Plastics Punch
Beyond Plastics President Judith Enck, who served as an EPA regional administrator during the Obama administration, says the problem is that unlike materials such as paper, glass and aluminum, plastics have never been recycled at a rate higher than 10 percent in the U.S. “They need to change their marketing to say that recycling is real except for plastics,” said Enck, whose organization wants to block new plastic manufacturing and plastic-burning facilities.
A Shot In The Arm For Recycling – And The Environment
In January, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that aims to build on and bolster recycling efforts across New Jersey by requiring more recycled content in a variety of packaging products. These include plastic and paper shopping bags, plastic food and drink containers, plastic trash bags, and glass bottles and containers.
Coca-Cola And PepsiCo Ranked As World's Leading Plastic Polluters
WION | February 1, 2022 | Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been ranked as the world's leading plastic polluters for the fourth consecutive year.
Is “Biodegradable” Just a Buzz Word? Here’s What is Really Means.
If you believe you’re doing the planet a favor by using biodegradable or compostable plastic, you probably aren’t. Frustrating to hear, I know.
How a lawsuit against TerraCycle shows the limits of recycling trash in the U.S.
Every day, a warehouse close to Trenton takes in hundreds of boxes of waste that’s hard to recycle — things like pens, cellphone accessories, children’s toys, and coffee capsules. The warehouse belongs to TerraCycle, which was founded to recycle waste that is difficult for municipal programs to deal with.
EPA finalizes its first national recycling strategy
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized America’s first “national recycling strategy,” which aims to support the agency’s goal of achieving a 50 percent recycling rate by the end of the decade.
TRASH AND BURN: BIG BRANDS STOKE CEMENT KILNS WITH PLASTIC WASTE AS RECYCLING FALTERS
Consumer goods giants are funding projects to send plastic trash to cement plants, where it is burned as cheap energy. They’re touting it as a way to keep plastic out of dumps and use less fossil fuel. Critics say it undercuts recycling efforts and worsens air quality. One said it was “like moving the landfill from the ground to the sky.”
New York debates what really is, or isn't, recyclable
Lawmakers worry that state bureaucracy is easing off policing recycling claims.
One Planet: How To Fix The Worsening Plastic Waste & Recycling Crisis
On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're discussing how to fix the recycling system and plastic pollution crisis in the US.
Food companies “behind the curve” on plastic pollution, campaigners claim
Major food manufacturing and grocery retail companies that turn a blind eye to the risks related to plastic pollution could face legal action, warns environmental law charity Client Earth.
The Big Problem With Plastic
CR reveals where most of the plastic you throw away really ends up and explains what to do to limit its environmental harm.
Packaging generates a lot of waste – now Maine and Oregon want manufacturers to foot the bill for getting rid of it
Maine and Oregon have enacted the first state laws making companies that create consumer packaging, such as cardboard cartons, plastic wrap and food containers, responsible for the recycling and disposal of those products, too. Maine’s law takes effect in mid-2024, and Oregon’s follows in mid-2025.
California Aims to Ban Recycling Symbols on Things That Aren’t Recyclable
The well-known three-arrows symbol doesn’t necessarily mean that a product is actually recyclable. A new bill would limit the products allowed to feature the mark.
Baltimore Aspires to ‘Zero Waste’ But Recycles Only a Tiny Fraction of its Residential Plastic
Leaders here aspire to create a city with zero waste. But new research shows that Baltimore has only attained an estimated residential plastic recycling rate of 2.1 percent, far below the national average of about nine percent.
Study finds just 2.2% of Baltimore’s trashed plastic is recycled, while 47% is burned
Activists call on city and state leaders to ban the burning of single-use plastic at the BRESCO incinerator. DPW says that’s “not feasible.”
Chemical recycling bill sets stage for industry’s battle with environmentalists
New technology employs a thermal process to convert industrial, commercial, agricultural or domestic plastic waste into additives for other products.
Turning plastic into fuel doesn’t solve the plastic problem | Editorial
A New Jersey bill aims to advance chemical recycling, giving petrochemical companies a free pass on New Jersey’s environmental laws.
Sierra Club sues Coca-Cola, plastic water bottlers
The Sierra Club today sued companies that bottle brands like Dasani, Poland Spring and Niagara, alleging their bottles are falsely advertised as “100% recyclable.”
Don't Believe the 'Store Drop-Off' Label When It Comes to Plastic Packaging
Walmart and Greenpeace are now embroiled in a legal battle over mislabeled recyclable plastic packaging.
Biden proposes higher EPA funding, including $10M in recycling grants from Save Our Seas 2.0
The Biden administration is calling for the U.S. EPA's largest overall budget in history, at $11.2 billion, including $10 million in funding for a new Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) pilot grant program as a result of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act.