In case you missed it: Thoughtful, newsworthy comments from industry professionals, consumers, and legislators.
"A lot of times people don’t have a good idea or sense of what their current system is doing or what it costs."
— Susan Thorneloe, a senior chemical engineer with the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, on the need for tools like the "Decision Support Tool" (DST). DST assists with making waste management systems efficient by allowing planners to see how changes could affect environmental and cost outputs.
"Wasted food is a failure of the system. It’s a societal breakdown of valuable product being thrown away."
— EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus during a two-day food waste reduction event hosted by Harvard Law School. Stanislaus was joined by hundreds of other stakeholders to discuss the top tiers of the food waste hierarchy: source reduction and feeding hungry people.
"...We need to work harder and smarter to educate Americans — including journalists — about the difference between trash and recyclables."
— SWANA CEO David Biderman on a speech that Donald Trump gave this week in front of a wall of recyclable material. The majority of mainstream media referred to the recyclables as "garbage," indicating a need for more education among consumers and other non-industry professionals.
"Recycling rights in the U.K. trailed off in the last few years ... We wouldn’t be surprised if we found a relaxation of the recycling targets."
— Sustainalytics associate director Doug Morrow on how the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union will affect waste management. Sustainalytics released a report which found the Brexit decision could lead the U.K. to scale back on environmental pushes relating to recycling and air emissions.
"After the loss of one of our own ... we knew something needed to happen and happen fast."
— Taylor Garbage Services general manager Jared Taylor in a statement, as reported by Press & Sun-Bulletin. After 27-year-old Sean Tilghman, a Taylor Garbage employee, was killed on the job last year, the company helped push for New York to adopt the Slow Down to Get Around Law. The bill is expected to be signed by Gov. Cuomo and put into effect as early as November.
"I’m appalled ... We’re opposed to the plan. There are serious errors in their statistical representation."
— Betsy Steiner, spokeswoman for EPS Alliance in Maryland, to NBC regarding San Francisco's decision to pass the strictest Styrofoam ban in the nation. EPS Alliance is debating taking legal action against the city for their decision, as the group argues that Styrofoam is recyclable and can be dealt with in ways other than banning the material.