Previously, pizza boxes just got thrown into the trash when a family finished up their pizza but now, the rules have changed. Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) now allows pizza boxes with minimal grease, sauce and cheese on the box to be recycled.
You can get more information on the change in regulation on the “Talking Trash” blog put together by Timmy Scalafani, Connor Casey and myself.
Pizza is one of the most common meals in the United States. This thinglink shows some facts about pizza and how many people use pizza. It also shows the proper way to recycle pizza boxes and how the rules have changed.
To get more pizza information, here is an infographic on pizza.
Sometimes trash men are not just the guys who pick up the bag on the side of the road. Sometimes they are much, much more.
This story out of Washington proves this theory as a kid began to break down when he met his local trash men. This story hits home a little since I have worked as a trash man for three summers in my home town and always seemed to feel under underappreciated for the work that was getting done.
What makes this story a big deal is that it is uncommon for trash men to be recognized. This relates back to the previous blog about how people don’t know much about what is going on inside the world of waste even though it affects everyone almost every day.
Without people telling these stories, people may forget about their local trash man or they may not know what to recycle or how to recycle. This kid brought a feel good story to an industry that does not usually get much coverage.
Not many people have a clue what happens to their trash when they put it on the curb at 7 in the morning.
Most people don’t know if they should recycle that pizza box that their family used for dinner.
A lot of people don’t think about the consequences of using an extra plastic bag at the grocery store.
That’s why waste is important, that is why this topic is important and that is why people must know about this world of waste that seems so hidden to them. Just inside the Ocean State, there are changes occurring with people’s trash. A new bill has been formed that will ban plastic bags throughout the state, pizza boxes can now be recycled and the landfill where all the states waste goes will close in just about two decades. All these stories are huge but many Rhode Islanders are unaware that they are even going on.
This idea of people being unaware of what is happening not only occurs in the world of waste but it occurs throughout any topic. That is why the role of journalists is vital because without someone to tell these stories, the public is unaware of what is going on.
It is said that a journalist’s job is to be the watchdog of society and today, this could not be more true. With small publications dying and local news falling off, there are a limited number of outlets that people can go to for local, reliable news. People need to be there to tell these stories about a variety of different topics.
As shown by this year’s series on NPR about positive Vietnam War stories, there are millions of stories out there, they just need to be told. Whether it is a large story or a small story like waste, they just need to be told.
A ThingLink of all the topics this blog covers. Some of the topics include recycling at Roger Williams University, the Johnston Landfill and recycling initiatives taking place inside the Ocean State.
After an extremely harsh winter, the state of Rhode Island now faces a new issue with spring weather finally here. With litter piling up in the snow banks throughout the winter months, the trash is now piling up on the grass with all the snow melted.
Now, Rhode Islanders are picking up the waste that winter left behind. Across the state at areas like Snake Den Farm in Johnston, people have collected waste and litter to keep the state clean.
Over the past weekend, the Roger Williams University eco-reps held a beach clean up to throw out the leftover trash that students have left behind. Although much of the waste on the RWU beach consist of beer cans that students leave behind late at night, the program cleaned up a coast line that was previously filled with garbage.
The clean ups look to be continuing over the next couple months as according to the Providence Journal, thousands of people are working to clean up the roads, beaches and state.
Just about every person loves pizza but once you are done with that pizza, what do you do with the box? Recycle it or just throw it in the trash?
After years of the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) saying that pizza boxes should be put into the trash because of high amounts of grease and sauce, the concept may finally be changing.
RIRRC has now changed its idea on the disposal of pizza boxes saying that as long as there isn’t an extreme amount of grease or sauce on the box, it is okay to throw that box into the recycling.
According to the “Trash Tutorial” column in the Providence Journal, a small amount of grease consists of “No major discoloration of the box, no dripping grease, and the grease isn’t covering the entire bottom portion of the box. A few splotches of grease are fine, as are a few spots of sauce.”
According to Pizza.com, the average pizzeria uses approximately 55 pizza boxes per day and with approximately 61, 269 pizzeria’s in the United states, pizza boxes are a constant and the way they are disposed of is more pivotal than many would think.
Whether Rhode Islanders follow along with the new standard of recycling pizza boxes is yet to be seen but the new standard has been set.
BRISTOL, R.I. __ The Rhode Island central landfill, which has over 400 trash trucks from within the state enter it every day, will close by 2038 if patterns of waste and recycling remain the same.
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) is responsible for the central landfill in Johnston and they are currently orchestrating plans to try and delay the 2038 closing.
One option that RIRRC is proposing is raising the cost of waste per ton for trash that is brought into the landfill. The idea to this plan is that if the cost to waste increases, people and municipals will decrease the amount of waste. The main issue is that price increase will put the burden of the cost on private and public waste companies.
The second option that the landfill is proposing is a “Pay-as-you-throw” system. This system has specific RIRRC trash bags that the waste can go into. If the waste is not in those bags then the landfill will not accept the waste. This system limits the amount of waste because people will not want to pay for more expensive bags while it also brings in more money for RIRRC to educate people on the waste issue and also grow their landfill. The issue with this option is that this plan puts the burden of the cost on the citizens inside the state.
Forming a plan now is critical for Johnston because if there isn’t a plan made then in 24 years, there could be even greater costs and challenges facing the state.
Rhode Island Waste Reduction Act from Timmy Sclafani on Vimeo.
After being rejected last year, the Plastic Waste Reduction Act is in the proposal process once again in the state of Rhode Island. The act would ban all plastic bags used at your local grocery store, hardware shop and convenience store.
Barrington, R.I. is the one municipal in the ocean state that has banned plastic bags already. According to June Speakman, a professor at RWU and member of the Barrington Town Council, the ban has not hurt local businesses.
Although many people are in favor of the ban, some people do not want it to happen. This group mainly consists store owners whose customers will be inconvenienced or manufacturer’s of plastic bags.
Only time will tell if the Ocean State will make this big move to go green.
This map of the recycling rates within Rhode Islands brings to light some interesting statistics. The main one that pops out is that the two municipals with the lowest recycling rate in the state are Providence and Johnston. Providence is obviously the capital of the state and Johnston is home of the largest landfill in the state. Not a great sign for the state.
Grass Clippings 