myPlasticsindustry

My Knowledge 01-28-08

My Knowledge

Week in Review
PUBLISHED 01/28/2008

Los Angeles County Re-Thinks Bag Ban; Institutes Voluntary Program

Los Angeles County supervisors backed off a threat Tuesday to ban plastic shopping and grocery bags that environmental experts call unsightly and destructive. Instead, officials chose the weakest of five alternatives recommended by county executives: a volunteer program that leaves it to supermarket and store owners to coax customers into packing their purchases in reusable containers. The action was a scale-back from a year ago, when supervisors ordered county lawyers to look into drafting a ban on non-recyclable bags altogether, much as San Francisco did. But their action Tuesday was only the latest example of how the supervisors sometimes react when faced with difficult issues: strong rhetoric at the outset, followed by prolonged study, then a weakened or shelved initiative. "If you spend nine months negotiating on something and [the supervisors'] original position is a flat-out ban of bags and it continues to be nickeled and dimed, you basically have death by a thousand cuts and at the end of the day, are you solving the environmental problem?" said Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay. ...Los Angeles Times, 1.24.08
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Drastic Plastic: Focus On Reuse, Recycling Of Grocery Bags

The inevitable question faced by shoppers at the grocery checkout, how to tote their food home, may soon get simpler. Faced with a growing push in some states and cities to ban or limit use of plastic bags, many grocers are encouraging consumers to recycle bags or bring their own. At least one, Whole Foods Market Inc., plans to do away with the bags altogether. But many grocers report that about 90 percent of their shoppers still ask for plastic. And the bag makers, a billion-dollar industry, oppose bans, calling instead for consumers to reuse or recycle the bags. They favor recent legislation that encourages the recycling of bags but doesn't ban them. Some states and municipalities have tried to curb the use of plastic bags or keep them from becoming litter. The New York City Council passed a law this month requiring stores to collect and recycle bags, following a similar law in the state of California. Last year, San Francisco passed the nation's first bag ban, which took effect in November. ...Cape Cod Times, 1.23.08
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Nanoscale Polymer Films Assist In Controlled Drug Delivery

Using nanotechnology, scientists from UCLA and Northwestern University have developed a localized and controlled drug delivery method that is invisible to the immune system, a discovery that could provide newer and more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases. The study, published Jan. 22, 2008 in the journal ACS Nano, provides an example of the enormous potential and clinical significance that nanomaterials may represent in such fields as oncology, endocrinology and cardiology. The researchers used nanoscale polymer films, about four nanometers per layer, to build a sort of matrix or platform to hold and slowly release an anti-inflammatory drug. The films are orders of magnitude thinner than conventional drug deliver coatings, said Genhong Cheng, a researcher at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and one of the study’s authors. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. “Using this system, drugs could be released slowly and under control for weeks or longer,” said Cheng, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. ...RedOrbit, 1.22.08
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New Products: PVC, Vinyl, Fluoropolymers And More Play Key Role

Ergonomic Hose Kits - Kremlin's new ergonomic hose kit has several advanced features for users of Airmix pumping system conveyors, including a shorter 3-ft. whip hose with 1/8-inch diameter, a polyurethane air tube replacing existing black hoses, a lighter and thinner build with greater flexibility. For more information from Exel Industrial call 630-231-1900 or go to wmo.pfonline.com. Differential Pressure Flow Meter - A new differential pressure flow meter, from A W-Lake Co. is designed as a simple alternative measurement technique which incorporates no moving parts. According to the company, the Freeflow flow meter is a rugged, compact meter constructed of PVC, polyetherimide and polycarbonate materials. Its simple segmented wedge design offers a low cost, reliable and minimally invasive measurement technique. For more information from A W Co. call 262-884-9800 or go to www.pfonline.com. ...RedOrbit, 1.20.08
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