The Wall Street Journal reports that the hydraulic-hybrid transmission system developed at the EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., will be manufactured by Eaton Corp. of Cleveland, and the transmissions will be installed in truck bodies made by Peterbilt, of Bellevue, Wash.

The Journal reports that several U.S. cities have shown interest in the trucks, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. So they have that going for them, which is nice.

Nudge-Nudge Wink-Wink
On the e-waste circuit, the Christian Science Monitor logs in with an editorial lauding U.S. computer companies for making their products greener and for making it easier for consumers to recycle those products when it comes time to put them out to pasture. But.

Citing the example of the European Union's just-launched Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive, or WEEE for short (pronounced, of course, Wheeee!), the Monitor editorial concludes: "With these top manufacturers [Dell and Hewlett-Packard] on board, the industry looks to be headed in the right direction. But the public and policymakers should watch to see whether it will need a nudge from government as well."

They Must Have Really Cleaned Up Their Act
"Paradise Re-opens Door For Two Local Trash Haulers" -- Headline, Chico [Calif.] Enterprise-Record, Aug. 23

Insult To Injury: The Sky's The Limit
National Public Radio reports that Northwest Airlines recently gave some of its laid-off workers a list of tips on how to cut their living expenses.

"Among the suggestions: Rummage through other people's garbage. (Tip No. 46: Don't be shy about pulling something you like out of the trash.)"

Such a thoughtful bestowal of parting advice. And oh, to be a fly on the wall at some of the exit interviews that followed.

Pete Fehrenbach is assistant managing editor of Waste News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.