The hottest Waste Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Climate & Environment Topics

Why we need seven bins

Odds and Ends of History • 1407 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Waste Management Environmental Economics Sustainable Practices
  1. Having more bins for waste helps us recycle better. It's easier to separate recyclables from trash when we do it ourselves, which saves money for local councils.
  2. The cost of waste disposal affects what gets recycled. It's cheaper to recycle valuable materials but some items are harder to process, making their disposal costly.
  3. Not everyone has the same ability to recycle, often due to income or living situation. Building better systems and increasing bins alone won't solve the recycling problem—we also need to support everyone in participating.

All things go to eleven

Disaffected Newsletter • 2318 implied HN points • 02 Sep 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Environmental Issues Pollution Waste Management Sustainability
  1. We often can't talk about problems without turning them into a battle between good and evil. This makes it hard to have simple conversations about real issues.
  2. Many environmental discussions are charged with strong emotions, causing people to avoid or misinterpret the topic. We need to separate our concerns from political identities.
  3. Practical issues like plastic waste and poor urban planning are important but rarely talked about because they get caught up in political arguments. We should discuss these without taking sides.

The Dirty Secret of Recycling

Polymathic Being • 104 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Recycling Plastics Waste Management Environmental Impact Sustainability
  1. Only 10% of plastic put in recycling bins is actually recycled.
  2. Recycling can have high contamination rates and often leads to materials being shipped overseas or dumped in landfills.
  3. To improve recycling, focus on reducing and reusing materials, design products for better recycling, and address the psychological aspect of recycling habits.

Recycling Atoms With Supercritical Water

Splitting Infinity • 59 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
🔬 Science Chemistry Renewable Energy Waste Management
  1. Supercritical water can break down organic matter like sewage, paper, plastic, and food into simple molecules, helping in recycling and generating energy.
  2. Using supercritical water can address the issue of a potential future carbon shortage by breaking down carbon present in waste into simple molecules.
  3. Supercritical water enables a wide range of chemical processes like producing green hydrogen, desalination, and supporting different chemical reactions, offering potential for creating sustainable systems.
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Circular Economy, Challenges for the Recycling and Repurposing Models

Divergent Futures • 19 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Waste Management Energy Recycling Economic Models
  1. Recycling requires a lot of energy. To make recycling effective, we need to ensure we have enough energy left over for future use, not just for recycling now.
  2. Repurposing items can be costly at a large scale. It's often cheaper to produce new items because mass production is more efficient than repairing unique, broken items.
  3. The main focus should be on reducing waste, not just on conserving resources. Waste creates urgent problems like pollution and health issues, which need more attention in discussions about sustainability.

What if everyone *did* just?

Of All Trades • 9 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Social norms Public Health Waste Management
  1. In Japan, children are given more freedom, allowing them to safely navigate their surroundings on their own. This level of trust in kids would seem unusual in many other countries.
  2. Japanese people take personal responsibility for public spaces, which leads to clean streets despite fewer public trash bins. They often carry their trash home if no place to dispose it is available.
  3. Wearing masks due to mild illness is a common practice in Japan, showing concern for others. Unlike in some countries, many Japanese workplaces support taking sick days without extra hurdles.

Holy Crap! What goes around comes around

WeBeGreen • 39 implied HN points • 01 Dec 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Pollution Waste Management Sustainable Practices Environmental Impact
  1. There is a disconnect between our actions and their consequences, such as the impact of our waste on the environment like water scarcity.
  2. The process of treating wastewater to turn it into drinking water includes multiple steps like screening out contaminants and filtering out microplastics.
  3. Issues like sewage dumping scandals highlight the consequences of pollution on water quality and food sources, emphasizing the need for better regulations and accountability.

Fight to Repair Daily: Friday, September 30, 2022

Fight to Repair • 39 implied HN points • 30 Sep 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Agriculture Renewables Recycling Economy Waste Management
  1. Statehouses are addressing agricultural repair issues as Congress stalls; focus on complex farm equipment repair and fair requirements
  2. New federal funds support increased antitrust enforcement in agriculture, improving competition in the livestock industry through collaboration with state attorneys general
  3. Solar panel e-waste management gains attention as more panels enter the waste stream; emergence of producer responsibility standards to address recycling challenges

The Subscription Economy Comes For Your Shoes

Fight to Repair • 19 implied HN points • 13 Sep 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Circular Economy Sustainable Fashion Emissions Reduction Waste Management Climate justice
  1. The Cloudneo sneakers by 'On' offer a subscription service where customers return old shoes to get new ones, promoting sustainability.
  2. On's model focuses on minimizing waste by using less energy, renting shoes, and recycling old ones, revealing a shift towards environment-friendly practices in fashion.
  3. Supply chain efficiency and compulsory recycling in the Cyclon program play key roles in reducing waste and emissions, showing a step towards sustainable solutions in the consumer culture.

Regenerative Design: Biotic Sustainability

Divergent Futures • 0 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Ecology Waste Management Circular Economy Resource Management
  1. Sustainable populations need to manage their resources carefully to avoid ecological collapse. When a population grows too large for its environment, it can deplete resources and lead to a collapse.
  2. The circular economy concept aims to recycle resources and manage waste effectively, but it can be challenging due to the laws of thermodynamics. Living systems manage energy and waste in a way that avoids chaos and disorder.
  3. Ecosystems thrive on diversity. Different organisms can fill various roles and niches, helping to maintain balance and sustainability, while human systems often lack this necessary diversity to effectively manage waste.

Regenerative Design: Ecotech Policies

Divergent Futures • 0 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Ecology Design Waste Management
  1. To sustain our environment, we need to enhance the interactions within ecosystems. By doing this, the waste we produce can be managed better and turned back into useful resources.
  2. We should focus on using more natural materials in our products, which will break down and help nourish the environment instead of creating pollution. For example, swapping plastic for biodegradable options like cardboard.
  3. Building designs can integrate more green elements, like plants and trees, to help manage temperature and purify air. This connects our structures back to nature and supports ecosystem health.