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New York City fails zero waste pledge. Why it’s going backward. – POLITICO

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New York City fails zero waste pledge. Why it’s going backward. – POLITICO

NEW YORK — Mountains of trash are getting steeper as the country’s largest city inches away from its ambitious goal of nearly zeroing out residential waste by 2030, emblematic of the nation’s struggles with more garbage and limited recycling options.

City Hall cut street sweeping in half during the Covid-19 pandemic. Residents are recycling at their lowest level since 2015. Composting food scraps — which comprise one-third of household waste — is becoming harder as the program has been a target of budget cuts. And reforms to the private-sector industry that collects commercial waste have been delayed once again.
Terrain Map: Green Mountain National Forest Overview Map - North - Wide Screen

The Plastic Industry’s Long Fight to Blame Pollution on You

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Plastic production really began in earnest in the 1950s. It’s hard to remember, but we once got along without it. Of course, plastic offered great convenience, and its production skyrocketed. In 1967, when Dustin Hoffman was advised to go into plastics “The Graduate,” there were 25 million tons of plastic produced. These days, we’re making 300 million tons. At this point, the plastics industry is worth $4 trillion and almost half of what it's producing is single-use plastics — things that will be used once and almost instantly become trash.

Public outrage at this problem erupted in 1970, with the first Earth Day, and the industry has been successfully dodging the issue ever since. Through advertising, public outreach campaigns, lobbying, and partnerships with non-profits designed to seem “green,” plastics industry organizations have been blaming “litterbugs” for the growing menace and promoting the idea of recycling as the solution, while at the same time fighting every serious attempt to limit plastic production.

SVGZ Graphic: Population of Albany County

OSHA cites ‘serious’ workplace health exposures at Pittsfield trash-burning plant | Central Berkshires | berkshireeagle.com

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OSHA cites ‘serious’ workplace health exposures at Pittsfield trash-burning plant | Central Berkshires | berkshireeagle.com

PITTSFIELD — Workers at a Pittsfield waste-to-energy facility risked breathing in smoke containing arsenic, cadmium and lead, the federal government says, a finding that confirms other accounts of hazards at the bankrupt plant.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Community Eco Power LLC, of Pittsfield, to respond by April 4 to violations it lodged Feb. 15 against the Hubbard Avenue plant, when it imposed $26,107 in penalties
Map: Sand Lake