Recycle that Bottle…

The new wave in recycling is cold extrusion. It is playing an even great part of waste plastic than before. Engineers at Bradford University are testing different processes in plastic recycling, using cold and warm extrusion. What they have found so far are that cold extrusion was more suited to recycled plastic. They are able to cold extrude it into sheets or blocks.

The plant at Bradford is currently sending its recycled plastic off to be manufactured into acoustic baffles for use in new construction. The market is ready and driven by new Building Regulations. These is just another step in the ‘Green Revolution’.

What page are you on?

Environmental professionals hold their technical skills and ability to offer accurate results in high regard however all of the ‘normal’ aspects of an environmental professional’s job are slowly being changed. Networking is the new tool of the trade for the environmental professional. The new concern within the industry is will the professionals have the networking skills and capabilities to influence executive management during the current period of rapid change?

Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch said last year in Fortune magazine said that the most important thing an individual can have is good relationship skills, everything else can be learned on the job. So start adding a little socializing time into your next conference.

EPA takes on the Air at Ports Nationwide

The EPA has recently announced it is working to get the nation’s supply chain closer to cleaner, fuel efficient practices. The project will showcase a new EPA-patented technology on large equipment used to move the goods and products from ships to trucks. The machines are heavy duty diesel machines that contribute to the air pollutions in ports across the country.

The new technology is a hydraulic hybrid and features a unique power train that can generate, recover, store and reuse braking power with very little air pollution. The hydraulic vehicles will use a diesel-hydraulic system that will combine the cleanest available diesel engine technology with components that use hydraulic fluid compression to store energy. This new system has the potential to reduce close to 1,000 gallons of fuel per year. This test will demonstrate the quality and cleanliness of the new hydraulic hybrid engines.

For more information visit the EPA’s website at www.epa.gov.

Puget Sound Pollution Prevention

The Department of Ecology is anticipating awarding 8 to 12 partnership agreements, ranging from $200,000 to $400,000 through June 2009. The funding is to help small businesses in the Puget Sound area reduce and prevent water pollution. Nearly 70% of the state’s hazardous waste generators are in the Puget Sound region.

With the funding the local governments and small businesses will hopefully be able to safely manage hazardous and sold wastes.

For more information on the program visit www.ecy.wa.gov.