Dec 8th, 2008 · Prices are plummeting for recycled materials such as plastic and paper. Cities that used to earn revenues for those commodities are now paid a lot less, not at all — or have to pay to get them hauled away. Municipal transfer stations say they'll continue to recycle as long as it costs less to truck the stuff to recyclers, rather than to put it in landfills. Nancy Cohen reports for member station WNPR.
Sep 30th, 2008 · The city has started a pilot program, offering residents in a targeted area kitchen pails to separate food waste from regular garbage. The plan is to divert 600 tons of food that go to the landfills every day. The food would be recycled into compost.
Sep 22nd, 2008 · San Francisco recycles or diverts 69 percent of its trash, but sends 1,800 tons of garbage to the landfill each day. One way the city makes a dent in its landfill load is through an unusual program — sponsoring artists who turn garbage into art.
Aug 5th, 2008 · Los Angeles County is home to the country's largest active landfill. And now the the high-tech Puente Hills Landfillis is also a tour site. What is so attention-worthy about a massive pile of trash?
Jun 21st, 2007 · Despite a drop in CD sales, the music industry is making its mark on the environment -- landfills commonly have many CDs and MP3 players, which contain toxic metals and chemicals. Now some in the music industry are trying to limit the damage.
May 13th, 2007 · Cahokia Mounds are just east of St. Louis and stand on what was once the largest prehistoric city north of central Mexico. Monk Mound is the largest remaining earthen mound. As you stand on Monk Mound, you can see a modern mound -- the Milam landfill. Its owner now wants to expand and put a landfill just 2,000 feet from the ancient mound. Maria Hickey of member station KWMU reports.
Apr 12th, 2006 · Residents in 5,000 homes in rural Alaska live without running water and sewage systems. Their bathrooms are often buckets that must be hauled to landfills or a sewage lagoon. For drinking water, people go to ponds to chip ice in the winter and collect rainwater in the summer. The Bush administration's budget proposes reduced funding for the state's Village Safe Water program by 75 percent. Ashley Gross of the Alaska Public Radio Network reports.
Feb 1st, 2006 · With rising oil and natural gas prices, alternative energy sources are getting another look -- including the prospect of generating electricity from methane. The gas is created naturally by landfills, and power plants all over the United States are now burning it to make electricity. Jessica Jones of North Carolina Public Radio reports.