The Hartford Business Journal honored Oakleaf Waste Management CEO Jim Barnes as their 2008 Business Person of the Year. In an article announcing the honor, the Business Journal stated, “[Barnes is] the best of the new generation: genuinely green, high-tech, asset-light and ingenious.” The full article may be read here.
Archive for October, 2008
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Many green spaces around America’s highways and downtown intersections are fields of campaign signs, many of which are made from polypropylene resin plastic. After the election, most communities give campaigns deadlines for removing these signs from public space. But what happens to all of this plastic? Can it be recycled?
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While the lifespan of a shoe varies generally depends on the shoe design and construction, running surfaces, the runner’s weight/form/frequency, etc., most runners should expect a range of 350-500 miles out of a pair of rotated shoes. However some runners start experiencing pain after as few as 200 miles. As even casual runners can average 10 to 20 miles a week, it’s easy to see that a lot of running shoes are produced, sold and discarded in the United States each year. The production of these shoes is a material and energy intense process. And despite the fact that options exist for runners to reuse or recycle their old shoes, most old shoes still end up in landfills.
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When landfills close, communities can reclaim them and convert them into a variety of productive uses. Former landfills in many communities have wild life habitats, natural wetlands, community facilities and recreational areas like golf courses and bike parks. Even where landfills have been closed and land reuse projects have been created, the landfill operator continues to collect the landfill gas that these sites continue to produce, allowing for continued landfill-gas-to-energy. Regardless of how a former site is used, the community still has environmental protection. The U.S. EPA has strict regulations for closing landfills, which includes the installation of a final cover that is impervious to water infiltration, the continuation environmental monitoring, state reporting for full compliance with permits, and a requirement that landfill owners maintain sufficient money for corrective actions.
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The rising cost of fuel and equipment affects our companies as it does all other businesses and families. Add to these rising expenses the cost of insurance, labor, health costs, operational and maintenance costs and costs to comply with new environmental regulations. While costs for trash collection have increased in some communities, residential trash collection, which includes disposal, is an essential service offered at a bargain price compared to rising prices most Americans pay for utilities and services, such as cellular telephones or cable television.
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Most matter in the world is subject to biological decay, and this natural process produces odor, especially with garbage with a high organic content (such as food) or with more water and air. Fortunately, the industry has pioneered ways to successfully manage odors at landfills, transfer stations, recycling facilities and in garbage trucks. And studies have shown that odor is rarely an offsite health hazard.
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No. Our owners and employees do not engage in or condone criminal behavior. Because stereotypes are hard to break, we worry that certain shows, like the Sopranos, demean the hundreds of thousands of honest, hard-working men and women, from the truck drivers and helpers on collection routes, mechanics, as well as senior management, who each day provide a vital service in protecting public health and our shared environment. In fact, there never have been more than a limited number of instances when organized crime has been involved in solid waste management. Through vigorous law enforcement, states such as New Jersey, Connecticut and New York have successfully prosecuted law breakers to root out any involvement of organized crime in the solid waste industry in their states. Our industry fully supports and cooperates with these measures, if for no other reason than to help end these sorts of stereotypes. In New Jersey, for example, any new employee of a garbage company, from a helper on the back of the truck to a new CEO, must be fingerprinted and clear a criminal background check before being hired.
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Like so many things, trash collection and disposal costs recently have gone up in many communities. Many people may wonder why. The rising cost of fuel and equipment affects solid waste management companies as it does all other businesses and families. Add to these rising expenses the cost of insurance, labor, health costs, operational and maintenance costs and costs to comply with new environmental regulations. While costs for trash collection have increased, residential trash collection, which includes disposal, is still offered at a bargain price compared to rising prices most Americans pay for most utilities and services, such as cellular telephones or cable television.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently issued good news: The fatality rate for collectors of trash/recyclables substantially decreased in 2007 from 2006. This is a big deal because garbage collectors while performing their essential services are the victims of far too many accidents. (Nearly one garbage man dies each week in an accident, and many more are injured each year.)