On Earth Day, Solid Waste Companies Pledge Support for Zero Waste

New Technology Will Help Reach Goal
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
The nation`s solid waste companies said today that they fully support state and
local initiatives to reach "zero waste," and will continue to invest in
technology to reach that goal.

"Americans have already witnessed a transformation in how we deal with our
trash," said Bruce J. Parker, president and CEO of the National Solid Wastes
Management Association (NSMWA), which represents the for-profit solid waste
sector in the United States. "We still generate a significant amount of
municipal solid waste - EPA estimates almost 250 million tons in the last year
alone. But we are sending several million fewer tons to disposal than we did 20
years ago."

Parker attributed the decrease to the growth of municipal recycling and
composting programs and the increasing use of waste-based energy projects,
largely made possible through innovative technologies developed by solid waste
companies.

"Solid waste companies are an important partner in zero waste efforts," Parker
said. "Zero waste doesn`t mean `no trash,` but rather, continuing to find
economically achievable ways to treat as much waste as possible as a resource.
It means diverting more of the waste stream away from disposal to be recycled or
turned into a clean, renewable source of energy. Trash haulers and other solid
waste processors will still be needed to make it work."

In a newly released position paper
(http://www.environmentalistseveryday.org/zerowaste), the NSWMA acknowledges
that "America is transitioning slowly but surely to a zero waste society," and
says the industry is "stepping forward to facilitate a discussion among the
public, waste collection service providers, customers, manufacturers, government
and consumers on how we can collectively work toward zero waste."

"It is important to recognize that the transition to zero waste will not be easy
or quick," said Parker. "It took almost twenty years to double the recycling
rate, from 16.2 percent of municipal solid waste in 1990, to 33.2 percent in
2008. To boost these numbers even further, we will need to continue to expand
recycling programs, invest in properly built and permitted processing facilities
and cut down on packaging and other waste at the source."

For an interview with Bruce Parker about zero waste or other solid waste issues,
contact Thom Metzger at 202-364-3751 ortmetzger@envasns.org.

NSWMA - a sub-association of the Environmental Industry Associations -
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. NSWMA members conduct business in all 50 states.

NSWMA
Thom Metzger, 202-506-0511

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