Garbage
Austin Reveals New Zero Waste Plan
The city aims to eliminate the majority of landfill waste by 2040.
New York City’s Trash Problem
The city had ambitious goals to reduce waste, but millions of tons of garbage are still sent to communities around the country each year.
Atlanta Adopts Waste-Collection App to Improve Service
The city's public works department hopes the app will improve efficiency, sustainability, and customer service.
The Value of Garbage Has Changed Dramatically
Recycled metals, plastics, glass, and other materials are more economical than ever. Welcome to a new era of waste management.
Unique Garbage Challenges in Juneau
Juneau, Alaska's tiny capital city, is not accessible from elsewhere by road. Its isolation makes waste disposal problematic and expensive, spurring an aggressive recycling effort.
Roosevelt Island's Pneumatic Garbage System
On New York City's Roosevelt Island, residents have long lived free from the roar of garbage trucks. Instead they use Avacs, an island-wide system of pneumatic tubes that moves trash to a central location for processing.
First New U.S. Waste-to-Energy Plant in 20 Years to Open in Florida
Waste-to-energy plants, or incinerators, are classified as renewable power plants by the EPA. A controversial Baltimore plant is under construction as well. More common in Europe, they may be catching on stateside due to low recycling rates.
Making NYC's Sanitation and Waste Disposal Sexy
A new six-part video series from The New York Times called "Living City" is aiming to make the infrastructure handling New York City's basic needs sexy.
First All-Electric Garbage Truck Hits the Road in Chicago
The first and only all-electric garbage truck in North America gets rolling in Chicago, working on residential refuse and recycling routes.
Pop Quiz: What's the Difference Between Aerobic Decomposition and Anaerobic Digestion?
Yes, one is with and the other without oxygen, and both divert waste from the landfill—but in terms of the end products, what is the advantage of anaerobic digestion? Simply put, does society face a shortage of compost or renewable energy?
How Can We Provoke "Peak Waste"?
Because city residents generate four times as much trash as rural residents, the rapid growth of the world's cities is leading to the rapid growth of the world's garbage. A new study examines future trash troubles and potential solutions.
Garbage Fight Pits Bay Area Cities Against Outlying County
Is waste disposal a local or regional issue? A new CA law written by a S.F. lawmaker nullifies a voter-approved Solano County measure that limits the amount of outside garbage their landfill can accept. It is being challenged by environmental groups.
Mexico City Trash Pickers Fight for Their Livelihood
As city officials introduce plans to overhaul waste disposal in the capital of Mexico, a deeply rooted constituency fights back.
A Dirty Reputation in 'Filthadelphia'
Philadelphia has long been derided for its dirty and filthy streets. This reputation has turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Rummaging Through New York's Garbage
New York has a filthy history, says Robin Nagle, the New York City Department of Sanitation's anthropologist-in-residence. The muck of early Manhattan was much worse than you even suspected.
A City on the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Dutch conservationists are proposing to create a floating community built on top of the patch of garbage swirling out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The Architecture of Trash
Architect Juliette Spertus has assembled a new exhibit called "Fast Trash! Roosevelt Island's Pneumatic Tubes and the Future of Cities" that peels back the layers of the city to look at the infrastructure underneath.
Ocean Garbage Strategic Plan Released
Officials in Hawaii have unveiled a strategic plan for removing garbage and debris from the ocean near the Hawaiian Archipelago.
Watching Trash
Tracking tags have been implanted in garbage in New York and Seattle to monitor where garbage goes and how municipal waste management systems can improve.
The Garbage Genius of Paris
I just got back from my first trip to Europe, where the cities are a lot older and a lot different than they are here in the New World. I made many observations on my brief trip, which included Paris and Barcelona, and I'm sure those will bubble up in blog posts in the near future. However, I won't waste anyone's time remarking about how great European cities are. We've all heard it before, and while it may be right, the point has been made. Like, really made. So, yes, the narrow streets are nice to walk on, the bike sharing system in Paris is awesome, and the architecture is impressive. But one piece of these cities that hasn't receioved enough praise is their garbage cans.
Barrett Planning Group LLC
City of Cleburne
KTUA Planning and Landscape Architecture
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
City of Laramie, Wyoming
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