Dumpster dive | Dec 19, 2024

Image source: The Garbage Lady; clip art by Unknown Author licensed under CC BY-NC

• With 2024 drawing to a close, it will soon be time to set intentions for the New Year. I invite you to be less trashy. That article was first published a year ago, but the info still holds, and I've made a few updates. I won't be posting again until next year, so until then I wish you all a very happy holiday season.

  
  

• Some good news: Shell backed down in its lawsuit against Greenpeace after its bullying tactic turned into a PR nightmare. [Greenpeace]

  
  

• If you need a palate cleanser for all the Hallmark holiday movies, I highly recommend Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy, an insightful documentary on Netflix that exposes the ploys that brands use to keep us consuming and the resulting impact on our lives and planet. The first-hand accounts from former employees at Amazon, Apple, and Adidas send a powerful message.

  
  

• In protest of "packages over people, profit over people," thousands of Amazon drivers have gone on strike in the thick of the holiday package season. These drivers wear Amazon vests, drive Amazon vans, and deliver Amazon packages, but are denied Amazon wages and benefits because they're not considered Amazon employees. Profit over people indeed: Amazon's net income for the first nine months of 2024 was $39.2 billion, more than double the income for the same period of 2023. [CNN]

  
  

• It's been two years since talks began to establish a global treaty to end plastic pollution. The intended deadline, December 1, ended in a stalemate when the countries that support limits on plastic production were blocked by countries rich with fossil fuels that want to focus instead on managing waste. Common sense would have us manage what we have already before adding to the burden. Another session will take place sometime in 2025. [The Verge]

  
  

• Low-hanging (plastic-wrapped) fruit: A UK study found that more than half of plastic food packaging can be replaced or removed entirely. [Food & Wine]

  
  

• Another strike against plastic packaging: Scientists are advising us not to reuse single-use plastic bottles, containers, and bags since these plastics leach hazardous chemicals and readily shed microplastics that migrate into food and drink, moreso with repeated use and especially when heated. I used to keep a stash of plastic containers for sending people home with leftovers, but instead I'll be using aluminum foil, parchment paper, and glass containers. [The Washington Post]

  
  

• A few days ago I was struggling with the twist-off cap on an oat milk carton, and the explanation showed up in my news feed: The caps have been shortened to save plastic, so they're harder to grip. Another good way to save plastic? Stop using the caps altogether, at least for gable top cartons. [USA Today]

  
  

• Starbucks introduced their "more sustainable" plastic cold cups earlier this year, indicating that their recyclability would keep more than 13 million pounds of plastic out of landfills each year. Using AirTags, CBS News tracked cups from Starbucks recycling bins and found that they ended up incinerated or at a landfill 1000 miles away.

  
  

• Oregon recently approved new recycling rules to reduce packaging pollution and make producers pay for waste. Changes also include statewide recycling standards, and requirements for owners and managers of apartment complexes and multi-unit housing to provide recycling for residents. States that have adopted similar programs include California, Colorado, Maine, and Maryland. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]

  
  

• Coca-Cola, the world's leading producer of plastic waste and GIC Hall of Shamer, has dramatically scaled back its “voluntary environmental goals.” In response, Bea Perez, executive vice president for sustainability and strategic partnerships, offered up a corporate-speak excuse that's so generic it could apply to almost any situation, like getting a household with toddlers out the door on time: “These challenges are complex and require us to drive more effective and efficient resource allocation and work collaboratively with partners to deliver lasting positive impact.” [CNN]

  
  

• Meanwhile, Los Angeles County has filed a bombshell lawsuit against Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, alleging that the companies have practiced deceptive marketing and promoted a circular economy despite their plastic bottles being largely unrecyclable after one use. The case would set a precedent that holds companies responsible for the plastic pollution problems caused by their products. [The Cool Down]

  
  

• The LA lawsuit is taking a different stance and may fare better than New York state's recent lawsuit against PepsiCo over plastic pollution. The judge dismissed the case, ruling that it was people, not PepsiCo, who littered. [Reuters]

  
  

• We can't lose sight that recycling isn't going to save us from the plastic crisis, and this excellent opinion piece from Fortune explains why: It’s time to hold corporations accountable for the plastics crisis—and the bill could exceed $20 billion in the U.S. alone. Plastic in any form, recycled or not, is a threat to human health.

  
  

• Share your opinion in this poll from The Cool Down:

Image source: The Cool Down (13k votes as of Dec 19, 2024, 3pm PT)