Tax Incentives To Help Irish Firms Upgrade To Energy-saving IT

The Irish government recently announced it would expand an existing tax break program (section 46 of the Finance Act 2008) to encourage companies to upgrade to more energy-efficient equipment. The expansion would include information technology (IT); heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and related types of equipment.

For more information visit http://www.sei.ie/Your_Business/Accelerated_Capital_Allowance/.

Israel Begins Funding Local Recycling Infrastructure Projects

When Israel began a landfill tax in 2007, much of the revenue collected was supposed to be used to build recycling infrastructure at the local level. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Environment announced that the funding for the first wave of such projects has been approved.

Thirty-three requests totaling more than $2 million (USD) have been approved with more funding to be announced soon. About two-thirds of the funded projects are for "recycling centers, implementation of information programs and planning of recycling systems" and the other third is for "material recovery facilities and advanced recycling solutions."

For more information visit http://www.sviva.gov.il/Enviroment/bin/en.jsp?enPage=e_BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Object&enDispWho=News^l4422&enZone=e_news.

EPA To Examine Formaldehyde Emissions From Wood Products

On Tuesday, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on formaldehyde emissions from pressed wood products. The EPA said it received a "citizens’ petition" from the Sierra Club and more than 30 other organizations submitted under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Formaldehyde emissions from wood products received recent national attention when FEMA-provided trailers provided to Hurricane Katrina victims were found to contain hazardous levels of formaldehyde vapors.

Stakeholders may submit their comments about the issue during the 60 days and the EPA will hold five public meetings to gather input.

For more information visit http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/chemtest/formaldehyde/index.htm.

House Committee Wants EPA Action On E-Waste Exports

Prompted by a recent 60 Minutes expose on e-waste shipments from the United States as well as an earlier General Accounting Office (GAO) probe on cathode ray tube exports, the House Committee on Commerce and Energy sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pressing the agency about its plans on better controlling e-waste exports.

The Committee's letter states, "We are concerned that increased exports to [developing nations] could lead to more adults and children being exposed to harmful toxins. We are also concerned that the EPA's lax enforcement of hazardous waste export requirements protrays our country as turning a blind eye to illegal exports that are not only in violation of the CRT rule but also in violation of other countries' obligations under international law."

The letter asked to receive by December 1 copies of the EPA's records pertaining to GAO investigation. The letter is available for review at http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110-ltr.111808.Johnson.Ewaste.pdf.

Virginia Recycling Statistics Released For 2007

On Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released its report on state recycling for 2007. The overall recycling rate increased only nominally from 2006 to 2007, from 38.4 to 38.5 percent. The amount of material recycled or reused dropped slightly from 3.7 million to 3.6 million tons, and the amount of waste waste generated also dropped slightly.

Two notable statistics - plastic recycling jumped 60 percent and electronics 61 percent from a year earlier.

To review the 2007 report go to http://www.deq.state.va.us/export/sites/default/recycle/pdf/AnnualReport_RRR2007_Final.pdf.

Mumbai, India Begins Developing E-Waste Plan

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority created a committee last week to map out a strategy for handling the city's growing quantity of electronics waste. The strategy will include constructing a processing facility to recover precious metals.

Committee members will include representation from the Maharastra Pollution Control Board, the Department of Environment and community officials. They will be responsible for finding a site for the proposed processing facility and a plan to collecting and transporting the e-waste to the facility. Mumbai, India's commercial capital, produces more e-waste than any other municipality in the country.

For more information visit http://www.mmrdamumbai.org.

BBC Survey Says Brits Support "Pay As You Throw" Scheme

The results of a survey released on Wednesday show British residents strongly support a "pay as you throw" scheme to reduce waste. The survey of 1,000 residents found support for the scheme by 79 percent of women and 70 percent of men.

At least 70 percent of women and men also said they "would be more careful about creating waste if they had to pay for it to be collected."

The United Kingdom is finalizing a Climate Change Bill, which addresses waste reduction. A fee for single-use plastic bags is included in the Bill.

The BBC story is available for review at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7747853.stm.

World's First Oxo-biodegradable Bottle Debuts

A relatively new player in the packaging business, Planet Green Bottle Corporation, recently announced the market introduction of what it claims is "the world's first commercial oxo-biodegradable plastic bottle."

The Mississauga, Ontario firm employs a process called Reverte that makes polyethylene terephthalate (PET) oxo-biodegradable. It claims the modified PET bottles will offer a more environmentally-friendly packaging medium for spring water, vitamin water, wine and spirits and other liquids. PET bottles have had a relatively low recycling rate in the United States and are a frequent target of some environmental groups and government agencies.

For more information visit http://www.planetgreenbottle.com.

CHEJ Publishes Anti-PVC Product Guidebook For Consumers

On Monday, The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) fired the latest shot in its battle over the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by releasing a 52-page publication titled, Pass Up the Poison Plastic - The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home.

Calling PVC "...the worst plastic for our health and environment, releasing dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer..." the guidebook lists the most common consumer products made from PVC and PVC-free alternatives in 80 product categories, including baby products, children’s toys and electronics.

For months, CHEJ has been pressuring manufacturers and retailers to eliminate PVC from a variety of products and educating consumers about what they say are the health dangers of the plastic.

For more information visit http://www.chej.org/.

Greenpeace Issues Latest Green Electronics Scorecard

Mirror, mirror, on the wall... who's the greenest electronics company of them all?

For the moment the honor goes to Nokia, according to the latest "Guide to Greener Electronics" released by Greenpeace on Monday.

While Nokia retained the highest overall ranking of the 18 companies included in the previous guide, Greenpeace said the three most improved companies were Motorola, Toshiba and Sharp due to "...improvements in their energy scores."

Greenpeace is constantly raising the bar in its evaluations. It initial focus was on restricting/eliminating certain materials in electronic products. Then the use of clean energy in manufacturing and product energy efficiency were added. Now Greenpeace is evaluating electronics manufacturers' "...commitment to achieve reductions in their own global warming pollution and for their political support for the pollution cuts..." as a criterion.

For more information visit http://www.greenpeace.org/usa.