In addition to recycling and composting, there’s another way communities can help fight climate change – by converting more of their waste into energy. The Center for American Progress (CAP) recently published a great story on how recovering energy from waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports local economies. According to CAP, the United States [...]
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Vice President, Plastics Division | American Chemistry CouncilNew York City reconsiders recycling; kudos to Mayor Bloomberg
An op ed in Tuesday’s New York Times praised Mayor Bloomberg for expanding New York City’s recycling program to include, among other items, rigid plastics, such as toys, yogurt cups and plastic forks and knives. Reversing New York’s decade long drop in recycling rates is a worthy goal that will improve the quality of life [...]
Local Tampa area leader praises energy recovery, celebrates 25 year partnership
Recently, the chairman of the Hillsborough County Commission, Ken Hagan, wrote an op-ed for the Tampa Bay Times commemorating the county’s 25-year partnership with Covanta Energy. In the op-ed , Chairman Hagan explained that the facility processes 1,800 tons of solid waste each day. According to Hagan, this is “enough energy to continuously power more [...]
Honolulu facility turns lost fishing nets into energy
According to experts, lost fishing nets unintentionally claim far too many marine animals every year. Entanglements of large nets, some of them weighing upwards of hundreds of pounds, get caught up in currents, where they can ensnare marine mammals and sea turtles, endanger ships, and wreak havoc on delicate ecosystems. Recent stories by CNN (video [...]
Cleveland evaluates integrated energy generation and recycling project
We noted with interest last week that the city of Cleveland is evaluating options for the development of an integrated waste management center that likely would include both recycling and energy recovery technologies. The story comes via Waste Management World, which writes that Cleveland has explored a variety of innovative technologies, including thermal conversion, pyrolysis, [...]
Recycling of rigid plastics achieves major milestone
Here’s a Hint: There’s a Good Chance You Can Recycle them in Your Area This week, there’s much good news to report on the recycling of rigid plastics, a category that includes cups, tubs and containers as well as larger items like toys and laundry baskets. According to new data, recycling of rigid plastics (excluding [...]
Plastic film recycling reaches 1 billion pounds annually
It’s always encouraging to see that Americans are recycling more of the materials they use every day, so we were pleased to see that plastic film recycling — the category of plastic recycling that includes plastic bags, product wraps and commercial shrink film — has grown so dramatically in just six years. According to a [...]
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle… and Recover
Most of us have heard the phrase “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” and today more and more voices are adding a fourth “R” to the mix to help ensure our nation’s energy future: Recover. As in recovering energy from waste. All four “Rs” play a key role in the U.S. EPA’s waste management hierarchy, and according to [...]
Officials: Pyrolysis to provide boost in northeast Colorado town
Fort Morgan, Colorado is the latest U.S. city poised to reap benefits from converting waste to energy. Recently, the Fort Morgan City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Creative Energy Systems (CES) regarding the construction of a waste-to-energy facility. The CES plant will convert garbage collected from local area landfills into electricity through [...]
Nation’s Capital to explore options for recovering energy from waste
Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray recently announced the winners of the Sustainable DC Budget Challenge, and a waste-to-energy proposal from the Department of Public Works (DPW) was one of twelve projects selected to receive a grant from the 32 proposals submitted. The DPW received a $300,000 grant to study the costs and benefits of establishing [...]
- A new year, but the same unworkable Safe Chemicals Act
- Re: “Think Those Chemicals Have Been Tested?” in Sunday’s NYT
- PR stunts miss the point on safety
- See how chemistry helps the U.S. save up to $85 billion a year in reduced energy costs
- New video and report: The chemistry behind energy efficient buildings
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News Releases
- ACC Report Reveals Economic Benefits of Announced Chemical Industry Investments May 20, 2013
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Advances Bipartisan Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency Legislation May 8, 2013
- Chemical Manufacturing Companies Honored for Performance, Commitment to Health and Safety May 6, 2013
- Chemical Manufacturers Enhance Commitment to Chemical Product Safety with New Responsible Care® Code May 6, 2013
- CPI Launches Expanded Regulatory Compliance Assistance Program for MDI Emissions May 3, 2013
