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…
Automated machines must be operating by June 5; over-the-counter collection starts June 19.By Andy Rosen Globe Staff,Updated May 29, 2020 Massachusetts will begin requiring retailers to redeem customers’ 5 cent bottle and can deposits starting June 5, after two months of relaxed enforcement that allowed stores to stop handling empties during the…
Boston Globe Magazine, March 29, 2020, Amy Sutherland People around Greater Boston are dumping trash in their recycling bins, and it’s wrecking city budgets. More than a decade into single-stream recycling — putting all our recyclables together in one bin — we’ve turned into recycling slobs. In my Boston neighborhood, I’ve seen blue recycling…
posted by Director Claire Galkowski I usually have great respect for the NYT, but sometimes they just get it WRONG, like in today’s opinion piece “The Great Recycling Con” , and do real harm (i.e. yogurt containers and other #5 plastic ARE recycled!) . My colleague Waneta Trabert, Newton’s Solid…
by Neil Rhein, Keep Massachusetts Beautiful, Nov. 8, 2019 Each year, it’s estimated that here in Massachusetts, consumers use over 2 billion plastic bags per year! Many end up as litter in our waterways, stuck in trees, or clogging storm drains. Most end up in incinerators or landfills, while some…
