Why Are Public Restrooms Still So Rare?

Cities in the U.S. and elsewhere have made strides, but challenges remain.

#bathrooms-and-toilets, #infrastructure-public-works, #urban-areas, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Clorox and Other Brands Try to Make a Greener Spray Bottle

As more consumers try to cut down on plastic waste, both start-ups and big brands like Clorox are hoping to usher in a new age of refillable cleaners.

#cleansers-detergents-and-soaps, #containers-and-packaging, #internal-open-access, #plastics, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #sustainable-living, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Garbage Piles Up in Protest Against France’s Pension Change

A bill raising the retirement age for most workers by two years, to 64, is expected to become law this week, despite widespread protest, including a strike by garbage workers in Paris and elsewhere.

#borne-elisabeth, #demonstrations-protests-and-riots, #france, #macron-emmanuel-1977, #paris-france, #pensions-and-retirement-plans, #strikes, #waste-materials-and-disposal

The Joy of Zero-Waste Cooking

Tamar Adler’s “The Everlasting Meal Cookbook” and other thrifty cookbooks argue that using up leftovers can deepen your relationship with cooking.

#adler-tamar, #cooking-and-cookbooks, #food, #habits-and-routines-behavior, #inflation-economics, #sustainable-living, #the-everlasting-meal-cookbook-book, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Willie Cole’s Ecological Interventions Turn Trash Into Art

The artist invited the community in Newark to reimagine objects that would otherwise be destined for a landfill — to look at them in a fresh, imaginative way.

#art, #cole-willie, #content-type-personal-profile, #express-newark-art-venue, #newark-nj, #rutgers-the-state-university-of-new-jersey, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Burn Pit Program for Veterans Could Cost at Least $400 Billion, Agency Finds

In a report reviewing the nation’s budget outlook, Congress’s nonpartisan scorekeeper estimated that a veterans health program created last year would swell the federal deficit.

#congressional-budget-office, #federal-budget-us, #hazardous-and-toxic-substances, #health-insurance-and-managed-care, #law-and-legislation, #national-debt-us, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #veterans, #veterans-affairs-department, #waste-materials-and-disposal

What Makes Eric Adams Fight City Hall Over Rats?

The mayor of the nation’s largest city is again immersing himself in contesting a mundane rat summons. His motivations may be both personal and political.

#adams-eric-l, #fines-penalties, #health-and-mental-hygiene-department-nyc, #mayors, #new-york-city, #office-of-administrative-trials-and-hearings-nyc, #rats, #real-estate-and-housing-residential, #rodents, #waste-materials-and-disposal

New York to Expand Composting Citywide, Targeting Trash and Rats

Mayor Eric Adams will announce the program at his State of the City address as part of his efforts to improve trash collection and fix New York’s rodent problem.

#adams-eric-l, #compost, #mayors, #new-york-city, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #sustainable-living, #up-tv-network, #waste-materials-and-disposal

In a Nation That Nearly Wiped Out Cholera, the Disease Is Surging Back

Malawi, in southern African, had all but eradicated cholera, recording only two cases in 2021. But more than 900 people died of it over the past 11 months, and the government is scrambling to contain its spread.

#bathrooms-and-toilets, #cholera, #deaths-fatalities, #malawi, #vaccination-and-immunization, #vis-photo, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

Turning Trash Into Poetry

Ser Serpas, a young artist known for kinetic arrangements of discarded furniture, opens up about her expressive way of processing the used world.

#art, #content-type-personal-profile, #furniture, #hammer-museum, #los-angeles-calif, #manhattan-nyc, #okoyomon-precious, #poetry-and-poets, #sculpture, #serpas-ser, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Trying to Live a Day Without Plastic

It’s all around us, despite its adverse effects on the planet. In a 24-hour experiment, our reporter tried to go plastic free.

#internal-sub-only, #plastics, #sustainable-living, #vis-photo, #waste-materials-and-disposal

How a Nuclear Dump in Taiwan Created a Generation of Activists

For members of a Taiwanese tribe, a waste site on their island serves as a painful reminder of the government’s broken promises, and a symbol of their long struggle for greater autonomy.

#demonstrations-protests-and-riots, #indigenous-people, #lanyu-taiwan, #nuclear-energy, #nuclear-wastes, #politics-and-government, #radiation, #taiwan, #taiwan-power-co, #tao, #vis-photo, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Electric Cars Are Taking Off, but When Will Battery Recycling Follow?

Many companies and investors are eager to recycle batteries but it could take a decade or more before enough used lithium-ion batteries become available.

#automobiles, #batteries, #cobalt, #electric-and-hybrid-vehicles, #electronics, #factories-and-manufacturing, #lithium-metal, #metals-and-minerals, #nickel, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #redwood-materials, #supply-chain, #tax-credits-deductions-and-exemptions, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Who Said ‘The Rats Don’t Run This City. We Do?’ She Did.

Jessica Tisch is determined to clean up New York.

#content-type-personal-profile, #new-york-city, #politics-and-government, #sanitation-department-nyc, #tisch-jessica-1981, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Dumpster Divers Use TikTok to Shame Stores and Fight Waste

Activists are posting their hauls on TikTok to raise public awareness.

#salvage, #shopping-and-retail, #social-media, #sustainable-living, #tiktok-bytedance, #united-states, #waste-materials-and-disposal

In Fashion Industry, a Fine Line Between Collaboration and Collusion

Adhering to antitrust regulation while negotiating collective sustainability targets is proving tougher to navigate for some in the fashion industry.

#antitrust-laws-and-competition-issues, #brussels-belgium, #corporate-social-responsibility, #europe, #fashion-and-apparel, #luxury-goods-and-services, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #sustainable-living, #united-states, #van-noten-dries, #waste-materials-and-disposal

In Battle Against Trash and Rats, N.Y.C. Officials Try a Schedule Shift

New Yorkers will be asked to place trash on the curb later to reduce the amount of time that mountains of trash fester on the streets.

#adams-eric-l, #new-york-city, #politics-and-government, #rats, #rodents, #sanitation-department-nyc, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Inside the Global Effort to Keep Perfectly Good Food Out of the Dump

Around the world, lawmakers and entrepreneurs are taking steps to tackle two of humanity’s most pressing problems: hunger and climate change.

#california, #compost, #food, #food-insecurity, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #south-korea, #supermarkets-and-grocery-stores, #sustainable-living, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Can McKinsey Solve the NYC Trash Problem?

Maybe the trash problem in New York will be solved with color-coded garbage cans designed by expensive consultants. Or maybe the problem is much deeper.

#internal-sub-only, #mckinseyco, #metropolitan-transportation-authority, #new-york-city, #population, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #waste-materials-and-disposal

How to Recycle a 14-Story Office Tower

Buildings are responsible for nearly 40 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. In Amsterdam, they are trying to create a blueprint to do something about it.

#amsterdam-netherlands, #architecture, #demolition, #factories-and-manufacturing, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #internal-open-access, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Eviction Looming For California Scofflaw And His Two Acres of Land

David Lee Hoffman has been fighting a local government in California for decades to keep his eccentric home and way of living intact.

#california, #historic-buildings-and-sites, #land-use-policies, #marin-county-calif, #real-estate-and-housing-residential, #sustainable-living, #waste-materials-and-disposal

The Optimistic Art of Mary Mattingly

The artist’s work addresses future climate crises while attempting to make the urban environment a better place to live right now.

#agriculture-and-farming, #area-planning-and-renewal, #art, #content-type-personal-profile, #denes-agnes, #flowers-and-plants, #food, #global-warming, #mattingly-mary, #tmagfalldesign, #ukeles-mierle-laderman, #urban-areas, #waste-materials-and-disposal

As Rome Burns (or at Least Its Garbage), a Mayor Dares to Dream

Could a solution to Rome’s perpetual trash crisis really be in sight? Mayor Roberto Gualtieri would like to think so.

#arson, #bioenergy-and-biofuels, #draghi-mario, #five-star-movement-italy, #gualtieri-roberto-1966, #italy, #mayors, #organized-crime, #raggi-virginia-1978, #rome-italy, #waste-materials-and-disposal

‘Wood Is Life’: A Hong Kong Sawmill’s Last Days

Chi Kee Sawmill and Timber, in business since the 1940s, will soon make way for a vast development project. But it is still bringing new life to old wood.

#demolition, #factories-and-manufacturing, #hong-kong, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #wood-and-wood-products

Con Ed Dumps Hot, Dirty Water From River Park Pier, Records Show

Environmental advocates say Hudson River Park and New York officials have failed to alert the public to waste that may be harming the ecosystem.

#city-club-of-new-york, #consolidated-edison-inc, #energy-and-power, #environmental-conservation-department-nys, #hudson-river-park-manhattan-ny, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

Eileen Fisher, the Queen of Slow Fashion, Charts a Slow Exit

Eileen Fisher went from industry outlier to godmother of a movement. Now, she is getting ready to pass the torch, starting with a new chief executive at her company.

#appointments-and-executive-changes, #bode-emily-adams, #content-type-personal-profile, #eileen-fisher-inc, #fashion-and-apparel, #fisher-eileen, #hudson-river, #irvington-ny, #new-yorker, #patagonia-inc, #waste-materials-and-disposal

What Are Burn Pits, and How Did They Harm U.S. Troops?

Veterans and their advocates describe continuously burning fires on overseas bases that consumed the military’s trash and produced toxic smoke.

#biden-joseph-r-jr, #hazardous-and-toxic-substances, #respiratory-diseases, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #united-states-politics-and-government, #veterans, #veterans-affairs-department, #waste-materials-and-disposal

N.Y.C. Will Expand Compost Pickup to Queens in October

The city will pilot automatic, optional curbside pickup across Queens after lagging behind promises to collect compost.

#compost, #food, #global-warming, #queens-nyc, #rats, #sanitation-department-nyc, #sustainable-living, #waste-materials-and-disposal

How New York City Hopes to Win Its Long, Losing War on Trash

Can social media and rat-resistant receptacles help clean up the city?

#brooklyn-heights-brooklyn-ny, #hells-kitchen-manhattan-ny, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #sanitation-department-nyc, #sidewalks, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Not Just Any Bag

A New York company, Anybag, finds an elegant way to turn plastic bag waste into a functional tote. Miranda Kerr, Adidas and Ralph Lauren are fans.

#factories-and-manufacturing, #fashion-and-apparel, #new-york-city, #plastic-bags, #sustainable-living, #waste-materials-and-disposal

How to Protect Bristol Bay’s Salmon for the Long Haul

E.P.A. action, legislation and land conservation together can permanently protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay, the salmon and a way of life.

#alaska, #bristol-bay-alaska, #clean-water-act, #environment, #environmental-protection-agency, #fishing-commercial, #iliamna-lake-alaska, #land-use-policies, #law-and-legislation, #mines-and-mining, #northern-dynasty-minerals-ltd, #pebble-mine-bristol-bay-alaska, #salmon, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

Meet the Peecyclers. Their Idea to Help Farmers Is No. 1.

A shortage of chemical fertilizer, worsened by the war in Ukraine, has growers desperate. It just so happens that human urine has the very nutrients that crops need.

#agriculture-and-farming, #fertilizer, #niger, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #rich-earth-institute, #russian-invasion-of-ukraine-2022, #shortages, #united-states, #urine, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Duke Riley: Grand Master Trash

The audacious artist transforms seaborne plastics into maritime art at the Brooklyn Museum, driving home his message about their devastating environmental impact.

#art, #brooklyn-nyc, #brooklyn-museum-of-art, #content-type-personal-profile, #fly-by-night-exhibit, #museums, #plastics, #riley-duke, #sculpture, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

Saving a Texan Bayou, ‘16 Bottles’ at a Time

Bayou Dave, a modern-day Sisyphus, has spent the last dozen years ridding a trash-choked Houston waterway of plastic and Styrofoam.

#global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #gulf-of-mexico, #houston-tex, #plastic-bottles, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

Meet the N.Y.C. Sanitation Department’s Resident Artist

Sto Len focuses much of his work on environmental issues in New York City, including sites like the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island.

#art, #len-sto-artist, #queens-nyc, #sanitation-department-nyc, #ukeles-mierle-laderman, #waste-materials-and-disposal

E.P.A. to Block Pebble Mine Project in Alaska

The E.P.A. said it would ban the disposal of mining waste in the Bristol Bay watershed, a decision that very likely means the end of the Pebble Mine project.

#alaska-natives, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #bristol-bay-alaska, #clean-water-act, #copper-brass-and-bronze, #environmental-protection-agency, #fishing-commercial, #gold, #mines-and-mining, #pebble-limited-partnership, #pebble-mine-bristol-bay-alaska, #regulation-and-deregulation-of-industry, #salmon, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-politics-and-government, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

Some Elephants Are Getting Too Much Plastic in Their Diets

In India, the large mammals see trash in village dumps as a buffet, but researchers found they are inadvertently consuming packaging and utensils.

#containers-and-packaging, #elephants, #india, #plastic-bags, #plastics, #research, #uttarakhand-india, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #your-feed-science

The Unlikely Ascent of New York’s Compost Champion

An ad led to Domingo Morales falling in love with compost. A windfall is helping him spread the word.

#compost, #global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #morales-domingo, #new-york-city, #public-and-subsidized-housing, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #waste-materials-and-disposal

The Ocean’s Biggest Garbage Pile Is Full of Floating Life

Researchers found that small sea creatures exist in equal number with pieces of plastic in parts of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which could have implications for cleaning up ocean pollution.

#biorxiv, #fish-and-other-marine-life, #ocean-cleanup-foundation, #oceans-and-seas, #pacific-ocean, #plastics, #research, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution, #your-feed-science

Soda and Beer Companies Are Ditching Plastic Six-Pack Rings

In an effort to cut down on plastic waste, packaging is taking on different forms that can be more easily recycled or that do away with plastic altogether.

#american-chemistry-council, #beer, #coca-cola-company, #containers-and-packaging, #grupo-modelo, #molson-coors-brewing-company, #pepsico-inc, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #science-advances-journal, #soft-drinks, #waste-materials-and-disposal

In Texas, Biden Says New Legislation Could Expand Benefits for Burn Pit Victims

The president is focused on veterans who fell ill after breathing in toxic materials from burning waste in Iraq and Afghanistan, exposure that he believes contributed to the death of his elder son.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #agent-orange-defoliant, #biden-joseph-r-iii, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #hazardous-and-toxic-substances, #iraq, #iraq-war-2003-11, #law-and-legislation, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #united-states-politics-and-government, #veterans, #veterans-affairs-department, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Nations Plan a Global Treaty to Curb Plastic Pollution

The pact would be legally binding and could go beyond cleaning up plastic waste to curbs on future production.

#global-warming, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #plastic-bags, #plastics, #politics-and-government, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #third-world-and-developing-countries, #treaties, #united-nations-environment-program, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Hank the Tank, a 500-Pound Bear, Ransacks a California Community

Paintballs, bean bags, sirens and Tasers cannot keep the “exceptionally large bear” from seeking leftover pizza and other food. Officials say he has broken into at least 28 homes since July.

#animals, #bears, #food, #hank-the-tank, #hibernation, #south-lake-tahoe-calif, #vandalism, #waste-materials-and-disposal

New York Was Set to Expand Composting. Now It’s on the Chopping Block.

Mayor Eric Adams wants to suspend the expansion of New York’s composting program, but experts say the program is crucial to the city’s climate targets.

#adams-eric-l, #budgets-and-budgeting, #compost, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #new-york-city, #sanitation-department-nyc, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Composting on the Chopping Block in Mayor Adams’s Budget

Mr. Adams wants to suspend the expansion of New York’s composting program, but experts say the program is crucial to the city’s climate targets.

#adams-eric-l, #budgets-and-budgeting, #compost, #greenhouse-gas-emissions, #new-york-city, #sanitation-department-nyc, #waste-materials-and-disposal

In Taiwan, When You Hear Beethoven, It’s Time to Take Out the Trash

Across Taiwan, the classical melody “Für Elise” is a Pavlovian call to action: Bring down your garbage and catch up on neighborhood gossip.

#beethoven-ludwig-van, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #fur-elise-musical-work, #music, #recycling-of-waste-materials, #tainan-taiwan, #taipei-taiwan, #waste-materials-and-disposal

Senegal’s ‘Plastic Man’ Is on a Mission to Clean Up Pollution

Dressed head to toe in plastic, Modou Fall is a familiar sight in Dakar. But however playful his costume, his goal couldn’t be more serious: ridding the capital of the scourge of plastic bags.

#content-type-personal-profile, #dakar-senegal, #modou-fall, #plastic-bags, #plastic-bottles, #plastics, #senegal, #waste-materials-and-disposal

This ‘Plastic Man’ Has a Cape and a Superhero’s Mission: Cleaning Up Senegal

Dressed head to toe in plastic, Modou Fall is a familiar sight in Dakar. But however playful his costume, his goal couldn’t be more serious: ridding the capital of the scourge of plastic bags.

#content-type-personal-profile, #dakar-senegal, #fall-modou, #plastic-bags, #plastic-bottles, #plastics, #senegal, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution

In Sewage, Clues to Omicron’s Surge

Tracking the virus in wastewater is helping some cities and hospitals respond to the most recent wave of the coronavirus, but a more coordinated national effort is needed, experts say.

#boston-childrens-hospital, #coronavirus-2019-ncov, #coronavirus-delta-variant, #coronavirus-omicron-variant, #houston-tex, #missouri, #netherlands, #new-york-city, #sewers-and-sewage, #united-states, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #your-feed-health, #your-feed-science

Israeli Artist Turns Plastic Pollution Into ‘Earth Poetica’

In Beverly Barkat’s quest to connect people with nature, she found that environmental waste could be a powerful medium.

#art, #barkat-nir, #beverly-barkat, #content-type-personal-profile, #israel, #likud-party-israel, #netanyahu-benjamin, #plastics, #waste-materials-and-disposal, #water-pollution