I hold in memory a number of wonderful cartoons—mostly from The New Yorker—but the one that sits on the top rank shows a line of people awaiting help from a lone lady seated at a department store Information booth. At the head of the line is young seeker of truth who asks, “What is it all about? Why are we here?’
The answer to both, if you’re involved in MSW management, is the protection and preservation of public health and safety. For the public sector, this is a mandate as well as the justification for its involvement in the first place. It is only after we deal with this that all the other pursuits associated with integrated waste management should be allowed to come into play. The question here is how well are we doing in meeting our primary charge, and I’d like to suggest a couple of areas in which I have concerns.
The first of these has to do with our responsibility for materials we outsource under the banner of “recyclables” where we have no direct knowledge or control over their fate. This is a subject I’ve covered with some regularity both in my Web blogs and printed Editor’s Comments, but will give that subject a rest other than to suggest that you take a look at my editorial you’ll find here. Instead, I’ll proceed to the second area in which I have concern . . . the management of materials that fall under the categories of household hazardous, special, or electronic wastes.
Certainly the management of putrescibles deserves top billing in our pantheon of wastes, both because of the risks they pose to health and the amount of materials involved. But what about our efforts with the smaller—but often riskier—group of materials, that for the present purposes I’ll lump under the mantle of HHW?
How about asking yourself just how much time and effort is expended in dealing with materials that involve significant health and safety consequences in comparison with—for instance—our recycling efforts? After you’ve ruminated on that for a bit, how about asking yourself whether public policy has its priorities straight?
Then, how about letting me know what your thoughts are on this?
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Upcoming Forester University Webinars
May 9th, 2012
Making Erosion Control BMPs Work on Construction Sites
Your erosion control BMPs meet regulation, but are they practical? Join Jerald S. Fifield, Ph.D., PH, CISEC, CPESC andTina R. Evans, PE, CISEC for the fourth installment of our advanced ediment and Erosion Control Master Class Series, Making Erosion Control BMPs Work on Construction Sites, exploring the available erosion control methods and diversion structures, as well as how to develop seed mixtures, calculate fertilizer rates, and evaluate TRMs in drainage channels.
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May 17th, 2012
Effective LID Stormwater Reduction
Improve your stormwater reduction through effective low impact design (LID). Join Douglas Beyerlein, P.E., P.H., D.WRE to explore the different types of LID (e.g., green roofs, rain gardens / bioretention, impervious runoff dispersion, etc.), how they work
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May 31st, 2012
How to Calculate Water Audit Payback Periods and Write Water Audit Reports
Maximize your payback! Join Troy Aichele, LEED AP (O+M) of Aichele and Associates LLC for How to Calculate Water Audit Payback Periods and Write Audit Reports on Thurs., May 31st addressing the most essential skill in water auditing: how to calculate payback period and incorporate it effectively in your water audit report. Within this discussion, Aichele will explore how to calculate water audit improvement periods using a custom-built payback spreadsheet calculator; how to calculate use rates; how to incorporate savings, rebates and utility increases into your payback calculations; and how to write a water audit report letter incorporating water audit results and payback periods.
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April 18th, - May 25th, 2012
Sediment and Erosion Control
Master Class Series
Join industry expert and bestselling author Jerald S. Fifield, Ph.D., CISEC, CPESC and Tina R. Evans, PE, CISEC for a comprehensive 6-part online master class and workshop series (0.9 CEUs / 9 PDHs) exploring the ins and outs of effective sediment and erosion control plan design and review based on Fifield’s recently released 3rd edition of the bestselling manual Designing and Reviewing Effective Sediment and Erosion Control Plans (included in your Master Class Series package).
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April – May 2012
Water Auditing Master Series
3-Webinar Series
Learn the ins-and-outs of water auditing! Join 2010’s Speaker of the Year, Troy Aichele, LEED AP (O+M) of Aichele and Associates LLC for the Water Auditing Master Series, a 3-part webinar/webcast series focusing on getting you up-to-speed on the key attributes, uses, and opportunities in water auditing, as demonstrating step-by-step how to conduct a water audit, avoid the pitfalls, calculate payback periods, and incorporate these into your reports.
Series includes:
* Water Auditing 101: Introduction to Water Auditing
* How to Conduct a Water Audit and Avoid the Pitfalls
* How to Calculate Water Audit Payback Periods and Write Water Audit Reports
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