When I peruse the recycling bins along my street on Monday mornings, I often see the necks of emptied wine bottles sticking up over the rim. But whither the corks? Can corks be recycled? Should they be? Certainly, they do add up, and they don’t biodegrade that fast.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s wine blog, The Cellarist, takes a look at these questions in an interesting piece prompted by Whole Foods recent announcement of a cork collection program. Ultimately, author Jon Bonné seems to conclude that while there are currently ways to recycle corks, it may not be worth the trouble at this point.

Of course, many wine connoisseurs have been recycling corks at home for years, collecting them and using them to make trivets or bulletin boards. My aunt and uncle have a collection of corks so vast, they were able to cover the ceiling of their wine room with it, which gives them something to look at when they’re passed out on the floor.

The National Solid Wastes Management Association has launched a major public relations campaign designed to increase public awareness of the importance and the work of the solid waste industry.

The association’s release is below:

SOLID WASTE INDUSTRY LAUNCHES MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM

Highlights ‘Everyday Environmentalism’ of Industry’s Employees

(Washington, DC) – The National Solid Waste Management Association (NSWMA) today announced the launch of Environmentalists. Every Day: America’s Solid Waste Industry, a national awareness program to help local communities, public officials and the media better appreciate the local and national importance of the industry to public health and environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.

“In every community, the men and women of America’s solid waste industry play an increasingly important role in solving some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges, protecting the environment and public health by efficiently and reliably removing and managing the nation’s trash. We are leaders in recycling and composting. We are leaders in generating renewable energy from solid waste,” said Bruce Parker NSWMA President and CEO. “Environmentalism isn’t just an idea or goal for us; it’s the way that our do our work, 24/7, every day.”

“Our new program will help the people who work in our industry tell their customers, neighbors and friends about the contributions they make to their communities and the nation,” said Parker.

As part of the Environmentalists. Every Day. program, NSWMA has launched a visitor-friendly web site (www.environmentalistseveryday.org ), which explains the waste collection process; provides information on the industry’s efforts to protect the environment and transform household trash into renewable resources; and offers tips for consumers to be more responsible with their waste. The site will be frequently updated with news, fact sheets and other materials, including chats and surveys.

The association also has produced a comprehensive toolkit to help its members reach out to their communities to educate residents, business owners, local officials, the media and other stakeholders about the essentiality of solid waste management.

NSWMA plans ongoing training to assist members and their employees in carrying out awareness programs that demonstrate the crucial role of the solid waste industry in their local communities, and the industry’s commitment to environmental protection and preservation. The training program will include regional hands-on workshops as well as regularly scheduled webinars.

“Our goal is to support a true sense of pride in the men and women who work in our industry, improve their overall job satisfaction, educate their families and neighbors about the tremendous importance of their jobs, and help the industry continue to recruit and retain the very best employees,” said Parker.

# # #

NSWMA represents for-profit companies in North America that provide solid, hazardous and medical waste collection, recycling and disposal services, and companies that provide professional and consulting services to the waste services industry.

The economic gloom-and-doom continued yesterday when Daimler AG announced that it will discontinue its Sterling Trucks line next March. Daimler will close two plants that produce Sterling trucks — one in Portland, Ore., and one in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada — resulting in the loss of approximately 3,500 jobs, according to media reports.

“This is an indication of how bad things are,” Michael Tyndall, an analyst at Nomura Securities in London told Bloomberg News. “It’s positive for the long term, but everyone’s focused on the short term.”

Daimler’s press release announcing the move can be read by clicking here.

And here are a handful of news stories on the move:

• The aforementioned Bloomberg article.

• An article by Forbes.com.

• One from The New York Times.

• And, finally, the Wall Street Journal’s take.

Georgia has unveiled a new license tag as part of the state’s “Recycle 4 Georgia” program, which also includes a popular series of temporary tattoos.

The tag must receive 1000 pre-orders by December in order to permanently join other charitable tags offered by the state. $10 of each order will go to the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation.

The New York Times shines a spotlight on Houston, home to the nation’s largest waste handler in Waste Management, as well as to the worst recycling rate of any major metropolitan area in the nation.

Cheap land, a lack of political will, and an “independent streak” among the Houston populace translates into an anemic 2.6 recycling rate. Compare that to San Francisco at the opposite end of the spectrum, which recycles close to 70 percent of its waste, or New York, which is just above the national average at 34 percent.

“But city officials say real progress will be hard to come by. Landfill costs here are cheap. The city’s sprawling, no-zoning layout makes collection expensive, and there is little public support for the kind of effort it takes to sort glass, paper and plastics. And there appears to be even less for placing fees on excess trash.

‘We have an independent streak that rebels against mandates or anything that seems trendy or hyped up,’ said Mayor Bill White, who favors expanding the city’s recycling efforts. ‘Houstonians are skeptical of anything that appears to be oversold or exaggerated. But Houstonians can change, and change fast.’”



They’ll have to, lest the rest of the nation leave them behind.

Dr. Marcus Eriksen, director of research for the Algalita Marine Research Federation, is attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean on a raft constructed entirely of trash. The Long Beach, Calif.-based nonprofit is dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its watersheds through research, education and restoration. Eriksen hopes to draw the world’s attention to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and help raise awareness of the need to reduce plastic waste.

The voyage, already six weeks long, was almost deep-sixed when several of the bottles used for flotation lost their caps and filled with water. But the craft was rescued and repaired, and continues its slow progress.

You can watch a CNN video about the raft trip here.

One of the more interesting side notes to come out of Waste Management’s spurned bid for Republic was just who was against the deal. According to the Associated Press, the investment office for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, which owns 15.6 percent of Republic and 2.3 percent of Waste Management, was a vocal opponent of the offer.

“The investment office also thinks the deal undervalues the target company, lacks strategic rationale, and believes the regulatory process will be arduous and risky,” says the AP report. “And it says Republic’s shareholders would be best served by the proposed purchase of Allied.”

Just three weeks after Republic agreed to buy Allied, the solid waste industry once again finds itself firmly in the media spotlight with yesterday’s announcement that Waste Management is seeking to scuttle the Republic-Allied deal by buying Republic. Here’s a brief round-up of what some major media outlets are saying about the offer:

Reuters: “Republic shares had been off 17 percent since word leaked of the company’s plan to bid for Allied, which created the opening Waste Management needed to offer a competing proposal, JPMorgan analyst Scott Levine wrote in a note to clients.

Republic’s strong business in Las Vegas is an especially compelling asset, said [Waste Management CEO David] Steiner, who said Waste Management hadn’t yet started to figure out how many landfills the combined company would have.”

Forbes.com: “Speaking at a Forbes conference several months ago, CEO Steiner said that one key to Waste Management’s future — and a possible driver of the Republic deal — is cornering the waste-to-energy business. With 227 landfills, the company already produces 2 gigawatts of ‘green’ power for 2 million homes. Waste Management burns trash to produce electricity, by tapping the methane produced in burning to create natural gas.”

Bloomberg.com: “Waste Management would likely borrow to pay for Republic, ‘adding considerable debt to the capital structure versus where they are today,’ Fitch analyst Stephen Brown said today in a telephone interview. ‘Equity investors are looking at the overall cost and having some concern about that.”’

The Wall Street Journal: “The three largest U.S. waste companies control more than two-thirds of the nation’s permitted landfill capacity, according to a February 2007 report by the Solid Waste Association of North America, a group of mostly municipal trash officials. A merger of $13-billion Waste Management and $3-billion Republic, in sales, would leave just under half the country’s permitted landfill capacity in the control of the combined company.”

Business Week: “A Republic-Allied deal would create a company with a market share of 17% to 18% in North America, a credible rival to Waste Management’s 24% share, according to Stewart Scharf, an equity analyst at Standard & Poor’s. But Waste Management’s Republic bid would boost its market share to 30%, putting even more distance between Waste Management and its second-place rival, Allied Waste, with a market share of 10% or 11% … Robert Lande, a law professor at the University of Baltimore and a director of the American Antitrust Institute, says by itself a 30% market share wouldn’t raise concerns—at least judging by the record of regulators in the Bush Administration. However, garbage hauling is a very local business, and the competitive landscape would need to be analyzed metropolitan area by metropolitan area, Lande says.”

This morning, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based Republic Services announced that it has reached an agreement to buy Allied Waste for $6.07 billion in stock. Based in Phoenix, the combined company will retain the name Republic Services Inc. and will boast an annual revenue of more than $9 billion.

In reporting on the deal, the New York Times highlights the companies’ claim that the deal would foster development of landfill gas-to-energy projects as “a pitch to energy-conscious investors.”

But it may take more than landfill gas to win back hearts and minds on Wall Street, according to Carl Gutierrez of Forbes.com, who says the deal “is being received like yesterday’s laundry.” He notes that in early-morning trading, Allied’s shares dropped 0.7 percent, or 10 cents, to $13.46, while shares of Republic dropped 0.9 percent, or 30 cents, to $30.87. Gutierrez attributes this lack of enthusiasm to investors’ recollections of waste industry acquisitions in the past, such as USA Waste Services’ purchase of Waste Management in 1998 and the acquisition of BFI Waste by Allied Waste in 1999.

Across the board, analysts agree that the combined company, if approved by federal regulators, will be well positioned to compete with the industry’s 800-pound gorilla, Waste Management.

What do you think about the deal? Should we expect more consolidation in the industry in its wake? Register as a commenter and let your voice be heard!

Last week’s announcement that Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Republic Services and Phoenix-based Allied Waste Industries are holding merger talks has sparked a significant amount of coverage in the mainstream media.

• This report by Reuters’ Helen Chernikoff says that financial analysts, on the whole, say the deal would be good for the industry. Says the article: “While trash haulers until recently had to sacrifice price to chase volume, fewer players would increase the potential for price hikes. Goldman Sachs analysts told clients in a note their impression of the deal was ‘largely positive’ because it would enhance pricing discipline.”

However, the piece also notes that investors may have concerns about the Justice Department opposing a potential deal for antitrust reasons.

• According to this piece from Forbes.com, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services “has placed its ‘BBB+’ long-term and ‘A-2′ short-term corporate credit ratings on Repubic Services Inc. on negative watch and placed its ‘BB’ corporate credit rating on Allied Waste Industries Inc. on positive watch.”

• The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Karnitschnig, citing “people familiar with the matter,” reports that “though the talks are at an advanced stage, an agreement wasn’t immiment” and says “the deal could still fall apart.” Another tidbit: “The merged company would have its headquarters in Phoenix, which is Allied’s hometown, and adopt Allied’s name.”