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San Jose expected to restrict use of plastic foam
San Jose officials are expected to take another step to improve the environment by restricting the use of plastic foam at public events.
The San Jose City Council is set to vote Tuesday on new rules that would ban what's commonly called Styrofoam at special events on city property with more than 1,000 people.
The Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers is against the ban, arguing that the foam, which is also know as polystyrene, is recyclable.
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Clovis recycling ahead of schedule
The final phase of a three-stage effort to give all Clovis residents blue recyclable containers will be finished by Thanksgiving, eight months ahead of schedule.
More than 16,000 homes have blue containers today. The final 10,000 homes could begin receiving the new containers in October, city officials said.
The Clovis City Council is expected to approve moving up the schedule for purchasing the containers during Monday night's meeting.
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Angry at scavengers
I thoroughly agree with Don Redmond's letter (Nov. 1) regarding the big mess that recycling scavengers make on trash day.
Not only do they make noise, but they also tear my bags apart. I wrap all my recyclables in a trash bag and tie them with a knot. I have a shredding machine, and last week I emptied the container into a bag and tied it tightly. Someone came by and tore the bag open looking for cans. When the truck came and emptied the blue container, of course the shredded pieces flew all over the sidewalk.
Because of their appearance and behavior, I hesitate to confront them, but they make me very angry. Can anything be done?
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Granting of license to recycler is opposed
A judge's ruling granting a business license to a metal recycler is likely to be appealed, two Fresno County supervisors said Friday. County officials had denied the license and maintained that International Recycling had purchased stolen metal.
Superior Court Judge Alan Simpson ruled Thursday that the county's ordinance concerning junk dealers was "overbroad and vague." He also said the ordinance, which allows the sheriff to investigate an applicant's "character," was not clear regarding the standards the sheriff should use to do that.
Supervisor Phil Larson said the Board of Supervisors would decide Tuesday whether to appeal Simpson's ruling, but added:
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Our greatest natural energy resource is the sun
Let us harness the sun -- free, limitless, available without cost of renewal or maintenance. The San Joaquin Valley is the perfect place for this source of energy.
Currently we use natural gas, hydroelectric, nuclear and, minimally, some other sources of energy. These have unique drawbacks that solar power does not have.
With our ample year-round sunshine, we can have solar panels to bring heat to our homes and commercial buildings and sun porches built to trap the warm sunlight and distribute it to the rest of the house.
Compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs have a number of advantages. They also have a drawback -- they contain mercury. In the trash bins the bulbs break and expose sanitation workers to mercury, a neurotoxin. Mercury also has ill effects in our landfills, where it works its way into soil and ground water.
The Environmental Protection Agency is currently pressuring stores to help with the recycling effort, but few have signed on. For now, the city and other landfill operators should implement recycling programs for these products -- perhaps using successful techniques from efforts like the motor oil recycling program.
Informing CFL purchasers is also important; while I have heard CFL's advantages touted frequently, a chance-caught radio show was the first time I heard of the drawback.
Scott Martin
Fresno
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