Arlene Karidis

Mount Airy

Writer, Editor and Media Consultant at Freelance

Arlene Karidis is an environmental reporter for Waste360 and a health reporter for several regional and national newspapers, lifestyle and trade publications.

Articles

What Organics Generators and Processors Should Know

1 week ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

States are increasingly adopting policies to slow the tap on food waste. This legislative activity has connotations for food generators and processors. In this Waste360 Q&A Chris Thomas, vice president of Public Affairs, Divert, touches on evolving policies and scalable approaches to tackle food waste. And he describes a new tool that showcases in-progress legislation, who it’s available to, and how they can use it.
North American and European Regulators Relax or Drop Climate Disclosure Rules

2 weeks ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

Canadian regulators are pausing a climate disclosure reporting mandate to ease burdens on businesses impacted by U.S. tariffs and other recent global disruptions. The decision comes a month after the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped its climate-related reporting rules. And about the same time, the European Union (E.U.) decided to delay and/or look to loosen its own disclosure requirements. These moves mark a fast-evolving shift in policy positions.
Engaging Frontline Workers to Drive Food Waste Reduction and a Sustainable Culture

2 weeks ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

Frontline food industry workers see waste day in and day out and can bring unique perspective on how to tackle it. The Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment (PCFWC), a group of some of the nation’s largest food businesses and several jurisdictions, recently led a pilot that involved leveraging employee engagement to take on this wastage problem that happens from the production to retail level.
California’s EPR Agenda Expands

2 weeks ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

California is blazing trails on the extended producer responsibility (EPR) front, with 2024 going down as a fast-moving year. The momentum continues with a another newly proposed stewardship bill this year. Last year the legislature passed the nation’s first textiles EPR bill, an electric vehicle battery law, and a marine flare bill. There were also updates to the state’s paint and carpet stewardship programs.
How Careit’s Digital App Brings Speed and Scale to Food Recovery

2 weeks ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

With the growth in food donation programs, technology is increasingly playing a key role in coordinating logistics, tracking donations, and facilitating collaboration among partners. Food recovery tech company Careit developed a digital food donation app to streamline the process. But it does more. In this Waste360 Q&A, Careit CEO Alyson Schill explains how it works.
Tech Company Ryp Turns to Nature to Extend Food’s Shelf Life

3 weeks ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

While the food supply chain is making technological advances, this sector still lags in innovation—especially when it comes to preventing waste. Moody Soliman, Ryp Labs cofounder, unearthed a relatively simple answer to a complex problem. His product extends the shelf life of perishable food from 40 to 100 percent. In this Q&A he tells how it’s done and what it’s meaning for his customers and their supply chain partners. Waste360: How did you wind up in the food waste reduction space?
New York City’s Sanitation Department Leans Into Cutting Edge Technologies

3 weeks ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

Every day, New Yorkers put 24 million pounds of discards on the curb. The city’s Department of Sanitation can’t afford to miss a beat. Some people might think staying on top of that massive tonnage takes brute force—big trucks, heavy machinery, and lots of manpower. But as key to getting the job done fast and efficiently is smart technology. The city—this country’s most populated—deploys a whole toolbox of bells and whistles. Some serve to engage the public; others to manage internal operations.
Model Programs and Case Studies

3 weeks ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

The Food Recovery Initiative of Joint Venture Silicon Valley in California is working to reduce surplus food and strengthen the local food recovery ecosystem. Powered by a multistakeholder group, the initiative implements edible food recovery regulations under California’s SB 1383 on behalf of 16 Santa Clara jurisdictions. Collaborators also manage the Santa Clara County Food Recovery Program, created and funded by those jurisdictions.
Federal Judge Blocks EPA From Terminating Billions in Awarded Decarbonization Funds

1 month ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

A federal court judge ruled on Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot take back billions in climate grants awarded to several nonprofits that the agency later froze. The plaintiffs are also to receive disbursements of expenses incurred prior to the freeze. Here’s some history with a few twists and turns in an ongoing battle leading up to Wednesday’s rule.
What May be “in Stone” and What Could Change

1 month ago | waste360.com | Arlene Karidis

A lot has transpired on the PFAS policy front lately, with more rules slated to take effect this year. In this Q&A Ken Sansone, an attorney at SL Environmental Law Group, touches on what’s likely down the pike and what it will mean for water utilities especially. He broaches the possibility of pending legal challenges related to their implementation under a new administration. And explains how some states are taking the lead to clamp down on PFAS.