In case you missed it: Thoughtful, newsworthy comments from industry professionals, consumers and legislators.
"They have to dig their hands into garbage. Not for fame or richness, but to secure their daily bread.
— Michael Ziadat, a Newark, DE resident who opposed a plan for the city to outsource trash collection to Republic Services. Although the proposal was recently rejected, it originally had citizens willing to raise taxes in order to keep city trash haulers employed.
"While the industry continues to be subject to increased costs and the extreme fluctuations in global commodity markets, we are seeing strength in the sector in terms of increasing revenues..."
— Bret Biggers, director of standards and statistics for NWRA, on the association's Industry Business Conditions analysis for the second quarter. The analysis found that second-quarter revenue grew 10.3%.
"What we need is not to bury our head in the sand, but to keep an eye to the future by closing the loop."
—Magdalene Sim and Richard Fuller of Great Forest, Inc. on the current state of recycling in the U.S. Fuller and Sim responded to New York Times reporter John Tierney's 'Reign of Recycling' piece, which stirred controversy in the waste and recycling industry.
"There was really very little backlash against women joining the uniform ranks and I find that to be true today as well. It’s really about getting the job done, and if you’re willing to get the job done, the men who work at [The New York City Department of Sanitation] are very open to anyone who’s capable of pulling their own weight and the weight that is required any given day of the week."
—New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia on the role of women in the industry. Garcia worked at the Department of Environmental Protection before being appointed to the role of DSNY Commissioner in 2014.
"As the marketplace of packaging has changed, people look at something and they think, ‘OK, can I or can’t I,' ... But they’re only going to do that for so long and then it’s either going to go in the trash or it will be something that we can’t accept (for recycling), and then we wind up with a high contamination rate."
—Sherri Ludlam, environmental specialist with the Environmental Services Department in Tucson, AZ. Although Tucson's recycling rate is 90%, the contamination rate of the recycling is 20%, which is much higher than the city would like.
"Recyclers and others who handle discarded electronics must make sure that potentially harmful components are properly stored and handled."
— EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck on the hazards of e-waste disposal. The EPA has recently reached an agreement with ECO International, in which ECO will dispose of 26 million pounds of crushed glass that contains lead by November.
