Is This the End of Recycling?
March 12, 2019
Americans are consuming more and more stuff. Now that other countries won’t take our papers and plastics, they’re ending up in the trash. … More Is This the End of Recycling?
Recycling: Does it Still Make Sense?
July 11, 2019
Between overseas import restrictions, tariff impacts and domestic market volatility, an erratic environment has become the norm for recycling operators around North America.
The average blended value for recyclables at U.S. MRFs was recently calculated at around $35 per ton with processing costs near $80 per ton. … More Recycling: Does it Still Make Sense?
When and Where Does Landfill Mining Make Sense?
July 9, 2019
Landfill mining has been around for decades, whereby buried waste and soil are excavated to free airspace; to recover salable commodities; to reduce cost and environmental issues around degradable waste, such as those related to leachate and gas production; and to remediate or redevelop property. … More When and Where Does Landfill Mining Make Sense?
California rolls out region’s first electric refuse truck
May 28, 2019
Carson, California eventually intends to convert its entire waste and recycling collection fleet to electric vehicles in the future. Carson, California will be rolling out its first fully electric waste truck next week, which the city says is the first of its kind in Southern California. Officials from the city of Carson and Waste Resource … More California rolls out region’s first electric refuse truck
Covanta Survey: “Americans Don’t Know How to Recycle”
April 23, 2019
A survey commissioned by Covanta found 62 percent of respondents worry that a lack of knowledge causes them to recycle incorrectly. Americans don’t know how to recycle—and that lack of knowledge is the biggest barrier to being green, according to new research. A survey of 2,000 Americans revealed that 62 percent of respondents worry that … More Covanta Survey: “Americans Don’t Know How to Recycle”
In San Francisco, Making a Living From Your Billionaire Neighbor’s Trash
April 8, 2019
Trash pickers in San Francisco make a living by going through billionaires’ garbage and selling the designer jeans, vacuum cleaners, and iPads they discover Three blocks from Mark Zuckerberg’s $10 million Tudor home in San Francisco, Jake Orta lives in a small, single-window studio apartment filled with trash. There’s a child’s pink bicycle helmet that … More In San Francisco, Making a Living From Your Billionaire Neighbor’s Trash
Recycling crisis: China doesn’t want our waste. Now what?
April 7, 2019
Recycling used to be a money maker but now it’s costing us, and growing our landfills… With probes and clipboards, Chinese inspectors tour Bay Area recycling centers at least once a month, testing our trash to see if it meets their new high standards. Until recently, almost all of our vast piles of plastic and … More Recycling crisis: China doesn’t want our waste. Now what?
Recycling isn’t about the planet. It’s about profit
April 7, 2019
When you drop a bottle in a blue bin, you’re joining the unruly transglobal trash trade. If you wanted to recycle a Coke bottle, the spring of 2011 was a great time to do it. That spring, every soda bottle you dropped into the translucent blue bag in your kitchen was worth about eight times … More Recycling isn’t about the planet. It’s about profit
