All About Waste’s Post

Composting: good article here on policy, definitions, challenges and how composting fits into the larger puzzle of waste reduction... https://lnkd.in/eWX67n8b

Water reuse, whether potable, agricultural, or industrial, direct or indirect, will become more and more the expectation as we move towards a sustainable water treatment future. Arizona are positioning themselves as a leader in this space, and this article is a good example of some of the issues that need to be addressed to ensure sustainable water accessibility for water-stressed communities. https://lnkd.in/g5kJqqAF

Well done to MassDEP for their success in food waste collection! Here are three key actions that led to their success: 1 MassDEP boasts the best composting infrastructure network, with the most food waste processing facilities per every 1,000 square miles in the state. 2 Massachusetts stands out for its simplicity in language, having the easiest-to-understand law with the least number of exceptions and exemptions compared to other states. 3 When it comes to enforcement, Massachusetts leads the way with over triple the number of inspections per generator per year compared to the next nearest state, Vermont. Additionally, there was minimal enforcement observed in other states, both in terms of inspections and fines. Kudos to MassDEP for their commitment to effective food waste management! #Massachusetts #FoodWasteCollection #EnvironmentalSuccess

We're making * Recycled Water * our Word of the Week because California's regulations for direct potable reuse went into effect this month. The regulations for the first time allow highly cleansed and disinfected sewage water to be piped directly into drinking water systems. The goal is to boost water supplies as the climate becomes hotter and drier. Learn more about recycled water and other key water topics in Aquapedia, our water encyclopedia. ⬇ ⬇ https://lnkd.in/gEZdgCbE #cawater

I was privileged to attend a dialogue organized by Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) on, “Management of e-Waste and Climate Change ' on 31st May last year. During this meeting, the issue of lack of standardized color-coding scheme for the various streams of waste was raised and the representative from the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry was urged to follow up on this. As it will provide a road map and bolster source separation efforts in the country. It is good to see that NEMA has proposed a national coding scheme for waste management given as follows: 🟢Green for organic waste  🔵Blue for recyclable waste  ⚫Black for general waste ⁉ You may have noted that they have not provided a color code for e-waste which is an emerging waste stream that is growing at an exponential rate as consumer appetite for electrical and electronic devices continues to rise. 📣The public has been invited to give their views on the proposed color-coding scheme on or before August 16, 2024, through email info@nema.go.ke or any of Nema's social media platforms. ✍🏾 You can provide your views including the lack of color code for e-waste. https://lnkd.in/djD-Mr3m

Massachusetts stood out as having an effective food waste ban because it had three clear features: a simple law with a small number of exemptions; a robust network of composting infrastructure so it was easy and affordable for businesses to compost rather than trash their food waste; and an enforcement system: https://lnkd.in/gxYAFUq7

Municipal solid waste (MSW) can be defined as non-air and sewer emission created within and disposed of by a municipality including household garbage, commercial refuse, construction and demolition debris, dead animals and abandoned vehicles. Municipal solid waste, also called garbage or trash, is non-hazardous refuse generated by households, institutions, industries, agriculture, and sewage. #EnvironmentalManagement

Linda Norris-Waldt, CAE is right! See her post here. There is so much potential for entrepreneurs to create a significant contribution to compost infrastructure. Unlike plastic and recyclable materials it's so much easier for communities and small entrepreneurs to compost since it's a natural organic process. Community and small composters contribute to our compost infrastructure as Victory Gardens contributed to our agriculture infrastructure in World War II. During World War II, over 20 million Victory Gardens sprouted across the United States, transforming backyards, rooftops, and vacant lots into vital sources of fresh produce. Remarkably, these community-driven efforts produced 40% of the nation's vegetables! Americans and our communities are extraordinary resilient, and this historic feat with WW2 Victory Gardens highlights how ordinary American citizens, when mobilized and motivated, can significantly impact national challenges. Today, we face a different but equally pressing issue: managing organic waste and single-use packaging sustainably. Imagine if we applied the Victory Garden model to small/entrepreneurial community composting. By establishing thousands of small composting sites nationwide, we could potentially start with diverting 20 million pounds of compostable material from landfills each year! This shift would cover a significant portion of the total compostable waste in the US, diverting from the haul-and-landfill model, drastically reducing methane emissions and sequestering carbon in our soils. The environmental and economic benefits are substantial. Each ton of waste composted instead of landfilled avoids 0.25 metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, translating to a significant reduction of CO2 annually. Furthermore, enriching our soils with compost not only improves agricultural productivity but also fosters community engagement and creates local jobs. By turning waste into a valuable resource, community composters can revolutionize waste management and drive us toward a more sustainable future. Comment and repost this if you're interested to hear more. US Composting Council Compost Research & Education Foundation (CREF) International Compost Awareness Week - ICAW USA Compost Stewardship Institute Compost Manufacturing Alliance LLC The 5 Gyres Institute Institute for Local Self-Reliance Mother Jones Green America #compost #community #sustainable #wastereduction #noplastic #soilhealth

#Foodwaste contributes significantly to methane emissions, but effective solutions require more than state bans. Better collaboration between businesses, stakeholders, and regulators to ensure adoptability and compliance is important. #InnovationManagement software supports unified strategies, and #Consortiums can grow food waste reduction initiatives while encouraging broader adoption of #sustainable practices across sectors.