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Recycling

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

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

Brickbats

Brickbat: Sweat Is a Bodily Fluid, Right?

Charles Oliver | 11.3.2022 4:00 AM

PlasticWasteDreamstime

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

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Brickbats

Brickbat: Are You Going to Eat That?

Charles Oliver | 4.18.2022 4:00 AM

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Brickbats

Brickbat: One More Thing to Do

Charles Oliver | 1.10.2022 4:00 AM

topicsscience

Science

Plastic, Perfected

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

Ronald Bailey | 8.22.2021 6:00 AM

topicsregulation

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

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Brickbats

Brickbat: Shifting the Costs

Charles Oliver | 3.6.2020 4:00 AM

reason-glass

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

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

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Brickbats

Brickbat: True Colors

Charles Oliver | 8.28.2019 4:00 AM

reason-recyclingrad

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Brickbats

Brickbat: Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Charles Oliver | 10.4.2016 4:00 AM

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Brickbats

Brickbat: Red Solo Cup

Charles Oliver | 10.2.2016 4:00 AM

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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

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Recycling

Recycling Is Garbage Redux

Economic imbecility or religious ritual?

Ronald Bailey | 10.5.2015 11:03 AM

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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

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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

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Politics

Throw Away a Banana Peel, Pay a Fine in Seattle

Zenon Evans | 10.1.2014 12:30 PM

Policy

Environmentalism and the Fear of Disorder

Greens engage in rituals to allay their anxieties.

Ronald Bailey | 8.22.2014 1:30 PM

Environmentalism

Ronald Bailey on How Fear of Disorder Motivates Environmentalists

Reason Staff | 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

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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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