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.
Tag Archives: 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.
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.
Beaches Closed After 7 Million Gallons of Sewage Spill in Los Angeles County
Officials contained the spill on Friday but were still working to repair a sewer main that collapsed, leading to the release of untreated sewage into the Dominguez Channel.
Cultivating Art, Not Argument, at a Los Angeles Law Office
Their office-tower studios could not be less bohemian, but the artists in residence at a law firm’s offices in California say the spaces spur creativity nonetheless.
Cities Are Not Only Tackling Covid, But Its Pollution, Too
All around the world the remnants of a global pandemic are testing the resolve of governments and private firms to rid the planet of its waste.
Does it Matter if I Eat the Stickers on Fruits and Vegetables?
They won’t cause you any harm, but there are reasons to remove them before taking a bite.
A New Source of Fuel in an Aging Japan: Adult Incontinence
Waste from adult diapers is growing by tens of thousands of tons a year in Japan. One town may have a solution: recycle it into fuel pellets.
Outside COP26, Trash in Glasgow Piles High
At COP26, delegates address the need to curb emissions and mass consumption to save the planet while the reality of today’s throwaway society is all too apparent nearby.
N.Y.C. Rats: They’re in the Park, on Your Block and Even on Your Table
Reported rat sightings, health inspections finding evidence of rat activity and cases of a disease spread via rat urine are all up amid the pandemic.
Trash Pickup Delays Frustrate Jacksonville and Other Cities
Jacksonville is one of dozens of American cities that have struggled to pick up trash, yard waste and recycling amid a pandemic labor shortage.
As I Was Saying: The Etiquette of Interruption
Interrupting a speaker: rudeness or cooperation? Also: Work and values; a presidential age limit; Trump’s response to a tell-all book; plastic waste.
Romans Choose From a Crowded Field to Run a Chaotic City
Rome has defied efforts to make basic services work, and the incumbent mayor lags in the polls, with no shortage of rivals hoping to take her place.
This Fjord Shows Even Small Populations Create Giant Microfiber Pollution
Researchers found that one tiny Arctic village’s unfiltered sewage produces as much microplastic as the treated waste of more than a million people.
Covid Trash Isn’t Always Dangerous. Not Everyone Got the Memo.
Overblown fears that the coronavirus could be transmitted through surfaces have created a stigma around handling nonhazardous trash, experts say. Some recyclable waste has been junked or burned.
California Aims to Ban Recycling Symbols on Things That Aren’t Recyclable
The well-known three-arrows symbol doesn’t necessarily mean that a product is actually recyclable. A new bill would limit the products allowed to feature the mark.
Sustainability Advocates Ask: Why Demolish When You Can Deconstruct?
More cities are adopting deconstruction ordinances that require older homes to be taken down for salvageable parts, but they face challenges in trying to expand their efforts.
Don’t Let the Fossil Fuel Industry Pivot to Toxic Plastics and Chemicals
As we confront climate change, focusing on a single metric, like greenhouse gas emissions, could leave other harmful practices unaddressed.
Is the Party Over for New York’s Outlaw Houseboats?
Newtown Creek, a polluted waterway, is set to be dredged, meaning the end of an era for the adventurous community it inspired.
Australia’s Trash Parrots Invent New Skill in Suburbs
Sydney’s clever and adaptable sulfur-crested cockatoos learn how to pry open garbage bins by watching one another.
Maine Will Make Companies Pay for Recycling. Here’s How It Works.
The law aims to take the cost burden of recycling away from taxpayers. One environmental advocate said the change could be “transformative.”
The Year of Purchasing and Purging
The pandemic spurred people to buy. It also compelled them to shed their belongings and their old identities.
The Message in a Reusable Wine Bottle: Combat Climate Change
Glass bottles are the largest source of the wine industry’s carbon footprint. Several companies are experimenting with new shipping methods.
The Life and Death of Your Jeans
A new book enters that category known as “fashion horror stories.” Something to consider before you shop.
Finding Purpose for Our Renovation Materials
To avoid sending tons of usable fixtures and appliances to a landfill during our renovation, we tried a “post it and see if they will come” strategy. It worked.
From the Wastewater Drain, Solid Pandemic Data
The coronavirus could turn sewage surveillance into a mainstream public health practice.
Over 25,000 DDT-Tainted Barrels Are Discovered on Seafloor Off California
One researcher said the number of drums laced with the pesticide far exceeded his expectations. “It was hard to wrap my head around the density of targets,” he said.
Florida Plans to Close Wastewater Reservoir Where Leak Forced Evacuations
A potential deluge of millions of gallons of water from a former phosphate mine had threatened homes south of Tampa.
Florida Crisis Highlights a Nationwide Risk From Toxic Ponds
Thousands of open-air waste pools near power plants, mines and industrial farms can pose safety dangers from poor management and, increasingly, the effects of climate change.
Florida’s Crisis Highlights a Nationwide Risk From Toxic Ponds
Thousands of open-air waste pools near power plants, mines and industrial farms can pose safety dangers from poor management and, increasingly, the effects of climate change.
Second Breach Possible in Leaking Florida Reservoir, Officials Say
The authorities said more pumps were expected to be used to try to double the volume of water being removed, to up to 100 million gallons a day.
Amazon Uses a Lot of Plastic. It Doesn’t Have To.
The world’s biggest online retailer must become a leader in reducing single-use packaging.
‘Wall of Water’ if Piney Point Reservoir in Florida Breaches, Officials Warn
The authorities on Sunday said they were making progress in draining a leaking wastewater pond south of Tampa but urged residents to heed evacuation warnings.
‘Imminent’ Collapse of Wastewater Reservoir in Florida Forces Evacuations
A potential deluge of nearly 400 million gallons of water from a former phosphate mine threatened homes south of Tampa on Saturday, officials warned.