Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 310 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Grocery Stores and Local Recycling Centers Offer Solution to Plastic Bag Pollution

Emily Lanoue

September 25, 2019 |

Grady Newsource |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Athens, Georgia

Grocery stores across the nation have explored creative solutions to recycle plastic bags, including melting them into new bags and even using the material to build compact lumber and playground equipment. In Athens, Georgia, residents can bring their recyclables to the local Publix to be delivered to one of these specialty recycling centers.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Gonzalo Muñoz - Triciclos, COP25, recycling, and climate change

Aleksandr Nechaev

September 02, 2019 |

Shake the World |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Chile, Santiago

This podcast is an interview with Gonzalo Muñoz, the founder of a successful recycling organization called Triciclos that started in Chile and has since reached 8 other countries. Triciclos was the first certified B corp in Latin America, and Muñoz is now also High-Level Climate Champion for COP25 by the government of Chile. Muñoz shares his insights on the Triciclos approach, waste as a design error, climate change, and more.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'Plastic recycling is a myth': what really happens to your rubbish?

Oliver Franklin-Wallis

August 17, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: England

After decades of recycling plastic, the world is now coming to terms with the waste industry it has created, and seeking more sustainable models. One promising model is material recovery facilities, like England’s Green Recycling, that has invested in an AI sorting machine to help humans more efficiently and accurately find materials that can be recycled. While a costly model of sustainability, new strategy proposals are emerging that can help the world make this change possible.

Read More
Go to Original Story
What do you do with a derelict Center Parcs? Map out a waste-free world

Holly Dicker

August 14, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Rotterdam

Abandoned buildings can become spaces for economic innovation and experimentation. An abandoned resort spa in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, now houses BlueCity, an ecosystem of sustainable enterprises. The initiative aligns with The Netherland’s 2050 circular strategy, which aims to reduce waste and implement circular design into the economic. At BlueCity, the businesses are leaders in sustainable innovations, from brewers that share byproducts with bakers to companies that recycle plastic.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Citizens of the Week Gaye Harley and Jamie Powell

Jessica Press

August 12, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wilmington, Delaware

In Wilmington, Delaware, Gaye Harley repurposes her hospital's operating room wraps, the oversize sheets of synthetic material used to package instruments, into portable maps for the homeless. Instead of disposing of the materials, she has urged the hospital to recycle them into nearly 100 mats and counting. They have also used the mats to make tote bags, which they distribute with donated socks, also to the homeless.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Oregon Rethinks Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Life After the Chinese Import Ban

Maggie Mertens

August 09, 2019 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

After China stopped buying recycling near the end of 2017, Oregon faced mounting piles of mixed recycling that seemed bound for the landfill--a move that might have been illegal under Oregon law. Instead, the state's recycling industry made adjustments, including limiting the types of items to be recycled and using local processing plants instead of Chinese ones.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Less Trash, More Schools — One Plastic Brick at a Time

Anemona Hartocollis

July 27, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan

The recycling economy is helping Ivory Coast overcome a building shortage and create jobs. The Fighting Women, a community organization in Abidjan, collect plastic waste to resell to manufacturers. In partnership with UNICEF, the Columbian company, Conceptos Plásticos purchases plastic waste from the Women and recycles it into bricks, which are used to construct classrooms.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Bring Containers, Leave Your Guilt at Home

Karine Vann

July 26, 2019 |

DigBoston |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Package-free shopping encourages more sustainable consumption. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cleenland offers package-free household products, including shampoo and cleaners. Customers use their own containers and pay by weight. Asking consumers to pay more attention helps reduce waste generated by packaging and contributes to municipal zero waste strategies.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Women Are Leading the Charge to Recycle Whole Houses

Teresa Carey

July 24, 2019 |

Smithsonian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Leonardtown, Maryland

To avoid the waste that would incur from demolishing structures such as houses and apartment buildings, a reuse center in Maryland works with deconstruction crews to disassemble the buildings and then sells the salvaged materials at a reduced cost. Although "the trend is hardly noticed," this type of movement has spread across the United States and is mostly led by women.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Living without plastic: One family's journey

Susan Spillman

July 19, 2019 |

Los Angeles Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

For one family, living plastic-free was a lifestyle decision made after they learned more about the harm that plastic waste causes. The Watt family lives as plastic-free as possible – carrying their own utensils, buying in bulk and bringing their own glass containers, making their own household cleaner, and using reusable beeswax wraps instead of cling wrap. While these are all steps in the right direction toward reducing the nearly 335 million tons of plastic produced every year, experts say we need to rely less on individual actions and push for tougher laws and systemic changes.

Read More
Go to Original Story