In case you missed it: Thoughtful, newsworthy comments from industry professionals, consumers and policymakers.
"If implemented, a ban on scrap imports will result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and closure of many recycling businesses throughout the United States. A ban on imports of scrap commodities into China would be catastrophic to the recycling industry."
— ISRI President Robin Wiener on China's plans to implement an import ban of 24 solid wastes. The import ban, announced to the World Trade Organization, would include certain kinds of scrap plastic, paper and slag from iron or steel manufacturing.
"The safety of our employees is our top priority. We took the threats seriously and while we don’t discuss details of our safety protocols externally, we extended great measures to remind employees to be vigilant and to closely follow existing procedures."
— Isha Cogburn, a senior communications specialist with Waste Management, on reports of an arrest in Phoenix after a man allegedly made two online threats toward Waste Management employees. The second threat apparently included a detailed list of names.
"We go from site to site, we’re in and out of our vehicles throughout the day so we want to make sure we have that ability to stay fit. It’s not about saying ‘I want to get to a specific goal.’ It’s about changing your lifestyle and doing things little by little that are healthier."
— Mike Zamora, a district manager at Waste Management and a participant in the company's Couch-to-5K program. The company organized an eight-week program for employees and family members to maintain healthy habits.
"Expanding requirements for businesses to reduce food waste and divert organic material from landfills is an important part of meeting Mayor de Blasio’s sustainability goals."
— New York City Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, in a press release, on the city's need to expand organics diversion requirements to about 2,000 additional businesses.
"My hope is readers will get a sense of the sheer magnitude of the tide of plastics and the plastic-waste challenge we're facing. It's enormous, and it's accelerating."
— Roland Geyer, an author of a recent study assessing plastic waste, to The Washington Post. Geyer and his colleagues calculated that over 8.3 billion metric tons of virgin plastics have been produced and that 79% of produced plastics have ended up in landfills or as pollution in the natural environment.