Japan is described as a global leader in handling e‑waste and offers thousands of convenient drop‑off points, dedicated examination centers, and avenues for repair and refurbishment.

China has been investing in domestic recycling infrastructure and ATRenew opened nearly 2,000 offline stores to provide more convenient recycling access.

In 2018 China implemented the National Sword policy that banned the import of most plastics and other recyclable materials, sharply reducing overseas processing of foreign recyclables.

Sealed Air defines criteria for a 100% recyclable packaging claim as: collection by at least 60% of the population, ability to be sorted by the receiving material recovery facility (MRF), and the ability to be recycled into a commercially viable product.

Sealed Air recommends standardized on‑package labels to help consumers follow local rules, citing How2Recycle in the U.S., On‑Pack Recycling Labels in the U.K., and Australasian Recycling Labels in Australia and New Zealand.

Modern MRFs increasingly use automated equipment such as high‑speed conveyors, optical sorters, and robotics to sort mixed recycling streams.

Research cited by Sealed Air reports that state‑of‑the‑art optical sorting and peripheral systems significantly improve capture rates and the quality of recycled flexible plastics.

Advanced or chemical recycling methods, including pyrolysis, are being developed to produce recycled plastics with performance properties similar to virgin plastics.

U.S. local governments report that commodity prices for recyclables fell sharply after 2018, placing financial strain on recycling operations and programs.

Some U.S. municipalities have reduced or ended portions of curbside recycling because of high contamination rates and the cost to make material market‑ready; examples include Greensboro stopping curbside glass collection and Clinton moving to drop‑off centers.

Wilmington / New Hanover County reports roughly 80% voluntary participation in its curbside recycling program, recycles about 7,000 tons per year, and sends about 25,000 tons per year to landfill while exploring procurement that requires recycled content.

Local U.S. officials and some legislators have proposed extended producer responsibility (EPR) approaches and producer fees to shift more responsibility for packaging and hard‑to‑recycle products onto producers.

Construction‑site waste management practices noted in the context include pumping for liquid and solid removal, recycling and reusing rubble, soil, plastics, metals and glass, anaerobic digestion, composting, and landfilling.

Business and industry recommendations in the documents include refurbishing electronics, extending device lifespans, educating employees, and coordinating collection, refurbishment, and recycling networks to grow second‑hand markets.

Sealed Air emphasizes that recyclability requires collection, effective sorting, and market demand, and that without domestic demand and viable markets the recycling system risks failure.

Based on the provided documents, Japan, China and some proactive U.S. municipalities provide useful models and practices—convenient consumer drop‑off and refurbishment in Japan, domestic infrastructure expansion in China after National Sword, and local policy tools in the U.S. such as procurement for recycled content and EPR—that our county can study for improving waste sorting and recycling systems.

Japan is described as a global leader in handling e‑waste and offers thousands of convenient drop‑off points, dedicated examination centers, and avenues for repair and refurbishment.

Title:

Content: Save The Planet — and Your Dollars — By Making Your Office Gadgets Greener. Here's How. Millions of offices around the globe need to rethink their use of electronics.

By Kerry Chen

Key Takeaways

  • The global secondhand market is booming, and this is especially true for consumer electronics.
  • Recycling or refurbishing used tech is a multifaceted process that requires a well-coordinated network of services.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In this decade, more and more businesses feel the need to adjust their operations in favor of more long-term sustainable practices. From consumer demands to politics and investors, environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices have never been discussed more than today.

However, this boom is not just about using green energy in production or donating towards environmental efforts. It's about changing entire corporate cultures, making employees and partners aware of sustainability issues and implementing shifts across all departments.

Contemporary businesses are profoundly dependent on consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptops. These devices present distinct sustainability challenges and opportunities, spanning from recycling to lifespan extension. As such, they not only offer global entrepreneurs an exceptional chance to demonstrate their dedication to ESG principles by implementing adequate company policies and educating their workforce but also enable them to reap significant financial benefits in the future.

E-waste and secondhand smartphones

The global secondhand market is booming, and this is especially true for consumer electronics. In fact, according to CCS Insight, refurbished smartphone sales grew by more than 14% in 2023, outshining new smartphone sales and reaching a total of $13.3 billion in Q1 2023 despite suffering from a severe supply shortage. This growth is a testament to the evolving consumer sentiment, and this trend is poised to continue flourishing throughout the current decade and beyond.

One of the key driving factors behind the expansion of secondhand mobile markets is the growing concern over electronic waste or e-waste. The proliferation of electronic devices has led to an alarming increase in e-waste, which poses serious threats to the environment, human health and animal well-being. Over 53 million metric tons of e-waste are produced around the globe annually, and only 17% of this e-waste is recycled.

From toxic chemicals leaching into soil and water to hazardous emissions during the disposal process, the consequences of improper electronic waste management are far-reaching and detrimental. Furthermore, manufacturing new smartphones and other consumer electronics requires a substantial amount of resources, which are valuable and limited.

With the raw materials that are found in e-waste being estimated to be worth around $60 billion, there are many reasons for companies to care about recycling and repairing used smartphones. Failing to recycle and reuse these resources exacerbates the scarcity of raw materials, which leads to higher production costs and an unsustainable product life cycle.

Related: How the Circular Economy of Consumer Electronics Can Change Sustainability

The infrastructure is advancing

As consumer sentiment continues to lean toward sustainability, the necessary infrastructure to support the growth of secondhand mobile markets is developing in tandem. The global electronics recycling market amounted to about $40 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach a value of $110 billion by 2030.

Recycling or refurbishing a used smartphone is a multifaceted process that requires a well-coordinated network of services. According to a 2022 study, convenience is a major factor when it comes to recycling.

Japan, a global leader in handling e-waste, provides thousands of convenient drop-off points for consumers to discard their used smartphones, dedicated examination centers for a thorough assessment of devices, and avenues for repair and refurbishment.

At ATRenew, we are now aiming to intensify recycling-related infrastructure development in China. For example, to facilitate convenient recycling, ATRenew has opened nearly 2,000 offline stores in a bid to provide the necessary infrastructure.

Related: How the Circular Economy of Consumer Electronics Can Change Sustainability

How businesses can position themselves

Crucially, it's not only the device manufacturers and refurbishment centers that can make a lasting impact. Every modern-day organization aware of these issues can position itself as a responsible entity committed to reducing e-waste.

As usual, the first step to reducing e-waste and increasing the lifecycle of devices is to invest in the education of employees. Holding training sessions on the responsible usage, maintenance and eventual disposal of electronics can greatly enhance their longevity and suitability for refurbishment. Additionally, companies could organize public presentations or workshops to educate both employees and regular consumers, thus showing their commitment to the public.

Finally, there are also a number of internal policies that could make a big difference. For instance, offices could introduce shorter tech refresh cycles during which current devices are upgraded, or even allow employees to bring their own devices – with appropriate security measures, of course.

Regardless of which measure is ultimately used, all organizations can choose to put them on public display via social media and thus achieve a great branding effect with consumers and talent alike.

Related: 70% of Consumers Say They'll Buy 'Green' Products, but Only 5% Actually Do. That's Due to a Common Marketing Mistake By Eco-Friendly Brands.

A sustainable path forward

The increasing prominence of secondhand mobile markets reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior, and this change is not merely a passing trend. Instead, it is a well-founded response to the challenges posed by e-waste and resource scarcity.

As consumers are becoming more conscious of their choices and the impact of their actions, secondhand smartphones have become a preferred option since they align with the principles of sustainability and responsible consumption. This, in turn, is animating businesses to follow suit and provide a supply to quench that demand.

With this positive feedback loop, the growth of secondhand smartphone markets in the recent past will definitely continue over the next decade. By reducing e-waste, conserving valuable resources, and making advanced technology accessible to a broader demographic, these markets are shaping a more sustainable and equitable future.

Kerry Chen

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor

CEO of ATRenew, Inc.

Kerry is the CEO of ATRenew, the leading pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and services platform. ATRenew is on a mission to give a second life to all idle goods by facilitating recycling and trade-in services, and distributing the devices to prolong their lifecycle.

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China has been investing in domestic recycling infrastructure and ATRenew opened nearly 2,000 offline stores to provide more convenient recycling access.

In 2018 China implemented the National Sword policy that banned the import of most plastics and other recyclable materials, sharply reducing overseas processing of foreign recyclables.

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Sealed Air: Recyclability Claims: What You Need To Know

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 8, 2023 / There are four paths a package can take after serving its useful purpose: landfill/litter, composting, energy recovery/incineration, or recycling. While a recyclability claim is commonly associated with what makes a package sustainable, recycling is just one part of a complex ecosystem that depends on a variety of factors including geography, consumer behavior, collection processes, sorting processes, equipment, and profitability.

Packaging recyclability claims that are unsubstantiated or misleading create risk ranging from consumer complaints and negative social media chatter to class action lawsuits and fines from governmental organizations. They can also lead to a weakening of the recycling infrastructure, a circumstance the global circular economy simply can't afford.

Getting recyclability claims right is easier than you think - but it pays to follow the rules. Here are some things you need to know:

Criteria for 100% Recyclable

To be considered 100% recyclable, SEE® (formerly Sealed Air) believes packaging material or solutions must meet this criteria:

1. Can be collected at curbside or drop-off by at least 60% of the population

Whether it's picked up at the curbside or taken by the consumer to a drop-off location, collection is the first step to recycling. Recycling systems vary greatly in terms of what they will take based on everything from the sorting equipment available at the material recovery facility (MRF) they work with, how much labor they are able to employ to pick up bins or sort by hand, and even the market price for bales of collected material to off-set the cost of sorting.

Most municipal recycling programs publish the types of materials they accept either as part of customer agreements, printed guides, or on their websites. Based on a variety of factors, these rules can change from time to time - restricted items may still leave the curb, but unknowingly to the consumer, it will end up in the landfill.

All this is to say, that regardless of the material type, it becomes the responsibility of the consumer to check the rules that govern the program in which they participate, as well as to follow guidelines provided by standardized labels such as How2Recycle in the U.S., On-Pack Recycling Labels in the U.K, or the Australasian Recycling Labels in Australia and New Zealand.

While similar to some degree, labels and rules vary around the world and aren't always easy to understand at a glance. That's a lot for consumers to keep up with - and it's one of the biggest reasons we encounter aspirational recycling - when consumers knowingly put something in the bin they may be unsure about and simply hope it gets recycled.

2. Can be sorted by the material recovery facility to which it is sent

Now that most municipal recycling programs offer mixed-stream recycling where paper, glass, metals, and plastics are collected in one bin, MRFs take on the critical role of sorting before items can move on to the actual recycling process.

Because the volume of waste can be high and the time to sort is so short, most modern MRFs automate the sorting process as much as possible with high-speed conveyors and screens, optical sorters, and robotics.

While that's great news for packaging made of paper, metal, or glass, the "need for speed" presents a particular challenge for plastic. Plastics that often look and weigh the same, may be constructed completed differently, so how they react during different stages of the sorting process will also vary.

To keep things simple and to protect the integrity of their recycling streams, most MRFs limit the types of plastic they accept, and only through improvement of the recycling infrastructure is that likely to change.

3. Can be recycled into a commercially viable product

Recycling is the process through which materials are returned to some type of useful, marketable material. While there can be many ways to accomplish this task, two are of the most relevance to packaging: mechanical recycling and advanced recycling.

Mechanical recycling refers to operations that use processes such as grinding, washing, separating, drying, granulating, and compounding as the means to create recycled materials. For plastics, while mechanical recycling preserves the molecular structure, in some cases the recycled material does not possess the same functional properties as the original.

This results in downcycling, or the need to use the recycled material in a different or lower-value application. Examples of downcycling include PET water bottles that are recycled into pellets used to make carpeting or synthetic fleece fibers; used printer or photocopy paper being recycled into corrugated cardboard; or glass containers that are recycled into fiberglass insulation or used as additives in concrete or ceramic tiles.

Where plastics are concerned, the highest volume of mechanically recycled packaging materials are standard formats such as PET bottles for water and soft drinks, and HDPE jugs for milk and juice. Beyond those applications, there is no standard for what type of resin can be used, so it becomes more challenging for recyclers to identify and separate plastics to keep recycling streams pure.

Maintaining the quality and integrity of recycling streams is critical to marketability and therefore profitability. Without market demand, reasonable margins, or affordable pricing for recycled materials and the applications that use them, the entire recycling system will fail.

Complexity of the Plastic Recycling Ecosystem

With a start as early as the 1960s, municipal recycling programs as we know them today didn't really gain scale until the 1990s. During that same period, plastic packaging changed dramatically as well, moving from the easier-to-identify-and-recycle rigid plastics like PET(E) and HDPE to include a broad range of performance plastics such as flexible LDPE films, PVC, PP, or PS.

In 1988, about the time municipal recycling programs began to gain scale, the Plastics Industry Association (formerly Society of the Plastics Industry) developed resin identification codes (RIC) to "provide a consistent national system to facilitate recycling of post-consumer plastics."

When first introduced, RIC symbols featured the universally recognized recycling symbol known as the "chasing arrows" to contain the resin type identification number. And, while those chasing arrows were intended only to facilitate the sorting process prior to recycling, the general public misinterpreted the symbols and began associating them directly with recyclability.

Currently, ASTM International maintains upkeep of the RIC graphic standards. While they officially replaced the chasing arrows with a solid triangle in 2013, following these standards remains voluntary, and use of the chasing arrows remains prevalent. For packaging in particular, keeping up with changing voluntary standards can be challenging - as the replacement of a die or injection mold is often determined to be cost prohibitive for such a small change.

Because RICs were never developed with brand owners or consumers in mind, claiming recyclability based on RIC alone is not enough. In today's environment, regardless of the material type, it becomes the responsibility of the consumer to check the rules that govern the program in which they participate.

That's why SEE® recommends use of standardized labels such as How2Recycle in the U.S., On-Pack Recycling Labels in the U.K, or the Australasian Recycling Labels in Australia and New Zealand.

And it's also why SEE® takes the position that when it comes to recycling plastic packaging, the proper instruction to consumers always starts with "check locally."

Innovation and Infrastructure

For more than 20 years until 2018, China accepted nearly half of the world's recyclable waste, including 95% of the plastics collected in the E.U and 70% from the U.S. But when quality problems and contamination of their recycled materials caused a significant decline in market value, China instituted National Sword, a policy that banned the import of most plastics and other materials headed for their recycling processors.

Prior to 2018, as the use and development of flexible plastic packaging skyrocketed, governments worried little about the need to build their own infrastructure to recycle it. At the same time, most consumers had no idea that the materials they put out at the curb eventually went overseas.

The good news is countries and municipalities that may have once relied on exporting recyclables to China are now investing in and enhancing their own infrastructure. For example:

Research conducted by the Materials Recovery for the Future project in 2020 showed that state-of-the-art optical sorting and peripheral systems are significantly improving the capture rate and quality of recycled flexible plastic packaging.

Advanced recycling, also called chemical recycling, uses pyrolysis to create plastic with performance properties equal to virgin plastics that can be used for the same application from which they came - such as fresh food packaging.

Industry associations are conducting initiatives focused on improving the process of recycling PE films, recycling post-industrial food packaging, or using recycled plastic content in products like asphalt.

While these technologies are still in developmental stages, they are part of how SEE® and its related industries are working together to create more and better recycling solutions.

Why SEE® Calls It Recycle-Ready

SEE® defines recyclability as the likelihood that a material will be collected, recycled, and then made into a new, commercially viable product. Given the current state of the recycling ecosystem around the world that's not as easy or straightforward as it should be.

The company understands that political climate, NGOs, or exchanges on social media often put pressure on an industry for change but SEE® won't take short cuts that could put the progress it's made at risk.

The term recyclable has criteria associated with it that SEE® observes to ensure the purity, quality, and market value of its recycling streams. And, while the company will continue to develop and introduce new products with recyclability in mind, it acknowledges the infrastructure may not be ready to accommodate these innovations just yet - so it sends them to market as recycle-ready.

As soon as these materials meet all criteria to be labeled 100% recyclable, SEE® will update the claim.

Originally published on SealedAir.com.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Sealed Air on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:
Spokesperson: Sealed Air
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/sealed-air
Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Sealed Air

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/753429/Recyclability-Claims-What-You-Need-To-Know

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Sealed Air defines criteria for a 100% recyclable packaging claim as: collection by at least 60% of the population, ability to be sorted by the receiving material recovery facility (MRF), and the ability to be recycled into a commercially viable product.

Sealed Air recommends standardized on‑package labels to help consumers follow local rules, citing How2Recycle in the U.S., On‑Pack Recycling Labels in the U.K., and Australasian Recycling Labels in Australia and New Zealand.

Modern MRFs increasingly use automated equipment such as high‑speed conveyors, optical sorters, and robotics to sort mixed recycling streams.

Research cited by Sealed Air reports that state‑of‑the‑art optical sorting and peripheral systems significantly improve capture rates and the quality of recycled flexible plastics.

Advanced or chemical recycling methods, including pyrolysis, are being developed to produce recycled plastics with performance properties similar to virgin plastics.

U.S. local governments report that commodity prices for recyclables fell sharply after 2018, placing financial strain on recycling operations and programs.

Title:

Content: Man dies in Wilmington after being struck by ambulance
LOCAL

Recycling is popular, so why is New Hanover County's landfill filling up so quickly?

Gareth McGrath
USA TODAY NETWORK
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Bill Peters popped his trunk and pulled out a plastic bin full of empty aluminum cans and glass bottles on the brisk December morning.

They soon joined thousands of other bottles and cans in the largely full big blue dumpster in the parking lot of the Lowes Foods in Murrayville, destined for a new life as recycled material.

"It's just the right thing to do," Peters said when asked why he carted his empties to the county-run recycling center just off North College Road. "Plus, it feels good not to be just throwing everything away."

FRIGID FORECASTWill Wilmington see a white Christmas this year? Probably not, but it's going to be cold.

Even as thousands of New Hanover County residents separate their recyclable garbage and either have it picked up from their curb or transport it to a recycling center, the concept of giving our throwaways a second chance at a productive use is in trouble.

But it isn't from people not wanting or willing to take the time to do it, experts say. It's because of dollars and cents, even if recycling in the big picture makes a whole lot of sense on many levels.

Why is recycling in trouble?

Joe Suleyman is an avid supporter of recycling. But he also knows why the industry is in trouble because he sees it everyday.

“The markets are very depressed as far as commodity pricing goes," said the head of New Hanover County's Recycling and Solid Waste department. "As a matter of fact, it’s as low as I’ve ever seen it."

Suleyman said Sonoco, which runs the county's recycling center on U.S. 421 North, gets paid per ton of recycled material that gets dropped off at the facility. He said he's seen the weighted average price (WAP) per ton, which is based on market prices, as high as $140 in past years.

"This month it's around $51 a ton, so this is bad, especially when it takes Sonoco roughly $100 a ton to get the material ready to go to market," he said.

The sinking price for recyclables is seen across the board, Suleyman said. Cardboard has fallen from as high as $120 a ton to $35. Aluminum is down from $2,370 a ton to $1,450. Plastics, which largely follows the price of oil, has sunk from $955 a ton in May to $240 a ton today.

The falling commodity prices comes as inflation, labor shortages and supply-chain issues pushes the price of running and operating a recycling program up.

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"It's never an economical way when compared to using virgin material," Suleyman said. "There's no comparison."

The double whammy of falling market prices and rising operating costs has seen some North Carolina municipalities scrap or reduce their recycling programs, including Greensboro which in 2019 ditched collecting glass from its curbside program due to its weight. More recently, Clinton discontinued its curbside recycling program this summer in favor of drop-off centers. City officials said high contamination rates and the cost of cleaning up the recycled material to make it market-ready prompted the decision.

Overall, the N.C. Division of Waste Management reported that 10 municipalities ended curbside recycling in 2020-21, bringing the total number of programs statewide to 312.

But even though the overall amount of recycled material in North Carolina has fallen in recent years, from as high as 335 pounds per capita in 2016-17 to 301 pounds per capita in 2020-21, largely blamed on increased contamination of recyclables, challenges associated with COVID-19, and in general lighter loads being diverted for recycling, officials said support for waste-diversion programs remains strong with the public and local governments.

"Total recovery results from the past decade reflect a mature public recycling system that has maintained resiliency despite recycling market challenges beginning in 2018 and through the COVID-19 pandemic," reports the state's 2020-21 solid waste report.

Why keep recycling if it's a money pit?

Recycling was never a moneymaker, even in the best of times − and these aren't the best of times.

So why keep offering the service? Suleyman said that's an easy answer.

"We're running out of space to throw away our trash," he said.

In November 2019, officials opened up an additional 90 acres at the New Hanover County landfill off of U.S. 421 north of Interstate 140 to trash. The thinking was the expansion would meet the county's waste needs until the 2090s.

But a survey this May found that figure is now down to an estimated 28 years. And if the county landfill has to close, New Hanover residents could be on the hook for much higher trash bills if waste has to be trucked to an out-of-county or even out-of-state landfill.

"It's definitely pretty serious," Suleyman said, adding that the county's surging population coupled with weather events like Hurricanes Florence in 2018 and Matthew in 2016 have fueled the increase in trash amounts coming to the landfill.

Dave Mayes, Wilmington's director of public services, echoed the sentiment.

“It's certainly not a moneymaker," he said of running a recycling program. "But it's certainly less expensive to dispose of our trash through our recycling paths than taking it to the landfill."

Mayes said the city recycles roughly 7,000 tons a year through its residential curbside recycling program and downtown collection bins versus 25,000 tons a year it sends to the landfill.

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Which leads us back to recycling, and why county and city officials are looking to increase the waste-diversion options available to residents.

“We need to increase (recycling), because everyday I go to the landfill and I’m shocked how much space is taking up by household garbage that’s 30 to 40 percent recyclable,” Suleyman said. “We’re running material that can be recycled an infinite number of times into a tomb and watching it disappear."

But that costs money, including increasing financial support for the county's recycling center with funds largely collected from the tipping fee charged haulers dumping trash at the landfill.

Suleyman said in the long term that makes sense.

"I can assure the public that we're making every effort we can to recover and divert as much material away from the landfill as we can, and that starts at the source − residences, businesses, apartment complexes," he said, "because the farther down the pipeline it goes as it gets closer to the landfill, the more expensive it comes to divert it."

What happens now?

With markets depressed even as recycling continues to have strong grassroots-level support, officials say one option that needs to be further developed is growing the domestic demand for recycled materials.

For decades, the United States relied on foreign countries − namely China − to take its recycled material and do something with it. But as those countries increasingly tired of taking the U.S. waste, there was a shortage of demand domestically to fill the slack.

"As a nation we've done a poor job of investing in infrastructure to use that material and turn it into consumer products," Suleyman said. "It's getting better, but we still have a long way to go."

Mayes said that has to change.

“There are two sides to recycling, and it doesn’t work if you’re only working on one," he said, noting that local governments have in general done a good job in getting residents involved in recycling programs. About 80% of city residents participate in Wilmington's curbside recycling program, which is voluntary.

“If we’re not participating in demand side, why are we participating in the supply side?”

One way governments and even some forward-thinking companies are looking to stimulate the market is to include stipulations that contracts include a certain amount of recyclable content. Mayes said Wilmington has done this with recent building contracts and even for things like janitorial supplies.

"Where we have those opportunities, we want to capitalize on them," he said. "We're trying to lead by example."

Another option some officials are looking at is reducing materials getting into the waste stream in the first place, especially those items that aren't readily or easily recyclable. Dubbed extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, the idea is to put more of the responsibility on producers to help curb the amount of trash headed to landfills.

Typically, EPR laws require product manufacturers and distributors to develop a producer stewardship organization that manages fees paid by producers, which can include a flat fee or charging higher fees for products with low recyclability. On the flip side, a discount on fees can be offered for products with high recyclability or including recycled content. Paints, batteries, some plastic products, electronics, tires, carpets and mattresses are common products that often have EPR fees attached to them.

State Rep. Deb Butler, D-Wilmington, floated a bill last year that would add an EPR to some packaging materials and ban the production of packaging materials that include certain toxic substances that have been found to be a danger to public health. The idea was to reduce the overall amount of paper, plastic, glass and metal packaging that's entering the waste stream.

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The legislation didn't go anywhere, but Butler said that was expected considering Democrats are in the minority and past efforts in Raleigh to hold state businesses responsible for their waste in order to help the environment have struggled to find traction − like proposed bans on plastic bags.

But she added just shedding light on the issue was important and could help with an effort from the grassroots up to pressure legislators to question just how much packaging material an item needs. Butler compared the push to anti-littering efforts, which took a decade or more of persistent pressure to produce results and laws aimed at deterring the practice.

“In large measure right now the bill is aspirational," she said about her bill. "But that doesn’t mean it's not important and that we shouldn’t implement something to address the issue."

Butler added that she planned to reintroduce the legislation down the the road to keep the issue front of mind of the public and her fellow legislators.

Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@Gannett.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from 1Earth Fund and the Prentice Foundation. The USA TODAY Network maintains full  editorial control of the work. Is recycling a dying industry?

View Comments

Some U.S. municipalities have reduced or ended portions of curbside recycling because of high contamination rates and the cost to make material market‑ready; examples include Greensboro stopping curbside glass collection and Clinton moving to drop‑off centers.

Wilmington / New Hanover County reports roughly 80% voluntary participation in its curbside recycling program, recycles about 7,000 tons per year, and sends about 25,000 tons per year to landfill while exploring procurement that requires recycled content.

Local U.S. officials and some legislators have proposed extended producer responsibility (EPR) approaches and producer fees to shift more responsibility for packaging and hard‑to‑recycle products onto producers.

Construction‑site waste management practices noted in the context include pumping for liquid and solid removal, recycling and reusing rubble, soil, plastics, metals and glass, anaerobic digestion, composting, and landfilling.

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Content: Arts & Culture Business Ecology and Climate Technology

How To Get Rid Of Solid And Liquid Waste On A Construction Site

Construction waste can be a huge headache for construction site managers. Not only is it an eyesore, but it can also be dangerous and difficult to get rid of. This article will discuss the best ways to get rid of both solid and liquid construction waste. By following these tips, you can make sure your construction site stays clean and safe!

Pumping Them Out

This has proven to be one of the most efficient ways to handle construction waste. Companies often use heavy-duty dredge pumps that can handle both solid and liquid waste. The pumps are powerful enough to move the waste through a series of pipes and into a designated storage container.

The pumping process is relatively quick and easy, which makes it ideal for construction sites that are constantly generating new waste. Plus, pumping them out eliminates the need to transport the waste off-site, which can save money in the long run.

If you’re looking for a way to get rid of solid and liquid waste on your construction site, pumping them out is definitely worth considering. It’s an efficient, cost-effective solution that will keep your site clean and tidy.

Recycling

The most eco-friendly solution to getting rid of solid and liquid waste on a construction site is recycling. recycling Construction waste recycling is the process of reusing or recycling materials from demolished structures. This helps to reduce landfill waste, conserve natural resources, and create new jobs in the recycling industry.

To recycle construction waste, you can hire a company to collect and recycle the waste for you. You can also take the waste to a local recycling center yourself.

This can also raise the profile of your company because of the growing concerns over environmental issues. It shows that you are willing to take responsibility for the waste you create and are taking steps to reduce your impact on the environment.

Recycling is not only eco-friendly but is also cost-effective. It can save you money by reducing the number of waste disposal fees you have to pay.

Reusing

There are tons of materials people perceive as waste, but which you can actually reuse. These are the following:

  • rubble: can be used as backfill
  • excavated soil: can be used as a landfill
  • plastics: can resell or upcycled
  • metals: can be recycled
  • glass: can be recycled

Reusing these materials not only helps you reduce the amount of waste on your construction site, but also saves you money. For example, reusing excavated soil as a landfill can save you the cost of having to dispose of it offsite.

It’s important to think about reusing before you resort to disposing of it because it’s not only good for your budget, but also for the environment.

Anaerobic Digestion

This process is an anaerobic process, which means it doesn’t require oxygen. It’s a series of organic reactions that happen in the absence of oxygen, and it results in the production of methane and carbon dioxide.

This process is used to treat solid and liquid waste, and it can be used to generate electricity or heat. The benefits of anaerobic digestion include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating renewable energy, reducing the amount of waste going to landfills, as well as creating a nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be used on crops or gardens.

Composting

Composting helps to break down solid and liquid waste on a construction site. It is a process that can be used to recycle organic matter such as food scraps, leaves, and manure. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill site.

For example, construction sites often generate a lot of food waste. Food waste can be composted and used as fertilizer for plants. Leaves and manure can also be composted.

Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of solid and liquid waste on a construction site. It is an easy process that can be used to recycle organic matter such as food scraps, leaves, and manure. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill site.

Landfilling

Another way to get rid of solid and liquid waste on a construction site is by landfilling. This is the process of burying waste in the ground. This method is effective in getting rid of both solid and liquid waste. The only downside to landfilling is that it can take up a lot of space. If you have a large construction project, you may need to find a landfill that is big enough to accommodate your needs.

There are two types of landfilling: sanitary and hazardous. Both of these types of landfill have different requirements. Be sure to check with your local landfill before disposing of any waste.

Construction sites create a lot of waste so using pumps can speed up the process and ensure nothing you produce can harm anyone. Recycling and reusing are also great ideas, but you can also opt for anaerobic digestion and composting. Finally, many companies also conduct landfilling as an efficient way to handle construction waste!

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Business and industry recommendations in the documents include refurbishing electronics, extending device lifespans, educating employees, and coordinating collection, refurbishment, and recycling networks to grow second‑hand markets.

Sealed Air emphasizes that recyclability requires collection, effective sorting, and market demand, and that without domestic demand and viable markets the recycling system risks failure.

Based on the provided documents, Japan, China and some proactive U.S. municipalities provide useful models and practices—convenient consumer drop‑off and refurbishment in Japan, domestic infrastructure expansion in China after National Sword, and local policy tools in the U.S. such as procurement for recycled content and EPR—that our county can study for improving waste sorting and recycling systems.


Brittney Griner, a U.S. professional basketball star, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February 2022 after customs found vape cartridges containing hashish or cannabis oil in her luggage.

A Russian court convicted her and sentenced Griner to nine years, and she was transferred to a penal colony in Mordovia described in reports as having torture, beatings, and slave‑labor conditions.

Griner pleaded guilty in July while saying she had no criminal intent and that the cartridges were packed in haste.

The U.S. State Department declared Griner 'wrongfully detained' in May, and American officials intensified efforts, shifting toward swap negotiations.

U.S. negotiators discussed exchanging Viktor Bout, a convicted arms trafficker serving a 25‑year sentence, for Griner; Russian demands and offers also involved other detainees such as Paul Whelan and Vadim Krasikov.

In a one‑for‑one swap, American and Russian planes met in Abu Dhabi, UAE officials helped coordinate, and Griner was flown home while Bout returned to Russia.

Reports said Griner arrived in Abu Dhabi from Moscow, boarded a flight back to the United States, landed in San Antonio, and appeared upbeat on the tarmac.

The exclusion of Paul Whelan from the swap and the release of Bout drew bipartisan criticism and warnings that the deal could encourage future wrongful detentions or hostage taking.

Griner’s lawyers reported she was adapting but that the experience had been traumatic, and commentators and advocates noted that race, gender, and LGBTQ status influenced public reaction to her detention.

Brittney Griner was detained in Russia in 2022 for possession of cannabis oil, imprisoned, and later returned to the United States in a high‑profile prisoner swap for Viktor Bout amid political controversy.

Brittney Griner, a U.S. professional basketball star, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February 2022 after customs found vape cartridges containing hashish or cannabis oil in her luggage.

Title:

Content: Diplomat Sparks Renewed Hope For Brittney Griner Prisoner Exchange

The situation surrounding Brittney Griner's case is looking a little less bleak, thanks to the recent developments brought about by negotiations between the U.S. and Russia.

In early November, the WNBA star had been transferred to a penal colony in the Russian republic of Mordovia. There, she began fulfilling her nine-year sentence for drug possession. As reported by Reuters, authorities initially arrested Griner in February 2022 after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. While she attempted to appeal the ruling, it was ultimately upheld by a Russian court.

"This has been [a] very traumatic experience, waiting for this day, waiting for the first court, and getting nine years for a crime that I was barely over the significant amount," she said at the hearing (via CBS News). "I don't understand the first court's decision to give one year less than the max when I've been here almost 8 months, and people with more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given... I really hope that the court will adjust this sentence, because it's been very, very stressful and very traumatic to my mental and psyche, being away from my family and not being able to communicate." However, there is now renewed hope that Griner could be released, with a Russian diplomat claiming that a swap could happen sometime in the future.

Russian diplomat says there's 'always a chance' for a swap

Not all hope is lost, after all. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Russia is not turning its back on the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. As reported by the New York Post, Ryabkov told reporters that there is "always a chance" when asked about the likelihood of a swap taking place before the end of the year. However, he noted that in the past, there had been multiple instances when it seemed as if Russia would agree to a swap, only for the plan to fall apart. If the prisoner swap does take place, Ryabkov said it would "send a positive signal that not everything is hopeless in Russian-American relations."

In the meantime, it looks like Brittney Griner has her work cut out for her. Maria Alyokhina, a former member of the band Pussy Riot, didn't mince words when she spoke to NPR about her own experience at a Russian penal colony. "It has a bit better conditions than [the] original gulag system from the 1950s," she said, but added that it's still "a labor camp." She described the grim reality she endured while serving out her own sentence, calling it inhumane. "For 100 women, there are like three toilets and no hot water," she recalled, adding that the penal colony is merely a "legal slavery system."

According to a statement released by her lawyers (via BBC), she is trying her best to survive and is "doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment."

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Content: Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” officials said.

The swap was confirmed by US officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations ahead of an expected White House announcement, the Associated Press reports.

Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose months-long imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

She was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage - but she maintained it was an honest mistake.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed on Thursday morning they had already spoken by phone with Griner and she is said to have been in good spirits.

In a celebratory tweet, Mr Biden said Griner, a native of Houston, Texas, is on a plane home and is safe.

The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the US Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.

Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that US officials said were to be used against Americans.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad.

The dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, however, did not include the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges.

Mr Whelan's family and the US government say the accusations against him are baseless. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.

Griner pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She acknowledged in court she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.

Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial and gender dynamics into the picture and made each development a matter of global importance.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know

A Russian court convicted her and sentenced Griner to nine years, and she was transferred to a penal colony in Mordovia described in reports as having torture, beatings, and slave‑labor conditions.

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Inside Joe Biden’s Faustian pact with Russia to secure Brittney

Three weeks ago, the American basketball star Brittney Griner arrived at a Russian penal colony known for torture, beatings and slave labour to begin a nine-year sentence following her arrest at a Moscow airport in February for possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil.

But in a stunning twist on Thursday, Griner’s plight as an unwitting pawn in a high-stakes geopolitical struggle came to an abrupt end, as she arrived in Abu Dhabi from Moscow and boarded a plane home to reunite with her family. She landed in San Antonio, Texas, early Friday morning.

In exchange for Griner’s release, the US released Viktor Bout, a notorious arms trafficker who was serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organisation.

The deal was met with jubilation from Griner’s family and supporters. But the controversial swap for Bout — as well as the exclusion of Paul Whelan, another US citizen imprisoned in Russia — also drew criticism and raised questions about how America’s adversaries might leverage arrests of its citizens in the future.

US officials began working toward Griner’s release as soon as she was apprehended in Russia in February, but the effort became more concentrated on prisoner swap negotiations once the State Department declared in May that she had been wrongfully detained.

In July, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on the phone for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. During the call, Blinken pressed Lavrov to accept a “substantial proposal” from Washington to release Griner and the former marine Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018 on what the US and his family say are trumped-up espionage charges.

Americans had offered to free Bout, people familiar with the discussions said, but the Russians said they also wanted the release of Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy agency who was convicted of murder in Germany last year.

In the ensuing months, officials said, Washington made a number of offers to Russia in an attempt to secure the release of Griner and Whelan.

However, Biden administration officials said that in recent weeks it became clear that Moscow would only accept a one-for-one swap. According to one senior administration official, “the choice was bringing Brittney Griner home right now or bringing no Americans home from Russia right now”.

Despite the Biden administration’s insistence that they had no choice but to exclude Whelan from the deal, Republican lawmakers and others denounced the decision, as well as facilitating the release of Bout, who is also known as “the merchant of death”.

“The Biden administration has allowed Viktor Bout, a dangerous arms dealer who was convicted of conspiring to kill American law enforcement, to walk free,” said Mike Rogers, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.

“This move to appease Vladimir Putin will only encourage further hostage taking by Russian security forces,” he added.

US officials described Biden’s choice as a painful one, adding that they would continue to work for Whelan’s release. Washington previously secured the release of Trevor Reed, another former marine, via a prisoner swap in April.

People familiar with Thursday’s prisoner exchange likened the episode to “a scene from the Cold War”, with Russian and American planes meeting on the tarmac at an airport in Abu Dhabi.

The Russian plane carrying Griner arrived first, one of the people said. American officials and people familiar with the events said the basketball star was upbeat on the tarmac, saying she was looking forward to returning home.

The Griner-Bout swap marks a rare instance in which the US and Russia have been able to find common ground since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sending the west’s relationship with Moscow to its lowest ebb since the Cuban missile crisis.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Americans and Russians directly negotiated the details of the swaps, with UAE officials including president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan helping to facilitate the mechanics of the transfer.

It is not unusual for third countries to aid in brokering international diplomatic agreements such as prisoner swaps between hostile countries.

Sheikh Mohammed and Putin discussed the matter when they met in Russia in October, and they spoke on the phone on Wednesday, people familiar with the meetings said. Yousef al-Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the US, was present for the exchange on Thursday and had helped to co-ordinate details on the American side.

On Thursday, some pro-Kremlin commentators hailed the swap as a return to diplomacy. “Everyone sees through this exchange that Moscow and Washington are holding secret negotiations and can make a deal,” Sergei Markov, a political scientist and former member of Russia’s parliament, wrote on Telegram. “And everyone hopes that means Moscow and Washington can make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.”

However, analysts and US officials said that while the breakthrough was a sign that the two sides could get things done when their interests align, it was not evidence of any larger thaw in relations. Biden administration officials added that the recent conversations with Russia about Griner and other prisoners were limited to the release of wrongfully detained Americans.

“The exchange doesn’t do anything to change the situation for bilateral relations. There are lots of issues where they are in open confrontation,” said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

He said the otherwise dire state of relations between Russia and the west was thrown into sharp relief last week, when Moscow abruptly pulled out of talks on renewing the New Start treaty, the only remaining agreement governing the countries’ nuclear arsenals.

“This is a global stability issue: the last remainders of arms control are falling apart, which could lead to an arms race and a higher risk of dangerous incidents,” he said. “The trajectory we’re on is making that all the more likely.”

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Griner pleaded guilty in July while saying she had no criminal intent and that the cartridges were packed in haste.

The U.S. State Department declared Griner 'wrongfully detained' in May, and American officials intensified efforts, shifting toward swap negotiations.

U.S. negotiators discussed exchanging Viktor Bout, a convicted arms trafficker serving a 25‑year sentence, for Griner; Russian demands and offers also involved other detainees such as Paul Whelan and Vadim Krasikov.

In a one‑for‑one swap, American and Russian planes met in Abu Dhabi, UAE officials helped coordinate, and Griner was flown home while Bout returned to Russia.

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Content: Global RiskNews Briefs

Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged US basketball star Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prison swap. The arms dealer had been held in an American prison for 12 years. Brittney Griner is on a plane back to the United States.

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possessing cannabis oil and was sent to a penal colony last month. A prisoner exchange was proposed by the US in July. As part of the prisoner exchange, US President Joe Biden signed the order to release Bout, commuting his 25 year jail term.

Read More: Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Bout

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Reports said Griner arrived in Abu Dhabi from Moscow, boarded a flight back to the United States, landed in San Antonio, and appeared upbeat on the tarmac.

The exclusion of Paul Whelan from the swap and the release of Bout drew bipartisan criticism and warnings that the deal could encourage future wrongful detentions or hostage taking.

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Content: - The Washington Times - Friday, July 1, 2022

As pressure mounts on President Biden to take more aggressive action to get Moscow to release jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner, the international chatter increasing points to a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Russian media and Bout’s lawyer, Steve Zissou, say Russian officials want to secure Bout’s release and that Griner, who has been locked up in Russia since February, could be part of a deal.

“I would be surprised if any American was repatriated without Viktor Bout also being sent home to his family,” Zissou told The Washington Times.

Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison. He was convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, delivering anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organization, charges his lawyer disputes.

Another detained American, former Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Russia on espionage charges in 2018, could also be part of a prisoner swap for Bout.

Mr. Zissou said the deal would likely have to include Bout. The lawyer met last month with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, who said that freeing Bout “was Russia’s number one priority,” according to Mr. Zissou.

Griner, meanwhile, made her first appearance in court on Friday and was accused of possessing “a significant amount of cannabis oil,” which is a banned substance in Russia. She faces likely conviction and a decade in prison when her trial resumes on July 7.

Griner, 31, was arrested at the airport in Moscow on Feb. 17 for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil. She was visiting the country to play for a Russian basketball team after the conclusion of the WNBA season.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Griner is being held as a political pawn, The Associated Press reported.

“The facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances,” Peskov told reporters on Friday. “In view of what I’ve said, it can’t be politically motivated.”

Still, Russia’s desire to free Bout complicates matters for Mr. Biden, who is weathering intense criticism for failing to secure the release of Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Dozens of organizations, including women’s and LGBTQ groups, have pressed Mr. Biden to step up efforts to secure Griner’s release. They called on the president “to make a deal to get Brittney back home to America immediately and safely.”

While Bout’s lawyer disputes the charges against him, Bout was convicted of far more serious crimes than Griner’s drug charge, which could make it difficult for the Biden administration to agree to a swap.

Griner’s high-profile detainment comes at a historically difficult point in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Griner was arrested just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine on February 24.

The U.S. has condemned the invasion and responded by providing Ukraine with weapons and other support to defend itself from Mr. Putin’s forces.

With Griner in detention, Russian officials are now intensifying efforts to secure the release of Bout, whose targeting and conviction by the United States has long been viewed as an attack on Russian sovereignty.

Russian media is reporting that a swap for Bout is on the table.

“Currently, talks are underway on exchanging Bout for Griner,” Tass news reported, citing an unnamed Russian source.

Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” Bout was convicted in 2011 in a U.S. government sting operation of planning to smuggle arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The witnesses hired to portray FARC told Bout the arms would be used to target U.S. military serving in Colombia.

Bout, 55, is about five years from completing his sentence and is in failing health, his lawyer said.

Mr. Zissou said he is trying to elevate the circumstances surrounding his client’s case to improve his appeal as a candidate for a prisoner swap.

The U.S. targeted Bout while he was living in Moscow and retired from running an air transport company that also smuggled arms from one country to another.

The U.S. government paid more than $10 million to criminals as part of the operation to catch Bout.

“Entrapment is exactly what happened,” Mr. Zissou said.

Mr. Zissou said exchanging Griner for Bout is “a no brainer,” because his client will be freed in a few years regardless.

Last week, Russian officials extended Griner’s pretrial detention by six months. With Russia’s acquittal rate in criminal cases at less than 1%, it’s unlikely she will be able to return to the U.S. without a prisoner exchange.

Pressure is also on Mr. Biden to also secure the release of Mr. Whelan, 52, who is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian prison camp.

“It’s certainly conceivable that a swap for Whelan and Bout gets agreed to, and then at the end of Griner’s trial, if she’s convicted, she just gets pardoned and sent home,” Mr. Zissou said.

In a statement provided to The Times, the State Department declined to provide details about the talks to free Griner.

“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” a State Department spokesman said. “The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner. The U.S. government will continue to provide appropriate support to Griner and her family. We will continue to press for her release.”

• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

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Griner’s lawyers reported she was adapting but that the experience had been traumatic, and commentators and advocates noted that race, gender, and LGBTQ status influenced public reaction to her detention.

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Where does wrongful detention of Brittney Griner go from here?

She will inevitably be labeled a hostage

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Brittney Griner

It seems like years rather than weeks ago that American political prisoner, Trevor Reed, was released from Russia in a prisoner swap. It also seems like years since an American citizen, basketball superstar Brittney Griner, was taken into custody in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for allegedly having hashish oil in her possession.

We now know what many of us believed all along – that Brittney Griner was, in the far too late proclamation by the U.S. government, “wrongfully detained.” In diplomacy-speak, wrongfully detained is synonymous with politically detained, which is super close to what will soon enough inevitably happen – calling Brittney Griner a hostage.

Since the beginning of Griner’s detention, I have done dozens of print, radio, TV, and related interviews, and I have a pretty clear view of how and why we got here.

As I wrote around six weeks ago, if we read between the lines of what’s being said in traditional and social media, we can extract three key reasons why the Griner situation isn’t getting the attention that it should be and would be if it was a different athlete.

The first reason is that Brittney Griner is not a terribly high-profile athlete.

This is patently untrue. As I have been commenting from the minute we learned that she was taken into custody by the Russians, Griner was absolutely the highest-profile American athlete that Russia could have taken into custody as they were preparing for their brutal invasion of Ukraine.

The only other high-profile athletes playing in Russia or transiting through at that time were the very few American players in Russia’s top hockey league, the KHL. None are superstars in their sport, as Griner is.

The second argument for why Griner isn’t getting the attention she should be is that she is LGBTQ.

I have argued that this is a reasonably good hypothesis. It just seems that a straight athlete would be getting a lot more attention and public sympathy than Griner has, in part, yet not in full, because of her sexual orientation. That’s a remarkably harsh position to have to take in 2022, yet it’s clear that Griner doesn’t fit the mold of what many Americans see as that all-American athlete. That one’s sexual or gender orientation should drive the American public’s level of sympathy for one of their own top athletes is a shame, but here we are.

The third and most commonly cited reason for Brittany Griner getting less attention than another athlete in a similar situation is that she’s Black.

This argument holds little weight with me. Yes, it makes sense that in comparison to a high-profile white athlete, some people are simply going to care less about a Black athlete. Again, that’s a harsh analysis, yet not unaligned with many things going on in the nation today.

But I think this is a reductive argument that crumbles under the weight of the analogy that I usually use during TV and radio broadcasts about the Griner case – and that is, what if this was Kyrie Irving?

I like to use Kyrie Irving as an analogy because he is a highly controversial Black athlete. Obviously, NBA players don’t have to have second jobs in places like Russia, Turkey, and China, to make ends meet, as the WNBA women do. But just imagine that Kyrie Irving was traveling alone through Moscow airport. If Irving had been taken into custody by the Russians, I can guarantee that this would be front-page news not just in the sports section but on the front page of all significant papers practically every day. That simply hasn’t been the case with Brittney Griner.

Every day, I am asked where this goes from here. With Griner’s May 19 hearing delayed “one month” (though at the time of writing, no date has been set), I remained convinced of two things: that this goes to a worse place than we are now and that it progresses painfully slowly.

As to the first point, to maximize leverage over the United States, it’s likely that Griner will end up somewhere like a Russian labor camp before she ever steps back into the United States. While Russia does not follow the Rule of Law, it would be neither legally nor politically expedient to just hold Griner in a Moscow jail or prison indefinitely. They need to make her situation worse to turn up the urgency of the case for the American government.

But this indeed won’t happen overnight. As I’ve also been saying all along, the next hearing date will also be delayed, OR we will learn through a TASS Russian media release that Griner was tried, found guilty of all charges, and sentenced (see labor camp, above).

As to what each of us can do, my advice remains the same: Keep talking about it. Make this Brittney as viral as Britney Spears was a year ago. Just as Britney Spears’ freedom from her conservatorship was turbo-charged by the #FreeBritney hashtag, let’s #FreeBrittney now.

This is significantly less trite than it sounds. There is no indication that the American government doesn’t want you to forget about Brittney Griner. As former hostage Jason Rezaian discussed on an excellent recent Washington Post podcast, he always “calls BS” on those parties, saying we should keep detentions such as Griner’s out of the public spotlight. He advocates being as loud as we can be on this, which is why I keep doing interviews on this issue as much as possible.

Ultimately, Brittney Griner will be a political prisoner until the United States and Russia can decide, in crass basketball terms, on a fair player trade. On Friday, we learned that the two sides might actually be in discussions now for a trade involving Griner for notorious convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, aka the “Merchant of Death.”

Unless this can re-enter and remain in the public spotlight, along with any pressure on the government, Britney Griner will not get the treatment she deserves as one of the greatest basketball players of her generation. That the massive disparity between how NBA and WNBA players are compensated laid the foundation for her to be in this position is the harsh reality these leagues face today. Yet it pales compared to the uncertain reality Griner faces today in a Moscow jail.

A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the chief legal analyst for Today’s Esquire. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world.

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Leave no one behind: Building an LGBTQ+ movement for all

A just society is only achievable by investing in dignity of the marginalized

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Despite the expansion of LGBTQ+ civil rights and liberties in D.C., some of which we proudly attribute to GLAA’s stalwart activism for the past 51 years, the most vulnerable members of our community continue to suffer from poverty, homelessness, criminalization, discrimination, social isolation, and preventable death. A jaw-dropping 40% of homeless youth in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ people experience hunger at twice the rate of straight people, and right here in D.C., the Office of Human Rights reports that employers are more likely to interview a less-qualified cisgender job applicant than a more-qualified transgender applicant.

So for our 2022 candidate ratings, GLAA decided to emphasize that racial and economic justice are LGBTQ+ justice issues. While we recognize the importance of openly LGBTQ+ candidates, we know one’s identity does not indicate where they stand on critical issues. Something many of us have learned the hard way, and something GLAA leadership recognizes not championing sooner as a mistake. What matters most is a candidate’s demonstrated record and vision to support the LGBTQ+ community in its entirety.

It is not enough for candidates to respond only to the needs of those who historically have held the most power in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly white cisgender gay men, in order to tout support of the entire community. The LGBTQ+ community is so many different people, and it is time we push candidates to consider and address us in our entirety. For too long, many LGBTQ+ people have felt rejected and betrayed by our community’s movement priorities, narratives about what our community stands for, and decisions on who is valued and who is selected to represent or lead us. And, while GLAA understands no one politician or organization can erase these community divides, we aim to be intentional in our approach to dismantle that which stands in our entire community’s way toward liberation. That is why, in 2022 we decided to rate candidates on their responses and records of support on issues that impact the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community. None of us is free until all of us are free.

Throughout GLAA’s history we have focused on securing LGBTQ+ rights, which have mostly strengthened the legal protections of people privileged enough to take advantage of them. GLAA decided to focus the Leave No One Behind: 2022 Election Guide and questionnaire on racial and economic justice with an LGBTQ+ lens. We did this to build on our victories, such as successfully advocating for the defunding of the Metropolitan Police Department’s vice squad in the 1970s, and to learn from our mistakes.

It is our belief that a just, peaceful, and vibrant society is only achievable by actively investing in the security and dignity of the poor and marginalized members of all our communities. Our questionnaire intentionally acts in solidarity with D.C. anti-poverty, anti-stigma, and anti-overdose campaigns, which are largely led by trans and queer people of color.

Ratings are on a scale of +/-10 points: yes/no responses on questionnaire (+/-2); substance of response (+/-4); and candidate’s public record (+/-4). Candidates earned partial credit for the yes/no category if they partially agreed with the question. Four issues received more than 91% agreement: increasing the affordable housing stock for the poorest residents, housing people using government funded vouchers, fully funding the Office of Human Rights, and better oversight to improve conditions in the DC Jail.

Three issues received 70-79% candidates’ support, and over 90% when including candidates who issued partial support: Repealing the sub-minimum wage, decriminalization of drug use, and reducing the population of D.C. jail by 30%.

Finally, the least supported policies were decriminalization of consensual sex work and divesting from the Metropolitan Police Department and investing in violence prevention and recidivism prevention programs. Even still, there was remarkable consensus: over 2/3 or 66% of candidates who issued total or partial support.

We are encouraged by the remarkable level of consensus on all of our issues, signaling that D.C. is ready for transformative change that at its core addresses the District’s current poverty, unaffordable housing, community and police-based violence, and overdose crises.

GLAA is excited to see more LGBTQ+ people on ballots. More exciting, however, is the number of politicians with fully realized and integrated LGBTQ+ policies in their platforms. Policies that extend across race and class lines. GLAA firmly believes all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, can be stewards of LGBTQ+ liberation. It is our hope that readers find these ratings not as endorsements, but as a starting point to imagine what is possible if local officials are guided by D.C. residents to use their elected power to create new possibilities that leave no one behind.

This opinion piece was signed by the 2022 Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance board of directors.

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Opinions

GLAA has lost its way and should close

Their ratings no longer make an iota of difference in an election

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(Blade file photo by Pete Exis)

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA), once a respected organization, has now lost its way. It once represented all the members of the LGBTQ+ community, clearly no longer the case, as one can tell based on their questionnaire and ratings. They now represent only the far left in the community and are seeking to represent more than LGBTQ+ people as the statement from their current president suggests. That is not the role of GLAA.

One of the questions in this year’s questionnaire that candidates were asked to respond to is: “Do you support divesting from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to further invest in vital programs, including anti-poverty, violence prevention, crisis intervention, and reentry?” If you didn’t say yes, you lost points. This shows how out of touch they are as the DC Council just voted unanimously, on a first vote, to raise the budget of the MPD. The approved budget also includes increased funding for other vital programs. There’s no indication GLAA ever spoke to Council members on this issue.

Its website lists five officers, all men, with a blurb on each. The one for the president, in addition to listing past and current employment, says, “When he is not organizing, he loves asking people about their Myers Briggs Type (he is ENFP, for the record), doing gay crimes (the basics like drugs and public sex), having Spicy Vanilla sex, dancing to hot beats on the dance floor, practicing vulnerability, plotting revolution against capitalism and other forms of oppression.” He is entitled to his views. But I question how his leading the GLAA represents the broader LGBTQ+ community.

Over the years I’ve had issues with some of what GLAA has done and some of the issues they focused on. But the organization always represented the entire spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community in their questionnaire. Candidates getting a rating from the organization could feel it represented a wide range of opinion in the community. I would hope no candidate tries to pawn the current ratings off as any kind of support from the broader LGBTQ + community.

In the past you always knew their officers, including Rick Rosendall, Bob Summersgill and Jeff Coudriet among others, were involved with D.C. government and knew the issues in-depth. They knew the candidates. Responding to their questionnaire over the years was always interesting. Rick often was the one who spent hours drafting the questions. I always wondered why it was never enough to say yes you agree with their premise. Instead, you had to say it in hundreds, even thousands, of words to earn points. I know as I have filled out questionnaires for many candidates.

Today their website lists nine project areas, none with anything accomplished since 2016. The blog has nothing on any recent budget issues or legislation pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community, only information about the questionnaire. They claim to lobby the Council and monitor government agencies, but there is no indication of any meetings or testimony since 2017.

We can thank GLAA for the fact that today no politician can win office in D.C. without being supportive of the LGBTQ community. However, today their ratings no longer make an iota of difference in an election. Since this is now the only thing they do it’s time to close up shop. We have moved past the time in D.C. when a small number of people can sit in a room rating candidates they don’t know, on issues that don’t represent the community they are supposed to be representing.

So personally, I say thank you to all the people who worked hard over many years for GLAA to help move the LGBTQ community forward. I recognize there is much work still to be done but GLAA is not the organization to do it. We must work to ensure economic and civil justice for all members of our community; health equity for transgender persons; senior housing for our community; and employment opportunities for all, among other issues. But there are other LGBTQ organizations, and community organizations, doing these things better and the few members GLAA might still have should be directed to those other organizations.

If as their website claims they are planning an anniversary celebration, it should be one to honor all the people who in the past 50 years of the organization, worked hard and were successful in making my life and the lives of so many LGBTQ people in the District of Columbia and around the nation better. That would be an exciting way to say goodbye and celebrate the organization whose time it is to close.

Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

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An unlikely revolution is happening at Christian universities

More than half have enacted LGBTQ non-discrimination policies

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Recent headlines have been filled with messages of doom and gloom for LGBTQ people. From bans on transgender women competing in sports to “don’t say gay” laws, it seems evident that conservative Republicans are freshly committed to rolling back the rights of LGBTQ people across the United States.

Yet, despite such recent setbacks, a student-led movement for LGBTQ inclusion is gaining ground in what would seem to be one of the unlikeliest settings — Christian colleges and universities.

Over the past few years, I’ve collected extensive data on U.S. Christian colleges and universities’ policies toward LGBTQ students. In one study, I found that 55% of all Christian colleges and universities in the United States have nondiscrimination policies inclusive of sexual orientation. In another recent study, I found that nearly half of all Christian colleges and universities are home to officially recognized LGBTQ student groups.

Even some of the most conservative Christian colleges and universities have changed their approach to LGBTQ students. When analyzing data collected in 2013, I found that nearly one-third of all Christian colleges and universities had adopted bans on so-called “homosexual acts” or “homosexual behavior” in their student handbooks. Yet, when reviewing Christian colleges and universities’ handbooks again over the past year, I found that under one-fourth of Christian colleges and universities had such discriminatory bans.

Why are some Christian colleges and universities becoming more accommodating—and even welcoming—to LGBTQ students?

There are several major reasons, but one of the most important is that several Christian denominations already embrace their LGBTQ members. Denominations such as the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Disciples of Christ, and Presbyterian Church USA, for example, allow ministers to officiate same-sex weddings. An increasing number of nondenominational churches also affirm LGBTQ people. Those Christian colleges and universities that are already associated with affirming denominations are certainly among the most likely to affirm their LGBTQ students.

Another reason that many Christian colleges and universities are becoming welcoming toward LGBTQ students is that they do not necessarily believe their primary mission is to hold all students to the specific religious tenets of their associated denomination. Rather, they see their primary mission as providing an important service (education) to the broader society. Just as Christian hospitals do not refuse to provide medical treatment to people who are not members of their associated denominations, many Christian colleges and universities have chosen not to deny people an education simply because certain people are not members of their associated denominations.

A rising number of Christian colleges and universities also recognize the harms that occur when people are discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. A recent survey by Religious Exemption Accountability Project shows that 12% of all Christian college and university students self-identify as LGBTQ. Because studies show that LGBTQ people in non-affirming Christian colleges and universities report greater rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, many Christian schools understand they would be harming a significant number of their students if they continued to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

And still other schools are simply concerned with their bottom lines. The United States is projected to go over a “demographic cliff” in 2025, at which time the number of 18-year-olds nationwide will drop dramatically. Some reports say that one-third of all private colleges and universities nationwide will face major financial crises over the next decade, causing them to close or pursue mergers. Many Christian colleges and universities recognize that adopting discriminatory policies toward LGBTQ students would alienate significant portions of their potential student body.

Certainly, despite these encouraging trends, those who are committed to LGBTQ rights should not be complacent. Many schools have still been slow to extend nondiscrimination protections and housing accommodations to trans students. And the Religious Exemption Accountability Project estimates that as many as 100,000 LGBTQ students are currently enrolled at Christian colleges and universities that still refuse to affirm the dignity and rights of LGBTQ people. That organization recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, challenging the federal government’s policy of providing loans even to Christian colleges and universities that otherwise violate Title IX protections for LGBTQ students.

It is likely the case that some Christian colleges and universities will not change their policies toward LGBTQ rights unless they are legally required to do so. Still, at Christian colleges and universities across the United States, LGBTQ students are not waiting around. LGBTQ students are actively mobilizing to bring about inclusive policies at their schools, and at a surprising number of schools, they are succeeding.

Jonathan S. Coley is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University and a Public Fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute.

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