Contaminants

State court verdict on plastic bag bans opens further debate

07/26/2011
By Alison Hawkes

Both sides of the plastic vs. paper debate are claiming victory in a California Supreme Court decision on banning plastic bags.
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Tags: california supreme court, , plastic bag ban
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Hetch Hetchy water zapped with UV waves

07/20/2011
By Alison Hawkes

San Francisco's water is now being zapped by ultraviolet waves before reaching faucets. The new UV treatment plant - the largest in California- opened this week.
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Tags: hetch hetchy, , ultraviolet waves, water
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San Mateo towns ban styrofoam

07/13/2011
By Alison Hawkes

Styrofoam takeout containers are becoming an endangered species in San Mateo County as cities take up a ban on polystyrene products.
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Tags: ban, belmont, burlingame, foster city, millbrae, pacifica, polystyrene, san bruno, san carlos, san mateo county, south san francisco, styrofoam
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Sonoma aims for 100 percent recycling

07/13/2011
By Alison Hawkes

The county will emphasize the recycling and reuse of construction and demolition debris, which accounts for more than a quarter of the county's waste stream
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Tags: landfill, recycling, sonoma county, waste
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Hunters Point environmental case cleared

07/12/2011
By Alison Hawkes

A California judge determined that toxins and asbestos leaching from the Superfund site would be properly mitigated, clearing the way for the massive redevelopment to proceed.
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Tags: , hunters point, redevelopment, , toxins
Posted in Contaminants, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Japanese tsunami debris to hit California shores

07/06/2011
By Alison Hawkes

The wreckage is steadily traveling East across 3,800 miles of open Pacific Ocean and includes everything from car parts to, sadly enough, human body parts.
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Tags: japan nuclear plant, litter,
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Beaches getting more polluted

06/30/2011
By Alison Hawkes

Eleven percent of California beaches had elevated levels of bacterial contamination, the largest amount in five years.
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Tags: beaches, , pacific, pollution
Posted in Contaminants, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines | Comments Off

Zero-waste lunch a growing movement

06/29/2011
By Alison Hawkes

Efforts to reduce the amount of packaging in lunches has sparked aspirations for a "zero-waste lunch."
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Tags: , waste, zero waste
Posted in Contaminants, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines | Comments Off

Bay Area litter heavily “branded”

06/22/2011
By Alison Hawkes

McDonald's, Burger King, 7-Eleven, and Starbucks top the list of much of the litter discarded along Bay Area roads.
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Tags: , litter
Posted in Contaminants, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines | Comments Off

Carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in homes

06/20/2011
By Alison Hawkes

July 1 is the deadline for carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in single-family homes in California. Multi-family units have until 2013.
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Tags: , carbon monoxide detectors
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Field Notes Blog

Report: San Francisco faces water-related dangers

San Francisco  has been identified as one of the most vulnerable cities in the nation when it comes to water-related impacts of climate change....
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Builders cheer demise of California environmental law

Upon attending the West Coast Green events at the Moscone Center in San Francisco this week, I was thrilled to find out that Governor...
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Recycling carpets in California will save landfill space

Of the myriad of things cramming California landfills, discarded carpets are taking up lots of space. About 400 million pounds are tossed each year,...
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Way Out West is a news site for the Bay Area dedicated to daily coverage of local green news.

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