In the Daily Digest, the Waste Dive team rounds up insights and moments from around the industry you may have missed.
CITIES AROUND THE WORLD PLEDGE REDUCTION
In a press release today, C40 announced that 23 global cities — including Paris, London and Copenhagen — have signed the organization's Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration promising to reduce waste sent to landfills or waste-to-energy facilities 50% by 2030, lower per capita output by 15% and increase their diversion rates to 70%. The news comes ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit to be held in San Francisco in September.
The eight U.S. cities on this list include more high-profile "zero waste" strivers such as New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C, and Portland, Oregon; as well as the less commonly cited San Jose and Santa Monica in California, and Newburyport in Massachusetts.
All of the cities listed comprise 150 million people and the initiative, if achieved, will save at least 87 million tons of waste from disposal over the next decade. One of the goals of the effort is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by way of mitigating methane production at landfills.
Specific goals of the declaration include food waste reduction, single-use/non-recyclable plastics mitigation, construction waste recycling/reuse improvements, more inclusivity and awareness of reduction/recycling programs, equal benefits distribution and bi-annual reporting on progress.
IN OTHER NEWS
Waste Management eyes Crossroads landfill expansion in Maine — Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel
Waste Management operates the Norridgewock facility and wants to expand it by 51 acres, along with increasing waste reduction and recycling programs. The proposal includes a new regional composting scheme, upgrades to the local transfer station and textile recycling. A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30 and will be co-hosted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Northern Maine is already set to see more capacity become available when a new Fiberight facility comes online in the coming months.
New Jersey borough wants to stop early/late trash pickups — Northjersey.com
Glen Rock officials have received numerous complaints about noise from collection vehicles operating during hours when residents are usually asleep. A proposed ordinance states trash companies must operate between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. or receive fines between $100 and $2,000 per offense or up to 90 days in prison. There will be a public hearing on September 12, followed by a vote.
Recycle Across America announces bin manufacturer agreement — Press Release
Correction: A previous version of this article misconstrued a statistic from Recycle Across America.
The partnership means some makers of composting, trash and recycling bins will use standardized labels on their products to reduce sorting confusion. Recycle Across America says there are around nine million different standardized labels in use around the U.S. The organization hopes that expanding the reach of standardized labels will help reduce contamination and increase recycling rates. Following a new educational partnership with Rubicon Global earlier this year, and recent press attention that some considered controversial, the organization has continued to grow in prominence.
Landfill in Rapid City, South Dakota could fill up earlier than expected — Rapid City Journal
A 2006 study estimated a landfill closure date sometime in 2053, but city officials now say the landfill could reach capacity as early as 2037 despite a new cell currently under construction. Officials chalk up this discrepancy to the fact that studies are rarely able to accurately project closure dates so far in advance. One possible reason for the earlier timeline is that the typical Rapid City resident sends around a pound more waste to the landfill per day than the national average, amounting to a 20% recycling rate.
TRASH WORLD
Truck made of recycled material will journey to South Pole — Recycling International
Two Dutch explorers started the Solar Voyager project to raise awareness of recycling by asking young people in the Netherlands to pick up waste for source material to use in a special vehicle. Now, near the end of this year, the couple will drive that truck around 1,500 miles across Antarctica in a trip that is expected to take 40 days.
ON THE AGENDA
- International Solid Waste Association and be Waste Wise Webinar: D-NOSES: Optimizing Waste Management and Reducing Odour Pollution Through Citizen Science. Aug. 29, 10-11 a.m. (EDT).
Do you have events or webinars that should be on our agenda this week? Email waste.dive.editors@industrydive.com.
