| Let’s take a look at news from around the globe about plastic reduction… New California Laws Target Climate Change California lawmakers decided to take on the issue of climate change head on. Media reports show that laws just passed in the California legislature make the state the first in the United States to introduce mandatory food waste recycling and salvaging of edible food waste. Known as Senate Bill 1383, the law mandates the separation of food waste from both residential and commercial waste while also salvaging edible food. “SB 1383 is the biggest change to our trash since we started recycling in the 1980s,” says Rachel Machi Wagoner, the director of CalRecycle, the state’s recycling authority. About 5.5 million tons of food waste ends up in California landfills every year and is one of the largest sources of methane gas emissions in the state. Waste Management Drops “Waste” One of the most widely recognized businesses in the waste management industry just changed its name. Waste Management, famous for their green and gold logo and their sponsorship of the just concluded Phoenix Open PGA golf event, will simply be WM. The newly rebranded industry giant says they are a "circular logistics operator" who will lead a "renewable energy revolution." More than two years ago, at a sustainability forum hosted by Waste Management, a former UN climate official said the company "should actually change its name" to signal a shift away from the linear economy of production and disposal. That prompted WM CEO Jim Fish to finally drop the “Waste” which was part of the company name since 1968. “At WM, we’re always working for a sustainable tomorrow. It’s that focus on sustainability over many decades that’s helped WM become so much more than a waste management company," Fish said. “Going forward, Waste Management will be known as WM.” The company's slogan will now be "for tomorrow" as part of a broader rebrand. New Zealand’s Circular Economy Plans Land Flat Environmental experts say that the New Zealand government’s plans for a circular economy are fragmented, contradictory and uncoordinated. They say the plans fail to confront the “business-as-usual” drivers of the linear economy or to enhance collaboration. The NZ government plans to address two crises: climate change and waste. It also hopes to create a circular economy. But experts say it has no clear path for how to do this. The muddle that results is a watered down of the potential of a circular economy to bring lasting change, according to those opposed to the plans. Public consultation is underway to develop an emissions reduction plan, following the Climate Change Commission’s advice on carbon budgets towards New Zealand’s 2050 net-zero target. A second document from the government proposes to overhaul the country’s waste strategy and legislation. Both documents intend to move Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) towards a circular economy — one that limits waste and pollution, keeps products in use, and regenerates natural systems to protect, not pillage, natural resources. Feds Intro Bills to Improve Rural Recycling and More The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works recently previewed two bills that plan to expand national recycling and waste reduction goals. Right now, the bill is still in the draft stage, and public hearings continue on the issues. The draft Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., would direct the U.S. EPA to provide grants between $1 million and $15 million each for projects that make recycling programs more accessible to rural and disadvantaged communities, especially “hub-and-spoke” recycling systems that feature transfer stations, plus those that leverage public-private partnerships. The second draft bill, the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, was written and introduced by Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., and John Boozman, R-Ark. It would direct the EPA to collect a wide range of recycling and composting data, including inventories of MRFs and curbside collection programs, and “explore opportunities” for implementing a national composting strategy. Hearings on both bills are expected to continue for a few months, but Senators hope to pass both laws before next year’s midterm elections. Meet the Family Who Create Zero Trash Let me introduce you to the Peñarrubia family of Girona, Catalonia. This eco-family goes weeks without throwing out a single piece of trash. It’s all thanks to their epic recycling efforts and savvy shopping. 41-year-old Esther Peñarrubia encourages her two kids to make crafts and drawings from old bits of packaging so that nothing ends up in landfill. In a two week period, Esther only discarded a single balloon from a party, the backing from a sheet of stickers, an old T-shirt she used to clean shoes, and a broken toy. She began minimizing her family’s waste when she moved to a new home and decided to leave all single-use items behind. The family of four shuns plastic cling film and tin foil, and buys everything she needs in bulk or from second-hand shops. She says, “There are already reusable items that we would have to buy once, so it would be a waste of time and money buying the single-use ones. “It’s cheaper and you know that the item will continue being used instead of being set aside – so it’s just perfect! “Each of us plays a big role in taking care of the environment. “It’s enjoyable to try to help rather than just keep complaining about the current situation.” Read more about her family here. We think the Peñarrubia family sets a great example we can all follow, or at least try to follow!
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