In case you missed it: Thoughtful, newsworthy comments from industry professionals, consumers, and legislators.
“It’s very frustrating, obviously, for any parent who drives their kid to school in the morning, but it’s also frustrating for the (garbage truck) drivers having people honk at them."
— New York City Councilman David Greenfield regarding traffic jams caused by sanitation trucks across the city, as reported by NY Daily News. Greenfield proposed a bill that would require DSNY to install GPS units on all of its vehicles and offer real-time location data to the public.
"If someone else says they will do something positive with food scraps, it shouldn't diminish your own good intentions and efforts to reduce food waste."
— Brian Roe, professor of agricultural, environmental and developmental economics at The Ohio State University, as reported by EurekAlert. Roe is the co-author of a new study that suggests diners may waste more food if they know the food will be composted instead of sent to the landfill.
"Every birthday, Christmas that's all he wants ... Garbage trucks, model garbage trucks, he watches videos of garbage trucks."
— Evan Korynta, father of five-year-old garbage truck lover Dragen Korynta of Kansas, in an interview with WQAD8. Dragen, who is undergoing chemo treatments, received the Christmas gift of a lifetime when the Lawrence Sanitation Department brought a personalized trash truck to the hospital to allow Dragen the opportunity to be a garbage man for the day.
"By removing glass from curbside collection, we will preserve the overall integrity of our recycling program.”
— Waste Connections Municipal Marketing Manager Doug McGill in a press statement regarding the company's decision to suspend glass recycling across its eastern Tennessee region. Waste Connections follows many other companies nationally that have been halting glass recycling programs due to challenging markets.
"We see brands beginning to realize that they can't reach their goals unless the system changes."
— Bridget Croke and Rob Kaplan of the Closed Loop Fund in a Greenbiz piece reminding industry professionals the importance of the circular economy. Croke and Kaplan explain how local governments, entrepreneurs and brands must work together to accomplish a closed-loop system and achieve profitable results.
“We know our competitors are also eager to grab the market. If there’s a war, we are prepared."
— Kerry Chen, founder and CEO of Shanghai Yueyi Network, in an interview with Bloomberg Technology explaining how his Aihuishou app is keeping e-waste out of landfills. The app allows consumers to trade in used phones so they can access newer models, allowing Chen's team to then sell the used phones to students and rural users.