January 2004 Newsletter
Oregon's Waste Recovery Rate Dips to 46.5 Percent
A Last Act For Composting
Do You Have Earth Share of Oregon at Your Workplace?
Better World Club Challenges AAA
RA Seeks Member Volunteers for State of Recycling in Oregon
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Oregon's Waste Recovery Rate Dips to 46.5 Percent
Metro rate also drops due to lagging economy
Oregon's solid waste recovery rate for 2002 is 46.5 %, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which recently released figures from its 11th annual survey of garbage haulers and private recycling companies. The 2002 rate is down 0.3 % from last year's record 46.8 %.
Recovery of actual waste material in the state went up slightly (2.5 %) but disposal increased even more (3.5 %), according to DEQ solid waste specialists.
"This drop can largely be attributed to the jump in the disposal of solid waste in the state along with poor market conditions for recycled materials," said Mary Sue Gilliland, manager of DEQ's Solid Waste Program. "The poor economy undermined improved waste recovery programs in communities throughout the state."
What the recovery rate includes
The recovery rate includes materials collected for recycling or composting, as well as some material burned for energy recovery. Major types of materials recovered include paper, organic materials (wood waste, yard debris and food waste), metals, plastics, glass, used tires and used motor oils.
Of all the materials recovered in 2002, organics (mainly food waste, wood waste and yard debris) made up 41.4 %, followed by paper (33.2 %), metals (12.8 %), glass (4.6 %), and plastics (1.2 %). Other assorted waste (including such items as tires, paint, batteries, brick, asphalt roofing material and motor oil) totaled 6.8 %.
Reasons given for the decline
Among the key reasons for the decline in the 2002 state waste recovery rate:
• The quantity of materials going to landfills increased 3.5 % statewide;
• Poor market prices contributed to a drop in the collection of some materials for recycling and energy recovery.
On the plus side, Gilliland noted several positive trends in the state's waste recovery data:
• The amount of organic materials collected for composting increased nearly 27 %;
• Recovery of waste tires increased 35 % due to new and expanded markets.
"We're disappointed by the continued increase in waste generation," said Gilliland. "We'd like to see more Oregonians reduce the amount of waste they generate in the first place. It will be very difficult for the state to meet the Legislature's mandated 2005 goal of no per-capita increase in waste generation without Oregonians changing their habits."
How much we recover and dispose of per capita
In 2002, each Oregonian generated an average of 2,726 pounds of waste, an increase of 1.9 % from the 2,676 pounds in 2001. The previous year had seen a 1.2 % increase in the amount of per capita waste generated. DEQ believes the continued increase is due to lack of availability and consumer resistance to waste reduction and reuse options.
Per capita disposal increased in 2002 after two years of declines. In 2002, each Oregonian disposed an average of 1,557 pounds of waste, up 2.6 % from the 1,521 pounds per capita in 2001. Overall disposal increased from 2.64 million tons in 2001 to 2.73 million tons in 2002.
The total amount of recovered material collected in 2002 was 2,049,169 tons, or an average of 1,169 pounds per person. That represents a 1.5 % per capita increase from the 1,999,098 tons (1,152 pounds per person) in 2001.
How localities fared in 2002
At the county level, total waste recovery rates ranged from a high of 58.4 % in Yamhill County to a low of 10.8 in Lake County. The Portland metro area (Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties are calculated as one wasteshed) reported a 53.8 % total waste recovery rate, down from 2001's 54.9 % rate. Marion County was also among counties achieving a recovery rate of more than 50 %, at 56.9 %. For the second year in a row, all counties met their required recovery rates. Oregon law states that Oregon overall must meet a statewide recovery rate of 45 % for the calendar year 2005. New wasteshed goals will be in effect in 2005.
The Metro regional government reports that the decline can be attributed to several factors, all relating to the downturn in the economy. "The region lost a couple of important recycling facilities for construction waste last year, and markets for some recyclable materials weren't what they had been in the past," said Metro Council President David Bragdon. "Nevertheless, we've made some good progress in the past several years toward our goal, and the Metro Council has convened work groups to outline options for pushing us closer to the state-mandated goal of 62 % by 2005."
Metro also has formed a work group comprised of industry and government representatives, recycling advocates and residents to make recommendations to the Metro Council for new programs and regulations to implement, if the existing recycling programs and regulations aren't effective. Also, during the next 18 months, Metro will revise its Regional Solid Waste Management Plan, which spells out goals and roles for managing and reducing waste within the metro region during the next decade.
Despite the slight downturn in last year's rate, the Metro region continues to be a national leader. The region's recycling rate increased from 51 % in 2000 to 55 % in 2001. "We set the bar high for the metro region," said Bragdon. "There are few areas in the country that have met a 50 % recycling rate, and we set the goal at 62 %. It's going to take everyone's commitment, from the homeowner to the business owner to the private recycling company, to get us there," he said.
Gilliland says that despite 2002's slight decline in waste recovery, Oregon remains among the nation's leaders in solid waste recovery and recycling. Each state calculates its recovery rates slightly differently, so it's difficult to make close comparisons, she noted. "It is encouraging that in these economic times, homeowners and businesses still value and support our recycling programs," she said.
Recovery rate data from the entire state of Oregon, and a report about the 2002 recovery rates are available on the DEQ Web page at www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/rsw.htm. For more information about the 2002 DEQ survey results, contract Mary Sue Gilliland of DEQ's Solid Waste Program, Portland, at (503) 229-5808, or dial toll-free within Oregon at (800) 452-4011, ext. 5808.
Sources: DEQ and Metro
Will natural burial cemeteries become a trend?
Recycling Advocates members are interested in conserving resources and keeping the waste stream pure. As we work on developing practices that recycle materials and prevent waste during our time here on Earth, we can also look at how these concepts apply to our own bodies at end of life.
Burials: a waste prevention issue
Over the last six months, the concept of "natural" or "green" burials has attracted media attention. Modern forms of burial in the United States are costly, both in terms of finances and resources. Essentially, a cemetery is a type of disposal site. Vaults (usually a concrete encasement for the casket), concrete liners, and caskets act as barriers to natural decomposition of the body in the soil. According to Mary Woodsen, vice president of the Pre-Posthumous Society of Ithaca, New York, and a science writer at Cornell University, each year in the U.S. we bury along with our loved ones:
• 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid, which includes formaldehyde;
• 180,544,000 pounds of steel, in caskets;
• 5,400,000 pounds of copper and bronze, in caskets;
• 30,000,000 board feet of hardwoods, including tropical woods, in caskets;
• 3,272,000,000 pounds of reinforced concrete in vaults;
• 28,000,000 pounds of steel in vaults.
Additionally, we know from recent public-health studies that formaldehyde - used in the embalming process - has been linked to cancer since the 1980's. In her article "You Can't Take It With You," Gillian Ashley cites a study by the National Cancer Institute released in November that reported increased risks of death from leukemia and Hodgkin's disease among factory workers who are exposed to formaldehyde. A recent issue of Mortuary Management notes that British embalmers are at increased risk of nose, pharynx, and lung cancer.
Cemeteries expend labor, fuel, and herbicides to maintain their pristine facilities. Cremation, the common alternative to burial, also has its environmental disadvantages. The process requires burning some sort of material receptacle for the body, uses fossil fuels, promotes climate change, and pollutes the air. Overall, today's burial business wastes resources and pollutes our planet.
An older tradition returns: natural burials
Now some in the United States are returning to the old traditions of burial. Natural burials prohibit the use of embalming, metal caskets and concrete vaults. In South Carolina, Dr. Billy and Kimberly Campbell of Memorial Ecosystems have created the Ramsey Creek preserve, their first green cemetery. The preserve is made up of 32 acres of mixed woodlands, open fields, and trails. The Glendale Memorial Preserve in Florida is another new natural burial cemetery. According to Mother Earth News, other groups are currently working on the development of green cemeteries in Colorado, California, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The British are way ahead of Americans when it comes to burying the dead in a way that promotes nature and the land. The Natural Death Centre in London provides abundant information on the movement and practice of green burials. There are about 200 natural cemeteries in Britain. The United States and Canada are the only two countries where embalming is the norm, writes Ashley. This practice gained momentum during the Civil War when families paid to have their dead soldiers preserved for the long trip home.
The cost of burials may help the natural burial movement. The Campbells charge about $2,000 for a burial at the Ramsey Creek preserve. According Ashley's article, the average American funeral runs nearly $5,400, plus an extra $2,000 or so for the plot, digging gravestone, and vault.
Joshua Slocum, executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, notes that there are no laws in any state that require the dead be embalmed, or placed in caskets, or vaults. Most cemeteries require vaults because they make money from them. Municipal and religious cemeteries are more likely to waive any vault requirement. Many will also allow the use of a concrete grave liner in place of a vault. In addition to profiting from vaults, cemeteries claim that vaults help keep their facilities level, because sinkholes can form over unlined graves as the body decomposes.
What to do in Oregon
In the Portland area, Metro runs fourteen cemetery facilities. They require at least a concrete liner, which, unlike a vault, does allow for some natural decomposition with the earth. The casket must have handles and be made of wood at a minimum. Susie Bousha, director of the Pioneer Cemetery, says that the rules help protect visitors and workers from sinkholes and falling headstones.
A spokesperson with the Oregon Cemetery and Mortuary Board notes that no Oregon statutes prohibit the development of a natural or green cemetery. The key issues in Oregon law deal with record keeping and the sanitary condition of cemeteries. In fact, there are no restrictions regarding the use of caskets and vaults. The greatest hurdles in developing natural burial preserves in Oregon may be on the local level with land use and zoning rules.
For more information on natural burial preserves visit any of the following Web sites.
Funeral Consumers Alliance: www.funerals.org
The Natural Death Centre: www.naturaldeath.org.uk
Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve: www.glendalenaturepreserve.org
Memorial Ecosystems, Inc.: www.memorialecosystems.com
The North American Woodland Burial Society: http://woodlandburial.htmlplanet.com
The Memorial Society of British Columbia: www.memorialsocietybc.org
Gillian Ashley's article is available on the On Earth Web site at www.nrdc.org/onearth/04win/briefings.asp.
Editor's note: Discussion about natural burials and other ways of dealing with the bodies of the deceased appeared last month on the Grassroots Recycling Network's listserve at www.grrn.org.
Do You Have Earth Share of Oregon at Your Workplace?
Oregonians care. They care about forests and fish, about clean water and air, about taking care of their communities. Every year, more and more working people in Oregon have chosen to show their commitment by donating to Earth Share of Oregon's 66 local and national member groups through the fall giving campaign. Earth Share's campaign enables Recycling Advocates to reach out to many new audiences and potential supporters across the state. If you'd like your workplace to be a part of this growing trend, we invite you to learn more.
Here's how it works: Earth Share works with employers to set up a payroll deduction program through which employees can donate either to Earth Share of Oregon (ESOR) as a whole or to designate their gift for one or more ESOR members. It's simple, convenient and it makes a big difference. In campaigns in over 75 businesses and public agencies, ESOR annually generates well over $600,000 to support environmental organizations that work to protect human health, preserve wildlife habitat and reduce the causes and effects of global warming.
ESOR campaigns have many benefits both for the employer and the employee. Companies can demonstrate their commitment to the community by offering a broader set of charitable choices. Employees have the benefit of supporting work they care about with the convenience of payroll deduction. To find out more about adding ESOR to your company's giving campaign contact Ron Shoals at ESOR: (503) 223-9015 or rrs@earthshare-oregon.org; or visit www.earthshare-oregon.org. It's a great way to leverage your own commitment to the earth!
Better World Club Challenges AAA
Did you know that the American Automobile Association lobbies against increased fuel efficiency standards? The Better World Club is a roadside assistance and travel club that strives to balance transportation needs with protection of the environment. The club claims to advocate on behalf of the consumer and the environment and pledges to donate an amount equal to 1% of annual revenues toward environmental clean-up efforts. It also provides discounts on hybrid car rentals. For more information, visit www.betterworldclub.com or call (866) 304-7540.
RA Seeks Member Volunteers for State of Recycling in Oregon
The new year will see us starting on a new and exciting project. RA member volunteers will plan and create the first issue of a State of Recycling in Oregon report. We've had many ideas about what topics we could include and how to approach them. The first task will be to narrow these down to a useful and workable list, followed by identifying the necessary resources, research, preparation and publication. If you would like to participate on the project team, please contact us at info@recyclingadvocates.org or (503) 777-0909.