin, Texas.

“We are challenging all Americans to take a ‘hands-on’ approach to helping conserve our precious natural resources,” said Marianne Lamont Horinko, EPA Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “EPA is asking Americans to adopt smart environmental practices, make smart environmental purchases, reuse more products, and recycle at least one pound of their household waste a day. The results of the Resource Conservation Challenge and the innovative projects will be less waste, more economic growth and greater energy savings and recovery.”

The Resource Conservation Challenge comprises 68 projects whose hallmarks are flexibility, partnership and innovation.

For example, in one of the projects, EPA is asking businesses and industry to join a “Waste Minimization Partnership Program” to help achieve the national goal of a 50 percent reduction of 30 harmful chemicals by 2005. These chemicals, such as lead, are among the most harmful to public health and the environment. The five founding members of the partnership are American Video Glass, Corning Asahi, Dow Chemical Corp., International Truck and Engine, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing.

EPA will do its part to support those actions that will contribute to meeting the Challenge goals. These efforts include:

– Establishing partnerships and alliances with industry, states and environmental groups.

– Providing training, tools and technology assistance for businesses, governments and citizen groups.

– Getting the word out through outreach and assistance to the general population, especially to youth and minority groups.

In addition to the Resource Conservation Challenge, EPA is also partnering with states, academia, non-profits, tribes and local government and industry to test innovative ideas to make EPA’s waste programs more efficient and effective. Twelve innovative projects from around the country were announced by EPA today. These creative projects demonstrate approaches to waste minimization, energy recovery, recycling and land revitalization that may be replicated across various industries, communities and regions. The projects range from making plastics from plant materials, to demonstrating the reuse potential of recycling residential building materials. For example, one project will develop and solicit designs for readily reusable packaging for products purchased electronically through the internet.

Founded in 1978, the National Recycling Coalition, Inc. is a nonprofit organization representing all the diverse interests committed to the common goal of maximizing recycling to achieve the benefits of resource conservation, solid waste reduction, environmental protection, energy conservation and social and economic development.

Learn more about the Challenge at: Learn more about the Innovations Projects at: https://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/index.htm. Learn more about the Innovations Projects at: https://www.epa.gov/oswer/IWG.htm.


Sustainable Transit Leadership
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 9 Amount $35,000
Partner: Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), San Francisco
Overview: This pilot will research and demonstrate specific green practices that transit authorities can implement to directly reduce waste, increase recycling, and use recycled content in building materials.

Testing the Viability of Converting Wood Pallet Waste-to-Flooring
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 4 Amount: $29,000
Partners: North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention, North Carolina State University (NCSU), U.S. Forest Service, and Land-of-Sky Regional Council
Overview: This pilot will test the feasibility of converting wood pallets at the end of their useful life into value-added flooring products.

Innovative Multi-Media Environmental Curriculum Pilot
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 6 Amount: $65,000
Partners: Oklahoma City, OK, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma Dept. of Environmental Quality, Oklahoma Dept. of Commerce, Oklahoma Corporate Commission, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Oklahoma City
Overview: This pilot will develop a laboratory program/curriculum to comprehensively identify, assess, and remediate multiple brownfields sites in the Oklahoma City empowerment zone, instead of through a typical site by site approach.

Integrated Tribal Environmental Management Center
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 7 Amount: $30,000
Partners: Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation, Jackson County, Kansas
Overview: This pilot will expedite the development of an Integrated Tribal Environmental Management Center to demonstrate the feasibility of melding solid waste management, recycling, water quality protection, and entrepreneurship on a Native American Reservation.

Biomass Energy Conversion Study
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 7 Amount: $51,736
Partners: Biomass Energy Conversion (BECON )Facility, Iowa Energy Center/Iowa State University
Overview: This pilot will investigate the feasibility of establishing new, bio-based plastic manufacturing processes.

Assisting Facility Decontamination in the Wood Preserving Industry
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 7 and Office of Solid Waste Amount: $56,255
Overview: This pilot will develop an equipment cleaning methodology for wood preserving facilities to assist in the conversion from PCP and CCA to less toxic chemicals.

Developing of a Policy to Facilitate the Use of Drum Top Crushing Devices for Fluorescent Lamps
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 3 Amount: $40,000
Partners: DTC device manufacturers, Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Overview: This pilot will collect data on mercury and other emissions from the use of DTC devices to develop a national policy on the use of DTC devices.

Building Deconstruction and Reuse
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste and EPA Region 4 Amount: $37,858
Partners: University of Florida Center for Construction and Environment, Gainesville Regional Utilities, City of Gainesville, FL
Overview: This pilot will conduct an innovative research, demonstration, and education project deconstructing a typical wood-framed house in Gainesville, Florida, and designing and reconstructing its constituent materials into new neighborhood building projects.

University Food Waste Composting
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region 8 Amount: $45,000
Partners: University of Colorado at Boulder, City of Boulder Office of Environmental Affairs
Overview: This pilot will address the waste diversion challenge faced by university housing and other food generators by determining the cost-effectiveness and practicality of on-site, in-vessel composting technology.

Effectiveness of Cell Phone Reuse, Refurbishment, and Recycling Programs
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Region Amount: $35,000
Partner: INFORM, Inc., New York City
Overview: This pilot will examine the effectiveness of selected cell phone donation and take-back programs and determine how their value is recaptured and how collected phones are ultimately managed at end-of-life.

Entering Institutional Controls into One-Call Systems
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, Amount: $50,000
Partner: U.S. EPA Region 5, U.S. EPA Region 3, State of Wisconsin, and State of Pennsylvania
Overview: This pilot will test the viability of including sites with institutional controls into state one-call systems.

eCommerce Packaging and Shipping Design
Sponsor: U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste Amount: $50,000
Partner: McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC, Charlottesville, Virginia
Overview: This pilot will work with various partners to eliminate waste the concept of waste in eCommerce product packaging. The Pilot consists of two phases: 1) development of a progressive design framework for eCommerce packaging; and 2) execution of a Design Challenge to solicit innovative designs which meet the framework outlined in phase one.

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