Plastics News - Public Policy

Friday, July 04, 2008

Public Policy

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Australian state proposes bag ban
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA (July 2, 12:05 p.m. EDT) -- Retailers say a proposed ban in the state of South Australia on free high density polyethylene shopping bags would be simply “poor politics.”

Recycling Professionals closes up shop
PORTLAND, ORE. (June 27, 5:10 p.m. EDT) -- A month after saying that the polystyrene food-service recycling business on the West Coast was at “a crisis point,” Larry McIntyre has shuttered his business, ending a 15-year effort to recycle PS from schools.

SPI to launch Web-based promotional effort
WASHINGTON (June 13, 4:10 p.m. EDT) -- Stung by product bans, legislative scrutiny and campaigns by groups that question the safety of plastics, the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. plans to launch next year a multiyear, Internet-based campaign touting plastics´ benefits.

Ohio summit addresses sustainability issues
COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 12, 5 p.m. EDT) -- Ohio´s plastics industry — the third-largest in the nation based on 2006 exports worth $26 billion — is trying to cope with changes associated with sustainability along with the rest of the nation.

NSF gives Ohio $1 million for ‘polymer portal’
COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 11, 4:10 p.m. EDT) -- Industry group PolymerOhio Inc. is teaming up with the Ohio Supercomputer Center to offer state-of-the-art computing portals to the state’s plastics industry.

Report outlines Calif.´s ´green-chemistry´ ideas
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 10, 5:15 p.m. EDT) -- California is reviewing 38 recommended approaches and requirements for reducing toxic compounds in the state. The findings may help provide a broad-based model for implementation in California and other locales.

ACC´s Gerard to join petroleum trade group

Gerard

PALM DESERT, CALIF. (June 5, 8:35 a.m. EDT) — Jack Gerard, president of the American Chemistry Council, plans to leave that job to head the American Petroleum Institute, according to a member of ACC’s executive committee. Gerard will replace Red Cavaney, who was president of ACC’s American Plastics Council from 1994-1997.

Ohio governor pushes biopolymers
COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 4, 12:55 p.m. EDT)-- Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland’s economic stimulus package includes $50 million to encourage the development of bioproducts, such as plastic resins from corn, in a bid to link two of Ohio’s most important industries. Ohio is at a crossroads when it comes to future plant-based materials and energy sources, Strickland said in a speech at the Ohio Polymer Summit.

Three plastics-related measures advance in Calif.
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 30, 4:40 p.m. EDT) -- Three plastics-related bills are progressing through the California Legislature, but opponents say their narrow margins of passage could signal an uncertain future for the proposals.

CPIA’s Lavoie to retire next year
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO (May 30, 9:20 a.m. EDT) -- Serge Lavoie will retire from the Canadian Plastics Industry Association in early 2009. CPIA’s president and chief executive officer will have served nearly a six-year stint at the association when he steps down.

Group calls Greenpeace campaign ´irresponsible´
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (May 28, 8:30 a.m. EDT) -- A row has broken out between the industry body representing bromine chemical companies and environmental lobbying group Greenpeace over the use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs).

Three California bills facing deadline
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 27, 12:15 p.m. EDT) -- The fate of three critical pieces of California legislation that would affect plastic grocery bags, PVC packaging and plastic container deposits hinges on whether the bills can get voted out of their respective houses of origin by the end of May.

New task force takes aim at phthalates ban
ARLINGTON, VA. (May 23, 1:10 p.m. EDT) -- With Vermont scheduled to become the third state in seven months to ban the use of phthalates in products intended for children, a newly formed group that says it is focused on toy safety is asking legislators to evaluate scientific data before they proceed with further bans.

Malibu bag ban keeps issue alive

MALIBU, CALIF. (May 16, 3:55 p.m. EDT) -- Plastic bag makers may have succeeded in getting the Oakland plastic bag ban overturned. But a newly enacted ban on plastic and compostable point-of-sale bags in Malibu is a reminder that the battle is far from over and that litter concerns — and not the total environmental impact of disposable carryout bags — are driving the bans.

Industry seeks unity on bag recycling
ARLINGTON, VA. (May 16, 3:40 p.m. EDT) -- Creating a collection infrastructure for recycling plastic shopping bags and getting consumers to recycle them are separate challenges complicated by the fact that the industry must rely on the help of two parties it can’t control — retailers and consumers.