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WASTE / ZERO WASTE - ARTICLES, REPORTS & VIDEOS
(Note: “ZW” indicates Zero Waste, “G&P” indicates Gasification & Pyrolysis, "L" indicates Landfill), 

Single-Use Plastic a Growing Environmental Threat
Single-Use plastics have become a pollution and litter problem in the United States and across the globe. Only about 9.5% of post-consumer plastic is collected for recycling so much of the non-recycled plastic ends up in the oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, along roadways or in landfills and incinerators. ....more

2024

Report - First Comprehensive Plastics Database Tallies Staggering 16,000 Chemicals—And It’s Still Incomplete - 4/14/2024 - Scientific American

2023

Report – River plastics found to carry pathogenic bacteria, resistance genes - 11/01/2023 – Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) – University of Minnesota

Article – Proposed Legislation - Tracking the future of US recycling policy in Congress - 11/01/2023 – Waste Dive
 
Article – L – Local officials call for organics phase-out, new rules for landfill emissions - 10/31/2023 – Waste Dive
 
Report – L - Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste – October 2023 – US EPA

Report – P&G - Chemical Recycling: A Dangerous Deception – October 2023 – Beyond Plastics

Website - Food Waste Composting - October 2023 – City of Waukesha
Article - G&P - EPA withdraws proposal to drop pyrolysis from regulation following criticism - Waste Dive – 6/06/2023
 Article - L - Massive mountain of fast fashion landfill can now be seen from space – Dazed – 6/05/2023
 Article - G&P - As Plastics Keep Piling Up, can ‘Advanced' Recycling Cut the Waste? – Yale360 – 6/01/2023
 Report - Landfill Methane Emissions – U.S. Dashboard - Industrious Labs – May 2023
 Video – Recycling - Milwaukee Recycling Plant Fire, smoke billows near I-94 - Fox6 News – 5/31/2023
 Article - L - Landfills remain methane concern, study says - Waste Today – 5/31/2023
 Article - ZW - Madison, WI Increase Recycling and Reduce Food Waste – Waste Advantage Magazine – 5/31/2023
 Article - Incineration - Burning trash for the planet? Climate cash sets off branding frenzy – Washington Poste – 5/29/23
 Article - Recycling - New Greenpeace Report Calls Out Toxic Hazards of Recycled Plastic – Greenpeace -5/24/2023
 Report - Forever Toxic – The Science on Health Threats from Plastic Recycling – Greenpeace – 5/24/ 2023
 Video - Plastic Bag Recycling - We Put Dozens of trackers in plastic bags for recycling. Many were trashed – ABC News – 5/23/2023
 Article – Recycling - FTC’s Guides review brings packaging recyclability debates to the fore – Packaging Dive – 5/24/2023
 Report - Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle – Defend Our Health – 5/23/2023
 Article - L - Environmental Integrity Project urges EPA to adopt better landfill emissions accounting in new report - Waste Dive - 5/18/2023
 Report- Zero Waste Policy Roadmap for a Plastic Free Future – GAIA, Safer States & Upstream – 5/18/2023
 Report - Trashing the Climate – Methane from Municipal Landfills – Environmental Integrity Project – 5/18/2023
 News Release - ZW - Murphy Administration Marks First Anniversary of Law Limiting Single-Use Plastics In New Jersey – New Jersey DEP – 5/05/2023
 Article - G&P - Environmentalists Seek to End Plastic Industry ‘Hoax’ – Mother Jones – 5/02/2023
 Article – WI Recycling - Inside look at recycling center shows many people are recycling wrong – WISN – 5/08/2023
 Article – ZW - Philly's ban has prevented 200 million plastic bags from being used – Philadelphia Inquirer – 4/27/23
 Report – PVC Poison Plastic – Toxic Free Future - 4/13/2023
Report - ZW: Nothing Left Behind - Zero Waste Europe – April 2023
 Report - ZW: Branded Five Years of Holding Corporate Plastic Polluters Accountable – 2018 – 2022 – Break Free From Plastic - 2023
 Video - ZW The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now so huge and permanent that a coastal ecosystem is thriving on it, scientists say – CNN – 4/18/2023
Article - G&P: EPA faces questions over plastics-based fuel with huge cancer risk -- The Guardian – 4/11/2023
Article - G&P: Exxon’s new ‘advanced recycling’ plant raises environmental concerns – The Guardian – 4/10/2023
Article - L: Methane big part of ‘alarming’ rise in planet-warming gases – AP News – 4/06/2023
Article - ZW: ‘Really encouraging’: Plastic bag bans work, say campaigners. – euronews.green – 4/05/2023
Article - G&P: Groups petition US EPA to force reporting of waste incinerator emissions Reuters - 4/03/2023
Article - ZW: Zero Waste Day: UN calls for war on garbage - United Nations – 3/30/2023
 Article - ZW: Groups make declaration on first UN zero waste day - Waste & Recycling – 3/30/2023 (WEAL among the 200 groups)
 Article - ZW: Legislation introduced to lift Michigan’s ban on local plastic bag bans – Michigan Public Radio 3/24/2023
Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks – Science News – 3/24/2023.
Article - ZW: Illinois House Passes Legislation Banning Single-Use Food Containers – Waste 360 – 3/23/2023
Article - G&P: New Hampshire welcomes ‘advanced recycling’ of plastics as some call for tighter regulations – Energy News Network – 3/15/2023
Article – ZW - Los Angeles launches citywide organics service, awards compost contracts worth up to $1.67B – Waste Dive – 1/25/2023
 Article – L -EPA proposes further leachate regulations after study finds PFAS at 95% of surveyed landfills – Waste Dive – 1/24/2023 
 Article – ZW – New York City’s ‘skip stuff’ bill for foodware items goes to mayor’s desk  -Waste Drive – 1/24/2023
 Article – ZW – Sanitation Department Adds 200 ‘Smart Bins” In New York City’s Latest Composting Expansion – Waste Advantage Magazine – 1/24/2023
Article – L - Some landfills will begin treating PFAS on-site as regulators move to adopt new limits – Waste Dive – 1/17/2023
 Article – ZW - New law aims to break link between food waste, warming climate - HeraldNet – 1/15/2023
 Report – ZW - Beyond Circular Fashion – A New Business Model for the Fashion Industry - Zero Waste Europe – January 2023 
Article - TCD – This State Just Passed First-of-its-Kind Ban on Throwing Out Old Clothes – TCD - 1/09/2023
 Article – P&G - Congress Urges EPA to Maintain Clean-Air Regulations on Chemical Recycling of Plastics – Inside Climate News – 1/06/2023
 Article - P&G – Advanced Recycling Mines the Metaverse – Politico – 1/05/2023
Article - L – Crews Removing Waste from Menomonee Falls Quarry to New Landfill - TMJ4 – 1/05/2023
Article – L - EPA OKs methane testing by drone at landfills – Waste Today – 1/03/2023
 Article – P&G – New York Campaigners Issue Climate change Warning Amid “Orwellian” Advanced Recycling Push – Packaging Insights - 1/02/2023
2022
Article – P&G – New Report Reveals the Scam of Advanced Recycling AKA Pyrolysis - Uprise RI – 12/15/2022
 Article - P&G - Industry's big bet on chemical recycling is sparking policy fights across the country – Politico – 12/14/2022
 Report – P&G - Loopholes, Injustice, & the Advance Recycling Myth – Ken Budris, Just Zero – 12/14/2022 
 Report - ZW: Zero Waste to Zero Emissions How Reducing Waste is a Climate Gamechanger – Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) – 10/04/2022
 Video - ZW: Zero Waste to Zero Emissions Virtual Launch 10/04/2022 (Several WEAL Board members were present for the launch.)
​Article - ZW: How a zero waste approach helped Lviv stay resilient – Emerging Europe – 10/04/2022
​Article - P&G: Experts decry ‘funny math’ of plastics industry’s ‘advanced recycling’ claims – Mongabay – 9/28/2022
 Article - ZW: With more solar panels entering the US waste stream, EPR policy and standards emerge – Waste Dive – 9/27/2022
Wisconsin Video - L: Concerned residents hope to form an advisory group in response to proposed Menomonee Falls landfill expansion – Spectrum News Milwaukee – 9/22/2022
Article - W: International Costal Supports Coast Cleanup Efforts with Data Collection – Waste 360 – 9/22/2022
Article - ZW: Ikea’s restaurants have more than halved food waste since 2017 – Reuters - 9/20/202
Wisconsin Article - L: Seven Mile Creek Landfill Expansion Officially Negotiated After Four Years Progress – Waste 360 – 9/19/2022
Report: “Stemming the Tide” Statement of Accountability – Ocean Conservancy – 7/10/2022 and related
 10/02/2022 Open Letter to Ocean Conservancy regarding the Report “Stemming the Tide” (WEAL signed this letter)
 Article ZW: Rhode Island Governor signs plastic bag ban law – Waste Dive – 7/08/2022
Article ZW: National bottle bill supporters eyeing 2023 for updated draft legislation – Waste Dive – 7/07/2022
Article L: Toxic Gases from Demolition Waste Landfills are Poisoning Thousands Globally – Newswire – 7/06/2022
Article ZW: California passes first sweeping US law to reduce single-use plastics – The Guardian – 6/30/2022
Article P&G: Controversial ‘Advanced Recycling’ Legislation Dies – Eco RI News – 6/22/2022
 Article ZW: Government will ban some single-use plastics over the next eighteen months – CBC (Canada) – 6/20/2022
Report - L - Fire at Orchard Ridge - 6/19/2022
Article ZW: National Parks to phase out single-use plastics– Greenwire – 6/08/2022
Article ZW: Boston curbside pilot to begin in August – Waste Dive – 5/27/2022
Report:  Campus Brand Audit Report -Post Landfill Action Network, Break Free From Plastic at 10 Universities – 2021-2022 School Year
 Article ZW: US is recycling just 5% of its plastic waste, studies show – The Guardian – 5/05/2022
 Article ZW: OPINION: The Future of Zero Waste Lies in the Circular Economy – Technology Networks – 5/04/2022
 Report: The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastic Recycling Rate: 2021 U.S.Facts and Figures – The Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics - 5/04/2022
 Article ZW: Hundreds of US Cities Composting Their Food Waste Helps Farmers and Cuts Tons of Emissions – Good News Network – 5/04/2022
 Article ZW: Minneapolis shares its years of organics collection expertise as other major cities consider new efforts – Waste Dive – 5/03/2022
 Article ZW: Momentum Building, Dual Stream Recycling Communities – Institute for Local Self Reliance – 4/19/2022
Report: Methane Matters: A Comprehensive Approach to Methane Mitigation – Changing Markets Foundation, Environmental Investigation Agency and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) – 3/31/2022
Article ZW: Ongoing Bottle Bill Expansion Debates Heat up in Four States - Waste Dive – 3/30/2022
 Article ZW: City of Richmond’s ban on single-use plastic comes into effect – CBS News British Columbia – 3/27/2022
Article ZW: Matter 360 Repurposes 3.3 Million Pounds of Medical Surplus in 2021 – Waste360 – 3/21/2022
Article ZW: Philadelphia, PA to Start Enforcing Plastic Bag Ban on April 1 – Waste Advantage Magazine – 3/18/2022
Article ZW: PepsiCo Pledges to Reduce Single-Use Packaging As Requested by As You Sow Proposal – 3/17/2022 – Waste360
Report: Reimagining the Bottle Bill – Reloop – 3/15/2022
Article G&P:Plastic buring has no place in climate-forward NY - Syracuse.com   - 3/14/2022 (Guest Opinion by Judith Enck and Tok M. Oyewole)
Article ZW: Target Zero Appeals to Consumers sustainability concerns – Waste Dive – 3/10/2022
Article ZW: Mattress Recycling Council Surpasses 10 Million Mattresses Recycled – Waste Advantage Magazine – 3/09/2022
 Article ZW: ‘Chemical Recycling' of plastic slammed by environmental groupphys.org - 3/08/2022
 Article ZW: Historic Day in the Campaign to beat plastic pollution: Nations Commit to develop a legally binding agreement – United Nations Environment Program – 3/02/2022
Report: Recycling Lies: “Chemical Recycling” of Plastic is Just Green Washing Incineration
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) – February 2022
Article G&P: ‘Failure’ or solution? EPA weighs plastic recycling plan – Greenwire – 2/28/2022
Report: Problematic and Unnecessary Materials Report – U.S. Plastics Pact – January 2022
Article ZW: US Plastics Pact release anticipated ‘problematic’ materials list – Waste Dive – 1/25/2022
Article ZW: Bottle Bill backers see opportunity for action - Plastics Recycling – 1/25/2022
VIDEO G&P: Brightmark still wants plastics recycling plant in Macon despite Mayor’s withdrawal of Support - 13WMAZ – 1/14/2022 
 Report G&P: Plastic-To-Fuel A losing Proposition - Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) – 1/13/2022 – (WEAL is mentioned on page 7)

 

Reports 2021 and prior
 

Zero Waste Articles and Videos 2021 and prior

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