Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 08/06/2020 12:52 PM EDT
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Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter 

Plastic Free July: Our Last Entry

bathroom swaps

Kristine's Goal: Reduce plastic use in the bathroom

  • Replacing items when needed. "In the past, I've generally focused on cutting plastic waste down in the kitchen, so it was interesting to redirect my attention to plastics in the bathroom. I wish I had swapped a few more items out, but also wasn't in a rush to replace certain items like my hairbrush, which is plastic, but still perfectly good to use. When items like these have hit the end of their life, I will be sure to replace with low plastic to plastic free alternatives."
  • Participating with friends. "Participating in Plastic Free July with Nasibah, Kayla and Amy was a great way to keep myself accountable and I would recommend challenging a friend or family member to join you on your journey. Throughout the month, we shared tips and tricks with each other, asked each other about products and talked about swaps, whether they worked or not. This was not an aspect of the challenge I had initially thought about, but was really nice to have."

"You never know where your plastic free journey will take you, and I encourage you to start small, do your research, find ways to reuse items you already have, and take a step out of your comfort zone to try a DIY recipe or a new product."

Starting Your Own Plastic Free Journey

  • Plastic waste audit. Choose one area of your life where you would like to reduce plastics (kitchen, bathroom, lunch on the go, etc.), and survey what plastics you are currently using. Focus on swapping out one item a week.
  • Learn from others. The internet has revolutionized sharing and online community development. Look to the internet, specifically video bloggers, who are pursing low waste or zero waste lifestyles for swap ideas and product reviews. Friends and family are also a great place to start these conversations. 
  • September is the new July: You don't have to wait until next July to commit to wasting less plastic. Start planning plastic free goals for September or any month of the year to refocus your attention to choosing less plastic in your life.

If you missed or would like to revisit any part of our Plastic Free July series, they are still available to read:

NYS Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling Law - Upcoming Webinar!

On September 16, 2020 from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., DEC will be hosting a free webinar providing updates on the NYS Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling law. They will be joined by NYS Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) who will provide an overview of their services and give an exciting announcement on upcoming available funding for organics diversion. Register for the September 16th webinar.

In 2019, NYS passed the Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling law. Effective January 1, 2022, businesses that generate more than two tons of wasted food and food scraps per week or more must donate their excess edible food and recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of a food scraps recycle (composter, anaerobic digester, etc.).

Examples of businesses that may be subject to this law include, but are not limited to, grocery stores, restaurants, colleges, hotels, malls, zoos, airports, sports arenas, event venues, etc. This law excludes New York City (who has a local law in place), hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities and K-12 schools.

To get the latest announcements, sign up to receive NYS Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling law announcements. Please contact FoodScrapsLaw@dec.ny.gov with any questions.  

Conference, Workshops & Webinars:

Funding/RFP Opportunities - Application Deadlines

Award Deadlines

We Want To Hear From You!

Is there a topic you'd like to learn more about or a public event or workshop related to recycling (organics, textiles, traditional recyclables, etc.) you'd like the greater community to know more about? E-mail us at organicrecycling@dec.ny.gov and it could be featured in an upcoming Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter. 

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