2018 has been a wild year when it comes to recycling and green living news. Keep reading for the latest from these industries.
The Seattle Times recently published an article on how China's decision to shut its doors to American recyclables has had a trickle down effect on recycling here in Seattle. Recycling companies like Republic have been forced to appeal to local landfills to accept recyclables. Fortunately, buyers in other countries like India, Malysia, and Vietnam have emerged to take up some of the volume, but their capacity doesn't even approach China's.
Want to know where recyclables go after they're picked up? Hans Van Dusen, solid waste contracts manager at Seattle Public Utilities is here to spill the beans. He also details what are some of the more common mistakes people make when trying to recycle.
Check out this article if you want to learn more about a very interesting study from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Staples Sustainable Innovation Lab, and the Consumer Technology Association. This study focuses on establishing a baseline for the 'material footprint' of consumer technology used in the U.S. and its associated waste flows. The key finding was that the number of and types of goods sold have increased, yet the net material consumption has gone down to the lowest levels measured since 1990.