In case you missed it: Thoughtful, newsworthy comments from industry professionals, consumers and policymakers.

"Further, the proposed specification on carried waste is far below industry standards. This is already having dramatic impacts on the value of recyclables, resulting in landfilling these commodities. The outfall from such actions could have a devastating effect on recycling, which the industry may not be able to recover from."

— National Waste and Recycling Association President Darrel K. Smith, in his organization's latest comments to the World Trade Organization concerning China's proposed 0.5% contamination standard.

"SWANA is pleased that the overall collection worker fatality rate declined a bit in 2016... However, the sad truth is that we are still the 5th most dangerous job in America, with a higher workplace fatality rate than police officers or fire fighters. This is no time to take a victory lap."

— Solid Waste Association of North America CEO David Biderman on newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the waste and recycling industry saw slight improvement, as overall U.S. workplace fatalities rose for the third year in a row, it is still seen as too dangerous.

"We think that sharing the best practices generally leads people to the best solution."

— Jason Pelz, Vice President of Sustainability and Recycling Programs at Tetra Pak, during a Carton Council and National Recycling Coalition webinar on the current state of domestic carton recycling. In addition to highlighting an important access milestone, Pelz reiterated that every MRF is going to approach carton recycling differently, and the best way to improve the process is to share best practices, rather than specific techniques or processes.

"Use it as a wake-up call. Evaluate your operations and make sure if you're going to enter into a situation that exposes you to risk of joint employment, understand what that risk is and if you can try to modify it."

— Mark Kisicki, an attorney involved in the original BFI case, on the latest joint-employer developments.

"We realize that our waste-based energy goal cannot be achieved by 2020.  When we originally set our goals, we intended them to be directional — and aspirational. Although it meant that we were unlikely to achieve our 2020 goal on renewable energy, we divested Wheelabrator to concentrate on our core competencies in [landfill gas-to-energy] and recycling."

— Waste Management Spokeswoman Tiffiany Moehring, in an emailed statement responding to the company's 2017 sustainability report update. Waste Management has thousands of trucks running on CNG, but is going to fall short of its original WTE production goals.

"I will continue to work with my colleagues, including our newly elected members, to see thoughtful and intelligent legislation come to fruition, and for anyone to suggest otherwise is disingenuous."

— New York City Council Member I. Daneek Miller, in a statement issued to Waste Dive. Miller was one of the original cosponsors of a long-debated transfer station capacity reduction bill that fell apart at the end of this year's legislative sesson.

"The market is falling and is falling dramatically, and that’s why the cap is so important. If you don’t include a cap the city is at risk... We are now paying Waste Management for recycling instead of Waste Management paying us."

—Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, citing China's market effects, during the latest exchange in a months-long discussion about awarding a new recycling contract to FCC Environmental Services over incumbent provider Waste Management. The mayor remains a staunch supporter of FCC, despite cost and process questions from council members. The contract will now be voted on Jan. 3 at the earliest.