EPA Sues Puerto Rico City Over Landfill Overflow
The agency is asking a federal judge to order Toa Alta to address the ongoing environmental threats posed by overflowing its landfill.
Read more
garbage
Rubbish-Covered Lake Brings to Light Balkans Waste Problem
Trucks and building machines are parked on a river dam in southwest Serbia but not for construction work. Instead, huge cranes are being used to clear tons of garbage crammed at the foot of the power plant.
Read moreRiver Trash
A federal judge denied the Natural Resources Defense Council’s motion to set a deadline for final action on remand in a challenge to a 2018 decision giving the EPA discretion over how to establish a new total maximum daily load for trash in the Anacostia River.
Read more
Consumers Likely Wasting Twice as Much Food as Previously Thought
A United Nations organization estimated in 2005 that a third of all food went to waste. But a new study finds that number to be much higher.
Read moreCompostable Food Boxes Leach Harmful Chemicals Into Soil
Compostable food packaging seemingly combines convenience with sustainability, but a study published Wednesday found the containers are leaching potentially harmful substances into the ground.
Read moreEU Council Bans Many Single-Use Plastics to Keep Beaches Clean
Turning the screws on marine pollution and environmental health hazards, the Council of the European Union signed off on a plan to ban many single-use plastic items and set limits on potentially harmful contaminants in fertilizer products.
Read moreGarbage, Feces Take Toll on National Parks Amid Shutdown
Human feces, overflowing garbage, illegal off-roading and other damaging behavior in fragile areas were beginning to overwhelm some of the West’s iconic national parks, as a partial government shutdown left the areas open to visitors but with little staff on duty.
Read moreEU Moves Step Closer to Ban on Many Single-Use Plastics
The European Parliament on Thursday voted to ban many single-use plastic items, targeting what the administrative arm of the EU says are the 10 products most likely to end up as litter in oceans.
Read moreIn India, a Trio of Unlikely Heroes Wages War on Plastic
With more than 15 million people, New Delhi and its surrounding cities produce an estimated 17,000 tons of trash daily, according to Indian officials and environmentalists. That requires immense dumps, hills of stinking trash that measure up to 50 meters tall. Last year, two people were killed when a large part of one of the city’s dumps crashed down onto them.
Read moreCleveland Waste Worker Rails Against Ban on Talking to Press
A heavy equipment operator claims Cleveland is enforcing a media ban that prevents her and other workers from speaking out about sexually harassing behavior and dangerous conditions at a city plant, including the dumping of toxic waste and a raccoon infestation.
Read more
Houston Leaders Spar Over Harvey Debris Cleanup
With Houston facing the monumental task of disposing debris from flood-ravaged homes, tempers flared at Wednesday’s City Council meeting when a council member asked city staff to give him a schedule for when trash will be picked up in his district.
Read moreHouston Mayor Seeks Tax Hike for Harvey Cleanup
Houston garbage collectors are working 16-hour days picking up piles of soggy building materials removed from flooded homes, and the mayor says the process could drag on until Christmas if a tax hike is not approved to pay for more garbage contractors.
Read more
Property Owners Say LA’s Green Waste Program Should Be Trashed
Property owners Tuesday filed a class action against Los Angeles, claiming its new waste-refuse hauling program created illegal taxes and rewards a small monopoly of franchisees.
Read more
River Cleanup Highlights California’s Water Troubles
After centuries of human impact, outdated wastewater technology and overuse, California’s rivers harbor a dirty secret.
Read moreOngoing Trash Woes Land Italy Back Before EU Judges
The European Commission said Wednesday it will sue Italy over its failure to clean up or close 44 landfills that violate EU health and safety laws.
Read moreCleanup Nets 50 Tons of Ocean Trash Near Hawaii
Federal agencies and the state of Hawaii removed 50 tons of garbage from the newly expanded Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument this month during an annual multi-agency cleanup.
Read more