The Ultimate Guide to Food Waste Recycling
30-40% of food in America is simply thrown away, and in a country where one in eight people suffer from hunger, this figure is particularly troubling. And yet the consequences of such wastefulness are not limited to humans, with the environmental impact of food waste on that scale also posing significant problems. When food waste…Read More…
NYC Waste Statistics – What You Need to Know
New York City produces more than 14 million tons of waste every year and while there are ongoing attempts to streamline its waste management, as seen with the introduction of the Commercial Waste Zones bill, the city as a whole is still heading in the wrong direction. Below is a compilation of the most important…Read More…
How Long Does It Take for Common Materials to Decompose?
Left exposed to the elements, different materials break down at very different rates – ranging from a matter of days to many thousands of years. But how long does it take some of the most everyday materials to break down? We’re going to take a look at the decomposition times of some common materials, how…Read More…
Where Does My Waste Go — A Guide to Measuring Diversion and Tracking Progress for Businesses
The process of measuring waste diversion rates is one the most effective and important steps that you can take towards improving the environmental impact of your business. With a firm understanding of this rate, you can gain insight into the types and volume of waste your business is producing, as well as how that waste…Read More…
What’s the Carbon Footprint of the Foods We Eat?
The food that we eat has an enormous impact on our collective carbon footprint, with estimates suggesting that a quarter of all global greenhouse emissions are linked to our existing consumption habits. Across the US, food contributes up to 30% of household emissions, and in New York, it has been identified as one of the four key sources…Read More…
The Future of Food and Fabric —How Regenerative Agriculture Is Key to Sustainability
Responsible for more than a third of the world’s greenhouse gases, taking up about 38 percent of global land surface, and accounting for around 70 percent of all freshwater withdrawals, our existing agricultural systems are fast becoming unsustainable. In fact, the shocking amount of resources used and waste generated in supporting the industry don’t stop…Read More…
The Ultimate Guide to Starting your Zero Waste Journey
The zero-waste movement is seen as one of the many ways that individuals can reduce their environmental impact by taking control of their consumption and waste generation. It focuses on three underlying principles: producer responsibility, political responsibility, and community responsibility. Naturally, individuals have some say over all three of these elements, however, it is perhaps…Read More…
Recycling 101 – How to Recycle Better
The long-established need for a robust municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling system that prevents unnecessary waste from going to landfills, thus cutting greenhouse gas emissions, has led to record percentages of waste being recycled in recent decades. Recycling is now a $200 billion industry in the US, setting a pace that must continue in coming…Read More…
Reuse, Reuse, Reuse – The Best Websites for Swapping Your Stuff
There’s something magical about finding a special second-hand item. Old sweaters, dressing tables, coffee cups, whiskey tumblers, sets of tools and old racing bicycles just manage to convey something sacred. When we find these items and bring them into our own lives, they seem to express a certain power. Laden with their own history yet…Read More…
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Waste Disposal Vehicles
Transportation is the biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the US, and despite modest progress we are still overly reliant on fossil fuels to run our vehicles. Heavy-duty trucks are the biggest emitters of the lot; though constituting only 4% of the vehicles on the road in the US, these trucks use 20%…Read More…