10 products found
Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. products
Carpet
Approximately 2.7 million tons of carpet and rugs are disposed of annually, representing about 1.2 percent of the municipal solid waste stream. Carpet was an early candidate for product stewardship for several reasons. First, while carpet does not pose a toxicity hazard, it is a bulky item that represents a cost to generators for handling and disposal. Second, certain carpet manufacturers adopted product stewardship as an operating principle, offering early take-back programs and recycled content products. In January, 2002, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by representatives of government agencies, carpet manufacturers, recyclers, and other key participants to increase the amount of reuse and recycling of post-consumer carpet and reduce the amount of waste carpet going to landfills.
Electronics
Used electronic products are the most rapidly growing waste problem in the world due to their quantity, rapid obsolescence, and toxicity. The National Safety Council estimated that more than 300 million computers became obsolete in the United States in 2004. The International Association of Electronics Recyclers projects that 1 billion computers will be scrapped worldwide by 2010, at a rate of 100 million units per year. Electronic wastes contain toxic substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium, lithium, brominated flame retardants, and phosphorous coatings. These toxic materials can be released upon disposal, posing a threat to human health and the environment. Inconsistencies in worker safety and environmental protection mean potential liability concerns for those sending electronics to recycling facilities – especially if these facilities are located in developing countries. In addition, domestic recycling markets for some collected materials are not fully developed. State and local governments have neither the existing collection and recycling infrastructure, nor the necessary funds to properly manage electronics. PSI is working with state and local government agencies to pass electronics product stewardship legislation, and is also working with U.S. Congressional leaders to develop national electronics waste management legislation that will be consistent with state laws.
Fluorescent Lighting
Fluorescent Lamps are an environmental paradox: they are environmentally sound because they use a fraction of energy to produce light compared with the incandescent lamps that they replace. They also last up to 10,000 hours, while many incandescent bulbs fail at 1,500 hours. But, they do contain a small amount of mercury, a harmful neurotoxin that should not be disposed of in landfills or incinerators. The number of fluorescent bulbs is also growing rapidly due to effective marketing by manufacturers, large retailers, and environmental/conservation groups. More than a half billion fluorescent lamps are now sold annually, and large numbers of spent lamps are already entering the waste stream. Since they can release mercury into the environment, these lamps must be recognized as a special waste and managed responsibly.
Gas Cylinders
Millions of households nationwide have refillable propane gas tanks for use with barbecue grills and other appliances. Many others use non-refillable one-pound gas cylinders (which can contain a variety of gases) for camping, and still others use larger propane tanks for their RV’s, heating, or mechanical purposes. Pressurized gas cylinders can be a convenient and safe way of supplying energy, but disposing of cylinders (no matter the size) requires caution, as leftover gas is likely to combust if cylinders are punctured and/or ignited. Accidentally shredding some kinds of gas cylinders can result in explosions powerful enough to damage equipment and buildings, and place waste workers at risk of serious injury. In 2003, PSI worked with SEMASS, a Massachusetts solid waste combustion facility, to address issues related to refillable propane tank disposal. PSI also worked with Sarasota County, Florida, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to address similar issues related to the collection and management of non-refillable gas cylinders. The results of these initiatives have pointed to clear paths forward for gas cylinder stewardship.
Mercury Products
Mercury is a highly toxic material present in a number of consumer and industrial products, including thermostats, thermometers, fluorescent lamps, electric switches, batteries, manometers and other measuring devices, toys, and novelties. These products can lead to contamination when thrown in the trash, where they might be crushed, incinerated, or otherwise mismanaged in a way to cause airborne releases, after which mercury falls back to earth in rainwater. People can get exposed to mercury by eating contaminated fish. Nearly every state in the country has issued mercury fish consumption advisories, warning their citizens to restrict their intake of fish due to mercury contamination. Primarily due to maternal fish ingestion, the number of babies born each year in the United States with mercury in their blood at levels posing adverse developmental risks may be as high as 630,000 (an estimated 15.7% of annual births). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state and local governments are working to reduce mercury pollution through a number of strategies, including eliminating non-essential uses of mercury, increasing recovery and recycling, and promoting the use of non-mercury alternatives.
Paint
`What should I do with my leftover paint?` This is a question that nearly every person in the United States faces, whether in the role as a private citizen, paint retailer, paint manufacturer, painting contractor, or government employee. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that about 10 percent of all paint purchased in the United States becomes leftover – around 64 million gallons annually. The cost for municipalities to manage leftover consumer paint averages $8 per gallon, making paint a half a billion dollar per year management cost. Retailers and manufacturers also manage millions of gallons of surplus and off spec paint, paint with damaged packaging, and paint returned by customers. PSI is working with U.S. EPA, state and local governments, manufacturers, retailers, paint recyclers, paint contractors, and environmental/consumer advocates to develop leftover paint management solutions that are both financially and environmentally sustainable.
Phone Book
Telephone books are a handy resource for residents needing the phone number of a neighbor or a list of local service providers. For businesses, especially those that provide goods and services to consumers locally, phone directories offer an effective way to reach potential customers. Telephone books, however, represent significant tonnage in the waste stream (660,000 tons per year). In recent years, the number of phone books delivered to households and businesses has increased, with two or more competing companies now publishing and distributing books in similar or overlapping geographic areas. Most residents and businesses lack a way to “opt out” of receiving those they don’t want. In addition, phone book recycling presents challenges. Phone books are made with a low grade of paper, and are sometimes distributed with materials that become contaminants in the recycling process (e.g., magnets and plastics), which represents a problem for certain end-use applications. Local governments currently bear costs to recycle and/or dispose of phone books, and some areas experience limited or absent opportunities to recycle. Regardless of the relative availability of recycling options, source reduction is an environmentally efficient approach that cuts across all scenarios.
Radioactive Devices
Radioactive materials are present in numerous types of devices used in various medical, commercial, and industrial sectors. These products represent minimal risk to public health during use since the radioactive materials are encased to prevent the escape of radiation. However, if the device is damaged or disassembled, these radioactive sources can potentially contaminate the environment and pose a risk to human health. Therefore, devices containing radioactive material become radioactive sources of concern as they become unwanted, abandoned, lost, stolen, or improperly disposed. The Product Stewardship Institute was awarded an EPA grant to identify and implement product stewardship solutions for two types of devices containing radioactive materials: tritium exit signs and fixed nuclear gauges. Fixed nuclear gauges are used to monitor and measure parameters such as density, thickness, and moisture content for industrial applications. Based on stakeholder discussions and interagency conversations, PSI is assisting the EPA in a project to support the testing of new technologies that have the potential to reduce or eliminate the use of radioactive materials in traditional gauges.
Thermostats
A significant number of thermostats still on the wall contain mercury, which is a potent neurotoxin. Mercury is used as a component of a mechanical tilt switch in thermostats, consisting of a glass bulb filled with inert gas and approximately three grams of mercury. Since many thermostats contain more than one switch, the average thermostat contains four grams of mercury. Even though 15 states now have laws that ban or restrict the sale of mercury thermostats, mercury thermostats can still be legally sold in the remaining states. In 1994, there were approximately 63 million mercury thermostats in use within the residential sector alone, equal to about 277 tons of mercury. Improper waste handling and disposal of mercury thermostats can result in mercury releases, and only a small fraction of mercury thermostats are being collected despite an industry-funded program run by the Thermostat Recycling Corporation. There are three major factors for the poor recycling performance of thermostat manufacturers: lack of awareness of thermostat recycling programs, an inadequate number of convenient collection locations, and insufficient motivation. PSI is working with stakeholders to develop effective state thermostat recycling programs that meet aggressive performance goals, and to conduct a pilot project for the collection of thermostats (and fluorescent lamps) at retail outlets.
Tires
In 2001, there were approximately 280 million scrap tires generated across the United States. Several markets for scrap tires exist, such as tire derived fuel, civil engineering applications, and crumb rubber applications. However, these markets are not sufficient to keep pace with the annual generation rate. Growing stockpiles of tires create environmental threats and serious health hazards when they are improperly maintained or catch fire. The negative environmental effects of scrap tires include becoming a habitat for disease-carrying pests; contamination of air, water, and soil; and impacts associated with wasting a valuable resource if disposed.
