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December 2, 2008 10:43:52 PM CST

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10 Stories

 Sewage Soaks Baghdad Slum 

Infrastructure remains sub-standard in much of Iraq

Bloomberg Bloomberg Nov 25, 08 2:03 PM CST
(Newser) - Residents of the Sadr City slum of Baghdad have come to accept raw sewage, bubbling to the surface from broken pipes, as a part of daily life, Bloomberg reports. And Sadr City is hardly an oddity—despite 6 years and billions of American dollars, much of Iraq still lacks reliable electricity and running water. More »

More about:  Iraq • Baghdad • Nouri al-Maliki • Moqtada al-Sadr • Sadr City • waste • sewage

Amazon Leads Charge Against Clamshell Packaging


New York Times New York Times Nov 15, 08 4:05 PM CST
(Newser) - Stories of angry and even injured customers have inspired companies to ditch sealed clamshell packaging for easy-to-open alternatives, the New York Times reports. Amazon leads the pack, working with suppliers to ship products in plain cardboard boxes ahead of the holidays. Even some offline companies, which rely on clamshells to guard against theft, are seeking out alternatives. More »

More about:  Microsoft • Sony • plastic • Amazon • waste • consumer products

 Seattle Slaps
 20¢ Fee on All
 Grocery Bags 

Paper or plastic, shoppers must pay up

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Seattle Post-Intelligencer Jul 29, 08 5:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - Seattle has staked out its spot atop the greener-than-thou pecking order by approving a 20-cent-per-bag fee that applies to both paper and plastic, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The move is expected to cut disposable-bag use in half. "The best way to reduce waste is not to create it, and today, we have made that a little easier in Seattle," said the mayor. More »

More about:  Seattle • plastic bags • waste

As World's Belly Rumbles, Gluttonous US Tosses Food 

27% of available food ends up in the trash

New York Times New York Times May 18, 08 11:06 AM CDT
(Newser) - Americans throw out roughly a quarter of all food available for consumption, even as grocery prices skyrocket and global riots break out over food shortages, the New York Times reports. That works out to about a pound of food every day for every American—from grocery stories tossing spoiled produce to restaurants scrapping uneaten dishes to home cooks pitching uneaten leftovers in the fridge. More »

More about:  food • food prices • donation • food shortage • waste • landfill

Plasma May Zap City's Garbage Crisis

New tech could burn off Vancouver's garbage and make electricity

Canada.com Feb 17, 08 6:48 PM CST
(Newser) - Vancouver may have a fix for its garbage overflow crisis: Burn the trash into a gas that makes electricity. A Canadian company called Plasco Energy Group has proposed a plant that zaps waste into ionized gas, or plasma; about a fifth of it would run the plant and the rest could be sold off. A few plasma plants by other companies have reportedly tanked, but the Vancouver Sun 's Harvey Enchin urges the city to try this one. More »

More about:  energy • garbage • Vancouver • waste • trash • landfill

Soiled Green: Cloth Diapers Make Comeback

Eco-conscious uprising puts disposables on the defensive

Time Time Jan 13, 08 11:43 AM CST
(Newser) - Cloth diapers are getting a serious makeover, as old-fashioned safety pins and rubber liners give way to velcro and water-resistant merino wool covers. New cloth diaper brands, such as Fuzzi Bunz and Happy Heinys, can thank an increasingly eco-conscious population for their success, reports Time , with some companies reporting 50% profit increases in recent years. More »

More about:  environmentalism • green technology • waste • wool • diapers • cloth diapers • disposable diapers

Oh Poop! Hikers Have to Pack it Out on Whitney

Outhouses dismantled, climbers supplied with sanitary kits

New York Times New York Times Sep 5, 07 4:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - If you you brought it with you—even internally—you've got to pack it back down. That's the new policy on Mt. Whitney where officials have to deal with excrement left by thousands who take to the heights every year.  Air lifting bags of human waste from high-altitude outhouses has been deemed too risky, the New York Times reports. More »

More about:  nature • waste • hiking

Turkey Waste Fuels Power Plant, Debate

Droppings look like green fuel, but
activists call foul

New York Times New York Times Jun 6, 07 2:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - A $200 million power plant in rural Minnesota burns turkey droppings, calling the plentiful waste from nearby farms an alternative fuel source. But critics disagree: They argue it's nearly as big a polluter as standard power plants, and puts out relatively little juice for its government-subsidized costs. "As a matter of public policy, it stinks," one activist says. More »

More about:  environmentalism • Minnesota • pollution • alternative energy • fuel • waste • turkey

Largest Oil Spill in US Seeps Under Brooklyn

Exxon owns up to a century of leaks and dumping over 55 acres

New York New York Jun 4, 07 5:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Underneath the ground of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is a dark blob of gasoline, solvents, and associated poisons that composes the biggest oil spill in US history.  It's accumulated from a century's worth of smaller leaks and waste dumping, reports New York magazine, and ExxonMobil has quietly accepted the blame, but done little to clean it up. More »

More about:  environment • cancer • New York • oil • environmentalism • real estate • ExxonMobil • oil spill • Brooklyn • chemicals • waste • bone cancer • Greenpoint • hydrocarbon

Restaurants Ban Bottled Water

San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle Mar 22, 07 10:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Fresh-food pioneer Chez Panisse has joined a growing number of San Francisco–area restaurants in striking bottled water from the menu. The decision to serve local tap water only—flat or carbonated in-house—comes from an effort to cut down on the packaging waste and energy used shipping bottles. More »

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