This document was provided by PRO-ACT. Contact information appears at the end of each document.
Prevention is the Air Force's approach to confronting environmental problems. Substituting corrugated cardboard pallets for conventional wooden pallets brings the pollution prevention concept to packaging. Many states have outlawed the disposal of wooden pallets in already congested landfills. In those states that do allow wooden pallets to be landfilled, the cost of disposal can equal the purchase price of the pallet. The amount of wood available for pallet lumber has decreased due to resource exhaustion and logging restrictions, making wooden pallets even more expensive.
Corrugated cardboard pallets offer solutions to the problems inherent with traditional wooden pallets. Advantages offered by corrugated cardboard pallets include; according to the manufacturer:
An environmentally friendly option to the synthetic nettings normally used for erosion control is the BioNet or "BN" Series of erosion control blankets manufactured by North American Green. This erosion control blanket uses 100 percent biodegradable netting woven from light weight yet high-strength jute yarn. The woven jute yarn netting provides effective mulch retention throughout the vegetation establishment, and since it is 100 percent biodegradability there are no unsightly synthetic netting residues on the job site after grow-in. Furthermore, the risk of wildlife entrapment is reduced by the woven construction of the BioNet.
The BioNet erosion control blankets consist of high-performance straw, straw/coconut and coconut fiber matrices. The BioNet blankets have been tested and proven to be highly effective erosion control materials. Each BioNet blanket weighs approximately 40 pounds and comes in 6- by 90-foot rolls.
BioNet erosion control blankets may be ordered through North American Green's GSA contract. For more information, contact North American Green at (800) 772-2040.
Each year, the average American uses 16 batteries to power portable electronic devices such as cordless telephones, two-way radios and power tools. Household batteries make up 0.09 per cent by weight of the waste stream in the United States and reportedly account for more than 50 per cent of the cadmium and mercury found in America's waste. In the mid-1980s, in response to increasing concerns about the long-term environmental effects of metals such as mercury, nickel and cadmium in household batteries, battery manufacturers began reducing the amount of mercury in batteries. However, levels of nickel and cadmium could not be reduced without decreasing the energy content of the batteries. Furthermore, recycling batteries is not currently economically feasible. To minimize the number of batteries being disposed in landfills, the battery industry developed rechargeable batteries.
Until recently, nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries practically monopolized the rechargeable battery market. Rayovac's new Renewal battery is a reusable alkaline battery, which offers the following improvements over other rechargeable batteries:
Although the initial cost of a Renewal System is greater than purchasing a single battery, the long term savings as well as the reduction in disposal volume, make this a worthwhile investment.
Rayovac Renewal battery sizes, Renewal Power Stations and their corresponding National Stock Numbers are listed below:
| Size | National Stock No. |
|---|---|
| D | 6140-01-380-9558 |
| C | 6140-01-380-9563 |
| AA | 6140-01-380-9981 |
| AAA | 6140-01-380-9984 |
| Renewal Power Station | 6130-01-381-0827 (4 position AA/AAA) |
| Renewal Power Station | 6130-01-381-0828 (8 position AA/AAA/C/D) |
To order or for more information contact: FEDSTRIP or MILSTRIP at (800) 352-2852 or Fax (800) 352-3291.
The environmental marketing claim "recyclable" and the recycling emblem (three chasing arrows) can be difficult for consumers to interpret. If the term "recyclable" appears on a product, consumers may think the product can be recycled. However, there may not be a recycling program in the consumer's community for that particular product, making the product not recyclable. Consumers may interpret the term recycled on a product as meaning the product may be recycled, when the marketer may have been trying to show the product is made from recycled materials.
In July 1992, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in cooperation with the EPA, published the first environmental labeling and marketing claims guidance in an effort to educate consumers and guide marketers. The FTC issued the following guide for use of the term "recyclable": "In general a product or package should not be marketed as recyclable unless it can be collected, separated or otherwise recovered from the solid waste stream for use in the form of raw materials in the manufacture or assembly of a new product or package. Unqualified recyclable claims may be made if the entire product or package, excluding incidental components, is recyclable."
The recycling emblem made its debut in 1970 in a national contest sponsored by a paper products manufacturer. The recycling emblem was placed in the public domain after the contest and is now commonly used by marketers to represent recyclability, recycled content and overall "environmental goodness." The American Paper Institute (API) promotes the use of the recycling symbol on a black circle to represent recycled content and on a white circle to represent recyclability. On plastics, the recycling emblem is combined with a number to differentiate between different resin types.
While the FTC has not issued specific guidance on the use of the recycling emblem, the FTC guidance does state the recyclable claim and the recycled content claim should be adequately qualified to avoid consumer deception.
The guide for the use of the term "recyclable" represents FTC's enforcement policy on the issue of environmental marketing claims and does not preempt state laws or regulations.
For further information about environmental advertising claims call the Federal Trade Commission at (202) 326-2222.
After December 31, 1995, production of chlorofluorocarbon-12 (CFC-12), an ozone-depleting refrigerant, will be banned in the United States. In response to this ban, the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Annapolis, Maryland, developed hydrofluorocarbon-134a (HFC-134a), an environmentally-responsible refrigerant alternative to CFC-12, for use in Navy shipboard air-conditioning plants. As of September 1994, 5 Navy ship's have converted from CFC-12 to HFC-134a, and are now considered CFC-free.
HFC-134a is an attractive alternative to CFC-12 for several reasons. HFC-134a is a good performance match to CFC-12 in medium and high temperature refrigeration conditions and HFC-134a has zero ozone depletion potential and low direct global warming potential. Furthermore, HFC-134a is non-flammable, has an extremely low toxicity and has a high thermal stability.
By the end of 1994, dual valve 45-pound cylinders of HFC-134a (National Stock Number 6830-01-370-6207) will be available for purchase from the Defense General Supply Center (DGSC) in Richmond, Virginia (call (804) 279-3756 for more information). In addition, cylinders of CFC-12 may be sent to the DGSC where they will be cleaned out and the CFC-12 recovered.
For more information about converting from CFC-12 to HFC-134a, contact Les Alford, Project Manager for the CFC Conversion Program at the Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center in Philadelphia at (215) 897-1424.
The Defense General Supply Center (DGSC), Richmond, VA, has published their first catalog of Environmentally Preferred Products. DGSC is one of the Defense Logistics Agency's five supply centers. It manages Federal Stock Group 68 which encompasses hazardous as well as environmentally preferred chemicals.
The catalog contains over 300 stock-numbered items available right now from DGSC through the normal requisitioning procedure. The catalog is being distributed to DGSC's military and Federal civilian customers worldwide.
Some of the product categories are Aqueous Cleaner/Degreasers, Deicers, Aircraft Cleaning Compounds, Spill Control Products, Marine Cleaning Compounds, Recycling Equipment, etc.
The catalog includes useful voice and fax telephone numbers to enable customers to easily reach technical staff at DGSC. If your office has not received a copy please call DGSC's Marketing Office at (800) 352-2852, DSN 695-5698, Fax (804) 279-5695.
Air Force operations use glycol ethers in numerous daily routine tasks. Industrial surfactants, adhesives, fire fighting foam, and cleaners all contain varying amounts of these compounds. Glycol ethers are also a broad generic category of chemicals listed as a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Since the definition of hazardous substance given in the Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) includes all substances listed as hazardous air pollutants under the CAA, glycol ethers are also a CERCLA hazardous substance. Once a compound or category of chemicals is designated a CERCLA hazardous substance, it becomes subject to the emergency release and inventory reporting requirements of both CERCLA and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA).
When glycol ethers were added to the CAA list of hazardous air pollutants, they were automatically assigned a statutory Reportable Quantity (RQ) of one pound. Thus, when one pound or more of any glycol ether is released to the environment, the release must be reported to the proper authorities as required under both CERCLA and EPCRA.
CERCLA emergency release reporting requirements are given in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 302 (40 CFR 302), "Designation, Reportable Quantities, and Notification." They require reporting the release of a CERCLA hazardous substance which is equal to or greater than the RQ to the National Response Center, (800) 424-8802, within 24 hours of the incident.
EPCRA emergency release reporting requirements are given in 40 CFR 355, "Emergency Planning and Notification." They require reporting the release of a CERCLA hazardous substance which is equal to or greater than the RQ to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERC) and the Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) of the affected areas as soon as possible.
The RQ for glycol ethers will remain at one pound until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially changes it. On 22 October 1993, the EPA published, in the Federal Register (58 FR 54836), a request for comments on five proposals for changing the RQ for glycol ethers. The EPA has not yet made a final decision, and the RQ currently remains at one pound.
EPCRA contains additional reporting requirements which are independent of the emergency release reporting requirements. They are given in 40 CFR 372, "Toxic Chemical Release Reporting: Community Right-To-Know." They are not based on the RQ but on the total amount of material present on the facility in a given year. If a facility exceeds the quantity requirements given in 40 CFR 372, it must submit a Toxic Chemical Release Inventory Form (Form R) to the EPA and designated state officials annually. This report details all emissions (air, water, waste, etc.) of a particular material for the entire year.
These requirements pertain to a list of chemicals contained in 40 CFR 372 (Section 313 list) which is separate from the CERCLA hazardous substance list, but which also includes glycol ethers as a broad generic category. However, for the Section 313 list only, the EPA has altered the definition of glycol ether. On 5 July 1994, The EPA, in the Federal Register (59 FR 34386), stated high molecular weight glycol ethers, primarily surfactants with eight or more carbon atoms, are excluded from 40 CFR 372 reporting requirements. The EPA further said low molecular weight glycol ethers, for example the glycol ether contained in Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam, are not excluded from reporting because they pose serious health effects.
If you need assistance to determine the molecular weight of and reporting requirements for any glycol ether you are using, call PRO-ACT (DSN 240-4214).
Need more information?
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DSN 240-4214 (800) 233-4356
Last Updated: July 26, 1995