Agenda - Council - 11/25/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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- 11- BANS Bans can be used to eliminate solid waste that creates waste man- agement problems. Such product controls can generally be applied only if alternative products and materials exist. For example, the Minnesota Legislature has banned nonreturnable plastic milk containers because they were deemed to pose a major waste prob- lem. Bans on certain kinds of tires and packaging may lead to a reduction in solid waste generation. EXTENDED WARRANTIES Warranties on durable goods could be extended for a specified length of time to reduce the flow into the solid waste stream. The EPA has determined that if all autOs and trucks were sold with radial-ply tires, the solid waste stream would be reduced by 0.7 percent (EPA, 1975). Minnesota could facilitate this waste reduction technique by requiring.a.40,900 mile wa{~anty on jew tires sold in Minnesota and provldlng incentives (rot example, deposits) for tire recapping. Since little literature is avail- able, it is difficult to judge the waste impact of other warranty programs. NEWSPRINT CONSERVATION Newsprint conservation is accomplished through thinner paper and changes in printing format. The American Paper Institute has reported that newsprint weighing five percent less than common newsprint has performed satisfactorily (EPA, 1977). Also, chang- ing the standard six-column printing format to eight columns for news and nine columns for advertising could reduce current usage by five percent (EPA, 1975). Based on MPCA estimates, if both forms of newsprint conservation were used in Minnesota, about 20,000 tons of waste could be pre- vented annually. This represents about 0.7 percent of the munic- ipal solid waste stream (MPCA, 1979). MULCHING OF GRASS CLIPPINGS Mulching involves mowing or trimming of lawns in such a way that the grass clippings are reduced to a fine mulch and left on the lawn. No raking or gathering is required, and thus no addition of clippings to the solid waste stream. The advantages of this are a decreased waste volume and an increase of nutrient flow back to the mowed lawn. However, there are some disadvantages with this technique. They include increased risk of lawn diseases, weed problems, the increased possibility of insect pests and increased layer of thatch. Based on EPA estimates (1975) yard waste makes up 17.4 percent of the total solid waste stream. From this it is estimated that grass clippings represent about three to five percent of the total.