Cities in the U.S. and elsewhere have made strides, but challenges remain.
Tag Archives: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Who Said ‘The Rats Don’t Run This City. We Do?’ She Did.
Jessica Tisch is determined to clean up New York.
Dumpster Divers Use TikTok to Shame Stores and Fight Waste
Activists are posting their hauls on TikTok to raise public awareness.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.