COMPOSTING AND THE GROCERY INDUSTRY The Following Bulletin Was Prepare

COMPOSTING AND THE GROCERY INDUSTRY The following bulletin was prepared from Grocery Industry Committee on Solid Waste October 24, 1991 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Solid waste composting is an important component of an integrated solution for solid waste management. Composting can divert organic, compostable materials, not otherwise recycled, from the solid waste stream and convert them into a useful product. Composting is environmentally sound, technically and economically feasible and meets local waste management needs. This report, from the Grocery Compost Task Force to the Grocery Industry Committee on Solid Waste (GICSW), is intended to establish composting as a viable and sustainable component of an integrated solution for solid waste management. To do this the industry supports the development of composting systems for grocery manufacturers and retailers, and the development of the supporting infrastructure. Composting can handle from 30 to 60 percent of all municipal solid waste, inclu ding food waste, yard waste and paper and paperboard waste. The grocery industry is committed to a high level of product stewardship. This commitment includes the environmentally sound management of wastes generated at the retail levl as well as wastes from grocery products after they have been sold and used by consumers. Much of this waste is organic in nature and landfilled. From a product stewardship perspective the grocery industry believes that composting is a more environmentally sound management practice than disposal for managing these wastes. While single stream and segregated stream composting may be more readily available for many manufacturers' and retailers' own waste, MSW composting is an attractive alternative for waste created by consumers. This report focuses on grocery retailer composting programs, but will also address goals and programs for manufacturers. Food waste plus wet and waxed corrugated from retailers alone accounts for 6.6 million tons per year of waste that could be composted rather than discarded, which is nearly 4 percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW). Disposal of those wastes costs the grocery retailers $482 million per year, eating up the pre-tax profits from $34 billion of grocery retail sales. All food waste produced directly by manufacturers and retailers, as well as home food waste produced by grocer shoppers, comprises nearly 20 percent of the entire grocery industry's wastes. On a store level, over 90 percent of the solid waste is deemed by this task force to be most representative of a "typical" store, produce 43 percent of their waste as food waste. Almost all corrugated is recyclable or compostable. 30 percent of the corrugated produced by a grocery store is either wet or waxed, precluding its recyclabiliy. Composting can achieve important benefits for the grocery industry including: 1. Meeting the demands of grocery customers who are demanding more environmentally sound and responsible ways of managing solid w aste; 2. Proactively controlling waste disposal tonnage and expenses; 3. Supporting governmental initiatives for landfill diversion and material recovery; 4. Encouraging recycling of other materials; and 5. Making the best use of natural and man-made resources by converting organic waste into compost instead of landfilling them. Each grocery industry facility should evaluate how best to handle its compostable waste. As detailed in the report, there are several possible approaches to handle mixed organics from the solid waste stream. Regardless of the approach, it is important for the industry to help establish a composting infrastructure. Market development is a key element of this infrastructure and the grocery industry supports market development initiatives. Depending upon the compost program, compost processors may require or prefer source-separated homogeneous food wastes to obtain maximum control over end-product quality. Source-separated materials may have greater value to th e end user because of the densification and readiness for processing, and therefore may lead to lowest collection and processing costs for the generator. For grocery retailers, this report focuses on segregated stream composting. Because the industry can generate a source-separated product, free of harmful wastes and relatively free of inert materials, it can easily be integrated into whichever composting program is most likely to be available locally. This report explains the various ways to handle, collect, transport and process grocery store wastes for composting. In general, the GICW recommentds: * Collection of compostables in dedicated barrels; * Pickup and transportation of the compostables either by

Evolution Of Forensic Psychology (300 Level Underg Essays

Evolution Of Forensic Psychology (300 Level Underg Essays Evolution Of Forensic Psychology (300 Level Undergraduate) The discipline of clinical psychology is evolving. Clinical psychologists are no longer limited to couches and working out of their own offices. They are now being put in the stand in courtrooms all over the world. Not because they are on trial themselves, however. Rather, they are there to share their expertise in areas that involve an individual in legal matters. The field of forensic psychology has grown in the 21st century because courtrooms recognize the value of psychologists testimonies to help juries reach a clearer verdict. Not only that, but psychologists can help identify competence to stand trial, perform psychological autopsies and criminal profiling, and also aid in child custody cases. Like all fields in psychology, forensics has many perspectives. This walk-through of forensic psychology will discuss the history, methods, and prospects for the future of this field. Perspectives and History There is not a singular function that clinical psychologists perform in the legal system. Rather, there are many different roles and areas that they can undertake. For example, they can focus on law enforcement psychology, the psychology of litigation, correctional psychology, and forensic psychology (Nietzel, Bernstein, & Milich, 1998). However, the latter is our main focus. Forensic psychology involves many different areas in which clinical psychologists can be considered experts in: competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility, psychological damages in civil trials, civil competencies, psychological autopsies and criminal profiling, and child custody and parental fitness (Nietzel et al., 1998). Methods of Intervention and Change The reason why criminal competence is necessary to establish is because according to United States law, the criminal must understand the nature and purpose of the proceedings. This is required for several reasons. First, if the defendant is competent, the results of the trial are more likely to be accurate. Second, it would be considered immoral to sentence a convicted defendant of something that he or she doesnt understand. Lastly, the whole theory behind our judicial system relies on the defendant being able to defend his or herself in court. If the defense believes the defendant was not competent at the time of the unlawful act, the defense can plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Then forensic psychologists can testify whether or not they believe the defendant is insane or not. If the defendant is found to be insane, then the judge sentences him or her to a mental institution until the judge is convinced that the defendant is ready to be released. If the defendant is not found to be insane, then the trial proceeds. Several rules have been made in determining insanity, which have changed over the years to accommodate changing standards. Such rules include the McNaughton, Durham, and ALI rule (Nietzel et al.,1998). Forensic psychologists also examine psychological damages in civil trials. One of their duties is to decide whether these damages were due to the tort, which is the wrongful act that causes harm to an individual. The psychologist performs assessments similar to regular clinical assessments that include social history, clinical interview, psychological testing, and available records. After the assessment, the expert decides if the psychological damage was present before the tort, or if it occurred due to the tort. Another duty of forensic psychologists is to examine workers compensation cases. They must decide how long the worker needs to recover from mental damages that their work-place may have caused. Similar to the tort cases, the expert must discover whether the injury was due to the place of employment or if it was already present (Nietzel et al., 1998). Civil competencies deal with whether or not a person is able to understand information that is used to make decisions and then act accordingly. Examples include whether a person is capable of managing financial situations, or if he or she is able to choose or refuse medical treatment. Scholars have agreed that four abilities are necessary to make decisions competently: understanding information pertaining to the decision to be made, applying that information with concern to the consequences of the decision, thinking rationally to evaluate strategies, and the communication of the decision. It is up to the clinical psychologist to determine if the person is making a rational decision by means of