I'm not sure why I bother sharing with you guys, b

I'm not sure why I bother sharing with you guys, but for the sake of those who don't think I'm out to get them...

Jim and others,

Karen put out these numbers during the Press Conference.  She explained then her calculation was based on the number of dairy cows in NYS x 8 lb/cow, which is the very loose rule of thumb that I use when I don't have more specific information.

I usually think in terms of millions of lbs when talking on this scale and wasn't able to make the conversion from tons to millions of pounds on the fly during the press conference.  But I just did it: 2800 tons = 5.6 million lbs.  This number is not too different from guestimates that I've made in the past and that I would still stand by it as in the ballpark.

However, I don't know if Karen's numbers for cows include beef cattle as well as dairy and don't know if dairy includes young stock as well as milk cows.  These details would of course change the numbers.  (As would many other factors that I won't detail here.)

As Karen also said during the press conference, her numbers do not include discards from horticulture.  I have no good numbers on horticultural waste, so typically pull a best guess from thin air and say that about as much plastic is discarded from horticulture as from dairy.  This would bring the NYS annual discards up to 11.2 million lbs, which = 5600 tons.  The horticultural numbers are most significant in the south, particularly Florida and California, which together use 80% of the total in the US

I had not seen the report that [techisbest] references, but am familiar with some of the sources.  I am eager to read it and then may be able to critique the statement re: 12 million ton of agricultural plastic discards per yea. I'll get back to you on that.  I'm curious, but am working against some deadlines now so it will have to wait a bit.

As I've told JBI and the many other markets that contact me to ask about quantities of plastics available, it's a useful exercise to get a handle on the universe being explored, but not at all a good measure of what a processor can expect to have delivered to their doorstep. As you know, this depends on capture rate, appropriate feedstock for the specific market processes, cost of collection and transportation, and competition for supply.  I.e., lots and lots of variables and uncertainties.

Great event the other day, I hope you were pleased.  It was followed for me by the NYS maple producers conference where I learned lots.  Producers and suppliers both were thrilled to hear about their new recycling options.

Lois

On Jan 7, 2013, at 11:13 AM, James Zecca wrote:

Lois,

Where did these numbers come from? The articles report 2,800 tons for all of NY, 630 tons in central NY and 80 tons in Madison County.

Jim

James A. Zecca

Madison County Department of Solid Waste

P.O. Box 27

Wampsville, NY 13163

Tel. 315-361-8408

Fax 315-361-1524

Email: james.zecca@madisoncounty.ny.gov

Web site: www.madisoncounty.ny.gov

<image001.png> Visit us here on Facebook