We’ve all seen and sometimes used them: those tiny plastic bottles of personal care products that hotels provide to guests. Although many of us have forsaken the novelty of these tiny bottles by bringing along our favorite care products when we travel, they have persisted on hotel bathroom sinks throughout the world. Thanks to a recently signed law, hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals in California will be prohibited from providing these to their guests starting in 2023. Full story…

Wait, aren’t all products with the recycling chasing arrows symbol recyclable? Unfortunately this isn’t always the case. First, there is currently no universal definition for recyclable. Second, individual materials in a product may be recyclable, but they may be fused together in such a way that it’s difficult to separate them into individual recyclable materials. Full story…

Yuba County is home to the latest construction project to use recycled waste tires to patch up damaged roadways. Last month, 430,000 tires were utilized as filling material to repair multiple roads destroyed by recent landslides. Full story…

Every year, Californians use hundreds of millions of medical sharps such as syringes and lancets, and they obtain hundreds of millions of medical prescriptions. Improperly disposed medications can threaten the environment, wildlife, waste handlers, and the public through water contamination, inadvertent needle sticks, and drug abuse. State lawmakers have offered a solution by passing Senate Bill 212 (Jackson, Chapter 1004, Statutes of 2018), the Pharmaceutical and Sharps Waste Stewardship Act. Full story…

On the UC Davis campus, a group of researchers is breeding lots of bugs. I mean, a lot. The university researchers are exploring how to use black soldier fly larvae to break down organic waste—like almonds, wine waste, and tomatoes—and convert it into useful products. Full story…

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment of all races, cultures, and incomes regarding the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Check out this video to learn more. Full story…