After decades of warnings about the various health and environmental risks linked to polystyrene foam, corporate America is just now lending an ear. While some restaurants and coffee shops were quick to swap out polystyrene foam cups for paper ones, others have reacted more slowly – including coffee and donut giants, Honey Dew and Dunkin’.… Continue reading Swapping Out One Unnecessary Evil for Another
Home to 16 active trash incinerators, New England has been burning its waste for decades, harming our communities and damaging our climate in the process. The rationale behind burning our trash may seem sound on the surface. Proponents argue that it diverts waste from landfills, and the energy produced by incineration can be used to… Continue reading Aging Waste Incinerators Pose a Danger to New Englanders
We can’t allow manufacturers to get away with the false narrative that it’s up to you and me to recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. It’s time to call them out as the real culprits and put the burden on their shoulders, not ours.
“It’s about time the state got around to addressing one of many severe public health issues posed by the Wheelabrator Saugus facility,” said Kirstie Pecci, Director of the Zero Waste Project at CLF. “But requiring a study is totally inadequate and does nothing to compensate the community for the suffering this facility caused all summer. The community will only be protected when this toxic facility shuts down for good.”
What do polystyrene foam containers, paper coffee cups, and plastic grocery bags, food ware, and straws all have in common? None of them are recyclable and they cost towns and cities an enormous amount of money. What’s more, heaps of these single-use items end up on our beaches and shores, serving as an ugly reminder… Continue reading New Hampshire Joins the Fight Against Plastic Pollution
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs recently named a group of students from Martha’s Vineyard, who took action against the island’s plastic waste, as the winners of their Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition. Here, we take a look at what the students accomplished and see how advocacy work is essential to creating lasting solutions for New… Continue reading Advocating for Change and Making Shift Happen
Cash, dough, bacon, moolah…no matter what you call it, the fact remains that zero-waste initiatives save money. Our zero-waste pyramid (above) shows you just some of the ways these savings kick in. Below, we break some of these policies down in more detail to show how they benefit you and your bank account. *Note: this… Continue reading Saving Money with Zero Waste
In September 2018, leaders from across the country – including CLF’s President, Bradley Campbell – and the globe gathered in San Francisco, California at the Global Climate Action Summit to exchange ideas about how we can address the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. The Summit also challenged cities and towns around the world to step… Continue reading Five Ways Cities and Towns Can Slash Trash and Fight Climate Change
“New England’s waste system is broken,” says Kirstie Pecci, Director of CLF’s Zero Waste Project. “While we wait for much-needed reform, there are steps that each of us can take to make a big difference. For the health of our communities and our planet, achieving zero waste must be everyone’s goal.”
Over the last few years, the push to get food waste out of landfills and incinerators has become the new kale. Or cupcakes. Or bone broth. You get the picture. And rightfully so! As a nation, we waste a staggering amount of food every year: about 40 percent of what we produce. That’s more than… Continue reading Are You Composting Yet? If Not, Now Is a Good Time to Start!
