Category Archives for Municipal
Manhattan’s UES Set to Get Big New Waste Facility
The US Army Corps of Engineers has given its approval to New York to build a major new waste-transfer station along the East River in Manhattan. A key component of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s waste management plans, the facility is designed … Continue reading
Waste Piles Up in an Indian Paradise
The state of Kerala in southwestern India enjoys several honors. It has the highest Human Development Index and the lowest level of corruption in the country. It was the setting of Arundhati Roy’s Booker Prize-winning debut novel The God of … Continue reading
City Gets New Composting Facility
Happy Independence Day! An awesomely-named composting center opened up right here in Philly recently. The Dirty Factory, located in University City, is now accepting organic material from area residents. The Pedal Co-op will be collecting kitchen and yard wastes from UC … Continue reading
Rio+20 Disappoints Many, But Some Positive Commitments Made on Waste
Last Friday, the three-day Rio+20 environmental mega-conference concluded with a pronounced whimper. The lead up to the summit was filled with exuberant fanfare and social media’s promises to democratize the conversation on sustainability. Yet on the eve of the event, there was … Continue reading
Green Portland Targets Composting To Achieve Waste Diversion
Last autumn, Portland become the largest municipality to cut its regular garbage collection to once every two weeks. But the city has cleverly increased its collection of food and yard waste to occur on a weekly basis, diverting more organic … Continue reading
Basic Environmental Infrastructure Needed in Afghanistan
An article today in Afghanistan’s Daily Outlook – the first independent English-language newspaper there — highlights the many environmental challenges that face the country as it takes baby steps toward modernization. As has been the case with a couple of regions … Continue reading
Lebanon In Need of MSW Legislation
Lebanon currently possesses no legal framework to guide waste management. It is unclear whether this is the case because of a general lack of environmental awareness in the region or because the country has only recently achieved some semblance of … Continue reading
British Expat Upcycles, Lifts Spirits in the Philippines
A onetime publishing executive in the UK, Jane Walker probably did not envision becoming a hero in the eyes of many Filipinos. On holiday in the mid-1990s, Walker had a chance viewing of Manila’s notorious Smokey Mountain dump. Upon seeing the plight … Continue reading
Lagos Faces Big Sanitation Challenges
Nigeria’s most populous city is one of the fast growing urban areas in the world. The city’s port is one of Africa’s busiest and its film industry (“Nollywood”) is the second largest in the world, in terms of annual film … Continue reading
Green Projects Flourishing in Rio’s Slums
Denizens of Rio de Janeiro’s numerous favelas are counting on next week’s Rio+20 conference to provide a forum for their hopeful voices. Some, preparing for the occasion for the last several years, aim to remind delegates of the responsibility that … Continue reading