Talking Trash

What you can do to reduce marine litter

What you can do to reduce marine litter

Last week, we shared information about Save Our Seas 2.0, legislation passed last December to reduce marine debris, especially plastic. Here’s what you can do to help! • Avoid excess packaging whenever possible. • Opt for reusables, such washable water bottles,...

Save Our Seas 2.0 Act aims to reduce marine debris

Save Our Seas 2.0 Act aims to reduce marine debris

Marine debris, especially plastics, not only harms over 800 species of marine life in our oceans, but also the local economies of coastal communities. This debris threatens to grow and cause further damage to our world if left unchecked. Last December, the United...

Did you know disposable wipes are plastic?

Did you know disposable wipes are plastic?

During the pandemic, we’ve been encourage to sanitize surfaces both in our homes and as we travel. But did you realize all those wipes are actually adding more plastic to our waste stream? Whether you are disinfecting the area around you on an airplane or your...

Heard of “forever chemicals” called PFAS?

Heard of “forever chemicals” called PFAS?

PFAS in an abbreviation for “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” which are manmade, highly stable fluorinated chemicals. Because PFAS compounds do not break down easily in nature, they are referred to as “forever chemicals.” Since the 1940s, thousands of PFAS...

Give Your Old “Specs” a Second Look

Give Your Old “Specs” a Second Look

Have an old pair of eyeglasses you no longer wear hanging around in a drawer somewhere? Donate them! There are several programs that collect old glasses for reuse by those who need them. According to OneSight, a nonprofit “committed to eradicating the global...

What exactly is a Circular Economy?

What exactly is a Circular Economy?

If you are connected to solid waste management in any way, “circular economy” is a buzz phrase that appears often. We want to move away from our “linear economy” toward the “circular,” but what exactly is in the circle we seek? The Ellen MacArthur Foundation offered a...

Relax, Recharge, and Recycle

Relax, Recharge, and Recycle

You pick up the remote, but no matter how hard you press the buttons, it won’t work. It’s time for new batteries. Once you find the new batteries you need, what should you do with the old ones? So much to do and think about when all you wanted was to sit down and...

“Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste”

“Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste”

While recently with family, someone suggested that the chicken salad I was eating had been around too long and I should stop eating it. “Why?”, I asked. “It smells and tastes fine and I have suffered no ill effects.” The reply was that five days was too long to keep...

Grind Down the Coffee Waste Habit

Grind Down the Coffee Waste Habit

Thanks to our friends at the City of Burbank Public Works for sharing these great tips. This is adapted from an article which appeared in the Winter 2021 edition of Reduce, Reuse, Rethink, a publication produced by Eco Partners, Inc. for the Burbank Recycle...