This Week in Waste: Top Stories September 2 - Sept. 5, 2024

#5 - Community Composting Gains Momentum

With community-centric models, composting’s benefits—rich soil, healthy crops, reduced greenhouse gases, and jobs created to make all this happen—stay in the neighborhoods that generate the waste. And they begin to see how that waste fuels the whole process. These operations are popping up at schools, in gardens, parks, and other public spaces. And they are more than compost sites. They are places people come together for workshops on organics management, tours, and celebrations. The programs are gaining momentum, increasing in capacity and in number.

Read the full article here.

#4 - Sodexo Introduces Reusuable To-Go Program with Topanga at Campuses and Universities

Sodexo, a leading food service provider for campuses and universities across the U.S., proudly announces a partnership with Topanga. Through this partnership, Sodexo campuses will measure environmental impact, monitor daily participation, and track progress in reducing plastic usage by implementing reusable containers in cafeterias and retail venues operated by Sodexo.

Read the full article here.

#3 - New York State Fair's 800-Pound Butter Sculpture Churns into Energy for Daily Farm

American Dairy Association North East, in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Noblehurst Farms, dismantled the 800-pound sculpture at the New York State Fairgrounds. Ultimately, the butter – which was provided by O-AT-KA Milk Products in Batavia, N.Y., and was unsuitable for sale or consumption for a variety of reasons - will return to Western New York, less than 15 miles away from where it was originally produced, to be recycled at a local dairy farm.

Read the full article here.

#2 - Meridian Waste Acquires Evergreen Environmental, Expanding in Southeastern U.S.

Meridian Waste has expanded its services in Alabama and Mississippi with the recent acquisition of Evergreen Environmental Partners Holdings, LLC (EEP) & ADSI Holdings, LLC (ADSI). The Charlotte-based waste services provider is in "full-growth mode," stated CEO Walter "Wally" Hall shortly following the announcement.

Read the full article here.

#1 - California Passes Three Landmark Environmental Bills

California passed significant environmental legislation, including a groundbreaking food date labeling bill, a textiles recovery bill, and a full ban on plastic bags at retail checkouts. These bills, now awaiting the governor's approval, represent a major step forward in reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions, while also offering practical solutions for consumers.

Read the full article here.