Author: Elizabeth Meschewski

Elizabeth Meschewski is a research specialist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Beth earned her B.S. degree in geology and an M.S. degree in environmental engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She works on a variety of projects at ISTC including the Illinois Hazardous Waste Research Fund (HWRF) grant program; Sustainable Seminar series; engagement on ISTC’s work via events/conferences, publications, and online; and several laboratory research projects. She is interested in educating the public about sustainability measures that take a balanced approach to the three aspects of sustainability: environment, economic, and social.
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Illinois Electronics Recycling – New Technical Report

Are electronics being recycled in Illinois? A recent project conducted by Susan Monte of the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission conducted a survey based on that question. The results are published in technical report TR-059, titled “Illinois Electronics Products Recycling Survey.”

 

Abstract
The survey project identified barriers to proper recycling/reuse of electronic products in Illinois counties, statewide. The recycling phone survey project was conducted December 2013 through
March 2014. Information was obtained from persons designated as county recycling coordinators, and from businesses, local governments, and agencies registered with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to collect, recycle/refurbish, or process electronic products collected in Illinois. Phone survey data was gathered regarding:

  • who’s doing what in Illinois counties with regard to electronics recycling;
  • who the designated recycling coordinator is for each Illinois county (and awareness of the
    current IEPA annual $2,000 grant opportunity); and
  • types of barriers to proper recycling/reuse of electronics which may exist in Illinois
    counties, with input from local government recycling coordinators, registered electronic
    items collectors and recyclers.

The report includes a description of the survey design and survey population, data collection methods, and results. Observations and highlights of the survey project results are  also provided in the report.

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PAHs in IL River Sediment – New Technical Report

From where could the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Illinois River sediments have come? Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a grant from the Hazardous Waste Research Fund investigated possible sources. The details of their research is in the newly published technical report Tr-058, titled “Source Apportionment of Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons in Illinois River Sediment.”

 

ABSTRACT

The accumulation of over six million metric tons of sediment annually in the Illinois River Valley degrades its recreational, commercial, and ecological value. This necessitates dredging a large volume of sediment to restore water depth and makes beneficial reuse of the sediment a priority. Unfortunately, many reuse applications are limited by contamination from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), particularly benzo(a)pyrene in the sediments. Existing contaminant standards do not consider whether the sources of PAHs are from current petroleum combustionbased inputs or whether they represent “legacy pollution” such as coal dust released from barges, trucks, and storage. The latter is typically found in black carbon form that might be less bioavailable, and thus may not represent as high a risk for beneficial reuse. A source apportionment (SA) analysis was undertaken to identify the sources of PAHs to the Illinois River and to determine if they come from these potentially low bioavailable forms.

 

Priority PAHs were analyzed in 80 sediment cores sampled from Illinois River pools and backwater lakes between Hennepin, Illinois and the Peoria Lock and Dam. PAH diagnostic ratio analysis and a Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) multivariate receptor model were used to characterize the PAH dataset, identify specific sources of pollutants, and quantify source contributions to the river sediment. Predicted sources from the SA analysis were identified using a database of compiled reference PAH profiles for coal dust, coal tar sealcoat, motor oils, biosolids, as well as fossil fuel combustion residues from gasoline and diesel engines, power plants, and coke production.

 

Three sources (S1, S2, and S3) were required to reconstruct most of the variation in the Illinois River contaminant dataset by PMF source apportionment. PMF results suggested that a mixed upland source and coal-derived sources including coal tar sealcoat (S1 and S2, 75%) were major contributors to sediment PAHs in the Illinois River, as well as a diffuse traffic-based source (S3, 25%). Liquid petroleum was not identified as a signficant source of PAHs to Illinois River sediment. Coal dust was not uniquely resolved from the coal-derived sources and thus could not be assessed for reduced PAH bioavailability. Finally, comparison of PMF results with those from the widely-used PAH diagnostic ratio method indicated that the latter does a relatively poor job of uniquely resolving PAH sources in the sediments.

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PCBs are “Permabanned” from Clinton Landfill

Caution sign: PCBs - a toxic environmental contaminant requireing special handeling and disposal in accordance with the USEPA In the gaming world, a player caught cheating, using derogatory language, or other equally bad behavior will be “permabanned” or permanently banned from using the site where the bad behavior occurred. Well, that is exactly what the DeWitt count board did with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and MGP (manufactured-gas-plant) wastes. On April 23, 2015, the DeWitt county board voted to approve a settlement agreement with the owners of Clinton Landfill (near Clinton, IL) that keeps PCBs and MGP wastes out of the landfill. This ends a 7-year dispute between the landfill owners and groups opposed to PCB disposal there. Two articles from The News-Gazette sum up the happenings before and after the board vote.

 

Before the ban on PCBs and MGP wastes in the landfill, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) hosted a one day workshop on “PCBs and their Impact in Illinois” to assess PCB disposal problems and solutions. Find out more about PCBs and watch the videos from the workshop.

 

In addition to the workshop, the Prairie Research Institute recently produced a document on PCBs titled, “An Updated Look at PCBs,” which contains a summary and recommendations about PCB disposal, a review of how PCBs are a persistent pollutant, and a literature review of remediation technologies for PCBs and manufactured-gas-plant wastes.

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ISTC for the Gold!

Certified Green Office Program logoBobby Knight – 1984 U.S.A. men’s Olympic basketball coach – said,

“The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.”

This statement is very true for the staff at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.  They not only want the world to be sustainable, they are willing to prepare for a sustainable future and create new ways to be more sustainable.  Some examples include their efforts on Zero Waste Illinois and their research on innovative ways to mitigate emerging contaminants. Continue reading “ISTC for the Gold!”

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World Water Day – March 22

industrial pipe with potable water arrow signNow more than ever water is becoming a critical resource around the globe.  Increasing water shortages are predicted as more water is used by a growing world population and rainfall patterns are altered due to climate change.  A recent report by the UN predicts a 40% shortfall in water by 2030.

 

In order to bring awareness to the issues involving clean water, water use, and adequate water supplies, World Water Day was established by the UN in 1993 and is celebrated on March 22.  It is a great reminder that water touches all aspects of our lives. Did you know that the U.S. uses more water in a day than it uses oil in a year!!!

 

Learn more about how much water is used to make a T-shirt or how much evaporates each day and other amazing facts and do your part to conserve and use water wisely (ISTC’s Billion Gallon Water Challenge).

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World Water Day (or rather Water Month!)

As population increases, the demand for clean, fresh water will also rise, making existing supplies a very precious resource in Illinois and other parts of the US. Groundwater supplies are being depleted and rivers and lakes cannot keep up with the demand for water.  Though 71% of the Earth is covered with water, only 2.5% of the world’s water is freshwater.  Of that, 70% is in ice and snow cover in mountainous regions, 30% is ground water, and only 0.3% is in rivers and lakes. ISTC is helping to mitigate water scarcity by researching water quality issues such as fate and transport pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment and encouraging businesses, organizations, and people of Illinois to save water though its Billion Gallon Water Challenge.

The Nile Project: Woman dancing and list of events (see PDF flyer for events list)

 

ISTC participated in the  Community Water Day: Civic Engagement and Water Resources Management on Saturday, March 7 at the Champaign Public Library to spread the word about its research and water savings challenge. And will be participating in the Illinois Water Day 2015: Let’s Talk about Water on Friday, April 10, ISTC at NCSA. Both these events are free and open to the public and are part of a larger group of water issues events hosted by the University of Illinois and the Krannert Center (PDF flyer).

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Researcher Spotlight: Joy Scrogum

photo of Joy ScrogumJoy Scrogum has been a sustainability professional for over 13 years, with ISTC’s public engagement and technical assistance programs. Joy has provided support for the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) since 2001, particularly in the development and maintenance of online resource compilations (Topic Hubs and Sector Resources) on a wide variety of sustainability issues. GLRPPR is a US EPA-funded regional center in the national Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) network. Joy also played a key role in Greening Schools, a joint project between the IL EPA and ISTC which focused on making K-12 facilities & curricula more sustainable.

 

Joy’s most recent work with ISTC has centered around the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI), for which she serves as coordinator. SEI is dedicated to the development and implementation of a more sustainable system for designing, producing, using, and managing electronic devices. She managed SEI’s International Sustainable Electronics Competition for college and university students; coordinates consortium meetings on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus related to sustainable electronics research, education, and operations; and taught a class in collaboration with the UI Technology Entrepreneur Center in the College of Engineering (ENG/TE 498: Sustainable Technology: Environmental and Social Impacts of Innovations) which used electronic products as the framework for discussion. Joy also currently works on Zero Waste Illinois projects.

 

With a MS in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Joy says her education has prepared her for the complex considerations associated with sustainability. “It may seem strange for someone with a background in wildlife ecology to be talking about design and end-of-life management related to electronics, but I think that ecological perspective is exactly what’s needed. Whether you’re talking about the life cycle of an organism or a product, you have to consider interactions with the larger system when it comes to sustainable solutions. It’s useful to think of products, services—any human activity—in the context of the ecosystem which is constantly impacting, and being impacted by, us. Helping students develop that sort of worldview, regardless of their field of study, is my favorite part of my job. I feel education for sustainability is a critical part of the University’s role in today’s society.”

 

Joy’s other duties include writing grant proposals and reports, blog posts, and fact sheets; contributing to social media campaigns; project development; and presenting at professional and public events such as the Naturally Illinois Expo. She also enjoys reviewing applications for the annual Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Awards Program, the oldest continuously running environmental awards program in the US. She is a member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals, the Reuse Alliance, and the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition.

 

Connect with Joy on Twitter or LinkedIn.

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9 Ways to have a Waste Free Holiday

  1. Reduce the quantity of food served. Holiday season means fun andfood with friends and family.  We all want to impress our guest with a lavish display of food but then we are left with the dreaded left overs. Don’t get me wrong…I love the cold turkey sandwich with the cranberry sauce the next day but after a week of left overs, I think, “Why did I make it all?”  So I challenge everyone to make less this holiday.  If you just can’t resist making all that food, consider finding a soup kitchen to donate all the left overs. (For more reading see this article: Reducing Food Waste During the Holiday Season)

    using old news papers, comics, and maps as wrapping paper instead of traditional wrapping paper
    News paper and map wrapped presents
  2. Consider locally sourced food. Plants are CO2 negative but you might be surprised just how much CO2 was emitted to get the holiday mashed potatoes on the table (For more information see True Cost of a Holiday Dinner).
  3. Give the gift that keeps on giving: Alternative gifts such as planting a tree in someone’s name (American Forests or Arbor Day Foundation) can be a lovely way to say you care about the special someone without bogging them down with more stuff. Or consider making a donation in their name to a charity that does work they value.
  4. If you still want to give a gift, consider giving the gift of curiosity and creativity. Think about what inspires your kids, your loved ones or your loved one’s kids to indulge their curiosity about art, the natural world, or how to create something innovative. Or give the gift of an experience, like a trip to a nearby city or a gift certificate for a new activity.
  5. Use greener alternatives to traditional wrapping paper
  6. Make eco-friendly decorations from used shipping boxes or consider getting a potted tree to plant after the holidays

    cell phone lights LEDs instead of a candle lit menorah
    Cell phone menorah for Hanukkak
  7. Consider Eco-Smart Holiday Greeting Choices – this article says it all!
  8. Traveling? Consider off setting your carbon emissions and remember to lower the thermostat at home or in the office.
  9. Spring isn’t the only season for cleaning. Because most of us feel “stuck inside” during the cold months, winter can be the perfect time to purge the house of unneeded or unwanted items. Don’t just throw them out.  Think of ways to donate, reuse, or recycle those items.

 

Additional Resources

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Pollution Prevention Week – Sept. 15-21

EPA logo with

This year marks the 24th anniversary of the federal Pollution Prevention Act, which declares: “pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible.” This week is Pollution Prevention (P2) Week where the EPA features achievements in making pollution prevention a cornerstone of sustainability. Find out more information and how you can participate by visiting the EPA’s P2 Week website.