Readers respond
PW quick-poll question:
Which type of pricing is most important to you?
Whether it was because of the time of year or the question itself, our latest quick-poll generated little excitement. Respondents did take the time, however, to elaborate on what they'd like to be able to find online in terms of pricing:
- Manufactured goods such as pipe, valves, pumps, etc.; materials like asphalt and aggregate; and services such as sliplining and video inspection.
- Typical rates for engineering and consulting services.
- How to calculate increase in cost for services, if any, by going “green.”
Click here to weigh in on our next quick-poll topic.
Corrections & clarifications
A December Ideas & Opinions column (“Restricted Access,”) lists coauthor Jerry Werner as a former intelligent transportation systems (ITS) consultant who served as editorial director for the National Transportation Operations Coalition from 1998 to 2008; he is in fact a current ITS consultant and was editorial director until 2005. Also, the photo caption states that although ITS technologies are supposed to eliminate congestion, road departments can't access the data. To clarify, road departments cannot fully utilize the real-time data.
PUBLIC WORKS regrets the errors.
New York mandates plastic bag recycling Rules & regulations
New York kicked off the New Year by requiring retail and grocery stores to collect and monitor the amount of used carryout bags.
Since Jan. 1, retailers with more than 10,000 square feet of space — or part of a chain with more than five stores, each with more than 5,000 square feet of retail space — have had to provide collection bins. They must keep records for three years on the amount recycled.
Although the state law preempts municipal ordinances, an exception was made to grandfather in New York City's plastic-bag recycling program.
According to the American Chemistry Council, plastic bag and wrap recycling increased 24% in 2006. Legislation in New York, California, and other large cities is expected to increase the amount diverted from landfills and turned into consumer products like decking, fencing, railings, shopping carts, and new bags.