According to Purchasing.com, a recent spike in copper prices is unlikely to last and is due primarily to speculative investment. Citing a lack of fundamental industrial demand by any of the major consuming nations, the commodity-watchers predict copper will fall back below $2 per pound in the coming months, with an average of between $1.70 and $1.83 likely for 2009. Global demand is down approximately 11.1 percent compared to 2008, where copper averaged $3.15 per pound.
Gold, by comparison, is up over 10 percent for the year, due in large part to investors flocking to the commodity as stocks lost value. Despite a recent 1.9 percent monthly drop for June deliveries, gold was still trading at $964.50 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The price of silver is also up for the year, by about 40 percent. July delivery fell 64.5 cents on the Comex, but was still trading at $15.31 an ounce.
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Source: EScrap News, June 4th, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
EPEAT Turns New Tool on TVs
A consortium of television manufacturers, retailers, environmental groups and government agencies are working together to create a standard measuring the environmental impact of televisions.
The standard, which is tentatively called EPEAT-for-TV, is being led by the Green Electronics Council, through the IEEE Standards Association, and would reportedly be similar to the EPEAT metric currently in use for personal computers.
The new standard defines "environmental performance for televisions, television combination units, and component television units, relating to reduction or elimination of environmentally-sensitive materials, materials selection, design for end-of-life, lifecycle extension, energy conservation, end-of-life management, corporate performance, packaging, and other performance categories," all to be determined by the group working on the tool.
The rating system — purported to be have been met with considerable resistance from manufacturers — is expected to appear on televisions, in retail stores, in 18-to-24 months.
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Source: Esrap News, June 4th, 2009
The standard, which is tentatively called EPEAT-for-TV, is being led by the Green Electronics Council, through the IEEE Standards Association, and would reportedly be similar to the EPEAT metric currently in use for personal computers.
The new standard defines "environmental performance for televisions, television combination units, and component television units, relating to reduction or elimination of environmentally-sensitive materials, materials selection, design for end-of-life, lifecycle extension, energy conservation, end-of-life management, corporate performance, packaging, and other performance categories," all to be determined by the group working on the tool.
The rating system — purported to be have been met with considerable resistance from manufacturers — is expected to appear on televisions, in retail stores, in 18-to-24 months.
###
Source: Esrap News, June 4th, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Texas Governor to Decide on Television Takeback Bill
May 28 -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry will have on his desk a bill requiring television manufacturers to provide Texas residents with free and convenient recycling for their old units.
The state Senate unanimously passed the Television TakeBack Bill, which calls on TV makers to fund the collection and recycling of old televisions. Earlier this month, the Texas House of Representatives passed the measure.
State Rep. David Leibowitz, a Democrat from San Antonio, Texas, authored the bill. Sen. Kirk Watson, a Democrat from Austin, Texas, sponsored it in the Senate.
Proponents of the bill say it will help keep the 4 to 8 pounds of lead in cathode-ray tube televisions and the mercury in flat-screen TVs out of the environment. Televisions also contain brominated fire retardants and other hazardous chemicals.
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Source: Waste and Recycling News, June 3rd, 2009
The state Senate unanimously passed the Television TakeBack Bill, which calls on TV makers to fund the collection and recycling of old televisions. Earlier this month, the Texas House of Representatives passed the measure.
State Rep. David Leibowitz, a Democrat from San Antonio, Texas, authored the bill. Sen. Kirk Watson, a Democrat from Austin, Texas, sponsored it in the Senate.
Proponents of the bill say it will help keep the 4 to 8 pounds of lead in cathode-ray tube televisions and the mercury in flat-screen TVs out of the environment. Televisions also contain brominated fire retardants and other hazardous chemicals.
###
Source: Waste and Recycling News, June 3rd, 2009
Electronic Scrap Bill Loophole Draws Groups´ Opposition
June 2 -- Environmental groups and some electronics recyclers are opposed to a federal electronic scrap bill that would allow recyclers to export units to developing countries for repair or refurbishing.
Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, introduced House Resolution 2595 in U.S. House of Representatives. The measure is aimed at prohibiting exports of certain types of electronic scrap. But it does not go far enough, according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition and the Basel Action Network.
"We need Congress to take action to close the door on the global dumping of e-waste," said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator for the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. "But this bill has a huge loophole that will allow recyclers to continue to export our old e-waste to developing countries by claiming that it´s going for repair or refurbishment."
Recyclers could ship outdated and nonworking units simply by claiming they intended them for repair or reuse, said Neil Peters-Michaud, CEO of electronics recycler Cascades Asset Management.
"This bill will do little to stem the tide of the thousands of containers of e-waste junk shipped to developing countries each month," he said.
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Source: Waste and Recycling News, June 3rd, 2009
Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, introduced House Resolution 2595 in U.S. House of Representatives. The measure is aimed at prohibiting exports of certain types of electronic scrap. But it does not go far enough, according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition and the Basel Action Network.
"We need Congress to take action to close the door on the global dumping of e-waste," said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator for the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. "But this bill has a huge loophole that will allow recyclers to continue to export our old e-waste to developing countries by claiming that it´s going for repair or refurbishment."
Recyclers could ship outdated and nonworking units simply by claiming they intended them for repair or reuse, said Neil Peters-Michaud, CEO of electronics recycler Cascades Asset Management.
"This bill will do little to stem the tide of the thousands of containers of e-waste junk shipped to developing countries each month," he said.
###
Source: Waste and Recycling News, June 3rd, 2009
Senator Proposes Bill to Create $250 Million in WTE Grants
May 29 -- A U.S. senator wants to give waste-to-energy projects around the country a multi-million-dollar boost.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, unveiled plans to introduce legislation to create a $250 million competitive grant program that would provide up to $5 million to individual projects.
His Rubbish to Renewables Act of 2009 would require that the U.S. Department of Energy oversee the funding program.
"One man´s trash can be another man´s source of clean energy," Brown said.
Brown spoke at an existing landfill gas project at the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio on May 28 near Columbus to unveil his idea.
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Source: Waste and Recycling News, June 3rd, 2009.
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