Waste Clearinghouse Promotes Recycling Efforts

Industrial waste management has emerged as a major problem for all industrial nations. The EPA recently estimated that approximately 260,000,000 dry tons of waste materials are generated by U.S. manufacturing facilities annually. This amount of waste material is expected to double by 1983. Current waste management practices rely almost exclusively on destructive techniques and land burial. The Waste Exchange concept has been implemented in several European countries to promote re-use of industrial waste materials, but is a new approach in the U.S. Following the European lead, the St. Louis Industrial Waste Exchange was established in 1975. It serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination of information on waste or residual materials either available or wanted. It is aimed at assisting industry in finding productive sales outlets for waste products that currently represent costly and difficult disposal problems.