WHEREAS, the District of Columbia has a duty to protect the natural environment, the economy, and the health of its citizens; and WHEREAS, single-use disposable polystyrene plastics are widespread, persistent environmental pollutants; and WHEREAS, polystyrene food ware is commonly used by foodservice establishments in the District of Columbia; WHEREAS, polystyrene constitutes a significant portion of the … Read More
Implement earlier than January 1, 2018: Consider making this part of the bill effective within one year of passage. This is typical of the dozens of laws passed by other jurisdictions including Santa Monica County (effective 1 year after passage), San Francisco (effective 7 months after passage), and Seattle (effective 6 months after passage). Allow business … Read More
Polystyrene is made from the styrene monomer, which is a known neurotoxicant and was elevated in 2011 from being a possible human carcinogen to being reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. [See the US Department of Health and Human Services, 12th Report on Carcinogens (2011), which is a congressionally mandated, science-based, public health document prepared … Read More
Polystyrene is made from the styrene monomer, which is a known neurotoxicant and was elevated in 2011from being a possible human carcinogen to being reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.1 This means there is a huge body of evidence now linking styrene to human cancers. No polymerization process is 100% efficient, so styrene remains in polystyrene … Read More
Composting and Community Resilience, is a presentation by Brenda Platt, Co-Director, Institute for Local Self Reliance. Brenda spoke on November 20, 2013, at a speaker series organized by the Prince George’s County Planning Department. Based on the findings of two recent ILSR reports from the Composting Makes $en$e Project, the presentation features new research on the … Read More
On November 6, 2013, Debra Lynn Dadd’s Toxic Free Talk Radio Show had ILSR’s Brenda Platt as a guest representing the Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative and talking about bioplastics. Brenda is Director of the Sustainable Plastics Initiative, Co-Chair of the Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative (www.sustainablebiomaterials.org), and co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, based in Washington, DC. She … Read More
ILSR is pleased to announce — along with BioCycle, Highfields Center for Composting, and the Organics Recycling Association of Ohio — Cultivating Community Composting, a day-long forum in Columbus, Ohio.… Read More
Two new reports from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Composting Makes $en$e Project document the importance of expanded composting and compost use to enhance soils, protect watersheds, reduce waste, and create green jobs and a new made-in-America industrial sector. For press release, click here. With compostable material making up almost one-half of municipal solid waste, there is … Read More
Recycling is an economic development tool as well as an environmental tool. Reuse, recycling, and waste reduction offer direct development opportunities for communities. When collected with skill and care, and upgraded with quality in mind, discarded materials are a local resource that can contribute to local revenue, job creation, business expansion, and the local economic base.… Read More
