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This is the website for the Ad Council, which creates public service announcement campaigns. You can click on "Our Work" and then click on "Our Campaigns" to examples of full campaigns in all modalities (radio spots, video, print, etc.).

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World Health Organization, Air Pollution

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World Health Organization, Air Pollution

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From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate.

Ambient (outdoor) air pollution in both cities and rural areas is causing fine particulate matter which result in strokes, heart diseases, lung cancer, acute and chronic respiratory diseases.

Additionally, around 2.4 billion people are exposed to dangerous levels of household air pollution, while using polluting open fires or simple stoves for cooking fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.

The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths annually.

Sources of air pollution are multiple and context specific. The major outdoor pollution sources include residential energy for cooking and heating, vehicles, power generation, agriculture/waste incineration, and industry. Policies and investments that support sustainable land use, cleaner household energy and transport, energy-efficient housing, power generation, industry, and better municipal waste management can effectively reduce key sources of ambient air pollution.

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Air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. WHO data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. WHO is working with countries to monitor air pollution and improve air quality.

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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Air Pollution and Your Health

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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Air Pollution and Your Health

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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Introduction

Air pollution is a familiar environmental health hazard. We know what we're looking at when brown haze settles over a city, exhaust billows across a busy highway, or a plume rises from a smokestack. Some air pollution is not seen, but its pungent smell alerts you.

It is a major threat to global health and prosperity. Air pollution, in all forms, is responsible for more than 6.5 million deaths each year globally, a number that has increased over the past two decades.

What Is Air Pollution?

Air pollution is a mix of hazardous substances from both human-made and natural sources.

Vehicle emissions, fuel oils and natural gas to heat homes, by-products of manufacturing and power generation, particularly coal-fueled power plants, and fumes from chemical production are the primary sources of human-made air pollution.

Nature releases hazardous substances into the air, such as smoke from wildfires, which are often caused by people; ash and gases from volcanic eruptions; and gases, like methane, which are emitted from decomposing organic matter in soils.

Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP), a mixture of gasses and particles, has most of the elements of human-made air pollution: ground-level ozone, various forms of carbon, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and fine particulate matter.

Ozone, an atmospheric gas, is often called smog when at ground level. It is created when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

Noxious gases, which include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur oxides (SOx), are components of motor vehicle emissions and byproducts of industrial processes.

Particulate matter (PM) is composed of chemicals such as sulfates, nitrates, carbon, or mineral dusts. Vehicle and industrial emissions from fossil fuel combustion, cigarette smoke, and burning organic matter, such as wildfires, all contain PM.

A subset of PM, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) is 30 times thinner than a human hair. It can be inhaled deeply into lung tissue and contribute to serious health problems. PM 2.5 accounts for most health effects due to air pollution in the U.S.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) vaporize at or near room temperature-hence, the designation volatile. They are called organic because they contain carbon. VOCs are given off by paints, cleaning supplies, pesticides, some furnishings, and even craft materials like glue. Gasoline and natural gas are major sources of VOCs, which are released during combustion.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are organic compounds containing carbon and hydrogen. Of more than 100 PAHs known to be widespread in the environment, 15 are listed in the Report on Carcinogens. In addition to combustion, many industrial processes, such as iron, steel, and rubber product manufacturing, as well as power generation, also produce PAHs as a by-product. PAHs are also found in particulate matter.

Air Pollution and Climate Change

Air pollution and climate change affect each other through complex interactions in the atmosphere. Air pollution is intricately linked with climate change because both problems come largely from the same sources, such as emissions from burning fossil fuels. Both are threats to people's health and the environment worldwide. Read more: Health Impacts of Air Quality.

What is NIEHS Doing?

Over its 50-plus year history, NIEHS has been a leader in air pollution research. The institute continues to fund and conduct research into how air pollution affects health and the population groups who are most affected.

How does air pollution affect our health?

When the National Ambient Air Quality Standards were established in 1970, air pollution was regarded primarily as a threat to respiratory health. In 1993, NIEHS researchers published the landmark Six Cities Study, which established an association between fine particulate matter and mortality.

Air pollution exposure is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in human cells, which may lay a foundation for chronic diseases and cancer. In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified air pollution as a human carcinogen.

Mortality rates related to air pollution are a concern. Exposure to the air pollutant PM2.5 is associated with an increased risk of death.

A team of researchers, partially funded by NIEHS, found that deaths decreased after air pollution regulations were implemented and coal-powered plants were retired. The study data covered 21 years. More specifically, they found exposure to PM2.5 from coal was associated with a mortality risk that was twice as high as the risk from exposure to PM2.5 from all sources. PM2.5 from coal is high in sulfur dioxide, black carbon, and metals.

Public health concerns include cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and reproductive, neurological, and immune system disorders.

Research on air pollution and health effects continually advances.

Cancer

A large study of more than 57,000 women found living near major roadways may increase a woman's risk for breast cancer.

The NIEHS Sister Study found other airborne toxic substances, especially methylene chloride, which is used in aerosol products and paint removers, are also associated with increased risk of breast cancer.

Occupational exposure to benzene, an industrial chemical and component of gasoline, can cause leukemia and is associated with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

A long-term study, 2000-2016, found an association between lung cancer incidence and increased reliance on coal for energy generation.

Cardiovascular Disease

Fine particulate matter can impair blood vessel function and speed up calcification in arteries.

NIEHS researchers established links between short-term daily exposure by post-menopausal women to nitrogen oxides and increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

For some older Americans, exposure to TRAP can result in lowered levels of high-density lipoprotein, sometimes called good cholesterol, increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease.

According to a National Toxicology Program (NTP) , TRAP exposure also increases a pregnant woman's risk for dangerous changes in blood pressure, known as hypertensive disorders, which are a leading cause of pre-term birth, low birth weight, and maternal and fetal illness and death.

Respiratory Disease

Air pollution can affect lung development and is implicated in the development of , asthma, and other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Increases in asthma prevalence and severity are linked to urbanization and outdoor air pollution. Children living in low-income urban areas tend to have more asthma cases than others. Research published in 2023 tied two air pollutants, ozone and PM2.5, to asthma-related changes in children's airways.

PM and nitrogen oxide are linked to chronic bronchitis.

In 2020, a major public health challenge was confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires across the western U.S. Building on a well-established connection between air pollution and respiratory-tract infections, a study linked wildfire smoke with additional COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Whom does air pollution affect the most?

Air pollution affects everyone's health, but certain groups may be harmed more.
Almost 9 out of 10 people who live in urban areas worldwide are affected by air pollution.
Children
The NIEHS-funded Children's Health Study at the University of Southern California is one of the largest studies of the long-term effects of air pollution on children's respiratory health. Among its findings:

Higher air pollution levels increase short-term respiratory infections, which lead to more school absences.

Children who play several outdoor sports and live in high ozone communities are more likely to develop asthma.

Children living near busy roads are at increased risk for asthma.

Children with asthma who were exposed to high levels of air pollutants were more likely to develop bronchitis symptoms.

Living in communities with higher pollution levels can cause lung damage.

Other studies on women and children

NIEHS-funded researchers from the University of California, Davis, Environmental Health Sciences Center are conducting the Bio-Specimen and Fire Effects (B-SAFE) Study. This ongoing project seeks to discover if and how recent wildfires and their smoke affected pregnant women and their babies. Begun in 2017, study participants are pregnant women who were living in Northern California when the 2018, 2019, or 2020 wildfires occurred there.

Breathing PM 2.5, even at relatively low levels, may alter the size of a child's developing brain, which may ultimately increase the risk for cognitive and emotional problems later in adolescence.

Prenatal exposure to PAHs was associated with brain development effects, slower processing speed, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, and other neurobehavioral problems in urban youth.

In New York City, prenatal exposure to air pollution may play a role in childhood ADHD-related behavior problems.

Prenatal exposure to particulate matter was associated with low birth weight.

Women exposed to high levels of fine particulate matter during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester, may have up to twice the risk of having a child with autism.

Second and third trimester exposure to PM 2.5 might increase the chance of those children having high blood pressure in early life.

In California's agricultural San Joaquin Valley, women who were exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, or nitrogen dioxide during their first 8 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to have a baby with neural tube defects.

In Marietta, Ohio, home to a ferromanganese refinery, manganese concentrations in blood and hair, a biomarker of air pollution exposure, were associated with lower child IQ scores.

Older adults

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are a public health challenge for aging populations. NIEHS-funded researchers at the University of Washington identified a link between air pollution and dementias. This well-conducted study adds considerable evidence that ambient air fine particles increase risk of dementias. Conversely, a multi-year study published in 2022 shows improved air quality is associated with lower risk of dementia in older women. The researchers also stated this decline in dementia risk was equivalent to taking nearly 2 1/2 years off the age of the women studied.

Air pollution was linked to a greater chance of developing several neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias. Hospital admissions data from 63 million older adults in the U.S., obtained over 17 years (2000-2016), was analyzed along with estimated PM 2.5 concentrations by zip code to conduct the study.

In older adults, long-term exposure to TRAP may significantly hasten physical disabilities. The risk is more pronounced among racial minorities and lower-income people.

Osteoporosis affects women more than men. A large study associated high levels of air pollutants with bone damage, particularly in the lumbar spine, among postmenopausal women. This study expands previous findings linking air pollution and bone damage.

Nutrients may counter some harmful effects from air pollution. A 2020 study found omega-3 fatty acids, obtained by eating certain fish, may protect against PM 2.5-associated brain shrinkage in older women.

Rural dwellers

An NIEHS-funded study found that concentrations of PM 2.5 in rural Washington State were comparable to urban Seattle. In this study, as regional PM 2.5 increased, there were increased asthma symptoms, such as limitation of activities, more wheezing, and more nighttime waking, in rural children.

NIEHS supported a translational research project, Addressing Air Pollution and Asthma, that may lead to improved health for children suffering from asthma. They found that certain agricultural practices contribute to poor air quality and asthma among children. The team combined high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) cleaners and a home-based education program to reduce children's exposure to pollutants in the home.

In the rural U.S., large-scale animal feeding operations might compromise regional air quality through emission of pollutants, such as ammonia gas. A study found acute lung function problems in children with asthma in such areas.

Different genes
Your genes play a role in respiratory health. NIEHS-funded research discovered that people with specific gene variants, which made them more likely to have lung inflammation, had a greater chance of suffering from asthma if they lived close to major roadways.

NIEHS and community involvement

NIEHS supports community participation in the research process and encourages collaborative approaches that build capacity in communities to address environmental health concerns. Community-engaged research and citizen science are two types of collaborative research approaches.

For example, NIEHS helps residents of Imperial County, California track air pollution through a network of 40 community-run monitors. In this county, long-term improvements in air quality were associated with significant lung-function improvement in children.

In another example, NIEHS grant recipients developed community-level tactics and public policies for reducing exposure to TRAP:

Using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration.

Building land-use buffers and vegetation barriers.

Improving urban design with gardens, parks, and street-side trees.

Creating active-travel options, such as bicycling and walking paths.

THE (Trade, Health, Environment) Impact Project brings together researchers and community groups to find solutions for communities affected by trade-related pollution, such as ports and roadways with trucking.

Why improving air quality matters

Air pollution and birth outcomes are linked as global public health concerns. Researchers analyzed indoor and outdoor air pollution data from all inhabited continents along with key pregnancy outcomes. Their findings indicate efforts to reduce PM2.5 exposure could lead to significant reductions in the number of low-birth weight and pre-term birth infants worldwide. Air pollution reduction would be especially beneficial for children born in low- and middle-income countries.

Among children in Southern California, decreases in ambient nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5 were associated with fewer cases of asthma.

An NIEHS-funded study found that a mixture of several B vitamins may protect DNA from changes attributable to PM 2.5 air pollution.

Bronchitis symptoms declined as pollution levels dropped in the Los Angeles region.

Improving air quality may improve cognitive function and reduce dementia risk, according to supported in part by NIH and the Alzheimer's Association.

When fossil-fuel power plants close, nearby air pollution is reduced. A study found the incidence of preterm births went down within 5 kilometers of retired coal and oil-powered plant locations.

Further Reading

Stories from the Environmental Factor (NIEHS Newsletter)

Printable Fact Sheets

Podcasts

Additional Resources

Air Pollution Linked to Dementia Cases (September 2023) - In this edition of NIH Research Matters, read about findings from the Health and Retirement Study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, that showed higher air pollution exposure was linked to an increased risk of dementia. After consideration of all sources, fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, from agriculture and wildfires were specifically associated with an increased risk of dementia. Reducing such exposures might help lower the incidence of dementia. The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

, a tool developed in partnership by several government agencies, allows you to monitor air quality in real time anywhere in the U.S. Simply enter your zip code as indicated on the website.

EPA's Air Sensor Toolbox provides information on the operation and use of air-sensor monitoring systems for technology developers, air-quality managers, citizen scientists, and the public.

NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative - This solutions-focused research initiative aims to reduce the health consequences associated with extreme weather events and evolving climate conditions. NIH has a strong history of creating innovative tools, technologies, and data-driven solutions to address global environmental problems.

Smoke-ready Toolbox for Wildfires is a compendium of resources from the EPA to help educate you about the risks of smoke exposure and actions that protect your health.

Wildfire Smoke Collection - The journal Environmental Health Perspectives has published high-impact papers and reviews exploring exposure and resulting health effects related to wildfires.

Related Health Topics

This content is available to use on your website.

Please visit NIEHS Syndication to get started.

Introduction

Air pollution is a familiar environmental health hazard. We know what we're looking at when brown haze settles over a city, exhaust billows across a busy highway, or a plume rises from a smokestack. Some air pollution is not seen, but its pungent smell alerts you.

It is a major threat to global health and prosperity. Air pollution, in all forms, is responsible for more than 6.5 million deaths each year globally, a number that has increased over the past two decades.

What Is Air Pollution?

Air pollution is a mix of hazardous substances from both human-made and natural sources.

Vehicle emissions, fuel oils and natural gas to heat homes, by-products of manufacturing and power generation, particularly coal-fueled power plants, and fumes from chemical production are the primary sources of human-made air pollution.

Nature releases hazardous substances into the air, such as smoke from wildfires, which are often caused by people; ash and gases from volcanic eruptions; and gases, like methane, which are emitted from decomposing organic matter in soils.

Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP), a mixture of gasses and particles, has most of the elements of human-made air pollution: ground-level ozone, various forms of carbon, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and fine particulate matter.

Ozone, an atmospheric gas, is often called smog when at ground level. It is created when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

Noxious gases, which include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur oxides (SOx), are components of motor vehicle emissions and byproducts of industrial processes.

Particulate matter (PM) is composed of chemicals such as sulfates, nitrates, carbon, or mineral dusts. Vehicle and industrial emissions from fossil fuel combustion, cigarette smoke, and burning organic matter, such as wildfires, all contain PM.

A subset of PM, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) is 30 times thinner than a human hair. It can be inhaled deeply into lung tissue and contribute to serious health problems. PM 2.5 accounts for most health effects due to air pollution in the U.S.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) vaporize at or near room temperature-hence, the designation volatile. They are called organic because they contain carbon. VOCs are given off by paints, cleaning supplies, pesticides, some furnishings, and even craft materials like glue. Gasoline and natural gas are major sources of VOCs, which are released during combustion.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are organic compounds containing carbon and hydrogen. Of more than 100 PAHs known to be widespread in the environment, 15 are listed in the Report on Carcinogens. In addition to combustion, many industrial processes, such as iron, steel, and rubber product manufacturing, as well as power generation, also produce PAHs as a by-product. PAHs are also found in particulate matter.

Air Pollution and Climate Change

Air pollution and climate change affect each other through complex interactions in the atmosphere. Air pollution is intricately linked with climate change because both problems come largely from the same sources, such as emissions from burning fossil fuels. Both are threats to people's health and the environment worldwide. Read more: Health Impacts of Air Quality.

What is NIEHS Doing?

Over its 50-plus year history, NIEHS has been a leader in air pollution research. The institute continues to fund and conduct research into how air pollution affects health and the population groups who are most affected.

How does air pollution affect our health?

When the National Ambient Air Quality Standards were established in 1970, air pollution was regarded primarily as a threat to respiratory health. In 1993, NIEHS researchers published the landmark Six Cities Study, which established an association between fine particulate matter and mortality.

Air pollution exposure is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in human cells, which may lay a foundation for chronic diseases and cancer. In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified air pollution as a human carcinogen.

Mortality rates related to air pollution are a concern. Exposure to the air pollutant PM2.5 is associated with an increased risk of death.

A team of researchers, partially funded by NIEHS, found that deaths decreased after air pollution regulations were implemented and coal-powered plants were retired. The study data covered 21 years. More specifically, they found exposure to PM2.5 from coal was associated with a mortality risk that was twice as high as the risk from exposure to PM2.5 from all sources. PM2.5 from coal is high in sulfur dioxide, black carbon, and metals.

Public health concerns include cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and reproductive, neurological, and immune system disorders.

Research on air pollution and health effects continually advances.

Cancer

A large study of more than 57,000 women found living near major roadways may increase a woman's risk for breast cancer.

The NIEHS Sister Study found other airborne toxic substances, especially methylene chloride, which is used in aerosol products and paint removers, are also associated with increased risk of breast cancer.

Occupational exposure to benzene, an industrial chemical and component of gasoline, can cause leukemia and is associated with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

A long-term study, 2000-2016, found an association between lung cancer incidence and increased reliance on coal for energy generation.

Cardiovascular Disease

Fine particulate matter can impair blood vessel function and speed up calcification in arteries.

NIEHS researchers established links between short-term daily exposure by post-menopausal women to nitrogen oxides and increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

For some older Americans, exposure to TRAP can result in lowered levels of high-density lipoprotein, sometimes called good cholesterol, increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease.

According to a National Toxicology Program (NTP) , TRAP exposure also increases a pregnant woman's risk for dangerous changes in blood pressure, known as hypertensive disorders, which are a leading cause of pre-term birth, low birth weight, and maternal and fetal illness and death.

Respiratory Disease

Air pollution can affect lung development and is implicated in the development of , asthma, and other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Increases in asthma prevalence and severity are linked to urbanization and outdoor air pollution. Children living in low-income urban areas tend to have more asthma cases than others. Research published in 2023 tied two air pollutants, ozone and PM2.5, to asthma-related changes in children's airways.

PM and nitrogen oxide are linked to chronic bronchitis.

In 2020, a major public health challenge was confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires across the western U.S. Building on a well-established connection between air pollution and respiratory-tract infections, a study linked wildfire smoke with additional COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Whom does air pollution affect the most?

Air pollution affects everyone's health, but certain groups may be harmed more.
Almost 9 out of 10 people who live in urban areas worldwide are affected by air pollution.
Children
The NIEHS-funded Children's Health Study at the University of Southern California is one of the largest studies of the long-term effects of air pollution on children's respiratory health. Among its findings:

Higher air pollution levels increase short-term respiratory infections, which lead to more school absences.

Children who play several outdoor sports and live in high ozone communities are more likely to develop asthma.

Children living near busy roads are at increased risk for asthma.

Children with asthma who were exposed to high levels of air pollutants were more likely to develop bronchitis symptoms.

Living in communities with higher pollution levels can cause lung damage.

Other studies on women and children

NIEHS-funded researchers from the University of California, Davis, Environmental Health Sciences Center are conducting the Bio-Specimen and Fire Effects (B-SAFE) Study. This ongoing project seeks to discover if and how recent wildfires and their smoke affected pregnant women and their babies. Begun in 2017, study participants are pregnant women who were living in Northern California when the 2018, 2019, or 2020 wildfires occurred there.

Breathing PM 2.5, even at relatively low levels, may alter the size of a child's developing brain, which may ultimately increase the risk for cognitive and emotional problems later in adolescence.

Prenatal exposure to PAHs was associated with brain development effects, slower processing speed, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, and other neurobehavioral problems in urban youth.

In New York City, prenatal exposure to air pollution may play a role in childhood ADHD-related behavior problems.

Prenatal exposure to particulate matter was associated with low birth weight.

Women exposed to high levels of fine particulate matter during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester, may have up to twice the risk of having a child with autism.

Second and third trimester exposure to PM 2.5 might increase the chance of those children having high blood pressure in early life.

In California's agricultural San Joaquin Valley, women who were exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, or nitrogen dioxide during their first 8 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to have a baby with neural tube defects.

In Marietta, Ohio, home to a ferromanganese refinery, manganese concentrations in blood and hair, a biomarker of air pollution exposure, were associated with lower child IQ scores.

Older adults

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are a public health challenge for aging populations. NIEHS-funded researchers at the University of Washington identified a link between air pollution and dementias. This well-conducted study adds considerable evidence that ambient air fine particles increase risk of dementias. Conversely, a multi-year study published in 2022 shows improved air quality is associated with lower risk of dementia in older women. The researchers also stated this decline in dementia risk was equivalent to taking nearly 2 1/2 years off the age of the women studied.

Air pollution was linked to a greater chance of developing several neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias. Hospital admissions data from 63 million older adults in the U.S., obtained over 17 years (2000-2016), was analyzed along with estimated PM 2.5 concentrations by zip code to conduct the study.

In older adults, long-term exposure to TRAP may significantly hasten physical disabilities. The risk is more pronounced among racial minorities and lower-income people.

Osteoporosis affects women more than men. A large study associated high levels of air pollutants with bone damage, particularly in the lumbar spine, among postmenopausal women. This study expands previous findings linking air pollution and bone damage.

Nutrients may counter some harmful effects from air pollution. A 2020 study found omega-3 fatty acids, obtained by eating certain fish, may protect against PM 2.5-associated brain shrinkage in older women.

Rural dwellers

An NIEHS-funded study found that concentrations of PM 2.5 in rural Washington State were comparable to urban Seattle. In this study, as regional PM 2.5 increased, there were increased asthma symptoms, such as limitation of activities, more wheezing, and more nighttime waking, in rural children.

NIEHS supported a translational research project, Addressing Air Pollution and Asthma, that may lead to improved health for children suffering from asthma. They found that certain agricultural practices contribute to poor air quality and asthma among children. The team combined high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) cleaners and a home-based education program to reduce children's exposure to pollutants in the home.

In the rural U.S., large-scale animal feeding operations might compromise regional air quality through emission of pollutants, such as ammonia gas. A study found acute lung function problems in children with asthma in such areas.

Different genes
Your genes play a role in respiratory health. NIEHS-funded research discovered that people with specific gene variants, which made them more likely to have lung inflammation, had a greater chance of suffering from asthma if they lived close to major roadways.

NIEHS and community involvement

NIEHS supports community participation in the research process and encourages collaborative approaches that build capacity in communities to address environmental health concerns. Community-engaged research and citizen science are two types of collaborative research approaches.

For example, NIEHS helps residents of Imperial County, California track air pollution through a network of 40 community-run monitors. In this county, long-term improvements in air quality were associated with significant lung-function improvement in children.

In another example, NIEHS grant recipients developed community-level tactics and public policies for reducing exposure to TRAP:

Using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration.

Building land-use buffers and vegetation barriers.

Improving urban design with gardens, parks, and street-side trees.

Creating active-travel options, such as bicycling and walking paths.

THE (Trade, Health, Environment) Impact Project brings together researchers and community groups to find solutions for communities affected by trade-related pollution, such as ports and roadways with trucking.

Why improving air quality matters

Air pollution and birth outcomes are linked as global public health concerns. Researchers analyzed indoor and outdoor air pollution data from all inhabited continents along with key pregnancy outcomes. Their findings indicate efforts to reduce PM2.5 exposure could lead to significant reductions in the number of low-birth weight and pre-term birth infants worldwide. Air pollution reduction would be especially beneficial for children born in low- and middle-income countries.

Among children in Southern California, decreases in ambient nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5 were associated with fewer cases of asthma.

An NIEHS-funded study found that a mixture of several B vitamins may protect DNA from changes attributable to PM 2.5 air pollution.

Bronchitis symptoms declined as pollution levels dropped in the Los Angeles region.

Improving air quality may improve cognitive function and reduce dementia risk, according to supported in part by NIH and the Alzheimer's Association.

When fossil-fuel power plants close, nearby air pollution is reduced. A study found the incidence of preterm births went down within 5 kilometers of retired coal and oil-powered plant locations.

Further Reading

Stories from the Environmental Factor (NIEHS Newsletter)

Printable Fact Sheets

Podcasts

Additional Resources

Air Pollution Linked to Dementia Cases (September 2023) - In this edition of NIH Research Matters, read about findings from the Health and Retirement Study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, that showed higher air pollution exposure was linked to an increased risk of dementia. After consideration of all sources, fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, from agriculture and wildfires were specifically associated with an increased risk of dementia. Reducing such exposures might help lower the incidence of dementia. The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

, a tool developed in partnership by several government agencies, allows you to monitor air quality in real time anywhere in the U.S. Simply enter your zip code as indicated on the website.

EPA's Air Sensor Toolbox provides information on the operation and use of air-sensor monitoring systems for technology developers, air-quality managers, citizen scientists, and the public.

NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative - This solutions-focused research initiative aims to reduce the health consequences associated with extreme weather events and evolving climate conditions. NIH has a strong history of creating innovative tools, technologies, and data-driven solutions to address global environmental problems.

Smoke-ready Toolbox for Wildfires is a compendium of resources from the EPA to help educate you about the risks of smoke exposure and actions that protect your health.

Wildfire Smoke Collection - The journal Environmental Health Perspectives has published high-impact papers and reviews exploring exposure and resulting health effects related to wildfires.

Related Health Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Air pollution is a familiar environmental health hazard. We know what we're looking at when brown haze settles over a city, exhaust billows across a busy highway, or a plume rises from a smokestack. Some air pollution is not seen, but its pungent smell alerts you.

# data[].attributes.headline
Where Does Air Pollution Come From? The National Park Service

# data[].attributes.subject
Where Does Air Pollution Come From? The National Park Service

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Where Does Air Pollution Come From? - Air (U.S. National Park Service)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
air quality, air pollution, sources, stationary, mobile, wildfires, emissions, power plants, automobiles, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, ozone, volatile organic compounds, toxics, nitrogen, sulfur, heavy metals, transport

# data[].attributes.headline
New York State's Green Amendment to the Bill of Rights (2021), Pace University

# data[].attributes.subject
New York State's Green Amendment to the Bill of Rights (2021), Pace University

# data[].attributes.headline
United Nations Resolution, Healthy Environment a Human Right

# data[].attributes.subject
United Nations Resolution, Healthy Environment a Human Right

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In 2019, following a lawsuit by an environmental group, the Netherland's top court ordered the Dutch Government to do more to cut carbon emissions, saying climate change was a direct threat to human rights.

More recently, Brazil's supreme court declared the Paris climate change agreement a human rights treaty, saying the pact should supersede national law. Backers are hopeful the latest General Assembly resolution will eventually lead to more decisions like those.

Virtually all countries have national laws designed to limit pollution, protect plants and animals, and counter climate change. But those rules are not always fully implemented and when they are violated, citizens often struggle to hold governments and companies accountable.

Women with firewood. Photo by Gyan Shahane/ Unsplash

At the national level, declaring a healthy environment a human right would allow people to challenge environmentally destructive policies under human rights legislation, which is well-defined in many countries.

"These resolutions may seem abstract, but they are a catalyst for action, and they empower ordinary people to hold their governments accountable in a way that is very powerful," said David Boyd, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights and the environment, before the vote.

In the days before the General Assembly resolution was passed, Andersen pointed to a similar decree from 2010 that recognized the right to sanitation and clean water. That, she said, spurred countries across the globe to add drinking water protections to their constitutions.

She said the latest resolution has the same historic potential.

"The resolution will trigger environmental action and provide necessary safeguards to people all over the world," said Andersen. "It will help people stand up for their right to breathe clean air, to access safe and sufficient water, healthy food, healthy ecosystems, and non-toxic environments to live, work, study, and play."

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In historic move, UN declares healthy environment a human right

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The United Nations General Assembly declared today that everyone on the planet has a right to a healthy environment, a move backers say is an important step in countering the alarming decline of the natural world.

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The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) strengthens global solidarity and political momentum for action to improve air quality. Through initiatives such as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, Beat Pollution and Breathe Life, UNEP and its partners seek to raise awareness of the importance of clean air. UNEP bolsters scientific evidence, improves data quality, and provides tools to help governments, the private sector, and communities to make informed decisions and take actions for clean air, health, and livelihoods. Resources: International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, observed on September 7 since 2019, offers a platform to encourage global collaboration to fight air pollution and preserve ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of improving air quality for human and environmental well-being at all levels: individual, national, regional and international. Explore this practical Guide on Clean Air for blue skies and how to claim your right for clean air (video). The Beat Pollution campaign builds on a larger narrative for a pollution-free planet, by linking climate, nature and different pollution streams. Tasked by the UN Environment Assembly, UNEP coordinates “Towards a Pollution-Free Planet,” a plan to eradicate all pollution by 2030, focusing on improved chemical and waste management for human and environmental health and increasing circular processes. Breathe Life is a global campaign, led by World Health Organization (WHO), UNEP and the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). It calls on governments - city, regional and national - to commit to achieving WHO Air Quality Guidelines by 2030. Reducing air pollution to levels deemed safe by the WHO will halve the number of air pollution related deaths by 2030, while at the same time helping to slow the rate of climate change.

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History of New York Harbor, The Billion Oyster Project

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History of New York Harbor, The Billion Oyster Project

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After reading the timeline, click on the FAQ at the end in the "It would be very dangerous to eat oysters from New York Harbor" section.

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220,000 acres of oyster reefs.

Whales, dolphins, seals, seahorses, herring, striped bass, and hundreds of other species in the Harbor enjoy the benefits of the oyster reefs - an ecosystem that had already sustained the local Lenape people for generations.

At this point in time, New York Harbor was one of the most diverse and dynamic environments on the planet.

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History of New York Harbor - Billion Oyster Project

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Whales, dolphins, seals, seahorses, herring, striped bass, and hundreds of other species in the Harbor enjoy the benefits of the oyster reefs - an ecosystem that had already sustained the local Lenape people for generations. At this point in time, New York Harbor was one of the most diverse and dynamic environments on the planet.

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Environmental Sustainability | Northeast Recycling Council

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Promoting sustainability & stewardship through 11-state coalition. Join us for the 2024 Fall Conference! Learn more.

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From day one, City Harvest's focus has been feeding hungry New Yorkers, neighbors helping neighbors.

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As of June 2024, all GrowNYC Zero Waste programming has ended. Click here to find alternative zero waste resources.

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Civil Eats: Can NYC Treat Its Food Scraps as More Than Trash?

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Civil Eats: Can NYC Treat Its Food Scraps as More Than Trash?

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Can New York City Treat Its Food Scraps As More Than Trash?

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Community composters are beloved—and imperiled—across the city.

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NY Times: What Happens to NYC's Food Waste? 

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NY Times: What Happens to NYC's Food Waste? 

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What Happens to NYC's Food Waste? | On the Job | Priya Krishna | NYT Cooking

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Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center, Food Waste: Food by the Numbers

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Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center, Food Waste: Food by the Numbers

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72 BILLION POUNDS OF FOOD WASTE

is lost each year from all points of the production cycle before even making it into consumer homes. Excluding waste at home, 52 billion pounds of food from manufacturers, grocery stores, and restaurants end up in landfills. An additional 20 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables are discarded on farms or left in the fields and plowed under.

40 PERCENT OF FOOD IN THE US GOES UNEATEN,

which, on average, is 400 pounds of food per person every year. This includes wholesome and edible food that is thrown away. Many government-based and non-governmental organizations are focused on waste-reduction initiatives, because excess food ends up in landfills where it produces methane gas, and it also has an economic impact, because $218 billion worth of food is thrown away each year.

21 PERCENT OF LANDFILL VOLUME IS FOOD WASTE

and 21 percent of fresh water is used to produce food that goes to waste. This, coupled with the fact that one in eight people in the United States is food insecure, demonstrates the inefficiency and inequity of our food system.

FOOD WASTE IN NEW YORK STATE

18 PERCENT OF ALL WASTE IS FOOD WASTE

In New York State, food makes up about 18 PERCENT OF ALL WASTE. Each year, about 3.9 million tons of wasted food from New York ends up in landfills, where it slowly decays and is a major contributor to methane gas production. At the same time, 12.8 percent of New Yorkers are food insecure.

250,000 TONS OF WASTED FOOD

Supermarkets, restaurants, colleges, and hospitals are some of the largest food wasters, creating more than 250,000 tons of wasted food and food scraps each year, some of which is edible food that could be rescued instead of discarded.

120,000 METRIC TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) estimates that if these food scraps were diverted from landfills, a reduction of more than 120,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents could be achieved each year, and food banks would see an increase of 20 percent in the amount of food available for those in need if just five percent of this material were donated or otherwise rescued.

2 TONS OF FOOD WASTE GENERATED PER WEEK

Effective January 1, 2022, the Food Donation and Food Scrap Recycling Act creates a code for a food waste hierarchy, focusing on the major generators of food scraps (facilities such as restaurants, hotels, universities, grocery stores and event centers) that generate an annual average of two tons or more of wasted food scraps per week). These food-waste generators will be required to donate excess edible food and recycle all remaining scraps as long as the facility is within 25 miles of an organic recycling facility. The top priority of the new law will be to reroute wasted food in order to feed people in need.

FOOD WASTE IN NEW YORK CITY

68 PERCENT OF ALL FOOD DISCARDED WAS CONSIDERED STILL EDIBLE

In a first-of-its-kind report, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) assessed the amount of wasted food in three cities - Denver, Nashville, and New York City. The study tracked not only how much food was disposed of in the residential sector, but also what types of foods were discarded to the trash, down the drain, composted, or fed to pets. Findings showed that in all three cities, 68 percent of all food discarded was considered still edible. In New York City specifically, 54 percent of food waste was generated in residential settings, 20 percent of this waste was generated by restaurants and caterers, and the remaining percentages were generated in all other settings including health care settings, colleges and universities, grocers and markets, event facilities and food manufacturers.

8.4 POUNDS PER HOUSEHOLD PER WEEK

The average amount of food wasted by households was a corrected amount of 8.4 pounds per household per week (compared to an average of 8.7 pounds per household per week across all three cities). The average amount of edible food wasted per household per week was measured to be 5.4 pounds, compared to 6.0 pounds per household per week across all three cities.

2,000 CITY GOVERNMENT AND 4,000 PRIVATE TRUCKS

collect more than 14 million tons of waste and recyclables from homes, businesses, schools, streets, and construction sites in New York City.

MORE THAN $1 BILLION PER YEAR SPENT

to manage all solid waste, including $300 million to export 3.3 million tons of City-collected waste.

EFFORTS TO MINIMIZE FOOD SENT TO THE LANDFILL WITHIN NEW YORK CITY INCLUDE:

City Harvest, founded as the world's first food rescue organization. In 2018, the organization collected 55 million pounds of excess food from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, manufacturers and farms and delivered it free of charge to 500 community food programs across New York City.

GrowNYC, an organization that offers education, tools, and services to individuals, businesses, and organizations. Today 3 million New Yorkers per year participate in their programs, which include Greenmarkets, gardening programs and environmental education programs for youth.

Green Bronx Machine, a kindergarten through twelfth grade educational program in the South Bronx built on the belief that wasting food is the most pressing food issue today. The organization created the National Health, Wellness, and Learning Center at Community School 55 in the South Bronx, which uses 90 percent less water than traditional farms with its indoor vertical farm.

Harlem Grown, an organization that has transformed 10 vacant lots into urban farms and gardens. Each year, their agricultural sites divert more than 8,500 pounds of food scraps from landfill into their composting system.

the Cornell Waste Management Institute, which focuses on research, outreach, training, and technical assistance regarding organic materials and composting.

the Food Recovery Network, helping to divert more than two million pounds of wasted food from landfills to nonprofits. With more than 230 chapters in 44 states (including 20 colleges and universities across New York), it's the largest student-led movement in the United States, addressing hunger through food scrap diversion.

NY Common Pantry, offering a food pantry, a Hot Meals program, and a supplemental food program for seniors called Nourish.

Rethink Food NYC, which takes excess food from grocery stores, restaurants and farmers' markets and transforms it into meals offered at little or no cost to families across New York City.

Hunger Action Network of New York State, which is a voice in food policy and focuses on advocacy, education and policy as its main priorities.

BK ROT, a composting service that collects organic waste from businesses and organizations by bicycle. The organization processes between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds of organic waste per month.

Gunders, Dana. "Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill." 2017. Natural Resources Defense Council. https://www.nrdc.org/resources/wasted-how-america-losing-40-percent-its-food-farm-fork-landfill. Accessed February 11, 2020.

Brown, Margaret. "How to Feed Hungry New Yorkers and Fight Climate Change." 2017. https://www.nrdc.org/experts/margaret-brown/how-feed-hungry-new-yorkers. Accessed February 11, 2020.

"The Uneaten Big Apple: Hunger's High Cost in NYC." New York City Hunger Report, 2018, Hunger Free America. https://www.hungerfreeamerica.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/NYC%20and%20NYS%20Hunger%20Report%202018_0.pdf. Accessed February 11, 2020.

Solid Waste, PlaNYC Report, https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/planyc2030/pdf/planyc_2011_solid_waste.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2020.

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Food Waste: Food by the Numbers - NYC Food Policy Center

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An updated summary of statistics, policy, and initiatives to minimize food waste in New York City as part of the Food by the Numbers series.

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Exposure to Polluted Water in NYC, NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice 

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Exposure to Polluted Water in NYC, NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice 

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NYC Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice

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This section focuses on exposure to polluted water across two issues and indicators: polluted water bodies and stormwater management. Drinking water is discussed in Access to Safe and Healthy Housing…

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Elevated Lead Levels Found in Many NY, NJ School Water Fountains

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Elevated Lead Levels Found in Many NY, NJ School Water Fountains

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Elevated lead levels found in many NY, NJ school water fountains

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One in Five New Yorkers May Be Drinking Lead-Contaminated Water

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One in Five New Yorkers May Be Drinking Lead-Contaminated Water

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One in five New Yorkers may be drinking lead-contaminated water, report finds

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Study identifies about 900,000 households with service lines definitely or possibly made of lead, a known neurotoxin

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Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law.

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Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law.

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New York City drinking water is world-renowned for its quality. Each day, more than 1 billion gallons of fresh, clean water is delivered from large upstate reservoirs—some more than 125 miles from the City—to the taps of nine million customers throughout New York state.

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Shelia Hu Writer/Researcher & Editorial Associate

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A closer look at the foundational environmental law that keeps our waters—and us—safer and healthier.

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Waterkeeper Alliance proudly endorses the PFAS Accountability Act, which was introduced today in the House and Senate by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)...

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UN Video "How to Claim Your Right to Clean Water" Video

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UN Video "How to Claim Your Right to Clean Water" Video

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UNICEF provides safe water, sanitation and hygiene services in over 100 countries

Water is life. But when water is unsafe and sanitation nonexistent, water can kill.

Children under age 5 are, on average, 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal diseases associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene than from violence in conflict. Unsafe water and diseases caused by poor sanitation are one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 years old.

The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Handwashing is essential to fighting infectious diseases such as cholera. Yet 3 billion people don't have soap and water at home, and over 800 million children attend schools where they can't wash their hands. Globally, one in five children do not have enough water to meet their everyday needs.

UNICEF works in more than 100 countries to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene services (WASH) to the world's most vulnerable communities, whether by delivering safe water after a disaster or promoting proper hygiene practices in schools and communities.

Through initiatives like Water Security for All, UNICEF seeks to ensure every child has access to sustainable and climate-resilient water services.

UNICEF accelerated WASH-related interventions at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic to contain the spread, reaching nearly 74 million people with vital supplies like soap and hygiene kits and installing handwashing stations and latrines that supported millions of people.

Securing adequate water, sanitaiton and hygiene services for households, schools and health care facilities remains core to UNICEF's mission around the world.

'Building back better' is a driving force behind UNICEF's response to all emergencies

UNICEF focuses on achieving water security for children through innovation, investment and collaboration, and by ensuring services are sustainable and resilient to climate shocks. When disaster strikes, and water systems are damaged, UNICEF works to build them back better.

Ensuring WASH services are also climate-resilient can better prepare communities to fight the spread of infectious diseases and potentially prevent future pandemics.

UNICEF also works with the World Health Organization and other partners to ensure that WASH becomes a permanent fixture in government plans, programs and budgets.

Since 2000, UNICEF has helped more than 1.6 billion people access safe drinking water - be it piped into the home or drawn from a protected well.
Support UNICEF's WASH programs for children and families in need. Donate today.

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Clean and Safe Water Projects: UNICEF's Mission

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UNICEF USA's safe water projects save lives. Learn how we provide access to clean water, improving children's health and well-being worldwide. Learn more.

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Our Last Straw is a coalition of restaurants, bars, cafes, and hotels across the DC metropolitan region and beyond on a mission: Eliminate single-use plastic straws.

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Single Use Plastics 101, Natural Resources Defense Council

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Single Use Plastics 101, Natural Resources Defense Council

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What Are Single-Use Plastics?

Put simply, single-use plastics are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuel-based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after use-often, in mere minutes. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags.

Though plastic-a chain of synthetic polymers, essentially-was invented in the mid-19th century, it wasn't until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. Manufacturers began replacing traditionally paper or glass staples with lighter or more durable and affordable plastic alternatives; plastic jugs replaced milk jars, for instance. According to a 2017 study titled "Production, Use, and Fate of All Plastics Ever Made," published in the journal Science Advances, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced since the 1950s, and half of that in the past 15 years alone.

There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. According to the 2017 study, more than half of non-fiber plastic, which excludes synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, comes from plastic packaging alone, much of which is for single-use items.

Why Is Single-Use Plastic Bad?

Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. Our reliance on these plastics means we are accumulating waste at a staggering rate. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, we produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. That's nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.

Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). Carrying reusable bags and bottles is one great way to avoid single-use plastics in our day-to-day lives; more on preventing plastic waste can be found below.

Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most commonly recycled plastics and the material that makes up most water and soda bottles, can be turned into everything from polyester fabric to automotive parts. But the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) found that a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isn't recycled at all. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. Single-use plastics in particular-especially small items like straws, bags, and cutlery-are traditionally hard to recycle because they fall into the crevices of recycling machinery and therefore are often not accepted by recycling centers.

Left alone, plastics don't really break down; they just break up. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detect-and are just about everywhere. Some microplastics are even small by design, like the microbeads used in facial scrubs or the microfibers in polyester clothing. They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. They've even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous; when eaten they can easily accumulate inside an animal's body and cause health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages.

Single-Use Plastics and Pollution

Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. Litter can be the first stage in a waste stream that enters waterways as plastics tossed on the street are washed away by rain or travel via storm drains into rivers and streams. Our waterway plastic pollution is particularly concentrated: Just 10 rivers carry 93 percent of the world's total amount of plastic that enters the oceans via rivers each year.

In 2015 researchers from the University of Georgia estimated that between 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic per year make their way into the oceans via people living within 30 miles of a coast. The majority of this pollution-dominated by single-use plastic waste-comes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. (It's also important to remember that waste management is just one part of the global materials cycle. For instance, a lot of the plastic produced in Asian countries is for products that serve U.S. demand-and the United States often sends plastic waste back to these countries for recycling.)

Marine animals bear the burden of this influx of garbage into their habitats. Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. Alarmingly, scientists estimate that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050. Not only is plastic estimated to kill millions of marine animals and seabirds each year, but it's also contaminating seafood that humans have relied on for millennia, particularly with microplastics in animals' guts.

Our addiction to plastic also has negative impacts on the climate. A 2019 report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. The process of drilling for plastic's source materials, oil and gas, leads to methane leaking and flaring and is often combined with clearing forests and wetlands that otherwise would have sequestered carbon. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gas-intensive industries in the manufacturing sector. And "cracker plants"-which break, or "crack," ethane molecules, a component of natural gas, into the chemical building blocks of plastic products-are energy intensive and highly polluting. According to the CIEL report, in 2015 a mere 24 of these ethane cracker facilities in the United States had the combined carbon output of 3.8 million passenger vehicles. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. That's bad news for our carbon reduction goals: If plastic production continues unabated, its greenhouse gas emissions could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030-equal to adding nearly 300 new coal-fired power plants-even as the need to curb global climate change becomes more urgent.

Plastic pollution-whether in our oceans, piling up on our coastlines, or contributing to our climate crisis-impacts vulnerable communities first. Even if plastic doesn't end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. This is the case particularly in Southeast Asia, which has begun to import much of the plastic that used to go to China for recycling. Not only does the waste destroy the land itself, but when plastic is incinerated (as is the case for unrecyclable plastic at some illegal facilities) its toxic fumes quickly become a health hazard for residents, leading to everything from skin rashes to cancer. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back.

Should We Ban Single-Use Plastics?

Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. A wave of single-use plastic bans is sweeping the country and the globe-most often on plastic bags, straws, stirrers, and takeout clamshells. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. Plastic bag bans-ideally accompanied by a fee on paper bags-are also catching on. New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and California's bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent (with some customers opting to pay a 10 cent fee for thicker plastic bags) and has reduced coastal pollution.

What do the bans accomplish? They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production that's contributing to global climate change. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable.

Large producers of single-use plastics can make a big environmental impact. As part of the Break Free From Plastic movement, Greenpeace volunteers conducted an audit of plastic pollution along coastlines, sifting through tens of thousands of individual pieces across 42 countries to identify the pollution's sources. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé products were found most often. Coca-Cola has said that it alone produces three million tons of plastic packaging each year, equivalent to a terrifying 200,000 plastic bottles per minute. Policies like bottle bill laws-which generally require retailers to add a fee on individual bottles, which can then be partially redeemed by customers when they recycle-are a way to increase corporate responsibility for waste while providing a monetary incentive to recycle. In Taiwan, which was once overflowing with so much trash that it spurred public protest and the nickname "Garbage Island," companies now either manage their own waste or subsidize government-run infrastructure. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: The island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent.

Some companies are taking initiative on their own. McDonald's swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits.

Avoiding Single-Use Plastics

Individual choices -and the collective shifts they bring about-add up quickly. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good.

Always pack a reusable bag when shopping. (And yes-reusable totes are better for the environment than plastics, recent media claims aside.)

Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers.

Buy in bulk. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs.

Though buying online sometimes has a lower carbon footprint than shopping in a store (skip the express delivery option, if you can), online shipments are still chock-full of plastic. Your best bet to reduce your footprint and plastic waste? Walk, bike, or take public transit to buy in-person.

Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option.

Buy a metal or bamboo reusable straw. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go.

Talk to the owners of the restaurants you frequent. Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags.

Speak out in support of local plastic bans, whether by calling your local government representative, submitting an op-ed to your city's newspaper, or simply starting conversations with neighbors.

Let companies that make your favorite products know that you care about the packaging. Tweet, call, or send letters to these companies to ask them to switch to more durable, recyclable, compostable, renewable, and/or recycled-content packaging with less fossil fuel-derived plastic.

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Here's everything you need to know about the most ubiquitous (and avoidable) kind of plastic waste: the kind made to be tossed in mere minutes.

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This program's funding was ended. But there is info on what happened/what is happening.

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We Can't, We Won't, and We Don't Stop the Swap Stop 'N' Swap® community reuse events kick into high gear just in time for Spring cleaning. We'll be turning trash into treasure throughout the entire summer, in locations all across the city. Unload good, reusable items or find something new-to-you, free!

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ABOUT THIS GUIDE

In a circular fashion industry, designers, producers, retailers & consumers are challenged to take the whole life cycle of a garment into account. Flanders DC and Circular Flanders guide you through the principles of this sustainable way of working.

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ABOUT THIS GUIDE In a circular fashion industry, designers, producers, retailers & consumers are challenged to take the whole life cycle of a garment into account. Flanders DC and Circular Flanders guide you through the principles of this sustainable way of working.

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Global Citizen Asks | Mikaela Loach on Why Climate Justice is Racial Justice

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Plastic Oceans International is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, founded and existing under the laws of California (Federal Tax ID #81-3778043). We are dedicated to ending plastic pollution and fostering sustainable communities worldwide.

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Plastic Oceans International is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, founded and existing under the laws of California (Federal Tax ID #81-3778043). We are dedicated to ending plastic pollution and fostering sustainable communities worldwide.

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MORE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH And yet there's growing concern. It's not just the photos of whales, albatrosses, and sea turtles washing ashore, stomachs clogged with the stuff, or the stories about swirling ocean vortexes collecting litter from around the globe-although these are sobering.

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Can We Safely Burn Waste? The Wired, UK, 2020

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Can We Safely Burn Waste? The Wired, UK, 2020

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When it comes to handling the waste crisis in Australia, options are limited: we either export our waste or bury it. But to achieve current national targets, policy-makers are increasingly asking if we can instead safely burn waste as fuel.

Proposals for waste incinerators are being considered in the Greater Sydney region, but these have been lambasted by the Greens and independent members of the NSW parliament, who cite public health concerns.

Meanwhile, the ACT government has recently put a blanket ban on these facilities.

Read more: China's garbage ban upends US recycling - is it time to reconsider incineration?

But are their concerns based on evidence? In our systematic review of the scientific literature, we could identify only 19 papers among 269 relevant studies - less than 10% - that could help address our question on whether waste-to-energy incinerators could harm our health.

This means the answer remains unclear, and we therefore call for a cautious approach to waste-to-energy technology.

One person, one year, 500 kilograms of waste

Australia's waste crisis began in 2018 when China greatly reduced how much waste it imported. China's waste market was handling about half of the world's recyclable materials, including Australia's.

On average, Australia produces roughly 500 kilograms of municipal (residential and commercial) waste each year. This aligns with the OECD average.

New Zealand in comparison, despite its strong environmental stance, is among the worst offenders for producing waste in any OECD country. It produces almost 800 kilograms per person per year.

Now, most recyclable or reusable waste in Australia goes to landfill. This poses a potential risk to both climate and health with the emission of potent greenhouse gases such as methane and the leaching of heavy metals such as lead into the groundwater. As a result, local governments may want to seek alternative options.

Burning waste in Denmark

"Waste-to-energy" incineration is when solid waste is sorted and burned as "refuse-derived" fuel to generate electricity. This can replace fossil fuel such as coal.

Read more: The recycling crisis in Australia: easy solutions to a hard problem

The technology is on the rise among OECD countries. Denmark and Japan, for example, rely on waste-to-energy incineration to reduce their dependency on landfills and reach carbon neutrality.

In fact, Denmark's waste-to-energy incinerator, Amager Bakke, is so well known it has become a tourist attraction, and is celebrated as one of the world's cleanest waste-to-energy incinerators.

Every day, around 300 trucks filled with non-recyclable municipal solid waste are sent to Amager Bakke.

This fuels a furnace that runs at 1,000℃, turning water into steam. And this steam provides electricity and heat to around 100,000 households. Generally, people in Denmark warmly welcome it.

So what's the problem?

In Australia and the US, community reception towards the building of new incinerators has been cold.

The big concern is burning waste may release chemicals that can harm our health, such as nitrogen oxide and dioxin. Exposure to high levels of dioxin can lead to skin lesions, an impaired immune system and reproductive issues.

However, control measures, such as the technologically advanced filters used in Amager Bakke, can bring the amount of dioxin released to near zero.

Another concern is that implementing waste-to-energy incineration may go against recycling schemes, due to the potential for an increased demand for non-recyclable plastics as fuel.

Supply of this plastic could come from the waning fossil fuel industry. This would work against the goal of establishing a "circular economy" that reuses and recycles goods where possible.

An analysis from 2019 found that to meet European Union circular economy goals, Nordic countries would need to increase their recycling, and significantly shift away from incineration.

This concern is understandable given incinerators operate cleanest when fuelled at full capacity. This is because a higher temperature means a more complete combustion - a bit like less ash and smoke coming off of a well-built campfire.

A lack of evidence

As with many policy solutions, determining the safety of burning waste is complicated.

Our review found a lack of evidence to fully reject well-designed and operated facilities. However, based on the limited number of health studies we found, we support a precautionary planning approach to waste-to-energy proposals.

Read more: Garbage in, garbage out: Incinerating trash is not an effective way to protect the climate or reduce waste

This means we need appropriate health risk assessment and life cycle analyses built into the approval process for each and every incinerator proposed in the near-future.

The studies we found were all performed in the last 20 years. None were from the Nordic countries, however, where waste-to-energy incineration has been in use for many decades.

The reasons for the Nordic embrace of this technology are speculative. One reason may be that their level of economic development allows large capital investment for safe, state-of-the-art design and operation.

Where to from here?

If councils are determined to pursue waste-to-energy incineration, we suggest they prioritise specific applications.

For example, we found the process with the most favourable life-cycle assessment (the most beneficial to health compared to traditional fossil fuel use) was the "co-incineration" of refuse-derived fuel for industrial cement.

Read more: South African study highlights growing number of landfill sites, and health risks

Currently, cement kilns are mostly fuelled by burning coal, and it's difficult to reach the high temperatures required with traditional renewables. This means substituting coal for refuse-derived fuel could reduce the industry's dependency on coal, when renewables aren't an option.

Another solution is to focus instead on the waste hierarchy. This means first minimising waste production, maximising energy efficiency and maximising recycling and reuse of waste materials.

So, while we wait for more knowledge on how waste-to-energy incineration may affect our health, let's focus on improving our waste hierarchy, rather than exporting our waste to feed a global crisis.

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A Periodic Table of NYC Trash, The New Yorker

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A Periodic Table of NYC Trash, The New Yorker

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My fascination with urban litter began at some point in the past seven years, but I can't be more specific. That's the period in which I have lived in Chinatown, and in which I started noticing the neighborhood's unique and heterogeneous trash footprint. My block, for one, is a garbage buffet. On a typical weekday morning, I might pass a fish head, a pair of adult underwear, a pair of kid underwear, a tertiary cut of meat, a broken settee, a soybean-oil tin, and drug baggies of all colors and shapes, some so small that I can't imagine more than a grain or two of an illegal substance fitting inside. This all appears within the space of twenty or forty feet. Rats love my block. They frolic openly.

Amid the novel refuse, there are bits of familiarity-Dunkin' Donuts cups and freshness seals and those little silica-gel desiccant packets printed with frantic warnings not to eat them. These items appear in every corner and borough of the city. They're like old, smelly, unlikable friends. Because I am a compulsive list-maker, I have kept a catalogue of the recurrent items. It numbers in the hundreds. It is a ghastly document to glance over-an indictment of this city's occupants, a record of our habits, a litany of our vices, a portrait of our tastes.

Litter generally takes one of two forms; it is either scattered or piled. At some point in my listing, I wondered what it would look like to organize the trash visually into a form that, say, Marie Kondo would approve of. What would a garbage census look like? Doesn't anything look agreeable if you organize it neatly enough?

My partner, Teddy Blanks, runs a design studio in Brooklyn, and I asked him. He thought the answer might plausibly be yes. We compiled a master list of frequently occurring trash, then went out to find and photograph samples of each piece in the wild. The rule was that all trash had to be photographed in situ, with no human intervention or staging. No nudging with a toe, no poking with a stick. For three months, we walked with our necks at a forty-degree angle, eying the pavement and swivelling horizontally from stoop to gutter so as not to overlook a precious dirty Band-Aid or sullied toothpick. Every outing became a treasure hunt. This city is opulent with trash.

The chart that we came up with is not about the environmental impact of waste. Nor is it a comment on New York's Department of Sanitation and how effectively its 7,197 uniformed sanitation workers and supervisors remove street litter on designated days of the week. It is simply about clocking items that recognizably recur in the city at this moment in time. It is about organizing these items loosely. And it is about putting them together to yield a snapshot of New York by way of its filthiest common denominators.** **But, even if this is not a purely scientific endeavor, it borrows a scientific form. Our table has the same cell count and over-all shape as the periodic table of the elements. Just as the original elements are organized by their atomic number and chemical properties (alkali metal, noble gas), the items of trash are organized by function (hygiene, beverage), and, just as the elements are referred to by symbols, each item of trash is given a one- or two-letter abbreviation.

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My fascination with urban litter began at some point in the past seven years, but I can't be more specific. That's the period in which I have lived in Chinatown, and in which I started noticing the neighborhood's unique and heterogeneous trash footprint. My block, for one, is a garbage buffet.

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What Happens to NYC's 3.2 Million Tons of Trash? Business Insider

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What Happens to NYC's 3.2 Million Tons of Trash? Business Insider

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What Happens To NYC’s 3.2 Million Tons Of Trash | Big Business | Business Insider

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Is Burning Trash a Good Way to Dispose of It? PBS News Hour

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Is Burning Trash a Good Way to Dispose of It? PBS News Hour

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Burning trash has a long history in the United States, and municipal solid waste incinerators have sparked resistance in many places. As an environmental justice scholar who works directly with low-income and communities of color, I see incineration as a poor waste management option.

Although these plants generate electricity from the heat created by burning trash, their primary purpose is waste disposal. Emissions from burning waste worsen environmental inequalities, create financial risks for host communities and reduce incentives to adopt more sustainable waste practices.

I recently co-authored a report that describes signs of decline in the U.S. waste incineration industry due to many factors. They include a volatile revenue model, aging plants, high operation and maintenance costs, and growing public interest in reducing waste, promoting environmental justice and combating climate change.

Emissions from burning waste worsen environmental inequalities, create financial risks for host communities and reduce incentives to adopt more sustainable waste practices.

Nonetheless, 72 incinerators are still operating today in the U.S. Most of them - 58, or 80% - are sited in environmental justice communities, which we defined as areas where more than 25% of residents are low-income, people of color or both. Incinerators worsen cumulative impacts from multiple pollution sources on these overburdened neighborhoods.

Environmental justice flashpoints

Waste incinerators are heavily concentrated in northeast states and Florida - areas with high population densities and limited landfill space. Some of these states also provide favorable economic incentives, such as allowing incinerators to earn renewable energy credits for generating electricity.

In the past year environmental justice advocates have successfully shut down incinerators in Detroit, Michigan, and Commerce, California. The Detroit incinerator was built in the 1980s and received more than US$1 billion in public investment borne by local taxpayers. Groups such as Breathe Free Detroit and Zero Waste Detroit rallied residents to oppose the public financing and health burdens that the facility imposed on surrounding environmental justice communities. The plant closed in March 2019.

The California plant closed in June 2018 after a yearlong campaign by two community-based organizations, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and Valley Improvement Projects, to prevent incineration from qualifying for state renewable energy subsidies. The facility ultimately closed when a 30-year power purchase agreement with the local utility expired, leaving it without a sufficient revenue stream.

Aging facilities

Incineration plants' average life expectancy is 30 years. Three-quarters of operating waste incinerators in the United States are at least 25 years old.

These facilities' revenues come primarily from tipping fees that waste haulers pay to dump trash, and secondarily from generating electricity. These revenue streams are volatile and can undermine the industry's financial stability. At least 31 incinerators have closed since 2000 due to issues such as insufficient revenue or inability to afford required upgrades.

Operations and maintenance costs typically increase as plants age and their performance decreases. Upgrades, such as installing new pollution control equipment, can cost tens of millions of dollars, and sometimes more than US$100 million.

These large capital expenditures represent risks for host communities, which often provide public financing through bonds or tax increases. Such measures are risky because the waste service and energy contracts that generate revenue are increasingly shorter term and vulnerable to fluctuating market and regulatory conditions. As plants age, their environmental performance may also degrade over time, posing increasing risks to the environment and public health.

Construction years for MSW incinerators

Most U.S. municipal solid waste incinerators are at least 25 years old, and some have been running for more than 40 years.

What incinerators burn

The composition of municipal solid waste has changed over the past 50 years. Synthetic materials such as plastics have increased, while biogenic, compostable materials such as paper and yard trimmings have decreased.

Plastics are particularly problematic for waste handling because they are petroleum-based, nonbiogenic materials. They are difficult to decompose and release harmful pollutants such as dioxins and heavy metals when they are incinerated.

Materials in U.S. municipal solid waste

Waste management trends

Today, thanks to the evolution of waste handling options, a majority of the materials in municipal solid waste can be composted or recycled. This reduces impacts on the environment, including air, soil and water contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. As cities like New York and San Francisco adopt zero-waste policies that create incentives for diverting waste from landfills or incinerators, burning trash will increasingly become obsolete.

Many U.S. cities and states are adopting aggressive climate change and sustainability goals. Waste reduction and diversion will play a critical part in meeting these targets. The public is increasingly demanding more upstream solutions in the form of extended producer responsibility bills, plastic bans and less-toxic product redesign. There is also a growing movement for less-consumptive lifestyles that favors zero-waste goals.

Materials in U.S. municipal solid waste recycled and composted (percentage of each type)

Wastes that are not recycled or composted typically are either burned or buried in landfills.

Heavy polluters

Incinerators release many air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, particulate matter, lead, mercury, dioxins and furans. These substances are known to have serious public health effects, from increased cancer risk to respiratory illness, cardiac disease and reproductive, developmental and neurological problems. According to recent figures from the waste industry, incinerator plants emit more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generated than power plants burning natural gas.

Research on direct health impacts of waste incineration in the United States is limited, but a handful of studies from Asia and Europe, where waste incinerators are prevalent, offer some insights. For example, a 2013 study in Italy analyzed the occurrence of miscarriages in women aged 15-49 years residing near seven incinerators in northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, and found that increased particulate emissions from the incinerators was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.

A single incinerator may burn anywhere from a few hundred tons to several thousand tons of waste per day. Smaller incinerators typically have lower absolute emissions but can emit more hazardous pollutants for each ton of waste they burn. Plant emissions also can vary widely based on the heterogeneous composition of municipal waste, the age and type of emissions control equipment, and how well the plant is operated and maintained over time.

Emission rates for "Dirtiest Dozen" municipal solid waste incinerators (pounds per ton of trash burned, 2014)

For each pollutant, at least 8 of the 12 incinerators with the highest emission rates nationwide were located in environmental justice communities
Ana Baptista is assistant professor of environmental policy and sustainability management at The New School. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Is burning trash a good way to dispose of it? Waste incineration in charts

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Burning trash has a long history in the United States, and municipal solid waste incinerators have sparked resistance in many places. As an environmental justice scholar who works directly with low-income and communities of color, I see incineration as a poor waste management option.

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149K views · 399 reactions | How does this recycling center in Brooklyn sort through 20,000 tons of material every month? | Curbed

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How does this recycling center in Brooklyn sort through 20,000 tons of material every month?

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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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United Nations: Egypt- Tackling Food Waste and Loss

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United Nations: Egypt- Tackling Food Waste and Loss

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United Nations: 15 Quick Tips for Reducing Food Waste & Becoming a Food Hero

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United Nations: 15 Quick Tips for Reducing Food Waste & Becoming a Food Hero

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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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For many people in the world, food waste has become a habit: buying more food than we need at markets, letting fruits and vegetables spoil at home or taking larger portions than we can eat.

These habits put extra strain on our natural resources and damage our environment. When we waste food, we waste the labour, effort, investment and precious resources (like water, seeds, feed, etc.) that go into producing it, not to mention the resources that go into transporting and processing it. In short, wasting food increases greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to climate change.

It's a big problem. In fact, worldwide, tonnes of edible food are lost or wasted every day. Between harvest and retail alone, around 14 percent of all food produced globally is lost. Huge quantities of food are also wasted in retail or at the consumer level.

The part of food that is lost from harvest up to, but not including, the retail level is called . The part wasted at the consumer or retail level is referred to as . We make this distinction to address the root causes of this problem, a problem that everyone from farmers and producers to customers and shop-owners can help end.

Reducing food loss and waste is essential in a world where millions of people go hungry every day . When we reduce waste, we respect that food is not a given for the millions of people who go hungry every day.

It's up to us to change our habits to make not wasting food a way of life!

Here are some easy actions you can take to re-connect to food and what it stands for:
1. Adopt a healthier, more sustainable diet
Life is fast-paced and preparing nutritious meals can be a challenge, but healthy meals don't have to be elaborate. The internet is full of quick healthy recipes that you can share with your family and friends
2. Buy only what you need
Plan your meals. Make a shopping list and stick to it, and avoid impulse buys. Not only will you waste less food, you'll also save money!
3. Pick ugly fruit and vegetables
Don't judge food by its appearance! Oddly-shaped or bruised fruits and vegetables are often thrown away because they don't meet arbitrary cosmetic standards. Don't worry - they taste the same! Use mature fruit for smoothies, juices and desserts.
4. Store food wisely
Move older products to the front of your cupboard or fridge and new ones to the back. Use airtight containers to keep open food fresh in the fridge and ensure packets are closed to stop insects from getting in.
5. Understand food labelling
There's a big difference between "best before" and "use-by" dates. Sometimes food is still safe to eat after the "best before" date, whereas it's the "use-by" date that tells you when it is no longer safe to eat. Check food labels for unhealthy ingredients such as trans fats and preservatives and avoid foods with added sugar or salt.
6. Start small
Take smaller portions at home or share large dishes at restaurants.
7. Love your leftovers
If you don't eat everything you make, freeze it for later or use the leftovers as an ingredient in another meal.

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15 quick tips for reducing food waste and becoming a Food hero

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We all have a part to play in saving food

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Curbside Composting service is now available to ALL NYC residents citywide.

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NYC Department of Sanitation: Textile Overview

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NYC Department of Sanitation: Textile Overview

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DSNY - The City of New York Department of Sanitation

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NYC Department of Sanitation: Donate NYC

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NYC Department of Sanitation: Donate NYC

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NYC Department of Sanitation: Refashion NYC

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NYC Department of Sanitation: Refashion NYC

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refashionNYC is a convenient and free textile donation and recycling service available for NYC residential and commercial buildings, schools, and nonprofit institutions. We deliver bins to collect your unwanted clothing, household textiles, and accessories, then pick them up when they are full.

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Recycling Fashion: The Town Turning Waste into Clothes, BBC News

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Recycling Fashion: The Town Turning Waste into Clothes, BBC News

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Recycling fashion: The town turning waste into clothes- BBC News