HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM WASTECAP WISCONSIN
Are you dreaming of a green Christmas? WasteCap Wisconsin is. Here are some tips to lessen your celebration’s impact on the environment: (1) Use LED lights outside and on your tree – they last longer and use less energy. (2) Want to save even more energy this season? Burn fragrant candles at your party instead of turning on all your lights. (3) Using real dishes and flatware at your party means less trash, but if you must go disposable, always choose paper instead of styrofoam and remember, used paper plates and plastic utensils are not recyclable. (4) Can’t find the perfect gift? Consider donating to a local environmental organization, your local nature center or even WasteCap Wisconsin!

Madison area residents recycle their one millionth pound of electronics
Source: City of Madison, Cascade Asset Management
The 15th and last semi-annual recycling round-up for computers, televisions, and consumer electronics, hosted by the City of Madison, Dane County, the Madison PC Users Group and Cascade Asset Management held Saturday, November 17, received over 126,000 pounds of computer equipment, television and cell phones. More than 1,275 households from the area participated. In the past seven years, more than 1,064,600 pounds of consumer electronics have been collected from the public and recycled. To read the full article, click here.

Recycling now officially part of climate change bill
Source: Waste Business Journal
Sen. Tom Carper's (D-Del.) recycling amendment reveals unspoken "secret" that recycling is integral to fighting greenhouse gas emissions. A secret no more, recycling was acknowledged today for its contribution to fighting climate change by the United States Senate committee drafting the historic climate change bill, S. 2191, according to the ISRI President Robin Wiener. To read the full article, click here.

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2. UPCOMING CONFERENCES / GRANTS / JOB OPENINGS
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AROW 2008 Recycling Awards call for entries
The awards recognize excellence in all aspects of recycling and reuse. Entries must be postmarked no later than January 4, 2008. The awards will be presented on February 28, 2008 during the luncheon at the Joint Winter Conference in Oshkosh. For more information, click here.

Job Opening: Minnesota GreenStar Program Director
The Green Institute seeks a Program Director to manage Minnesota GreenStar Certified Green Homes and Remodeling program. The Program Director is immediately responsible to the Executive Director of the Green Institute and will also be guided by a 13 member multi-stakeholder Steering Committee. The Green Institute is a professional non-profit organization whose mission is “sustaining our environment and communities through practical innovation”. Minnesota GreenStar, based on a partnership of the Green Institute, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry - Minnesota, is a new program designed to promote healthy, durable, efficient, and environmentally responsible homes in Minnesota. Deadline is December 19. For more information, click here.

US Composting Council 16th Annual Conference and Trade Show
Date: February 9 – 12, 2008
Location: Oakland, CA
This is the composting and organics recycling industry's premiere event, providing industry professionals with educational, networking, and career advancement opportunities. The Annual Conference is the largest composting conference and exhibition for the composting, wood waste and organics recycling industry in North America, and the only national composting conference and exhibition run by and for composting and organics recycling professionals. For more information, click here.

2008 Joint Winter Conference by AROW, SWANA and WCSWMA
Date: February 27 – 29, 2008
Location: Park Plaza Conference Center, Oshkosh, WI
Sessions cover topics such as climate change’s connections to solid waste, special event recycling, mobile home disposal, how to choose an electronics recycler, construction and demolition waste recycling, education and outreach for residential and business recycling. For more information on sessions and tours, click here.

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3. RECYCLING NEWS THAT AFFECTS YOU
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CONSTRUCTION / DEMOLITION

New group to run LEED Accredited Professional Program
Source: GreenerBuildings.com
The recently-created Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) will take over operations of the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) program early next year. The GBCI was set up with support from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which runs the LEED AP program, to develop and administer credentialing programs aimed at improving green building practice. The LEED AP program will transfer over to the GBCI in January 2008. To read the full article, click here.

Green building projects will skyrocket in next five years, survey says
Source: GreenerBuildings.com
Green building as a commercial real estate strategy is gaining traction and will increase significantly in the next five years, according to a survey published this month in Real Estate Investor and Retail Traffic magazines. More than half of corporate respondents in the study said they now own, manage or lease a green property. In five years, however, 84 percent said they expected to have a hand in a green property. To read the full article, click here.

FOOD WASTE RECOVERY / COMPOSTING

Mixed MSW composting in transition
Source: BioCycle
Composting the mixed municipal solid waste stream is a “niche” business. It is an MSW management option that seems to be viable in very specific situations. In some instances, these plants were built to service tourist destinations, often in somewhat rural areas where recycling is difficult and landfills are distant. In several other cases, public agencies built plants to extend the life of an existing landfill. And in almost every case where the facilities appear to be doing well, there is a very apparent dedication to ensuring the success of the public investment in mixed waste composting. To read the full article, click here.

All about food waste
Source: CNN
When the average person contemplates the issues surrounding landfills, it's doubtful they give much consideration to the tons of food that fill them. Food biodegrades so where is the problem? The problem, environmentalists say, is just that. When food rots, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says is 20 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide (CO2). To view the full article, click here.

COMPUTER / ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

Bill would set up e-waste recycling program
Source: Wisconsin State Journal
This week, state Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, plans to introduce legislation that would set up a statewide electronic waste recycling program. The bill is modeled on similar legislation recently passed in Minnesota and would require manufacturers to pay for the recycling of household computers, televisions, cell phones and other electronic gear. To read the full article, click here.

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4. WELCOME NEW & RETURNING MEMBERS
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WasteCap welcomes MSI General Corporation to the WasteCap network of professionals working to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in Wisconsin. Special thanks to Kraft Foods, Beyer Construction, InSinkErator and TerraFirma Environmental, for their continued support of WasteCap Wisconsin and for sharing the vision of transforming waste into resources.

For a complete list of WasteCap's current members please visit www.wastecapwi.org/members.htm.
Sign up as a member or read about member benefits at www.wastecapwi.org/join.htm.

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5. LEGISLATIVE / REGULATORY UPDATE
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Wisconsin Solid Waste Legislative Update, December 2007
Source: John Reindl, Dane County Recycling Manager, reindl@co.dane.wi.us
Over 970 bills have been introduced into the Wisconsin Legislature, and fourteen of these cover solid waste issues. Of these, one bill and its companion (SB 122/AB 142) have been adopted into law, with hearings and votes held on several of the other bills. To read the full legislative update, click here.

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6. USEFUL TOOLS / RESOURCES ON RECYCLING
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Green Building: one step at a time
Source: GreenerBuildings.com
Small moves toward daily sustainability are a part of a growing trend toward sustainable facilities management that goes beyond high-profile green initiatives, such as installing a solar power system or achieving LEED certification. This trend instead focuses on the daily minutiae of how a building is operated. To read the full article, click here.

Treasure Island plan: most sustainable city on the planet
Source: triplepundit.com
The island was created for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition and then claimed as a Naval base until it was decommissioned 11 years ago. Since that time the city of San Francisco has been mulling over a re-facing and studying how to redevelop the bleak landscape on the horizon. Following some-odd 300 meetings among officials, engineers, architects and the public, a plan has emerged and it is a bright green one. The task is to create a 13,500-person inhabited “urban oasis” consisting of the latest technology and natural systems that is expected to leave the slightest footprint on Earth. To read the full article, click here.

Let there be light - for the next 35 years: the green gift that keeps on giving
Source: Environmental News Network
Imagine receiving a gift this year that you'll still be using in 2042. Not only that, it also puts greenbacks in your pocket while helping the planet go green. It's called the "Pharox" lightbulb and it gives consumers another way to reduce their carbon footprint via this new LED lighting technology. To read the full article, click here.

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WasteCap Wisconsin thanks its sources for the news, information, and ideas in this issue. WasteCap Wisconsin is a 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide waste reduction and recycling assistance through business-to-business peer exchange, demonstration, and education for the benefit of businesses and the environment. To further this mission, we have developed these e-mail bulletins to provide you with information about the latest resources, recycling technologies, case studies, legislation, and other matters helping us transform waste into resources. You can view a collection of WasteCap Wisconsin's archived bulletins at http://www.wastecapwi.org/bulletin_archive.htm. To unsubscribe, send an email to wastecap@wastecapwi.org with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you have been forwarded this email and would like to subscribe directly, send an email to wastecap@wastecapwi.org with "subscribe" in the subject line.

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Shannon Delaney, Communications Director & WasteCap Wisconsin Bulletin Editor
Kimberly Rauwald, Research Assistant
WasteCap Wisconsin
www.wastecapwi.org