The beginning of a new year means fresh possibilities for the waste and recycling industry. This week we hear from the top podcast guests of 2021 and listen to industry experts as they make their predictions for 2022.

1. Mission Black Goo: Figuring Out What It Is and How to Tackle It

For the past several years, some landfills are experiencing a new phenomenon: black solids that are making their way onto these sites and into leachate and gas collection systems, clogging equipment and impairing management and extraction of leachate and gas.  Referred to as “black goo,” no one is positive of where it comes from or even exactly what it is.

Read the full article.

2. 2021 & 2022: Looking Backward and Forward

2021 was a most unusual year for recycling. Markets were hot, recycling did well and legislators stepped up their game. What happened last year, what did we learn and what can we expect in this new year?

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3. Episode 135: Nuggets of Wisdom from Our Top 9 Podcast Guests of 2021

As always, we are grateful for the resilience our industry has shown in 2021. Over the year, we talked with some of the top waste, recycling and sustainability experts on the Waste360 NothingWasted! Podcast.

Listen to some wisdom from our top 9 of our most popular episodes throughout the year.

Listen to the full episode.

4. Landfills Odors Create Noxious Court Case in New York

In a movement beginning almost a decade ago and still going strong, states and local governments have filed lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies seeking compensation for having spent untold millions of dollars coping with the opioid crisis.  Based on “public nuisance” laws, these large, consequential and protracted cases appear prominently on court dockets.  For better or worse, the outcomes have varied.

Read the full article.

5. Episode 42: Packaging Challenges and Innovation with Nestlé Purina

Pet food manufacturer Nestlé Purina is seeking to deliver on its sustainability goals with the incorporation of recycled materials into its packaging as well as eliminating unnecessary plastics.

In this week's Stef Talks Trash, Brian Seevers, director of technical packaging, Nestlé Purina, breaks down the challenges of finding recyclable materials, the demand behind them and how the company plans to achieve its targets.

Listen to it here.