Today’s throw-away culture exists because plastic producers and manufacturers choose to make single-use products and packaging that cannot be recycled. But we can change that by passing legislation that will hold producers accountable for the waste they create.
“Maine’s current recycling system is broken,” said Peter Blair, Zero Waste Attorney at CLF Maine. “Cities and towns are paying exorbitant disposal rates for polluting products that are deliberately manufactured to be unrecyclable. It’s time plastic producers pay for polluting our air, land, and water with their products, and this law will finally hold them accountable.”
“Dirty, climate-destroying waste-burning facilities have no place in Rhode Island,” said Kevin Budris, Zero Waste Attorney at Conservation Law Foundation Rhode Island. “This bill will protect Rhode Islanders, especially those living in communities already overburdened by pollution. We urge Governor McKee to protect our residents by signing this bill into law as soon as possible.“
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.
I’ve always assumed that because I care about Connecticut’s environment, others do, too. But after volunteering with CLF as a fellow earlier this year, I learned that Connecticut suffers from a waste crisis. Now, the blinders are off.
“Our legislators had the opportunity to pass a strong bill to reduce waste, increase recycling rates and slash pollution in our communities,” said Kevin Budris, Zero Waste Attorney at CLF. “While this bill includes some important updates, it’s not nearly as strong as it should have been. At the eleventh hour, legislators have handed the beverage industry the keys to the state’s bottle return system and significantly compromised the effectiveness of the legislation.”
“Polluting landfills don’t belong anywhere near New Hampshire’s beautiful state parks,” said CLF attorney Peter Blair. “The Senate has taken a giant step backward in killing this commonsense legislation that would have preserved parks for everyone’s enjoyment. It’s time we stop the endless construction of landfills and instead boost recycling and other proven methods to reduce our waste.”
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.
Expanding a landfill’s acreage or the number of tons it buries each year only increases the pollution it emits. That’s why CLF is fighting back against these southern New England landfill expansion proposals.
