Author: David Goldstein

by David Goldstein With the new year comes a new area of focus for recycling. Until now, recycling has focused mostly on items like cans, bottles, paper, cardboard and plastic. A Jan. 1, 2020 target set by California Senate Bill (SB) 1383 (which was passed in 2016) directs California to recycle half of all organic waste. It also set a much more ambitious mandate for California to boost organic waste recycling to 75 percent by 2025. “Organic waste” and “organics” are terms used to describe waste originating from living organisms and capable of being turned into compost, mulch or...

by David Goldstein Both Christmas and Hanukkah begin next week, and those who have not yet bought gifts for everyone on their list may be tempted to wade into holiday shopping crowds and buy items they would not have purchased if they had more time to consider what recipients want. As stated in often-quoted statistics on the website of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), “Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, more than one million tons of additional waste is generated each week nationwide.” As an example, 38,000 miles of ribbon alone is thrown out each...

by David Goldstein This edition of the VCReporter comes out on Thanksgiving, the one hundred fifty sixth time Americans have celebrated the holiday since Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national day of observance in 1863. At that time, our country was in the midst of the Civil War, and the commemoration made it clear, even in the midst of difficult times, we still have much for which to be thankful. Similarly, the first Thanksgiving celebration in America, held by the Pilgrims in 1621, came amidst a backdrop of suffering and deprivation. The Pilgrims, who had arrived close to winter,...