
We Need to Advance Solid Waste Technology
To implement a true circular economy, we need to systematically and automatically reuse most of the material placed in our trash bags.
To implement a true circular economy, we need to systematically and automatically reuse most of the material placed in our trash bags.
Our expert says: It’s better than adding another piece of plastic to the problem.
The construction of waste management and material mining facilities is essential for the development of a circular economy, and the evolution toward a circular economy is a prerequisite for sustainable cities.
Landfills should also be outfitted with facilities to monitor and control existing methane emissions.
Compared to landfilling, waste-to-energy plants reduce carbon emissions and conserve land. China provides a good example of how waste-to-energy can be expanded.
Nearly 40 percent of all food goes uneaten in the U.S. Environmental policy alumni examine the impacts of food waste and how we can make a difference.
Burning garbage to produce electricity is a strategy for sustainable waste management that is finding favor in Europe and China. Why isn’t it practiced more in the U.S.?
New York’s Freshkills Park may be a tough sell for those of us who remember the huge landfill that used to be there. But anyone born in the 21st century will not associate that space with garbage, and over the next half century it will become of increasing importance to the development of Staten Island and New York City.
Americans discard about 33.6 million tons of plastic each year, but only 9.5 percent of it is recycled and 15 percent is combusted in waste-to-energy facilities. What happens to the rest of it?