With organic waste recycling on the rise, many cities and towns are looking to invest in infrastructure that will repurpose our food waste and yard clippings. But which method should they invest in – industrial composting or anaerobic digestion?
The uptick in composting is a huge step forward in combatting our trash crisis. But we can’t do the hard work on our own. We need cities, towns, and states to invest in infrastructure that will make composting easy and affordable for everyone.
Cambridge partnered with a local composter in 2018 to start a curbside compost program. But as more residents signed-up, the volume of food scraps increased. Cambridge accommodated the growth by finding a new partner. It signed with Waste Management – a partnership that has put the City’s food scraps to waste.
Is the systemic idea of Zero Waste actually possible? Yes! But to do so, we need to stop looking at Zero Waste as just a lifestyle and start looking at it as a strategic concept for managing our waste – and tackling the trash crisis.
“State officials are blatantly ignoring the law and communities are suffering as a result,” said CLF New Hampshire attorney Heidi Trimarco. “The state is legally required to have an updated solid waste plan before approving landfill permits, yet it has green-lighted several landfill expansions since the last plan was completed in 2003. Instead of committing to waste reduction and diversion efforts as part of a new solid waste plan, New Hampshire has become a dumping ground for out-of-state waste.”
“It simply makes sense to wait until the permit appeals process is finished before allowing this landfill to accept more waste,” said Heidi Trimarco, Staff Attorney for CLF New Hampshire. “This final proposed stage of the Bethlehem landfill is not needed, and it undermines both the state’s waste reduction goal and requirements for reducing landfilling. It’s time we stop relying on endless landfill expansions and start protecting communities by recycling, composting, and reducing waste at the source.”
Hartford’s incinerator has been poisoning nearby communities for far too long. It’s time for the city to shut down this toxic facility and move towards innovative zero-waste solutions that aim to protect public health.
In true 2020 fashion, many families are having small-scale get-togethers or opting for virtual celebrations this Thanksgiving. With less people, that means being even more careful not to overbuy and waste food – because food waste can be terribly damaging to the environment. So let’s think about this for a second – what can you do to waste less food this Thanksgiving?
“Continuing to expand polluting landfills is the last thing New Hampshire needs,” said Tom Irwin, Vice President and Director of CLF New Hampshire. “The state got it right the first time when it determined there is no need for this landfill expansion. It’s time – at long last – for New Hampshire to make good on its policy of reducing waste, rather perpetuating its burial of it in landfills and putting our communities at risk.”
The City of Providence took a critical step in creating a zero-waste future and protecting its communities by banning trash incineration. The ban provides a model that other communities throughout the region can follow.
