The following information is being forwarded since someone recently asked about the subject. The information is extracted with permission from Recycling Policy NewsBriefs Email Bulletin for Raymond Communications, Inc. College Park MD, publishers of State Recycling Laws Update and Recycling Laws International. All material copyright 2001, Raymond Communications. http://www.raymond.com
February 16, 2002 Wood Packaging to Face Major Restrictions New international laws and standards will have a major impact on how end-users deal with their solid wood packaging. The European Union, Finland, Brazil, China and other countries already restrict un-treated coniferous wood packaging. Thus, end-users need to purchase packaging that is heat-treated and stamped. But draft international standards for wood packaging go much farther - requiring either fumigation or heat treatment of any raw wood packaging - including hardwoods (e.g. pallets) and dunnage. The draft standard, from the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has drafted new guidelines designed to keep foreign pests from eating away at forests. Besides treatment, the draft standards require complete de-barking - a requirement that may be impossible to enforce, according to experts at the U.S.Department of Agriculture. The standard allows a wide variety of treatments, including heat treatment or methyl bromide fumigation. The packaging, which includes wooden dunnage, must be marked with the symbol, plus the method of treatment, country of origin, and number of the original producer of the packaging. Exporters must purchase a finished package with the proper stamping if it gets exported. If you produce or modify the wood package (e.g. repair the pallet) USDA says you will have to get it treated and inspected to certify wood packaging leaving the country. ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. Visit our web site at: http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/emcs/pstc/ To cancel your subscription, send mail to: [email protected] with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Ron Pickard: [email protected] Dave Heald: [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: [email protected] Jim Bacher: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://ieeepstc.mindcruiser.com/ Click on "browse" and then "emc-pstc mailing list"
