This Week in Waste: Top Stories October 17 - 21

1. Chasing Landfill Odors: Part 2

Arlene Karidis

It is a common expectation of landfills to mitigate the odors they omit into their surroundings. While this is an important factor in keeping a good relationship with its surrounding community, there aren't yet ways to completely prevent odors. In this Q&A Waste360 talks with Nevzat Turan, principal of Weaver Consultants Group, about different odor analytical detection methods.

Read more here.

2. Loop Works to Cut Emissions From Online Returns

Arlene Karidis

About 20 percent of the purchases made online were returned in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation. When products are returned this creates more greenhouse gas emissions in the delivery process, and often the returned products end up burnt or discarded in landfills. With this amount of returns so high, and growing, a company called Loop is doing what it can to encourage customers to cut back on their returns.

Read the full story here.

3. LRS CEO Alan Handley Speaks on Lee's Trash Service Acquisition and More to Come

Jonathan Pierron

In September of 2022, LRS, a privately-held waste diversion, recycling, and portable services provider, acquired Lee's Trash Service, an Arkansas-based trash collection provider. Waste360 had an opportunity to speak with the CEO of LRS, Alan Handley, to hear how this deal fits into the companies overarching growth and development goals. While this acquisition was a big one for the company, being its largest completed acquisition in the Arkansas River Valley since its entry into the market, Handley says to anticipate even bigger news regarding mergers and acquisitions in the coming months.

Read more here.

4. Episode 169: Mobile Apps: The Waste and Recycling Industry at Your Fingertips

Liz Bothwell

In an increasingly digital world, it is also becoming increasingly important to offer more convenient, and often more digital, options for managing waste and recycling pickups, payments, identifying appropriate pickup locations, etc. In order to do this many waste, recycling, hauling, and tech companies are developing apps. In this episode of NothingWasted!, we discuss the importance of offering these online features and the direct impact they can have.

Listen here.

5. bp's $4.1 Billion Purchase of Archaea Energy to Catalyze Company's Bioenergy Transition

Stefanie Valentic

Leaning into its biogas transition strategy, bp has acquired renewable national gas producer Archaea Energy. The company's five leading strategic growth engines are bioenergy, convenience, EV charging, renewables, and hydrogen. With this purchase, bp now has the capability to expand its biogas initiatives across the globe.

Read more here.