Here's another installment on how innovative approaches can promote recycling. The reality television show "Dare to Go Zero" has been created by the city of Austin, tasking four families with achieving zero waste within five weeks. The city hopes that the successful recycling behaviors demonstrated on the show will be modeled by other citizens.

Just as in NBC's "The Biggest Loser," the trash of each family was weighed. At the end of the series, the household with the highest percentage of "waste loss" won a sustainable home improvement package valued at $2,000.

Check out the series on Youtube.

Austin's Zero Waste program embodies a Zero Waste Plan which calls for a solid waste reduction goal of 90% by the year 2040.

The theft of recyclable materials is a serious issue - one that authorities are trying to effectively police. The story below helps underscore the importance of having a good process, such as that recommended by ScrapTheftAlert.com in place when purchasing scrap.

Some $277,000 seized during the investigation of OmniSource is being returned with the Marion County Prosecutor's office having now dropped criminal charges relating to the attempted receipt of stolen property.

Police investigators originally believed that the company purchased stolen scrap, including copper wire and vehicles, on more than 30 instances between 2007 and 2009. The case was subsequently reviewed by Terry Curry, a new prosecutor on the case. "Having now carefully reviewed the case, which was initiated by grand jury indictment under my predecessor, I can say that the evidence did not support those allegations," he stated. "There is simply insufficient evidence that OmniSource or its employees knowingly engaged in any unlawful transactions."

OmniSource argued that not all relevant information was presented to the grand jury, prompting Curry to give OmniSource a chance to present their side of the story, and successfully salvage their reputation.

Kenworth Truck Company manufacturing plant in Renton, Wash., recently received a 2011 Best Workplace for Recycling and Waste Reduction Award from King County's Solid Waste Division for Kenworth's outstanding efforts to achieve Zero Waste. One of the key successes for manufacturing businesses has been the reuse of transport packaging.

'Kenworth is honored to again receive this significant King County environmental award for the third consecutive year,' said Marilyn Santangelo, Kenworth assistant general manager for operations. 'The Kenworth-Renton plant is committed to protect the environment through a comprehensive, employee-driven program, which fosters extensive recycling and reduction of waste,' said Marilyn Santangelo, Kenworth assistant general manager for operations. It was the third consecutive year that Kenworth was honored.

'Our employees take their daily efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle very seriously, and we thank King County for this special recognition,' said Mike Clark, Kenworth-Renton plant manager. The Kenworth plant has achieved a diversion away from landfills of nearly 80 percent of all materials through the use of:

Food waste composting is used at the company cafeteria, with waste sent for recycling into usable compost. Kenworth's plants in Renton, Wash., and Chillicothe, Ohio, both hold the prestigious ISO 14001:2004 certification for effective environmental management systems established to help build Class 8 trucks in an environmentally sustainable manner. Kenworth's medium duty products are produced at the PACCAR manufacturing facility in Ste. Therese, Que., which also holds ISO 14001:2004 status.

Just a few months after a new e-waste scandal rocked the U.K., a leading U.S. electronics recycler has found itself mired in controversy. The Basel Action Network (BAN), a toxic watchdog group, has announced that Chicago Heights, Illinois electronics recycler Intercon Solutions will be denied e-Stewards certification (www.e-Stewards.org), based on "compelling evidence" that Intercon Solutions had been involved in the export of hazardous electronic waste to China.

According to Basel Action Network, Intercon Solutions has claimed for a long time in brochures and on its website that it does not export any used electronics entrusted to it for recycling. However, BAN noted, on two separate occasions its investigators photographed and tracked containers of electronic waste leaving property leased by Intercon Solutions in Chicago Heights on its way to China. BAN had alerted Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department. As the shipment contained hazardous waste, it was returned to the US. Hong Kong law forbids the importation of hazardous waste electronics. The import by developing countries of such wastes from the United States is also illegal under the United Nations' Basel Convention.

"It is very sad that many e-Waste recycling companies continue to pose as 'responsible recyclers' while they continue to export toxic waste," said Basel Action Network's Executive Director, Jim Puckett. "In this case, we can take some satisfaction that our e-Stewards Certification screening methods and audit caught what BAN has every reason to believe is a violator."

BAN reported that it decided to deny the certification only after an on-site audit and direct discussions between BAN and Intercon Solutions failed to convince BAN that Intercon Solutions had not exported the toxic containers.

The primitive processing of US electronic waste in developing countries can result in severe environmental contamination and adverse health effects. BAN reports that high levels of lead, a dangerous neurotoxin, have been found in the blood of the children in Guiyu, China as a result of these dangerous recycling operations that receive US exported e-waste. DNA damage to Chinese workers has also been linked to exposure. The orginal discoveries of these practices by BAN in 2001 lead to the development of the e-Stewards Certification program, which recognizes responsible recyclers that do not export their toxic wastes to developing countries.

The export of e-waste is currently being addressed at the federal level through the introduction of HR 6252 - The Responsible E-Waste Recycling Act.