Ben & Jerry's, South Burlington, Vermont, has become the latest company to announce its move away from single-use plastic. As a first step, the company says in a press release that it will no longer offer plastic straws and spoons in any of its more than 600 Scoop Shops worldwide in early 2019. The company also announced a plan to address plastic cups and lids used to serve ice cream by the end of 2020.

Jenna Evans, Ben & Jerry's global sustainability manager, is leading the transition. She noted that Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops currently hand out 2.5 million plastic straws and 30 million plastic spoons a year. If all the plastic spoons used by Ben & Jerry's in the U.S. were placed end to end, they'd stretch from Burlington, Vermont, to Jacksonville, Florida, the press release says. "We're not going to recycle our way out of this problem," Evans says. "We, and the rest of the world, need to get out of single-use plastic."

"Single-use plastics are a pollution threat unlike anything we've seen before," says Paul Burns, the executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "Across the globe, discarded plastics are choking our environment and threatening wildlife. The only solution is to stop using them. That's why Ben & Jerry's plan to move away from single-use plastics is exactly the kind of leadership we need. We urge other businesses to follow Ben & Jerry's example and kick the plastics habit."    

Ben & Jerry's says it has already embarked on its plan to get out of single-use plastic in its Scoop Shops:

• August 2018—Scoop Shops made plastic straws available by request only. Many Scoop Shops had already transitioned to plastic alternatives by this time.
• By April 9, 2019—Scoop Shops will complete the transition to wooden spoons. Paper straws will be available by request only.
• By the end of 2020—Ben & Jerry's will find an alternative to clear plastic cups, plastic-lined cups and plastic lids.

The company says it has a history of striving for more sustainable packaging solutions. Pints and "tubs" (as Ben & Jerry's containers are known in the U.K. and Europe) have been made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified paperboard since 2009. But because they are coated with polyethylene to create a moisture barrier, they are difficult to recycle.  Evans says Ben & Jerry's is looking at options. "Over the past year, we have begun an intensive effort to find a biodegradable and compostable coating that meets our product quality requirements," she says.

"In the short term, eliminating plastic straws and spoons is not going to save the world," Evans says. "But it's a good start toward changing expectations. We're committed to exploring additional options to further reduce the use of disposable items. This transition is the first step for us on a more comprehensive journey to eliminate single-use, petroleum-based plastic in our supply chain, and we look forward to reporting on our progress.”

AMCS, the Limerick, Ireland-headquartered integrated software and vehicle technology provider for the waste, recycling and resource industries, completed its Digital Transformation Barometer 2018, which serves as a benchmark for the waste and recycling industry. It investigates how organizations in the waste industry use technology to improve the performance of their operations and how they adapt to changes. The benchmark also emphasizes which technologies add value and where the industry can find areas for improvement. 

For the Digital Transformation Barometer 2018, AMCS studied which priorities are on the agendas of management in municipalities and private sector waste collectors in Europe and the US. We also wanted to understand the biggest challenges they face in the digital transformation of their operational processes, and whether there were any significant differences in digital maturity within the target group. The respondents included a significant number of organizations with more than 250 employees. More than half of respondents have more than 50 vehicles for waste collection.

The waste management and recycling industry is not very enthusiastic about its progress in adapting to new technologies. According to the study, about 60 percent of waste management and recycling professionals gave themselves a failing grade for the application of new technologies. Also, most companies gave themselves a grade of “unsatisfactory” in these areas. Yet about 64 percent of those surveyed expect an increase in their information technology (IT) budgets, with 20 percent expecting an increase to their IT budgets of more than 5 percent. 

According to AMCS’ study, more than 80 percent of participants—regardless of whether they are municipalities or private sector waste management companies—believe that digital innovation is important for their business success. At the top of their priorities list is improving customer satisfaction (73 percent) and increasing productivity (72 percent). 

Additionally, more than half of respondents (52 percent) indicated that improving sustainability is a big priority. Yet to achieve this, AMCS reports that the most important issue for management is how to organize the operational process in terms of both harmonization and digitalization. The main barriers include obsolete legacy IT systems, implementing a paperless organization and creating a culture open to change.

“The research shows that there are five elements that are critical to success in transitioning into a digital organization,” says Mark Abbas, chief marketing officer for AMCS. “Besides engaged employees and a management team that gives people the space to innovate, it is very important to have a comprehensive understanding of the digital trends and advancements in the value chain. It is also down to a smart application of new technology within the organization and using (reliable) data to make decisions.”

Key findings

AMCS’ study participants were asked to rate their organization on a variety of statements that measure progress on the five elements of success in digital transformation, and the average score on the 10-point scale was 6.3. 

AMCS reports that the following are some findings it determined as a result of the study:

1. Digital transformation requires leadership in change management: The results of the survey show that leaders in the waste management industry clearly understand the importance of ‘soft’ factors, such as leadership and employee engagement, in making the transition.

2. The digital part of digital transformation is the real challenge: Unlike the softer aspects like leadership, it is exactly the 'harder' technical aspects of transforming the organization, as in using Business Intelligence (BI) and data science or applying new technology, that forms the biggest challenge. When it comes to the application of emerging technologies, 60 percent of respondents gave themselves a failing grade. Average scores for business information were slightly better, but nearly half (45 percent) still gave themselves a grade of unsatisfactory.

3. Legacy systems are the biggest barrier to digital transformation: For 54 percent of organizations surveyed, it is the problem of legacy software and systems that creates the greatest barrier to full implementation of the digital transformation.

According to Abbas, the research results provide insights into an interesting group of companies that have taken the lead in digital transformation. “This group approaches digital transformation in a completely different way and has very different priorities from the rest. Their operations are already very nearly paperless, they use digital invoicing systems and they have self-service web portals available for their customers. They are also more likely to already be using other digital techniques and applications, such as RFID, GPS Monitoring, Route Optimization, and in-vehicle tablets.”

According to AMCS, a detailed report of the research findings has been published and is now available for download.

The Global Recycling Foundation has introduced its logo and website, www.globalrecyclingfoundation.org. The organization says its brand identity reflects the crucial role recycling plays in preserving our planet’s future.

The Global Recycling Foundation was launched in London Oct. 6, 2018, at the Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling’s (BIR) World Recycling Convention.

The organization says its website serves as a window into the Global Recycling Foundation and supports the foundation’s mission to promote recycling and the recycling industry. It will do this by supporting educational and academic studies as well as by inviting donations from businesses, brands and organizations that share the same goal of ensuring recycling remains at the heart of the environmental well-being of our planet.

Ranjit S. Baxi, founding president of the Global Recycling Foundation and BIR president, says, “It is a great achievement to see the launch of our new website and brand identity.

“The mission of the Global Recycling Foundation is to support the promotion of recycling, and the recycling industry whilst supporting educational and academic studies and awareness programs, such as Global Recycling Day, which focus on the sustainable, circular and inclusive development of recycling across the world,” he adds.

“Our new website and brand identity bring this mission to life, highlighting that recycling is a global issue that we must all tackle together, fostering better practices to ensure that we play our vital part in preserving the future of our planet.”

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has announced that Gap, Pennsylvania-based environmental services firm Tier Environmental LLC must pay restitution and fines totaling $30,000 for exceeding the allowable amount of hazardous waste stored at its facility near Cleveland.

Tier Environmental pled guilty to a single felony charge of violating a hazardous waste permit issued under Chapter 3734 of the Ohio Revised Code. The company operated a hazardous waste transfer, storage and disposal facility in Bedford, Ohio, from 2013 through 2017.

On its LinkedIn page, Tier Environmental describes itself as offering “a comprehensive range of waste management, site remediation, industrial maintenance, transportation and lab packing services.”

In addition to the state of Ohio reporting the Bedford facility as having closed in 2017, the Tier Environmental website is no longer maintained, and Google lists its former Niagara Falls, New York, railcar and truck tank cleaning facility as being permanently closed.

Regulatory inspections by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a criminal investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Criminal Investigation Division of the United States EPA found the company exceeded its permitted storage capacity by more than 130,000 gallons of hazardous waste between March and May of 2015.

The company was ordered to pay restitution of $20,000 to the two state agencies for investigative costs. The company also was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, with $15,000 of the amount suspended.

In November 2018, Tier Environmental’s president and vice president pleaded no contest to charges of criminal endangering, a second-degree misdemeanor. The Bedford Municipal Court found them guilty and ordered each to pay a $500 fine, $3,100 in restitution and complete 40 hours of community service.

“This company had three times the permitted limit for highly flammable and dangerous hazardous waste, which is unacceptable,” states Yost. “This is an example of a bad company that didn’t follow the rules put in place to protect the public and environment.”