Teru Talk Newsletter
Volume VI, Issue
5, February 1,
2016
Teru Talk by Michael
Theroux (pronounced
"Terú")
Teru's Trash Talk
Look around: too much stuff! We
stack up goods in closets,
basements, spare bedrooms. Pile
things in the garage, out-back
workshops, and then rent
storage when everything else
fills up. Our kids might want
an heirloom or two - but the
rest? Eventually, it's likely
to get
dumped.
How do we end up throwing away
so much? Well, we keep buying
more stuff. And why do we keep
buying new things? Oh, yes: the
paint was chipped; the pants
were too small; the ashtray was
full … so things get set aside,
and sooner or later, are
trundled off to the dump. Yes,
we can pick through our own
trash for cans and bottles, but
more often we're just happy to
see it Go Away for someone else
to sort. Boy, don't we do a
bang-up job of Recycling! Of
over 250 million tons of trash
trashed in the US in 2014, we
only recycled about one
third.
Fortunately, old things
unwanted by us can be New to
someone else. With the
Internet, we can hand off
something we're done using, and
those materials will go around
the Circular Economy one more
time. If something is still
usable, there's probably
someone out there that can use
what you would otherwise throw
away. The ReUse part of the
waste management cycle is on
the rise, what with on-line
shopping and rapid-fire
shipping. Even if you don't
make much money selling your
old things, you can save on
dump fees. If this trend to Pay
as You Throw really catches on,
we'll find something, anything
to do with our old stuff,
except pay more and more to
dump it.
Transfer of goods and services
via internet enabled marketing
is growing fast, becoming more
diverse and encompassing more
and more 'commerce', the global
process of buying and selling
stuff. If something is easily
identifiable, relatively
shippable, and has moderate
'cute' value, it'll sell. But
this also works well for
Repurposing: much of our old
stuff can be put to some
secondary use. Worn out
basketball court flooring
becomes really cool bar
counters. Car wash brushes
become big scratching posts for
rhinos at the zoo. Empty steel
tanks make great BBQs. If you
need something, search the
internet for used goods first;
someone somewhere has probably
posted just that thing for
sale. Welcome to the world of
the global on-line
marketplace.
What's this got to do with
Waste Conversion, you might
ask? We Waste Conversion types,
we're bottom-feeders. If
something can be reused, that
takes priority. But sooner or
later, everything wears out.
That's when Waste Conversion
comes into play. Waste
conversion is our back-up play:
pull those worn out goods apart
to their foundation materials,
clean-to-spec, and then send
the reclaimed resources off to
be
remanufactured.
We are
fast approaching a time when
what we now call Waste will
universally be recognized as
valuable resources. Already,
many goods come with a
pre-printed label so that when
worn out they can be shipped
back to their makers to be torn
apart and remanufactured. And
waste conversion bottom-feeders
can use the internet too: maybe
on-line drone scheduling for
home pick up really IS the best
way to deliver food waste to
your friendly local anaerobic
digester.
Hey Rube!
Often at first glance,
government programs don't
appear well suited to advance
this industrial sub-sector of
clean waste conversion. Perhaps
that is simply because nobody
asked the agency to consider
that angle. Take the time to
respond, shining a bright light
on the importance of this
crucial element to
implementation of the Circular
Economy.
This Week's Extra
Reading
California
Compost Coalition Submits
Biomethane White Paper to
CEC,
CARB
The California Compost
Coalition has submitted a
detailed proposal to the
California Energy Commission
(CEC) to support new funding of
$25 million
01/29/2016
This Week's Top Story
PLUSfoam
Secures Investment to Build
US Manufacturing
Facilities
California-based PLUSfoam®
Compound Technologies, LLC has
announced a strategic
partnership with Acorn
Innovestments and the Noël
Group, investors and operators
based in North Carolina.
01/26/2016
The Week's News
US EPA
Schedules Workshop on Role
of Biomass in Clean Power
Plan
Goals
The US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has announced an
all-day stakeholder workshop
scheduled for April 7, 2016 on
'Fostering Constructive
Dialogue on the Role of Biomass
in Achieving Clean Power Plan
Goals'.
01/30/2016
eBay Joins
the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation’s Circular
Economy 100
Program
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
has announced that the global
online marketplace eBay has
become a corporate member of
its Circular Economy 100
(CE100) program.
01/30/2016
EC Releases
Report on EU's Separate
Waste Stream Collection
Schemes
The European Commission (EC)
has released the report
'Assessment of separate
collection schemes in the 28
capitals of the EU' that was
completed under contract in
November 2015 by the Copenhagen
Resource Institute (CRI).
01/29/2016
GTC Expands
to Become Gasification and
Syngas Technologies
Council
The Gasification Technologies
Council (GTC) has announced
that it is expanding to become
the Gasification and Syngas
Technologies Council (GSTC) and
will now encompass the syngas
production, processing, and
conversion industries as well
as gasification.
01/28/2016
US DOE
Invests $2.85M in Clean
Energy Projects at Federal
Facilities
The US Department of Energy
(DOE) has announced $2.85
million in funding for four
projects that will advance the
development of renewable energy
technologies at facilities
across the federal government.
01/28/2016
Biffa Boosts
Food Waste Conversion
Capability with Major
Investment
Waste services provider, Biffa,
is creating a network of
strategic food waste transfer
stations across the United
Kingdom (UK), and has announced
a £1.5m investment into four
new food waste transfer
stations.
01/28/2016
Ecoalf's
Upcycle the Oceans Project
Spins Textiles from Waste
Plastic
Spanish clothing manufacturer
Ecoalf Recycled Fabrics, S.L.
was established in 2009 with
the intent of showing that
recycling can actually turn a
profit.
01/27/2016
BioHiTech
Installs Eco-Safe Digesters
in 10 Golden Corral Florida
Restaurants
BioHiTech Global, Inc has
announced that its subsidiary,
BioHiTech America, has begun
installing its innovative
commercial food waste disposal
solution in Golden Corral
restaurants in 10 franchised
locations throughout Florida.
01/27/2016
Trestle
Energy Wins CARB Approval
for New Low Carbon Biofuel
Pathway
California-based Trestle Energy
LLC has received approval from
the California Air Resources
Board (CARB) for its innovative
method of producing ethanol
using agricultural residues,
resulting in a new Low Carbon
Fuel Standard (LCFS) biofuels
production pathway (Pathway
Code: ETHC116).
01/27/2016
B&W
Awarded $90M Contract For UK
Waste-to-Energy Power
Plant
North Carolina company Babcock
& Wilcox Enterprises, Inc
(B&W) has announced that
its Denmark-based subsidiary,
Babcock & Wilcox Vølund
A/S, has been awarded a
contract for more than $90
million to design, manufacture,
and build a waste-to-energy
power plant near Haresfield,
Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
(UK).
01/27/2016
ExxonMobil
and REG Partner to Research
Biodiesel From Cellulosic
Sugars
ExxonMobil has announced an
agreement with Renewable Energy
Group, Inc. (REG) to study the
production of biodiesel by
fermenting renewable cellulosic
sugars from sources such as
agricultural waste.
01/26/2016
The Week's Action
Items
Due
02/10/2016: Comments to CEC
on Fuel and Vehicle
Technology
Solicitation
The California Energy
Commission (CEC) has released a
Request for Information (RFI),
seeking public comment to
assist in development of a
grant solicitation focused on
Regional Readiness and Planning
to draw upon the Alternative
and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle
Technology Program (ARFVTP).
Note: Teru encourages the waste
conversion sector to respond,
bringing to light the
importance of low- and
negative-carbon distributed
alternative fuels production to
ARFVTP targets.
01/26/2016
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