Current State of Recycling Business

Recycling is a big business – over $500 billion globally. It is the second largest segment for employment in the world next to farming. There are people involved in operating multi-million dollar trash separator plants, power plants using garbage, and hauling garbage to trash scavengers. So there is a big spectrum of people who are employed in this industry.

We are generating more trash than ever before. We are buying more packaged items. The internet market is booming – so boxes are again prepared to ship. A study done by Duke University estimated an average American generates about 4.3 lbs of trash a day, and it is going up.

Recycling businesses are going through a difficult time now.  The prices of many commodities have gone down – such as paper, metal, and plastic. China’s economy has slowed down, and it has affected the prices of recycled products.  The demand for aluminum cans has gone down due to less demand for canned beverages in China.  The price of oil has lowered significantly and it has taken a toll on the price of recycled plastic.

According to NBC News, there were several closings of recycling plants in California, Colorado, Florida and some other states in the USA due to the falling prices of recycled commodities.  Waste Management mentioned that "on the recycling commodity price front, 2016 has seen a continuation of the downward slide, and current prices are down $20 per ton or 23 percent from January of 2015.”

Slave labor in Logistics &        Supply Chain

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For the past few decades, globalization has changed logistics and supply chain management. Products may be manufactured and assembled across different countries. Often manufacturers or importers have very little idea how the imported parts/goods are made. It is estimated that over 30 million people could be working in an environment of slavery or forced labor worldwide. Trafficking men, women and children is a big business around the world. According to the International Labor Office, modern day slavery could generate over $150 billion every year.

There are hundreds of products that could be made by modern day slaves. These products are that we use every day like coffee, chocolate (cocoa), smart phones, computers, garments, and hand bags to name a few. What are we doing to prevent it?

There are many governmental and non-governmental agencies and private organizations are involved to prevent this. US Aid (www.usaid.gov/news-information/frontlines/democracy-human-rights-governance/fighting-modern-day-slavery) is involved around the world to prevent it from happening. This organization helps protect the victims and prosecute traffickers. UNICEF’s Child First program (www.unicefusa.org/mission/protect/trafficking/end) and Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org/en/) are working to prevent the trafficking of children. There are many private non-profit organizations around the world working to prevent human trafficking and help people who are trapped as slave labors. 

In our modern world, globalization will stay with us. When a company outsources manufacturing their products or imports goods from foreign countries, the company needs to be very careful. The company should make sure that any slave labor or child labor is not involved in manufacturing their products. Even companies that import goods from a foreign country should be aware of this huge problem. Using slave labor could tarnish the image of a company once it is unveiled.   Due to current refugee crisis the number of slave / forced labor is growing.

Here is a resource from US Department of Labor on this subject: www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/pdf/tvpra_report2014.pdf

Single Use Plastic Grocery Bags 

These are not jelly fish, but plastic grocery bags

(Picture from www,globalgarbage.org.br)

Discarded plastic grocery bags are everywhere – in the rivers, oceans, roadsides and in your backyards.   These bags, also called T-shirt carry out bags, are great polluters. They are also inexpensive to manufacture. It costs about 2 to 5 cents each to buy. Brown paper grocery bags cost around 12 cents each to buy.  So due to low cost of T-shirt bags, these bags are overused. T-shirt bags are made out of petrochemicals, which are not biodegradable and will last for up to 1000 years in the environment.  These plastic bags could also be broken down into small pieces and become micro-plastics and enter the food chain. It is estimated that Americans throw away about 100 billion of the T-shirt bags annually.

T-shirt carry out bags are 100% recyclable. Unfortunately, about 12% of these bags are recycled. Manufacturing T-shirt carry out bags will emit less greenhouse gases. Some studies suggest that plastic bags take 40% less energy to manufacture and 80% less solid waste compared to recycled brown bags. These T-shirt carry out bags are very light weight and require less energy to transport and less room to store.

Large grocery chains have been making an effort to recycle these T-shirt carry out bags. Some states and local organizations are taking action to reduce the use of these T-shirt carry out bags.   In 2014, California was the first state to pass a bill to ban T-shirt bags in large retail stores. The stores in California also charged a minimum of 10 cents for the use of recycled brown bags.  In 2014, the city of Newburyport, MA banned the use of T-shirt grocery bags, which affected the retail stores. There are other organizations such as environmental groups and stores working to control the use of T-shirt carry out bags. 

Many stores are selling their own reusable grocery bags for as little as 99 cents.  In Massachusetts, there is a volunteer organization called The BagShare Project, where volunteers sew reusable grocery bags from donated materials. The main goal of this organization is help consumers not to use T-shirt carryout bags. If a customer forgets to bring a reusable bag, then he or she can borrow one and return the bag after using it.

There are many efforts going on to reduce the use of plastic T-shirt carry out bags. These carry out bags are 100% recyclable, but only 12% are recycled in the USA.  As a result, we see the bags polluting our environment or even our backyards. Consumers should be educated to recycle their plastic bags. We should have more places to collect and recycle T-shirt bags.  It takes much less energy to manufacture and transport these bags. I think, the best solution is BYOB - Bring Your Own Bags!

Lean through Green

The central point of Lean Manufacturing is eliminating waste in manufacturing systems.   The elimination of wastes could be achieved in a variety of ways such as reducing manufacturing process time and wait time, implementing proper inventory controls and reducing of defects.

Green Manufacturing is a concept in manufacturing that is used to produce products by having minimal environmental impact.   It could be achieved by minimizing waste, recycling, conserving energy use, controlling pollution.

The central point of both Lean and Green Manufacturing is the elimination of waste.   So, we can achieve a Lean Manufacturing environment by going Green.   For start-ups and small manufacturing organizations it could be better to create its manufacturing systems by adapting the philosophy from Green Manufacturing. 

Green Manufacturing is a relatively newer concept.   Start-ups and smaller manufacturing organizations might think, that it may not be meaningful to go green because their environmental impact could be very small.   Is it possible to be competitive by implementing Green concepts during the early stages of the development of an organization?   This could be answered by the design of manufacturing systems that are geared towards Green Manufacturing Systems and the belief system of the founders / owners of the organizations.  Is Green Manufacturing worth the investment?  There is one goal common in both Lean Manufacturing and Green Manufacturing is eliminating of waste.   So eliminating waste from the system could be great starting point to be efficient and competitive in a Green Manufacturing environment. It is also easier and less costly to grow and maintain a Green Manufacturing environment system than converting a non-green company to a green company because the employees are properly trained and a system is already in place.  A Green Manufacturing System should be designed with a long term vision.

It is ultimately the responsibility of the founders of start-ups and the owners of small manufacturing companies’ owners to decide to be Green or not.   Green Manufacturing could a good business practice.   It will save our environment and it is possible to stay competitive at the same time.   It could meet the expectation of the society as a responsible manufacturing organization.

Sustainable lawns - type of grasses

Grasses for sustainable lawns

There are varieties of grasses that are in use to have sustainable lawns.  In my previous blogs, I have mentioned that lawns are fast and cheap way to cover a large area of exposed land. Lawns can be found in residential houses, business complexes, industrial complexes, roadsides and many other places. One of the main functions of lawns is to cover the exposed areas of the land, prevent erosion and protect the environment. Lawns also have many other functions: control dust, keep the area cool, create a safe play area, increase property value, and many other functions. Lawns should be managed in an environmental friendly way to control pollutions like Non-Point Source (NPS).   (http://siddas1346.blogspot.com/2013/07/lawn-care-management-system.html)

Grasses differ from variety of ways, like fertility requirements, tolerance to heat / cold weather, shade, drought, salinity, pest and other.  Cool season grasses are used in the areas where it’s freezing winter and hot summer (http://www.scotts.com/smg/goART2/InfoHowTo/what-are-cool-season-grasses%3F/19500084///). 

Cool season grasses are like Kentucky bluegrass, Perennial ryegrass, Fine fescues and Tall fescue.   I will discuss the species of grasses that are widely used as cool season grasses. More information is available at: http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/forages/pubs/Georgia%20Forages%20-%20Grass%20Species.pdf

Here are characteristics of few grasses that are commonly used in the Northeast region of the USA:

§  Kentucky bluegrass: Insect tolerance is none, fertility from medium to medium high, recovery potential is excellent, shade tolerance is poor, heat tolerance is fair, wear tolerance is fair, drought tolerance is good and establishment quality is slow.

§  Fine fescues: Insect tolerance to some degree, fertility is low, recovery potential is poor, shade tolerance is very good, heat tolerance is fair, wear tolerance is poor, drought is excellent and establishment quality is medium to fast.

§  Perennial ryegrass: Insect tolerance to some degree, fertility is from medium to medium high, recovery potential is poor, shade tolerance is poor, heat tolerance is fair to poor, wear tolerance is excellent, drought tolerance is good, and establishment quality is fast.

§  Tall fescue: Insect tolerance is to some degree, fertility is from medium to medium high, recovery potential is poor, shade tolerance is from fair to good, heat tolerance is excellent, wear tolerance is excellent, drought tolerance is excellent and establishment quality is from medium to fast.

§  Annual ryegrass: Insect tolerance is fair, fertility is from medium to medium high, recovery potential is poor, shade tolerance is fair, heat  tolerance is poor, wear tolerance is from fair to good, drought tolerance is poor and establishment quality is very fast.

Most of the time blends of grasses are made for the purpose of specific uses.

§  Sunny and low maintenance lawns:  A mixture of fine fescue, perennial ryegrass blend and Kentucky bluegrass blend could be used.

§  Sunny and high maintenance lawns: A blend of Kentucky bluegrass blend, perennial ryegrass blend and fine fescue could be used.

§  Shady and well drained lawns: A mixture of fine fescue blend and shade tolerant Kentucky blend could be used.

The White House Lawn

There are verities of grasses that are used to create  sustainable lawns.  The conditions and usages of the lawn will determine type of grasses needed to be used.

Lawn Care Management System

Lawn Care

Environmentally Friendly Way

Many houses in the USA have lawns.  It is a fast and cheap way to cover a large area of exposed land. Lawns can be found in residential houses, business complexes, industrial complexes, roadsides and many other places. One of the main functions of lawns is to cover the exposed areas of the land, prevent erosion and protect the environment. Lawns also have many other functions: control dust, keep the area cool, create a safe play area, increase property value, and many other functions. Lawns should be managed in an environmental friendly way to control pollution like Non-Point Source (NPS), which I have mentioned in my previous blog - Sustainable Lean Six Sigma. 

Grass is in the family of plants known as the graminoids, which consists of over 6000 species.   Some examples of plants in this family include rice, corn, bamboo, sugar cane and oats.  

Grass seeds are the beginning of a new plants.   The seeds germinate when the soil temperature is between 50 – 55⁰ F minimum.  The root of the grass absorbs water and nutrients, stores carbohydrate and is used to anchor the plant.  The grass uses its leaves for photosynthesis and transpiration.  The grass stem include tillers, rhizomes, stolons and crown, used for density, recovery and lateral growth. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass  

Steps for start or maintain environmental friendly lawn:

v Test the soil to find the pH and quality.  The best soil far grasses should be little acidic around pH 6.0 – 6.5.

v Use right grasses for the particular condition, i.e., climate and site.  In the Northeast, the Kentucky Bluegrass is widely used.  Other grasses that are used are Perennial Ryegrass, Annual Ryegrass Tall Fescue and Fine Fescue.

v  Mow correctly: mow around 3” high and return the clipping. Mow when the grass is dry.  Make sure that mower blade is sharp.   Do not mow when during drought or very hot season – the grass is already stresses out.

v Seed or repair at the right time:  In the Northeast best time to seeding, aerating and fertilizing is from the end of August to the end of September.

v Try to water in the early morning and with conservation.   Too much water will replace air from the soil and grass could suffer due to lack of oxygen.

v Fertilization should be done very carefully, especially in an environmentally sensitive area. Moderate fertilization will create a good root system and over fertilization could create too much green.

v Lawn care management and pest control: Use an integrated approach.   Ask a professional for help when using pesticides; you must be extremely careful when using it in an environmentally sensitive area.

Environmentally friendly lawn care is a management system that protects our environment and provides us with healthy, stress tolerant grass, with an extensive root system of grasses.

For more information on lawn care visit:

http://extension.umass.edu/turf/publications-resources/best-management-practices

EPA & Brownfield

Brownfield Sites

What are Brownfield sites?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines Brownfield sites as:

“With certain legal exclusions and additions, the term "brownfield site" means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.”   

Brownfield sites could be contaminated old abandoned industrial sites: old mill buildings in the North East, power plants, oil refineries, dry cleaners and other industrial facilities. Some sites may not be contaminated, like abandoned airstrip and warehouses.  According to the Environmental Law Institute, there could over 450,000 the Brownfield sites in the USA (http://www.brownfieldscenter.org/big/faq.shtml ).

Remediation of Brownfield sites and Funding Opportunities

The remediation of Brownfield sites are usually joint venture projects between the EPA, states and local communities, with the goal to reuse the Brownfield sites and to revitalize the local economy. The EPA has set four main goals for the Brownfield projects: protecting health and environment, sustainability or reuse the properties, promoting partnership in the communities and economic development in the community (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/grant_info/ ). 

The EPA has many funding opportunities for the cleanup process of these properties.   State agencies identify the Brownfield sites and allocate the resources.    

There are four types of grant available through the EPA:

1.     Assessment grants:  Help to assess the sites, planning and community outreach.

2.     Loans:  Revolving loans or other funding for the project.

3.     Cleanup grant:  Funding for cleanup activities.

4.     Job training:  Grants for environmental training to the Brownfield local community.

More information about how to apply for the EPA grants could be found at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/grant_info/assess/assessment_factsheet.pdf

 Success stories of remediated Brownfield sites:

Paul E. Tsongas Center, University of Massachusetts, Lowell (Formally Paul E. Tsongas Arena)

Since 1800, this site was polluted with many contaminants like asbestos,

heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and others. 

The City of Lowell used the EPA grants to develop this Brownfield site into a sports arena and a site for major concerts and public events.  Now, this site hosts Tsongas Center – a $30 million sports arena opened in January, 1998.  It can seat 7,800 sport fans.  The outdoor lawn can also hold 3,500 people for outdoor festival and concerts.  

In 2009, University of Massachusetts, Lowell took the ownership of this arena from the City of Lowell.   http://www.lowellma.gov/depts/dpd/services/econdev/brownfield

Lawrence Community Works, Massachusetts

Union Crossing 1 is now a community of 60 affordable housing units.  However, before remediation, these housing communities were old mill buildings with soil and ground water contaminated with petroleum. Beginning as a foundry site, these buildings were converted in 1916, into a textile mill that was operational until 1950.    

Furthermore, this Brownfield site is also an example of how the EPA works towards the Principles of Livability: not only is this former mill used for housing, but it is also walking distance to major public transit.       

Funding for this project came from both the private and public sectors.   This project could create 125 – 175 temporary construction jobs and over 200 permanent new jobs, once completed. 

http://www.epa.gov/region1/brownfields/success/11/UnionCrossingSuccessStory.pdf

Union Crossing 1

The successful remediation of Brownfield sites requires the cooperation between the EPA, state and local governments and agencies, private organizations and the local community.  The remediation of Brownfield site could also revitalize the local economy.   Furthermore, there are many tax credits, loans, revolving funds and other financial help available to encourage the community and the private sector to get involved with the remediation of Brownfield sites.

Fully restored entrance door of the Victorian mill building once used as warehouse and sales office, Lawrence, Massachusetts