Black Liquor Tax Credit Will Hurt Recycling Industry

Several large paper mills around the country are taking advantage of a biofuel tax credit that could send the recycling industry into a tailspin. The tax credit was initially designed to help spur biofuel usage in the transportation industry but was expanded last year to include other industries.

Virgin paper mills in the US have been using a byproduct known in the industry as 'black liquor' to fire their boilers for decades. At a virgin paper mill the wood chips are boiled to separate the fiber for milling. All the leftover components: sap, resin, dirt, etc becomes black liquor. A crafty accountant at one of the mills discovered that if they add diesel fuel to the black liquor before burning it, they can qualify for the biofuel tax credit. The credit gives the mills $.50 per gallon used and if it is not stopped, it is could cost the US tax payers between 4-6 billion by the end of ’09.

In short, the mills are being given financial incentive to cut down more trees for chips and burn diesel fuel that they otherwise would not have burned. Lots of people are up in arms about this and are fighting to close the loophole by October ’09. Articles and letters to the editor have appeared in newspapers across the country. Jerry Powell, the Executive Editor of Resource Recycling, wrote an excellent article in the May publication and had this editorial placed in the Oregonian.

The paper recycling industry depends on mills using recovered fiber rather than virgin wood chips. Most mills these days have the ability to run 100% recovered fiber. However, the more incentive mills get to use virgin materials the harder it will be to convince them to use recovered fiber. If we do not close this loophole, it will be impossible for the recycling industry to stay afloat.

Senator Max Baucus from Montana and Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa have started a push to stop the credit as soon as possible. Please take some time to do more research on this subject and if you are so inclined, send a letter to your Senator to let him/her know where you stand on the issue.

KOIN Local 6 Shred Day Support

KOIN Local 6, the Portland OR. CBS affiliate, is supporting the April 17th Pioneer Square community shred day. As of April 1st, :10 and :20 spots have been running on air helping to promote the event. With this kind of media support we are expecting this shred day to be an enormous success. Please come take advantage of this opportunity to securely destroy your sensitive documents and support a locally owned and operated Portland Document Shredding Service.

Portland Document Shredding Events

EFI Secured Shredding and Recycling is gearing up to host two back to back shred events on April 17th and April 18th. The community shred event on Friday April 17th 2009, two days after tax day, will be held in Pioneer Courthouse Square located in downtown Portland. We will be shredding from 7am-5pm and will securely shred up to 75lbs, equal to 2 standard size bankers boxes, for each attendee. The shredding will take place in the NE portion of the Square at the corner of 6th and Morrison. There are MAX stops on both the north and south side of the square and you will be able to pull up along 6th street and quickly drop off your material. If you are driving to the event and want to watch the material be shredded, the loading zone on the SW corner of the Square will be reserved so you can park and walk down to witness destruction.

The second event will take place in the US Bank parking lot located at 9185 SW Hall Blvd Tigard OR 97223. EFI will be shredding from 9am-1pm and you are able to bring two standard sized boxes or bags to be shredded for FREE! This is a perfect time to do a little spring cleaning and get rid of all the old tax documents your sensitive material. Come down to either event and help support your community and the only locally owned AAA certified Portland document shredding service.

Document Shredding in Portland

There are more and more document shredding companies moving into Portland every day. Some enter the Portland market place by gobbling up locally owned document shredding companies while others are add the paper shredding service to their list of services already offered. Here are some things to look out for when selecting a document shredding company to dispose of your sensitive documents.

• Is the company you are hiring AAA NAID certified? This certification means that the company meets the highest level of security. Under this program, everyone handling your documents must pass a 7 year criminal background test as well as submit to random drug screening. The certification is very thorough and mandates procedures, shred size, equipment type and maintenance. EFI Secured Shredding and Recycling is the only locally owned and opperated document shredding service in Portland.
  
  
• Is the company easy to get a hold of? The best way to test this is simply pick up the phone and call. This is the company you are trusting with your most sensitive information. They should be able to be reached without getting redirected through voice prompts and or sitting on hold for 30 minutes. Getting the best customer service is worth a couple extra dollars.
  
  
• Is the company local? Where will your money go after you pay for the service? Take care of your local economy and pick a local company rather than a nationwide shredding company that will be difficult to get a hold of.
  
  
• Is the company concerned about the environment? Many shredding companies are just shredding companies and nothing more. Pick a document shredding company that has made a commitment to the environment and make sure your securely shredded material is being recycled.