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GOV_neil-seldman

Neil Seldman

Contributor

Neil Seldman is co-founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance and serves as senior staff for the institute's Waste to Wealth Initiative. Active in the U.S. and international recycling and zero-waste movements, he also is a founding member of the National Recycling Coalition and the Grass Roots Recycling Network.

Seldman provides technical assistance to cities, community groups and businesses in the field of sustainable resource management. He has pioneered developments in processing, building deconstruction and small-scale manufacturing from recycled materials.

Seldman, who earned his Ph.D. in political theory at George Washington University, was a manufacturer in New York City and a university university lecturer in political science.

Single-stream systems have produced stagnating collection rates and soaring costs. Localities need to go back to the dual-stream past and invest in the future.
China's restrictions have certainly had an impact, but there's plenty that local governments can do to keep it viable.
What's going on in Baltimore shows how cities can profit both economically and socially from giving reusable materials a second life.
'Pay as you throw' is a powerful tool whose benefits go beyond simply boosting recycling.