Re: (All) Waste Prevention Technology

[geewhiz@inreach.com]

> rpojasek@sprynet.com wrote:
> 
> Can anyone provide me with some examples of marketable technology that is being
> used to PREVENT waste?  I am looking for examples that do not simply shift the
> waste to another medium... (rest of message at bottom)

Hi Bob!

It just so happens that our P2 product is also called BOB: The Bottom Of
the Bottle Oil Recovery System, a simple plastic tool that holds used
motor oil bottles upside down to get all the residual oil out of the
plastic.  See it here: http://home.inreach.com/geewhiz

This is a larger problem than most people will admit: over 3.4 BILLION
quart-sized plastic motor oil bottles are sold in the United States
every year.  (This number is derived from API production figures)  The
typical user leaves 3% to 4% of the contents in each, (testing and usage
data), which amounts to about 137 million quarts of oil that are wasted
every year.  Most of this oil ends up in our nation's landfills along
with the plastic, where the oil leaches into our water, because the
bottles are nearly impossible to drain thoroughly without some sort of
tool.

I'm finding that few recycling programs accept used motor oil bottles. 
This is because the oil makes the bottles too difficult to handle and
process.  If the bottles are drained at least one hour, they become dry
enough to process easily.  The best way to get the oil out of the
bottles is to have the consumers drain their own bottles: They paid for
the oil, they are the only ones who want it.  Once the bottle is left at
the curb or dropped off for processing, it's too late to think about
draining it, because it's already leaking.  Draining needs to be done at
the consumer level, because it is far too labor and energy intensive and
causes too many byproducts if they are drained after collection.

Right now, the states of South Carolina, Alaska, Texas, and California
are using BOB as a give-away, to promote recycling of used oil and used
oil bottles.  It is one of the few promotions they use that doesn't end
up in the trash and doesn't get used for non-P2 tasks.  They put their
own stickers on the front of the stand to advertise their programs.  

I sell the product via mail order as well.  It was recently given very
favorable reviews in the February issues of Mopar Muscle, Corvette
Fever, and Private Pilot magazines, and has been featured by USA Today,
Automobile, and Stock Car Racing magazines, usually as a "Why didn't
they think of this sooner" product.  

To answer your other concerns, this type of pollution prevention uses no
energy, produces no by-products, and is so safe a child can use it.  It
eliminates water pollution problems downstream, no matter if the bottle
is recycled or landfilled.  One of the reasons the State of South
Carolina liked it was that they did not have to collect the bottle to
get the benefit of reduced landfill oil pollution.

If you or anyone on the listserv would like some free samples to see for
yourself, or if you would like to contact any of my customers, please
let me know.

Gerard Forgnone
Plastic Oil Products
4869 S. Bradley Rd. Ste. 18B-258
Santa Maria, CA  93455
805-937-3050
geewhiz@inreach.com

BOB Oil Recovery System: http://home.inreach.com/geewhiz
Geewhiz Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/4277 :
A Tribute to My Late Father, Classic Ford cars, the Story of BOB,
and Real Rockets on the Freeway!

> rpojasek@sprynet.com wrote:
> 
> Can anyone provide me with some examples of marketable technology that is being
> used to PREVENT waste?  I am looking for examples that do not simply shift the
> waste to another medium (e.g., closed loop systems that eliminate wastewater but
> have an evaporate that is a hazardous waste or ultrasonic cleaners that replace
> solvent but create a new wastewater stream).  I am also looking for examples
> that do not significantly increase energy use or create a safety problem (e.g.,
> critical fluid carbon dioxide).  Are there any references that examine this
> topic?  I will provide a summary to this list of any responses I receive to this
> query.  Thank you.
> 
> Bob Pojasek
> Cambridge Environmental Inc.
> 58 Charles St.
> Cambridge, MA 02141
> (617) 225-0812
> (617) 225-0813 FAX
> rpojasek@sprynet.com
> http://www.CambridgeEnvironmental.com