by Megan Quinn, Cole Rosengren June 30, 2021 • Updated Aug. 9 2021, Waste Dive Gov. Kate Brown signed SB 582 into law on Friday, making Oregon the second state to pass an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for packaging. Maine’s governor signed the first EPR law in July. Under the law, most producers will need…
By Janelle Nanos, Boston Globe July 19, 2021 After a quarter-century, a Boston-based nonprofit scores big win with nation’s first law making companies pay to recycle the waste they produce. In the 90s, Cassel ran Massachusetts’ recycling and waste management programs, and one day local recycling officials began calling him…
Voters unanimously approved East Bridgewater’s membership in the South Shore Recycling Cooperative (SSRC) at the Town’s June 14 Town Meeting. Membership became effective on July 1. Rising costs and shrinking options prompted DPW Director John Haines and Operations Manager Rob Kenn to investigate joining the seventeen-town government organization. After attending…
(Action alert 6/15/21) The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture just scheduled its hearing on solid waste bills for Tuesday, 6/22 from 1-5 pm. A good showing by supporters is critical to getting the producer responsibility bills reported out favorably. This alert is primarily about the packaging and paper producer responsibility bill(s) H878/S610 /S517 . EPR bills on…
Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger 4/22/2021 QUINCY – Every cleaning product, bottle of hand sanitizer and package of masks ordered online for the last 13 months has come with packing material, cardboard boxes and more work for local trash collectors. Since the start of the pandemic, hundreds of tons of additional household waste…
Arlene Karidis | Waste360, Aug 03, 2020 Several years ago, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) convened a series of stakeholder meetings to discuss contamination of waste—ithad become apparent that levels were rising to concerning levels, especially in single stream recycling. The goal was to identify the main materials that were…
by Ian Williams, Professor of Applied Environmental Science, University of Southampton and Alice Brock, PhD Candidate in Environmental Science, University of SouthamptonRepublished from The Conversation, November 17, 2020 People are increasingly aware of the harm plastic waste causes to wildlife, and many would avoid buying single-use plastics if they could…
Washington, DC – Over 115 health experts – virologists, epidemiologists, emergency room doctors, and specialists in public health and food packaging safety – signed onto a statement addressing the safety of reusable bags and containers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement assures retailers and consumers that reusable systems can be…
Waste Advantage, July 14, 2020 The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has released new industry guidance that aims to clear up consumer confusion regarding the recyclability of pizza boxes. The guidance resulted from a study conducted by WestRock – an AF&PA member company – that found the presence of…
Released June 15, 2020 by Claire Galkowski, South Shore Recycling Cooperative South Shore Recycling Cooperative Member Towns had planned seven household hazardous waste collections this spring. Like most everything else, SARS Cov2 changed those plans. Residents were nearly left holding their old gasoline, pool chemicals and pesticides, but for the…
