This Week in Waste: Top Stories November 28 - December 2

1. New York’s Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Revs up Anaerobic Co-Digestion Project

Arlene Karidis

Brooklyn's largest wastewater treatment plant will soon be receiving a pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG) from food scraps and sludge thanks to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Waste Management, and utility National Grid. For decades now the DEP’s Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility has been processing sludge into energy with great results. The new facility is another step in the region's goals of utilizing more of its "waste."

Read more here.

2. GFL's 2021 Sustainability Report Places Focus on RNG, Recycling Recovery Rates

Stefanie Valentic

Over the past year, GFL has made several strategic moves to grow the company; including a large number of acquisitions. The company published all of its progress in a detailed 2021 Sustainability Report. The company proudly stated that it will continue to "leverage strategic, accretive acquisitions alongside organic growth to create long-term and sustainable value for our stakeholders."

Read more here.

3. Ryan Melsert on American Battery Technology Company's Game-Changing Approach

Jonathan Pierron

Waste360 recently met with Ryan Melsert of American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) to discuss his approach to problem-solving. Being an innovator himself, Melsert's philosophy for innovating drives his method for leading the company to its recent new heights. Receiving millions of dollars in grants for ABTC from the US Department of Energy, Melsert has taken his company to new heights using this out-of-the-box mentality.

Read more here.

4. EU’s WhiteCycle Set to Tackle Complex Plastic Wastes

Arlene Karidis

WhiteCycle is the EU's newest plan to solve the issue of multi-layer plastic not getting recycled. The project is coordinated by Michelin and focuses on difficult-to-process items such as multi-material clothing, end-of-life tires, and hoses due to their use of mixed polyethylene terephthalate (PET). WhiteCycle has an ambitious goal of collecting 80 percent of PET from these materials to then be recycled into similar products.

Read more here.

5. Episode 174: Understanding PFAS and Its Complexities

Liz Bothwell

On this week's episode of NothingWasted! a popular session from WasteExpo is revisited. The session, "Understanding PFAS and Its Complexities," invites speakers from the waste and recycling industry to discuss their experiences navigating the rise in use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Going over recent research, legislation, and regulation, this episode covers all you could need to know about PFAS.

Listen here.