The United States may finally be stuck with all of the discarded paper, scrap metal, and old computer parts that had previously been shipped to China for recycling. The New York Times recently reported that the once fruitful recycling industry in China that had been soaking up numerous waste products from around the world has become largely unprofitable after the fall of commodity prices, a trend we have been following closely here on zzzeitgeist. Among these commodities, paper prices have fallen by as much as 80%, meaning an end to the old practice of smuggling medical waste in crates marked for recycled paper. As environmental concerns shape into policy, the throw away culture of the past will hopefully reform in both the United States and China, leading not only to greener disposal practices but less waste as a whole. Finding viable solutions for managing the waste we've already created will open the door to cleaner practices in the future. In this era, the already fine lines between waste management (nuclear included), renewable energy, and culture will likely fade away.(Photo thanks to Patrick)
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I really enjoy opening the front page of the newspaper and finding something that follows up a post; on the front page of the Saturday morning Washington Post print edition: "A Trashed Economy Foretold: Intake at Landfills Has Been Falling" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/13/AR2009031303432.html). Aside from recent reports on the decline in the amount of trash in landfills, I am also enjoying the more positive reporting on the economic downturn. This has come up in both the NY Times and the Washington post. This morning in particular the front page of the NY times had this tidbit about a guy in San Francisco who is successfully running a Jelly Fish business: (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/technology/start-ups/14startup.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=jelly%20fish&st=cse).
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