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Proposals for large-scale garbage incineration are proliferating throughout the US, just as they did 30 years ago. They claim to be new and improved with some companies offering ‘state-of-the-art’ technologies such as plasma arc, gasification, and pyrolysis. Once again citizens, small businesses and elected officials are saying “No.”… Read More
Michigan HB 4265 and HB 4266 would seriously weaken the state’s longstanding ban on landfill disposal of segregated yard trimmings by exempting landfills with gas recovery systems. These “Grass-to-Gas” bills were passed by the MI House of Representatives 67-40, March 15th, and are now before the MI Senate Committee on Energy & Technology. MICHIGAN RESIDENTS: CLICK … Read More
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a plant-based plastic resin with applications in a wide range of nondurable and durable products from take-out food service items to textiles. PLA can be composted at industrial sites and is technically mechanically and chemically recyclable. One obstacle to PLA recovery is its current low volumes in recycling streams. This makes installation … Read More
Compostable plastic bags are increasingly used to collect food scraps for composting. Their main benefit? Removing the “ick factor” associated with collecting food residuals by keeping collection containers clean and odors at bay, while also breaking down at the composting site. Unfortunately, many plastic bag makers claim that their products are “biodegradable” or environmentally preferable in … Read More
The development of bioplastics and other biobased materials holds great promise to mitigate many of the problems associated with plastic derived from nonrenewable sources. However, they are not an automatic panacea. In this presentation, Brenda Platt shares the Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative’s efforts to promote market-based tools such as purchasing guidelines and Working Landscape Certificates.… Read More
The Young Activist Club started as an after-school PTA-sponsored club at Piney Branch Elementary School in Takoma Park, Maryland. In fall 2008, student members decided to focus on their school’s disposable styrofoam lunch trays and work toward implementing an alternative solution. The students researched problems with polystyrene and found that their lunch trays are burned in … Read More
Impressions of Recycling Reconsidered By Samantha MacBride Reviewed for GreenYes Listserve Ms. MacBride makes zero waste one of her central concerns. She provides the best description and analysis of the recycling movement I have seen to date. It is not perfect, but she captures the nuances that link and yet differentiate components of the movement. The … Read More
This presentation covers the basics of compostable plastics: what they are (and are not), where they are being successfully used, key challenges such as identification and labeling, and certification and standards. Presentation at the 2nd Annual Composting Plastics Symposium US Composting Council Conference & Trade Show January 21, 2012 Austin, Texas
During the last three decades, the waste hauling and disposal industry has undergone considerable consolidation. Large consolidators have bought out not only many smaller independent firms but also each other in mega-mergers. The result is an industry with a smaller number of large, vertically-integrated companies that are less responsive to the needs of communities and … Read More
