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Recycling

Plastic containers accumulating on land near a body of water | Fabien Monteil | Dreamstime.com

Pollution

U.N. Plastics Treaty Talks Collapse

How do we solve the problem of plastic wastes?

Ronald Bailey | 12.6.2024 5:05 PM

topicslifestyle | Photo: ozgurdonmaz/iStock

Recycling

Control Your Cardboard, Control Your Life

Cardboard is vital to modern life. But what happens when it piles up?

Mike Riggs | 10.5.2023 6:00 AM

Recyclable packing materials. | Shawn Hempel | Dreamstime.com

Recycling

Brickbat: It's All About the Green

Charles Oliver | 6.14.2023 4:00 AM

Six recycling bins, three blue and three green, lined up in a row against a brick wall | Rosamund Parkinson | Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Which One Goes Where?

Charles Oliver | 4.4.2023 4:00 AM

John Stossel is seen in front of a pile of plastic water bottles | Stossel TV

Energy & Environment

No, Recycling Will Not Save the Environment

Despite what you may have heard, many "recyclables" sent to recycling plants are never recycled at all.

John Stossel | 1.18.2023 12:30 AM

Mattresses | Somadlyinlove / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Sweat Is a Bodily Fluid, Right?

Charles Oliver | 11.3.2022 4:00 AM

PlasticWasteDreamstime | Tudor Antonel Adrian | Dreamstime.com

Plastic Pollution

These Environmentalists Want To Ban Single-Use Plastics Because Recycling Them 'Will Never Work'

And yet infinitely recyclable plastics are on the horizon.

Ronald Bailey | 5.31.2022 3:00 PM

foodwaste_1161x653 | Murasmelania / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Are You Going to Eat That?

Charles Oliver | 4.18.2022 4:00 AM

compost_1161x653 | Pixavril / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: One More Thing to Do

Charles Oliver | 1.10.2022 4:00 AM

topicsscience | Illustration: smartboy10/iStock

Science

Plastic, Perfected

Researchers have developed a promising and "infinitely recyclable" plastic called polydiketoenamine.

Ronald Bailey | 8.22.2021 6:00 AM

topicsregulation | curtoicurto/iStock

Regulation

Your Recyclables Are Going to the Dump

Rising rates of contamination, among other problems, have left material processing facilities with no willing buyers.

Christian Britschgi | 4.2.2020 6:00 AM

recycling_1161x653 | Pojoslaw / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Shifting the Costs

Charles Oliver | 3.6.2020 4:00 AM

reason-glass |  Josep Curto/Dreamstime.com

Recycling

Baltimore County Admits It Hasn't Been Recycling Glass for 7 Years. It Still Encourages Residents to Recycle Glass.

When ritual is more important than reuse

Christian Britschgi | 2.3.2020 2:35 PM

reason-cups | ZCHE/Starbucks (Supplied by WENN)/Newscom

Recycling

Minneapolis' 'Green To Go' Ordinance Inadvertently Bans Starbucks Holiday Cups

The polyethylene lining on the cheery seasonal drink containers does not meet the city's exacting composting requirements.

Christian Britschgi | 12.20.2019 3:55 PM

trashbags_1161x653 | Hanhanpeggy / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: True Colors

Charles Oliver | 8.28.2019 4:00 AM

reason-recyclingrad | Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Dreamstime.com

Recycling

City of Miami Beach Wants To Spend $100,000 on 'Instagrammable' Recycling Can

The artsy new waste receptacle is intended to make recycling "fun and cool."

Christian Britschgi | 6.12.2019 11:25 AM

Recycling

Is Recycling on the Ropes?

Recycling waste streams is supposed to be economical, but many jurisdictions are discovering that's not always so.

Jonathan H. Adler |The Volokh Conspiracy | 3.17.2019 1:58 PM

Large image on homepages | Ingram Publishing/Newscom

Recycling

Some Towns Are Trashing Their Costly, Inefficient Recycling Programs

The market seems to be sending towns and cities a powerful message that there is no need to recycle all the things all the time.

Eric Boehm | 3.6.2019 5:00 PM

Large image on homepages | Fedecandoniphoto/Dreamstime.com

Straws

Starbucks Wants to Send More Plastic to a Recycling Industry in Crisis

Thanks to Chinese restrictions on imported recyclables, even less of America's waste is getting reused.

Christian Britschgi | 7.17.2018 3:15 PM

Large image on homepages

Copyright

Do You Have a Right To Repair Your Phone? The Fight Between Big Tech and Consumers

Meet Eric Lundgren, who got 15 months in prison for selling pirated Microsoft software that the tech giant gives away for free.

Alexis Garcia and Paul Detrick | 6.18.2018 11:25 AM

Large image on homepages | Vodickap / Dreamstime.com

Innovation

Your Lobster Leftovers Could Serve up a Substitute for Plastics

Could animal chitin lead to a new tech revolution?

A. Barton Hinkle | 4.16.2018 12:00 PM

Large image on homepages | Baloncici / Dreamstime.com

Crony Capitalism

L.A.'s New Trash Cartels Are Exactly the Dumpster Fire Critics Warned About

Exclusive city-mandated monopolies lead to sky-high prices and crappy service. Who could have predicted it?

Scott Shackford | 2.7.2018 12:20 PM

Large image on homepages | Hellen Sergeyeva/Dreamstime.com

Straws

Media, Legislators, Activists Stick By Straw Stats Produced By 9-Year-Old

An elementary school student said Americans use 500 million straws a day. Adults studying the issue put the figure far lower.

Christian Britschgi | 2.6.2018 9:45 AM

Large image on homepages | stevendepolo via Foter.com / CC BY

Brickbats

Brickbat: Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Charles Oliver | 10.4.2016 4:00 AM

Large image on homepages | Bhofack2 / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Red Solo Cup

Charles Oliver | 10.2.2016 4:00 AM

Large image on homepages | Smabs Sputzer / photo on flickr

Recycling

Seattle Citizens' Trash Now Safe From Unwarranted Government Snooping

A privacy win over a really silly composting mandate

Scott Shackford | 4.28.2016 4:05 PM

Large image on homepages

Recycling

Recycling Is Garbage Redux

Economic imbecility or religious ritual?

Ronald Bailey | 10.5.2015 11:03 AM

Large image on homepages | Flickr/Joe Haupt

Surveillance

Cameras, RFID Chips Are Tracking the Contents of Your Garbage

To ensure compliance with recycling laws, municipalities are recording and storing info on citizens' trash.

Anthony Fisher | 7.31.2015 11:18 AM

Large image on homepages | epSos.de / photo on flickr

Recycling

Seattle's Trash Nannying Violates Privacy Rights, Lawsuit Argues

Want to see what's in there? Get a warrant.

Scott Shackford | 7.17.2015 1:50 PM

Large image on homepages | cc

Politics

Throw Away a Banana Peel, Pay a Fine in Seattle

Zenon Evans | 10.1.2014 12:30 PM

Environmentalism

Ronald Bailey on How Fear of Disorder Motivates Environmentalists

Reason Staff | 8.22.2014 1:30 PM

Policy

Environmentalism and the Fear of Disorder

Greens engage in rituals to allay their anxieties.

Ronald Bailey | 8.22.2014 1:30 PM

Plastic Bags

Soon we will all be mandated to haul our groceries, booze, and hamburgers around in organic-certified, fair-trade, shade-grown burlap sacks.

Ronald Bailey | 8.20.2014 2:41 PM

Large image on homepages | waltarrrrr / photo on flickr

Policy

How L.A. Plans to Trash Dozens of Local Businesses

The city is glossing over crony capitalism and union patronage with nods to environmentalism.

Scott Shackford | 7.2.2014 4:30 PM

Politics

'It's kind of like arresting someone for drinking and driving, but they're drinking O'Doul's'

Matt Welch | 5.13.2014 12:59 PM

Politics

Tonight on The Independents: "Environmentally Challenged," Starring Bill Nye the Science Guy, Ron Bailey, Bjorn Lomborg, John Tierney, and More! (Bumped)

Matt Welch | 3.21.2014 8:02 PM

Politics

The Dumbest New Ban in 2014: Incandescent Light Bulbs

Nick Gillespie and Todd Krainin | 1.9.2014 3:58 PM

Nanny State

Woman Faces Jail for Turning Tires into Planters

Concerns about property values, attracting mosquitoes

Reason Staff | 7.3.2013 7:10 PM

Politics

Why We'll Never Run Out of Energy: Q&A with Science Writer Charles Mann

The acclaimed author in a wide-ranging conversation with the New York Times' John Tierney

Jim Epstein | 5.3.2013 8:00 AM

Policy

Bloomberg to Push for Plastic-Foam Packaging Ban

Also, electric car pandering

Reason Staff | 2.14.2013 11:45 AM

Policy

Calif. Bill Would Turn Stores into Mandatory Recycling Centers

Large shops would be required to have in-house plastic bag recycling programs.

Reason Staff | 8.21.2012 9:37 PM

Policy

Nick Gillespie Talks Plastic Bag Bans on NPR's Tell Me More

Nick Gillespie | 6.6.2012 5:39 PM

Policy

One Woman's Trash Is the City's Treasure

Jacob Sullum | 7.15.2010 5:34 PM

Policy

Paper or Plastic: Either Way, You Pay

Jacob Sullum | 7.30.2008 4:00 PM

Policy

Little Boxes

Jesse Walker | 1.11.2008 10:53 AM

Policy

Jacobean Tragedy

The gross misinterpretation of an intellectual icon

Jesse Walker | 7.1.1998 12:00 AM

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