In case you missed it: Thoughtful, newsworthy comments from industry professionals, consumers, and legislators.
"There's no waste in nature ... The byproduct of one system is typically the resource of another; as humans, we can achieve the same thing."
— Kate Davenport, co-president of Eureka Recycling, in a blog post highlighting the company's operations. Waste Dive reported this week that Eureka recently received a $9.9 million financial package from the Closed Loop Fund, marking the Fund's 10th investment.
"Recycling only works when manufacturers make it easy. By stepping further away from that idea, Apple sets a dangerous precedent because as goes Apple, so goes the industry."
— Kyle Wiens, chief executive of electronics repair firm iFixit, in a blog post regarding Apple's new AirPod earbuds. Wiens explained that, due to glued-in lithium-ion batteries, the AirPods are nearly impossible to recycle and will likely create an e-waste nightmare in the near future.
“Siting major industrial recyclers in and near the city is not necessarily a realistic policy option."
— Justin Wood, co-author of a new Transform Don't Trash report regarding recycling rates in New York, in an interview with Waste Dive. The report suggests that an estimated 3,300 new jobs could be created in the city if combined residential and commercial recycling rates were increased to 70%.
“The fact that no local nonprofit organization submitted a bid shows how much this flew under the radar."
— Tod Marvin, president and CEO of Easter Seals of Central Texas, to KXAN regarding a new curbside textile pickup program in Austin, TX. Nonprofits are pushing back against the Simple Recycling program and expressing concerns that they may lose out on potential inventory.
"I had county employees come out and tell me how hard the garbage people work ... I told them they need to fight for us, the residents."
— Orange County resident Karmen Williamson in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel regarding trash pickups. Such pickups were revamped across the county in January 2016, and now almost one year later, the county is receiving far fewer complaints than before.
"I think it’s a double standard if you say certain food is good for one group of people but not for another ... You can sell this buffet food, but you can’t donate buffet food?"
— Steve Dietz, director of business development for Tennessee-based Food Donation Connection, in an interview with Waste Dive regarding food donations under the Bill Emerson Act. While Dietz and some other food recovery leaders support donating buffet-style food, Feeding America opposes the practice due to possible health risks.