myPlasticsindustry

My Knowledge 01-14-08

My Knowledge

Week in Review
PUBLISHED 01/14/2008

Bags: Paper, Potato Or Pennies?

The relationship between economics and environmentalism is something politicians and activists seldom get right, though it's interesting to note that the communist government of China seems clearer on the concept than the government of San Francisco -- or the state of California. Fortunately, when it comes to phasing out plastic shopping bags, Los Angeles County is looking west rather than north for role models. Those plastic bags handed out by grocery stores, takeout restaurants and other retailers are an environmental catastrophe. They're petroleum-based nuisances that take generations to break down, clogging our rivers and storm drains, polluting our parks and threatening marine life. San Francisco's response last year was to ban them outright. In the City by the Bay, the question isn't paper or plastic but paper or potato; stores can no longer offer plastic bags, but they can offer biodegradable alternatives made from potato-starch or cornstarch. ...Los Angeles Times, 01.11.08
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China Bans Free Plastic Shopping Bags, Opts For Cloth

Declaring war on the “white pollution” choking its cities, farms and waterways, China is banning free plastic shopping bags and calling for a return to the cloth bags of old - steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers Wednesday. The measure eliminates the flimsiest bags and forces stores to charge for others, making China the latest nation to target plastic bags in a bid to cut waste and conserve resources. Beijing residents appeared to take the ban in stride, reflecting rising environmental consciousness and concern over skyrocketing oil prices. “If we can reduce waste and save resources, then it’s good both for us and the whole world,” said college student Xu Lixian, who was buying tangerines out of cardboard boxes at a sidewalk stall. The ban takes effect June 1, barely two months before Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic Games, ahead of which it has been demolishing run-down neighborhoods and working to clear smog. The games have added impetus to a number of policies and projects, likely boosting odds for the bag ban’s implementation. ...Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 01.10.08
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Plastics Firm Lands $200M Deal To Supply Parts For New Boeing Plane

RHi-Tech Mold & Tool's $11 million deal to supply parts for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane has mushroomed into a $200 million contract over the next 20 years, the company announced yesterday. Hi-Tech's contract with Hamilton Sundstrand of Windsor Locks, Conn., sealed two years ago, now reflects most of the additional $8.5 million in projected revenues for this year, well above the $12 million mark met in 2007 with sales to current customers of airplane parts, medical supplies and consumer products, company executives said. The larger contract also means an additional 15 to 25 jobs for the 100-member work force on Dan Fox Drive in 2008. A second building also will likely be built on the property within three to five years. At a press event at the family-owned company's headquarters, Hi-Tech's founder and president, William Kristensen Sr., said the company's success comes from its fine, smart and creative employees. ...Berkshire Eagle, 01.09.08
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Ohio Company's Plastics Used Above, Below Ground

The plastic products made at Fox Lite Inc. run the gamut: pump covers and safety guards, fluorescent light covers, fire helmet visors, automotive windows, pharmaceutical chest covers and skylights, to name a few. Then there are those that stretch the imagination, like the "spirit catchers" placed inside coffins to keep the spirit from escaping and inhabiting a living person, company chairman Walt Hoy said. No kidding. Some cultures believe that a ghost may try to jump from a freshly dead body into the first living person to touch the body, Hoy said. So, his company was approached years ago by Indiana-based Batesville Casket Co. about making plastic liners to fit inside coffins, he said. "Everybody knows ghosts can't go through plastic," Hoy quipped. "So, they put a clear bubble over the body." Fox Lite still provides a few hundred of the "spirit catchers" each year to a Georgia supplier to whom Batesville Casket now refers the customers who ask, Hoy said. ...Dayton Daily News, 01.09.08
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Delaware Seeks To Increase Plastics Recycling

Delaware could become a national showcase for the next frontier in recycling plastic, moving beyond bottles to the motley assortment of margarine tubs, CD cases, drink cups and food packaging that clogs its landfills, experts say. But a new study of Delaware's trash indicates the state has a long way to go. The study of the state's trash released Tuesday shows that Delaware recycled less than 4 percent of the 115,000 tons of plastic containers discarded in 2006. Plastics make up about 11.1 percent of all waste landfilled and 11.4 percent of residential waste. Industry and government conferees gathered in Delaware on Tuesday and today are seeking ways to expand the recycling of plastics. The session, organized by Simply Sustain, a Newark consulting firm, drew participants from as far away as Canada and California. "If we can manage it, we have an opportunity to use the centralized nature of waste collection in Delaware to show that it's viable" to divert more types of plastics away from landfills and into new uses, said Brian Coleman, one of Simply Sustain's founders, shortly before the session opened at the Holiday Inn on Naamans Road. ...News Journal, Wilmington Delaware, 01.09.08
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Corn-Based Laptops? Gadget Show Goes Green

Consumer electronics aren't exactly easy on the environment -- they consume electricity that contributes to global warming, and toxins leach out of them when they end up in landfills. Electricians Angela Peterson, top, and Ernest Gutierrez work on a booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center. But the industry that's inviting us to get a new cell phone every year and toss out that old TV in favor of a great new flat panel is also trying to show that it cares. At the world's largest trade show for consumer electronics, starting Monday in Las Vegas, manufacturers will be talking not just about megapixels, megahertz and megabytes, but about smart power adapters that don't waste as much electricity, batteries that are easier to recycle, and components made from plants. Many of the products on display will be striking rather small blows for the environment, but the industry is realizing that even in electronics, going "green" can be a powerful marketing tool. "Everything I've heard from folks out there is that there is going to be a lot of emphasis on green this year," said Scot Case, a vice president at consultancy TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. ...CNN, 01.07.08
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