June 1, 2008

Taiwan EPA Helps Retailers Promote Greener Consumer Purchasing
To encourage retailers to offer the Taiwanese consumers more environmentally-friendly products, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (TEPA) announced last week that it is adding a “Green Store” component to its current consumer-targeted Green Living campaign.

Japan Ponders New Mandatory Appliance Recycling Rates
Kyodo News reported that Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has proposed the new mandatory minimum recycling rates for liquid crystal and plasma display TVs and clothes dryers.

New Draft Regulations for Batteries Move Forward in the UK
The United Kingdom’s Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) published a second public consultation to help transpose the EU Battery Directive into UK national law.

China Still Unprepared for EU’s REACH Regulation
An official with China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said that REACH has not been addressed by the majority of Chinese exporters.

Japan Publishes Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Statistics for FY 2006
Recently published statistics from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment show that 52.02 million tons of municipal solid waste was collected in Japan in FY 2006, equivalent to 1.115 kg/capita/day

Australian Energy Efficiency Initiatives Target TVs And Light Bulbs
On June 5, the Australian Ministry for the Environmental, Heritage and the Arts announced three initiatives to cut household energy consumption.

Proposed EU Recycling Targets Weakened Say Environmental Groups
Negotiations last week between representatives of the European Parliament’s Environmental Committee, the EU Council and the EU Commission could lead to “weakened” recycling rates in the future, according to several European environmental groups unhappy with last week’s developments

UK Issues Public Consultation To Get Tough On Illegal Waste Dumping
On Friday, the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) opened a public consultation on proposed measures to get tough on illegal dumping, in particular the practice of fly-tipping.

Taiwan To Recycle High Intensity Discharge Lamps
Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced that it will start the mandatory recycling of the high intensity discharge (HID) lamps on schedule July 1, 2008.

Commissioner Dimas Reaffirms Commitment To EU “Sustainable Consumption” Initiatives
During a speech in Brussels on June 3 to commemorate Green Week, European Union (EU) Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, reaffirmed his commitment to a series of initiatives that will support more sustainable consumption across the EU.

Norway’s Version of REACH Enters Into Force
Norway’s version of the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances) regulation entered into force on May 30, two days before the pre-registration period began for the EU’s version.

Product Stewardship Emphasized In Proposed New Zealand Waste Law
During last week’s second reading of the Waste Minimization Bill, New Zealand’s Minister for the Environment, Trevor Mallard, said that businesses that practice sound product stewardship will benefit from the proposed legislation.

Brazil’s Recycling Rate Is Still Low But Improving
In 2007, only 14 percent of Brazil’s population had access to separated waste collection, but that figure represents a 25 percent increase over 2006, according to data recently released by Cempre, a Sao Paolo-based non-profit association of businesses dedicated to recycling.

Norwegian Study Claims Flame Retardant Waste Is Not Properly Collected
According to a study commissioned by Norwegian State Pollution Control (NSPC), up to 100 million tons of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are not being properly collected from waste streams, particularly waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

Parliament Approves Revision of EU Waste Management Rules
A pending compromise between the Environment Committee of Parliament and the European Council (EC) on revised EU waste rules was finally approved by Parliament on June 17.

Israel Plans To Ban Disposable Plastic Bags
Israel could be the next nation to ban the free distribution of thin-film plastic bags (called “t-shirt bags” in Israel) by retailers.

Thoughts on the EU’s WEEE Directive Review
It is currently expected that the Commission may issue its proposal to amend the WEEE directive at some point during the autumn or winter of 2008.

Brominated Flame Retardants Consortium Publishes Emissions Control Report
On June 26, four organizations, lead by the Bromine Science Environment Forum, jointly released their third annual report on their Voluntary Emissions Control Action Program (VECAP).

Greenpeace Intercepts US E-waste Destined for China
The environmental group, Greenpeace, announced on June 14 that it had intercepted in Hong Kong an illegal container of electronic waste (e-waste) from the Port of Oakland in the United States.

RLI June 2008 PDF
In this issue…. Australian Energy Efficiency Initiatives Target TVs & Light Bulbs p. 1… Taiwan EPA Helps Retailers Promote Greener Consumer Purchasing…Japan Ponders New Mandatory Appliance Recycling Rates… New Draft Regulations for Batteries Move Forward in the UK…p. 2 China Still Unprepared for EU’s REACH Regulation…Japan Publishes Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Statistics for FY 2006…p. 3 Proposed EU Recycling Targets Weakened Say Environmental Groups…UK Issues Public Consultation To Get Tough On Illegal Waste Dumping…Taiwan To Recycle High Intensity Discharge Lamps…p. 4 Commissioner Dimas Reaffirms Commitment To EU “Sustainable Consumption” Initiatives….Norway’s Version of REACH Enters Into Force…p. 5 Product Stewardship Emphasized In Proposed New Zealand Waste Law…Brazil’s Recycling Rate Is Still Low But Improving…p 6 Norwegian Study Claims Flame Retardant Waste Is Not Properly Collected…p. 7 Parliament Approves Revision of EU Waste Management Rules…Israel Plans To Ban Disposable Plastic Bags p. 8…Thoughts on the EU’s WEEE Directive Review….p. 9 Brominated Flame Retardants Consortium Publishes Emissions Control Report…Greenpeace Intercepts US E-waste Destined for China p. 10

Editorial Archives