Our recycling system is in a crisis. Up until last year, recyclables collected for the U.S. were shipped to China for processing. But then, China stopped accepting our recycling, setting off a chain reaction of problems. In New England and across the country, the cost of recycling for towns and cities is skyrocketing, forcing local… Continue reading Our Recycling System is Broken
Think for a moment about the trash you produce every day, either directly or indirectly. First, there’s what you throw out at your home or your job; then there’s the trash that restaurants, laundromats, doctors’ offices, and other businesses you frequent throw out after you leave. Next, add the waste from the farms that produce… Continue reading Municipal Solid Waste: What is It and Why is It a Problem?
The Trump administration government is rolling back a key way to prove discrimination in court, but a set of bills in Massachusetts would make sure those protections remain at the state level. The bills would provide legal safeguards for communities of color and refugee and immigrant communities to ensure that policies addressing the intense heat, dangerous flooding, and extreme weather events of climate change do not discriminate.
Last year, you took action to oppose a proposed bill that would have threatened public access to Boston’s waterfront and set a dangerous precedent for waterfront areas statewide. That bill died in the legislature last session but has since been revived and is up for debate by a key legislative committee next week. So now… Continue reading Revived Bill Threatens Waterfront Public Access in Massachusetts
“It is unacceptable that this plan allows developers to buy their way out of regulations they don’t like,” said Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel at CLF. “The public’s right to access the waterfront has been guaranteed for generations, and officials have singlehandedly undermined that right. The municipal harbor planning process is broken, and we’re looking forward to proving it in court.”
“It is unacceptable that this plan allows developers to buy their way out of regulations they don’t like,” CLF senior counsel Peter Shelley said in response to the judge’s ruling. “The public’s right to access the waterfront has been guaranteed for generations, and officials have singlehandedly undermined that right. The municipal harbor planning process is broken, and we’re looking forward to proving it in court.”
“None of the systems in Massachusetts accept or collect coffee cups,” said Kirstie Pecci, director of the Zero Waste Project at the Conservation Law Foundation, referring to Styrofoam and the new cups. “Do not put coffee cups in your bin.
“It’s imperative that we end childhood lead poisoning in our lifetime,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Director of CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program. “Don’t be fooled into thinking that families will be protected by this proposed change. We need a health-based standard that recognizes the only safe level of lead for kids is zero. That – and removing lead pipes from our water infrastructure – must be the only goal for regulators.”
With action to stem plastic pollution stalled at the state level, communities across the Ocean State continue to pick up the slack and take on this important work.
Shell Oil is putting Providence and the iconic Narragansett Bay at risk.
