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Closed Loop
Winter 2004-2005
John Koch
Joe Zajicek, owner and operator of Zajicek Salvage in Iowa City, has been a long time reader of the Closed Loop. Joe runs a metal salvage operation and is interested not just in recycling, but also reuse of material. He recently contacted IWE Area Specialist John Koch about some 14-gauge steel plate cutoffs he had in storage. The steel was new, and Joe felt he could sell it for more than scrap value if he could let people know it was available. John listed the steel plate in the Closed Loop for Joe and generated several requests for more information, resulting in the sale of the material at a “value added� price.
Julie Plummer
Louisa County Conservation Board Naturalist Kathy Dice exhibits an enthusiastic passion for the environment, both in her professional activities and privately through her family’s nursery and farm. Owned and operated by Kathy and her husband Tom Wahl, Red Fern Farm offers container-grown tree seedlings and medicinal planting roots, as well as pasture-raised chickens, turkey and goats to its customers. The farm is also the site of ongoing research on a variety of tree crops and forest farming systems, fostering the couple’s goal to promote sustainable agriculture. And, as Kathy is quick to point out, the nursery incorporates many recycling practices in their operation, such as buying back trays and pots from their nursery customers and composting both tree wastes and chicken processing wastes for reuse in the potting soil mixture for tree seedlings.
Jim Reimer
The recycling, reuse and reduction partnership between the Industrial Complex, located on the Des Moines River near Eddyville, Iowa and the Iowa Waste Exchange at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa is more than ten years old. Their efforts have resulted in at least 14 different waste streams being diverted from Iowa landfills, saving companies thousands of dollars.
© Copyright 2007 Iowa Waste Reduction Center
A Service of Business and Community Services at the
University of Northern Iowa
Suite 113, BCS Building
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0185
phone: 319.273.8905
fax: 319.273.6582
Winter 2004-2005
Articles
- DNR Reverses Indoor Emission Policy
- New Environmental Technology for Small Business-NETSB
- New CRT Recycling and Collection Permits Required
- Attention Central Iowa!
- Reminder: Policy Deadline Approaching
- Iowa Waste Exchange News
DNR Reverses Indoor Emission Policy
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is withdrawing the “Permit it or Exempt it� procedure that had been implemented in June 2004 with a deadline date of February 28, 2005. Instead of implementing this new exemption plan, the DNR has decided to resume past practices of only requiring indoor source permits when desired to limit potential emissions to reduce regulatory burden, for certain PSD projects, or if the DNR believes the facility is trying to circumvent permitting requirements.
The DNR decided to withdraw the "permit it or exempt it" procedure, also known as the "Requirements for Small Source Permitting and Exemptions," as a result of concerns from Iowa businesses expressing that the new policy was too burdensome, putting them at a disadvantage to businesses in other states. The IAEAP will be contacting businesses that had requested and had not received assistance with this permitting process. Although the procedures are no longer in effect, it is still important that an IAEAP representative visit your facility to ensure that your business meets all DNR air quality rules.
As a result of this change, sources exhausted indoors are no longer required to have permits, while new small unit exemptions are still valid for indoor/outdoor sources. Facilities that have already completed small unit exemptions for indoor emissions will benefit by having their potential emissions lowered. The DNR, company representatives, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Iowa Air Emissions Assistance Program (IAEAP at the University of Northern Iowa and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 met in a work group on January 10-12, 2005 to develop a new plan for addressing indoor emission sources not directly vented to the outside. The new plan includes:
- Withdrawing the “Permit it or Exempt it� statement and February 28, 2005 implementation deadline to resume past regulatory practices,
- Pursuing EPA approval for DNR’s past practice of only requiring permits for indoor sources when needed to either limit a facility’s potential emissions to reduce its regulatory burden or if the Department believes a facility is trying to circumvent permitting requirements,
- Allowing exemptions currently in DNR administrative rule to be available for sources covered under a MACT, NESHAP or NSPS or other applicable federal standard,
- Adopting a list of "trivial" activities not needing a permit into DNR’s administrative rules, and
- Developing a more extensive list of exemptions from the requirement to get construction permits. These exemptions will be proposed in two rulemakings.
If you have any questions or concerns about how this change in procedure will affect your business, please feel free to contact Dan Nickey of the IAEAP at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center, 319-273-8905.
Note: Portions of this article were provided by the DNR Air Bureau.
New Environmental Technology for Small Business-NETSB
By Chris Horan and Jeff Beneke
Iowa Waste Reduction Center
New technologies with significant environmental benefits are plentiful and continue to emerge on a regular basis. Though many of these technologies have demonstrated environmental and economic benefits, they have not been widely adopted, particularly by small business. The Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) with the New Environmental Technologies for Small Business (NETSB) initiative is striving to increase the use of new environmental technologies by small businesses, resulting in measurable environmental and economic benefits.
New environmental technology that increases the productivity of a process can have significant economic and environmental benefits. The barriers for small business include, but are not limited to, lack of knowledge of the environmental technology, cost of acquisition, cost of initial operation and time required to implement the new technology. Measures to assist small businesses (200 employees or less) in Iowa to overcome these obstacles are necessary because they comprise the majority of businesses within the manufacturing and service sectors.
In today's rapidly changing business environment, it is essential that small businesses have a flexible and accessible mechanism to use the most recent information and environmental technologies available.
NETSB is developing quantitative and qualitative criteria to evaluate environmental technologies. The environmental criteria will include energy characteristics, pollution prevention, water characteristics, land characteristics and air characteristics. The economic criteria include cost of acquisition, cost of implementation (staff time, direct, indirect), return on investment (ROI), cost to change the small business operation, small business maintenance costs and proven technology. The small business criteria include applicability to small business environment, equipment size, small business space constraints, pertinence to current practices in small business and vendor support. This is a work in progress and more criteria will be added as the program advances.
The NETSB program will utilize the expertise of other organizations and partners available to maximize exposure and to leverage resources in obtaining new environmental technology information. By using state and national programs for sources of new technology, NETSB will be able to quickly identify opportunities and move the environmental technology to the next level.
If you have a new technology that would be beneficial to small businesses or you are a small business interested in exploring a specific technology that has an environmental impact, please contact Chris Horan or Jeff Beneke by calling the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at 319-273-8905.
New CRT Recycling and Collection Permits Required
The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission recently adopted Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 567-122 Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Device Recycling. CRTs are found in computer monitors, televisions, cash registers and oscilloscopes. The purpose of this chapter is to implement rules for the recycling of discarded CRTs and the disassembly and removal of toxic parts from discarded CRTs in a manner that is safe for human health and the environment. The rule establishes two kinds of permits: CRT recycling permits and CRT collection permits.
Which permit do I need? A CRT Collection Permit is needed for any facility that collects discarded CRTs on an ongoing basis but does not process, refurbish or demanufacture CRTs. A collection facility may donate or sell CRTs that are in good working order without repairing or rebuilding them.
A CRT Recycling Permit is needed for facilities that refurbish, demanufacture or process CRTs to ensure their use as raw materials or products. A CRT recycling facility may collect CRTs as part of their recycling operation without a CRT Collection Permit.
Permits are not needed for businesses that are solely engaged in CRT service, repair or reuse. For example, a repair shop that fixes and returns the CRT to the original owner does not need a permit. An entity that is engaged in short-term (temporary) CRT collection is encouraged to notify the department 30 days prior to the event; however no permit is needed.
A permit is required before a business may collect or recycle CRTs. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Iowa Waste Reduction Center for assistance.
Attention Central Iowa! The Iowa Air Emissions Assistance Program (IAEAP) at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) will begin Minor Source Emissions Inventory Questionnaire (MSEIQ) assistance for the Central part of Iowa this winter. Small- to medium- sized businesses that emit air pollutants and are classified as non-major sources have been targeted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to complete this inventory. Businesses will be required to report all actual and potential emissions from both permitted and fugitive sources. Facilities having fewer than 100 employees are given the option of completing the inventory on their own or can request assistance from IAEAP staff at the IWRC. If a business requests assistance, IAEAP staff will complete all necessary MSEIQ forms and calculations for the business.
The purpose of the inventory is to gather data about the sources and quantities of air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere by businesses. Collectively, the information accumulated will assist the IDNR in continuing to manage our air resources, which includes planning pollution control programs, identifying general emission levels and locating monitors to ensure our air quality meets federal health standards. Also, the data collected in this inventory will assist Iowa and other states in the management of pollution that drifts across state borders and to different regions of the nation.
Businesses located in the Central part of the state can expect to be contacted by both the IDNR and the IAEAP about the inventory and available assistance in mid January. In addition, workshops will be held by the IAEAP this winter to offer both assistance and valuable information to affected businesses. Considered a knowledgeable resource for small business, IAEAP staff have completed more than 90 inventories for businesses this year alone.
Businesses required to complete the MSEIQ must submit it to the IDNR by May 15th, 2005. Because the IDNR requires small businesses in the state to complete a MSEIQ every three years, it is recommended businesses in Central Iowa take advantage of the expert assistance offered by IAEAP staff. For a detailed list of what counties will be affected by the inventory or for more information on the IAEAP, please call Program Manager Dan Nickey of the IAEAP at 1-800-422-3109 or visit www.iwrc.org.
Reminder: Policy Deadline Approaching
The DNR is now requiring facilities that exhaust regulated pollutants indoors to obtain a construction permit or use one of the DNR’s exemptions. In the past, the DNR has not requested Iowa Air Quality construction permits for sources exhausted indoors. The deadline for this policy, originally scheduled for September 2004, has recently been moved to February 28, 2005.
The Iowa Air Emissions Assistance Program (IAEAP) at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) is available to assist Iowa businesses in determining what equipment sources are impacted by this new policy change and completing the appropriate emissions applications. The IAEAP has already begun conducting site visits to help with this new policy. If you have not already contacted the IAEAP for assistance, please do so immediately to have your facility added to the list of businesses we will be visiting. The IAEAP is currently working to finish all of the on-site visits that have been requested. Because of the quantity of businesses requesting assistance with this policy change, we are asking for your patience with this deadline. You will be contacted in the near future if you have requested assistance
This assistance, like all of the IWRC services, is free and non-regulatory. If you have any questions regarding this new regulation, please feel free to contact the IAEAP at 1-800-422-3109. We will contact you to set up an on-site visit very soon.
Iowa Waste Exchange News
IWE Facilitates Successful Match
By John Koch
IWE Resource Specialist, Area C
John Koch
Chestnuts, Anyone?
By Julie Plummer
IWE Resource Specialist, Area D
Julie Plummer
Among the tree crops grown at the farm are chestnuts, and through their new business, Winfield Tree-Grown Foods, Kathy and Tom will begin processing chestnuts for sale to upscale restaurants and the public this fall. The majority of the chestnuts processed by the business will come from the Southeast Iowa Nut Growers, a marketing cooperative of about 40 chestnut growers located throughout southeastern Iowa. “ Chestnuts are a low-fat nut with a high quality protein,� relates Tom. “Some people refer to them as the corn that grows on trees. Chestnut orchards can supply a crop year after year without soil erosion from plowing, disking or harrowing, and pesticides and chemical fertilizers are not needed for a successful crop. Chestnuts are truly a sustainable crop that is good for the environment, communities and farmers.� Tom adds that at the current time, there is no supplier of truly high-quality, domestically-grown, shelled chestnuts in all of North America, and that Winfield Tree-Grown Foods plans to begin filling that void.
Before chestnuts can be shelled, they must be cured. During curing, half of the moisture in the nut is lost and much of the nut starch is converted into simple sugar, enhancing and concentrating the nut’s flavor. In order to cure the chestnuts for market, Winfield Tree-Grown Foods needed a large number of food-grade plastic trays with perforated bottoms that would allow good air circulation around the nuts. Kathy, who had worked with Iowa Waste Exchange Area D representative Julie Plummer several times in the past, now contacted her for assistance in locating trays for reuse in chestnut processing.
Julie in turn contacted the other eight Iowa Waste Exchange representatives, hoping to locate suitable trays. Area E Representative Dennis Hayworth had just the trays! A Des Moines company involved in the food service industry utilizes 18x24x3 inch gray, rigid, food-grade plastic trays to transport food products manufactured at the facility to establishments in a nine-state area. Their Production Manager notes that once the trays become chipped or stained, they can no longer be used to transport their food product, and over the past eight years he has occasionally provided trays for reuse in greenhouses and for schools to use as art trays.
Julie facilitated a match between this company and the welcome new user of the trays. Tom and business partners Bill Brookhiser and John Wittig drove to Des Moines in September and picked up 360 trays. With a little drilling to perforate the tray bottoms, Winfield Tree-Grown Foods found all the trays they need to process their chestnuts. Kathy Dice is full of praise for the free and confidential services provided by the Iowa Waste Exchange “The Iowa Waste Exchange is great to work with! I had little hope that plastic trays of the food grade quality and size we needed could be found, and felt a little foolish asking Julie for assistance. Julie took our needs very seriously, as if we were a huge conglomerate. I am still astounded that she was able to locate trays that would meet our needs with only a little drilling required. Such trays new, with the holes, would have cost us $20 to $35 dollars each.�
Strong Partnership Results in Huge Savings
By Jim Reimer
IWE Resource Specialist, Area G
Jim Reimer
Through hard work with the Industrial Companies representatives, Gary Dill, the first Iowa Waste Exchange Area Resource Specialist for Indian Hills Community College and his successor Jim Reimer, have placed more than 227,435 tons of various by-products and waste streams with other companies. Since 1992, approximately 34,000 pounds of chemicals, 51,360 pounds of drums, 36,000 pounds of paper, 20,000 pounds of wood, 9,528,000 pounds of filter aid and 445,200,000 pounds of organic waste from all the various companies at the complex have been diverted from the landfill. This represents cost reduction savings of over $738,000 for Industrial Complex companies, not to mention the new company start-ups and revenues generated by other companies using these by-products as raw materials.
The partnership continues as Jim Reimer of the Iowa Waste Exchange and representatives from the Industrial Complex companies strive to improve our environment, reduce cost and develop new by-product markets.
The Iowa Waste Exchange is a cooperative effort of Recycle Iowa/ Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Iowa Waste Reduction Center, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Community Colleges, Local Councils of Government and Iowa Solid Waste Agencies. The Exchange will not determine what may constitute a hazardous substance or create a hazardous situation. The Exchange will not make judgements with respect to any legal requirements, particularly for the storage, transportation, treatment or disposal of what may be defined as hazardous substances. For information about hazardous waste reduction and/or proper disposal, call the Department of Natural Resources Energy and Waste Management Bureau at (800) 367-1025 or the IWRC at (800) 422-3109.
© Copyright 2007 Iowa Waste Reduction Center
A Service of Business and Community Services at the
University of Northern Iowa
Suite 113, BCS Building
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0185
phone: 319.273.8905
fax: 319.273.6582