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[Press Release for the Recycle Congress Campaign, September 20, 2000.]
Back to Recycle Congress Background
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EMBARGOED NEWS RELEASE
For release September 20, 2000, 10:00 A.M.
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Contacts: FOE - Mark Helm (202) 783-7400 ext. 102
GRRN - Lance King (703) 241-4927
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Congressional
Failure to Recycle
Costs Taxpayers Millions
Attention Broadcast Editors - Satellite Video Feed 'Congress
Caught on Tape': Recycled Paper Contamination, Trashed Recyclables,
Worker Safety Problems
WASHINGTON,
DC (September 20, 2000) - National environmental and recycling
leaders joined members of Congress today at the U.S. Capitol
to call for major improvements to the failed recycling programs
of the House and Senate that would protect the environment,
ensure worker safety and save taxpayer dollars.
"More than 150 million Americans recycle every day at home and
at work because they know that recycling is an easy way to protect
the environment by conserving resources. Congress seems to think
that the rules that apply to the rest of America do not apply
to them," Bill Sheehan, network coordinator for the GrassRoots
Recycling Network, said.
Leaders from Friends of the Earth (FOE), Earthjustice Legal
Defense Fund, GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN) and Chicago-based
Sustain released results of a months-long investigation into
Congressional recycling and waste management practices. Congressman
Sam Farr (D - Carmel), a champion of recycling, welcomed the
independent analysis.
"We have been trying for years to improve the Congressional
recycling program with little success. Frankly, Congress is
the most stubborn bureaucracy around. I hope that by exposing
these problems to the light of day that the House Leadership
will join in an effort to reform the recycling program before
Congress adjourns," Representative Sam Farr (CA) said.
A video produced by Sustain, a non-profit environmental information
organization based in Chicago, shows contaminated bales of paper
collected for recycling, for which Congress receives no money.
The video, made in cooperation with Rep. Farr, includes interviews
with Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR) on
problems with the recycling program.
"Congress received no money last year for 71 percent of the
paper it recycled, because more than 5 millions pounds of paper
was contaminated by food waste, metals, glass, plastics and
medical waste. Taxpayers likely lost millions of dollars over
the past 5 years due to mismanagement by the Architect of the
Capitol, including lost recycling revenue and needlessly paying
for landfill disposal of materials that could have been recycled,"
said Lance King, who led the research effort on behalf of GRRN.
Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder linked problems
in recycling to anti-environmental actions of the 106th Congress.
"If Congress can't run an effective recycling program, how can
Americans trust them to protect our environment?" said FOE's
Brent Blackwelder.
Becky Hollenbeck, a 12-year old student from House Speaker Dennis
Hastert's congressional district read a letter appealing for
action to improve the recycling program. Hollenbeck is a young
environmentalist active in the Sierra Club.
Joan Mulhern, legislative counsel for Earthjustice Legal Defense
Fund, said, "The failure to recycle is one more stark example
of anti-environmental actions by this Congress. Already this
year, over forty provisions called 'riders' that are used to
weaken environmental laws have been tacked on to various spending
bills. The House is doing a double whammy on the environment,
on one hand passing 'riders' to roll back federal protections,
and on the other, eliminating even modest improvements to Congressional
recycling programs."
The House struck recycling requirements from the Fiscal Year
2000 Legislative Appropriations Bill on a 'point of order' in
June 1999.
Hazel Dews, president of American Federation of State County
and Municipal Employees Local 626, joined news conference participants
to address safety issues. Laborers and custodial staff are at
risk of personal injury due to inappropriate waste management
practices, violating OSHA regulations applied through the Congressional
Accountability Act.
"While the House is thwarting efforts to improve the recycling
program, the Senate Appropriations Committee recently directed
the Architect to take steps to improve the recycling program
for the Senate," King said.
Satellite Coordinates for 'Congress Caught On Tape', Video News
Release
1st
Feed:
DATE: Wednesday September 20, 2000
TIME: 14:00 - 14:15 ET
SATELLITE: Telstar 4, Transponder 6
SATELLITE TYPE: C-Band
DOWNLINK FREQUENCY: 3820
DOWNLINK POLARITY: Horizontal
ORBITAL POSITION: 89 Degrees West
AUDIO: 6.2, 6.8
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2nd
Feed:
DATE: Wednesday, September 20, 2000
TIME: 16:30 - 16:45 ET
SATELLITE: Telstar 6, Transponder 9
SATELLITE TYPE: C-Band
DOWNLINK FREQUENCY: 3880
DOWNLINK POLARITY: Vertical
ORBITAL POSITION: 93 Degrees West
AUDIO: 6.2, 6.8
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For more
information visit www.RecycleCongress.org
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