Rethinking Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Policies and Programs to Address Waste

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing on local, state, and federal policies and programs as well as new technologies that will make you rethink waste management, who is responsible for waste, and whether waste is worthless. The United States generates nearly 300 million tons of municipal solid waste per year—or almost one ton of waste per person, the most per capita in the world. About half of this waste ends up in landfills, which account for 15 percent of human-caused domestic methane emissions and threaten local water sources with toxic liquid. Meanwhile, recycling has become uneconomic and requires new approaches to be a viable, cost-effective waste management strategy. Creative solutions are needed to stem the deluge of waste, and public and private sector innovators are leading the charge. This briefing will feature speakers from cities, states, and the private sector working to reduce and reuse a variety of waste types. Experts will discuss their programs and the policies that are helping them succeed: