There is no one-size-fits-all approach to our waste crisis. Getting to zero waste means using all the tools in the toolbox. Bottle bills and producer responsibility for packaging laws happen to be two of our best tools, so let’s use them both.
For too long, the world has treated plastic as a waste disposal problem. But plastic pollutes from the moment we extract fossil fuels from the ground. To truly tackle this crisis, we need to stop plastic production at its source. And the UN plastic treaty can do just that – on a global scale.
During my recent stint on parental leave, I tried to disconnect from my Zero Waste work. But I quickly realized that there’s no off-switch for corporate greenwashing. So, I’d like to set the record straight. What does circular economy really mean? And why will single-use plastics and waste-burning technologies never have a place in it? Here are the answers.
Connecticut’s updated bottle bill is both a step forward and a step back. We break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of the new legislation.
The plastics and petrochemical industries want to make it easier to burn plastic with high-heat technology. Why? So that they can continue to produce tons of plastic while pretending to be a part of the solution. But plastic-burners are toxic. That’s why we’re fighting back.
Incinerator emissions are polluting the air and poisoning our communities. The problem is, clean air laws often favor polluters instead of the people they’re supposed to protect.
A proposed medical waste facility in West Warwick would collect and burn waste from healthcare facilities across New England. But we have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of our communities and environment. Now is not the time for Rhode Island to become the region’s dumping ground for toxic medical waste.
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing concerns caused many New England states with bottle return programs to temporarily stop enforcing collection requirements at grocery stores, supermarkets, and liquor shops. Connecticut was among the states pressing pause on bottle bill enforcement. But as of May 20, the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has reinstated bottle collection requirements at these retail sites.
Last month, we helped raise the alarm about a dangerous proposal for a garbage depot near Washington Park and South Providence neighborhoods. The garbage depot – and the dust, odor, traffic, and water pollution that would come with it – would have forced more pollution on communities already overburdened by other nearby industrial facilities. The reckless proposal spurred weeks of community action and resulted in an unqualified victory for residents.
At the corner of Allens and Thurbers avenues in Providence, Rhode Island, sits a less-than-four-acre lot that could soon be home to a massive garbage depot. The proposal has nearby residents in South Providence and Washington Park worried and angry – and with good reason. These communities are already burdened by daily pollution from other nearby industrial facilities.
