In my previous weblog I discussed the difficulty recycling organizations have in putting together a national group…namely that the differences dividing them are in many cases irreconcilable.
Interestingly, the EPA, with its focus on sustainable materials management, may have provided the disparate groups with a way out of the dilemma. Over the years, this magazine, with its focus on integrated waste management, has pointed out our responsibility to materials I’ve routinely referred to as those on the dark side of the equation.
While some will still see cradle-to-cradle management satisfied only by returning a widget a to widget again, others will view this as an opportunity to select diversion strategies from a variety of options, thus inserting what amounts to a little bit of wiggle room in determining the fate of materials currently bound for landfills or overseas destinations.
For those not familiar with what the EPA has in mind with its sustainable materials management program, you may wish to go to www.epa.gov/wastes/inforesources/pubs/vision2.pdf and see how this fits your agenda. Then I’d like to ask you to send me your thoughts.