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Sponsored by the Environmental Assistance Office (EAO)
for Small Business at UNC Charlotte, The
Environmental Corner is designed to serve as an
environmental management and pollution prevention
resource.
This newsletter topic continues from the Summer 2006
edition which highlighted recycled products,
recycling, and waste exchange. There are many
reasons to reduce needs, reuse products, and
recycle. It enables removing items from the waste
stream, provides a resource of materials for new
products, prevents backyard burning, yields energy
savings, and improves the air quality.
In this issue:
Prevent Backyard Burning
Particulate Matter and Dioxins
Hazards from Burning
EAO Services
“RE3” - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Program
U.S. Facts of Interest:
In 2003, U.S. residents, businesses, and
institutions produced more than 236 million tons of
waste, which is approximately 4.5 pounds of waste
per person per day. Recycling, including
composting, rerouted 72 million tons of material
away from disposal in 2003, up from 15 million tons
in 1980. Recyclable materials include newspaper
(82% generally recycled), glass (22%), aluminum
(44%), plastics (28%), cardboard (71%), batteries,
and yard waste; the majority of waste (35.2%) is
paper.
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Recycling
diverts items, such as paper, glass, plastic, and
metals; these materials are sorted, collected, and
processed and then manufactured, sold, and bought as
new products.
http://www.epa.gov/msw/reduce.htm#recycle
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Composting
decomposes organic waste, such as food scraps and yard
trimmings, with microorganisms (mainly bacteria and
fungi), producing a humus-like substance.
http://www.epa.gov/msw/reduce.htm#composting
NC Facts of Interest:
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North Carolinians recycle 68 pounds of materials
a second, but throw away nearly ten times as
much (679 pounds per second).
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The amount of waste disposed in North Carolina
has increased from 6.8 million tons in 1991 to
10.23 million tons in 2003. At the current rate
of growth, North Carolina will be disposing of
as much as 13 million tons per year by 2020.
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In the time it takes between the birth of a child
in 2001 and the child’s first year in college
(2019), we will have disposed of more than 200
million tons in landfills around the state. By
the time the child reaches retirement age, an
estimated 700 million tons will have been thrown
away.
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Recycling in North Carolina is a job creator and
a growing part of our state’s economy. Recycling
employs more than 13,000 North Carolinians and
recycling jobs have increased about 48 percent
in the last 10 years.
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Only half of aluminum cans are recycled even with
a statewide disposal ban, and over $20 million
in aluminum is thrown away each year. Other
items prohibited from disposal in North Carolina
include tires, appliances, yard debris, lead
acid batteries, used oil, and antifreeze.
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North Carolina recycles 26 percent of its waste
stream, composts six percent, sends 67 percent
to landfills and incinerates one percent.
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North Carolinians throw away enough trash to
fill dumpsters lined up from:
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Shelby to Charlotte in just under a week
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Asheville to Raleigh every 34 days
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Greensboro to Goldsboro every 19 days
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Boone to Bald Head every 47 days
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Monroe to Manteo every 47 days
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Asheville to Asheboro every 26 days
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Wilson to Winston-Salem every 21 days
NC Facts were found at the “RE3” - Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle Program website located at:
http://www.re3.org/
For more information on NC waste management:
http://www.wastenotnc.org/ The Pollution
Prevention program is part of the NCDENR program to
assist small businesses and information is found at:
http://www.p2pays.org/
Newsletters with case studies for Recycling Works
and Focus: Waste Minimization for small businesses
can be found at:
http://www.p2pays.org/main/newsletters.asp#rworks
Insight for companies starting recycling programs
from experience in MI:
http://www.p2pays.org/ref/01/00167/
Local information can be found at the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Land Use and
Environmental Services - Solid Waste website:
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/LUESA/Solid+Waste/Home.htm
Local contacts:
http://www.p2pays.org/localgov/PAYT/ncwaste.asp?choice2=MECKLENBURG+COUNTY
Information on Business Recycling in Mecklenburg
County:
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/LUESA/Solid+Waste/Business+Recycling/Home.htm
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Prevent Backyard Burning
Millions of people nationwide burn trash in their
own backyards for a variety of different reasons.
People burn anything that reduces their own costs or
efforts, and this sends many hazardous chemical
waste products into the air; most people do not know
how harmful this is to our atmosphere. Most people
burn their trash – including paper, cardboard, food
scraps, plastics, and yard trimmings (most are
recyclable) – because it is easier than hauling it
away to a dumpster/recycling location or less
expensive than regular trash collection and
recycling services. Many places have restrictions
on burning, but people continue to burn waste
anyway. There are many risks associated with
burning, not least of which include human health
concerns, particulate matter, and other pollutants
that cause reduced visibility and smog
For
the basics on backyard burning please see:
http://www.epa.gov/msw/backyard/basic.htm
How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health – EPA
Brochure can be found at:
http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=smoke.main
The Open Burning Rule is one of North Carolina's
oldest air quality regulations, first adopted in
1971. The rule prohibits most outdoor burning and
sets conditions for allowable fires. Under the
rule, it is always illegal to burn trash and other
non-vegetative materials. Leaves, branches and
other plant growth can be burned under certain
conditions. Violators can be fined up to $10,000 or
more. Further, the NC division of Forest Resources
issues NO outdoor burning permits for the
Mecklenburg county area.
For more information, visit
http://daq.state.nc.us/enf/openburn/index.shtml.
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Particulate Matter and Dioxins Hazards
from Burning
Fine particulates are one of six main air pollutants
that are released from burning (including dust,
smoke, and soot) that come from many sources
(burning of fossil or diesel fuels by trucks and
buses; burning of garbage; mixing and application of
fertilizers and pesticides; road construction; steel
making; mining operations; agricultural burning; and
operation of fireplaces or woodstoves). People most
at risk from exposure to fine particulate matter are
children, the elderly, and people with chronic
respiratory problems.
For more information on particulates see:
http://epa.gov/oar/particlepollution/index.html
In addition to numerous particulates, backyard
burning and fuel combustion also produces harmful
quantities of dioxins, a group of useless, highly
toxic chemicals that are typically produced when
waste is burned and eventually wind up in our
food/water and affect our health (especially those
that contain chlorine such as plastics and paper),
pesticides, even cigarette smoke, home-heating
systems, and exhaust from cars also contain small
amounts of dioxins. Dioxins bond quickly and
strongly to particulate matter in the air and are
distributed on plants and eaten by herbivorous
animals often eaten by humans. The
Human Health
page (http://www.epa.gov/msw/backyard/health.htm
) provides more information about the dangers of
dioxin. For more information on dioxin formation
and sources, visit
EPA's Draft Dioxin Reassessment. http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=55265&CFID=1431123&CFTOKEN=40283603
For
full report, please see:
http://www.greenfacts.org/dioxins/l-2/dioxins-1.htm#2
More information on Particulate Matter can be found
in the March 2005 Environmental Assistance Office
Newsletter:
http://www.eao.uncc.edu/Newsletter_Archive/Mar05Newsletter.htm
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Environmental Assistance
Office (EAO) for Small Business
The Environmental Assistance Office for Small
Business provides non-regulatory,
client-confidential pollution prevention assistance
to small businesses in the greater Charlotte region.
The EAO is designed to assist regional businesses in
their efforts to voluntarily prevent pollution. The
EAO staff can provide timely assistance for
pollution prevention planning, including information
about industry-specific case studies, waste-specific
case studies, and new technologies. The office
provides links of resources to needs between the
region's business community, government,
municipality, and university. If there is a
particular issue or question you would like to see
in an upcoming edition, please send an e-mail to
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu.
Contact Information:
Environmental Assistance Office for Small Business:
9201 University City Blvd. 258 Cameron Building, UNC
Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28233-0001
Phone number: 704-687-3968 Fax number: 704-687-3115
Email:
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu
Services:
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Assistance with Air Permits - Assistance for small
businesses in completing paperwork for EPA air
permits.
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Educational Materials - Educational pamphlet,
brochures, flyers, and other materials to relate
facts on pollution prevention.
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Educational Outreach - Develop educational outreach
campaigns and presentations for the public or
employee training.
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University Resources - Library information, faculty
expertise, student projects and research at both
graduate and undergraduate levels.
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