mss
@ratibida.bsky.social
Appreciator of bugs and birds. Fan of trails and green infrastructure. Current obsession: detrashing and restoring Iowa's Bottle Bill.
Livin' the dream.
Hero of the day. Tony Slater, who rummaged through discarded McDonald’s litter on verge, found a receipt, contacted the local environmental health officer. Who contacted McD, who used CCTV to work out the car responsible.
Result: £500 fine. 💥
(Via @thetimes.com)
Result: £500 fine. 💥
(Via @thetimes.com)
January 31, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Livin' the dream.
Great! Now a national bottle bill please.
The people and companies creating trash should be the people and companies responsible for disposing of it. If Meijer & other grocers want to profit off these products, they should do their part to make sure they are recycled properly.
Listening, Hyvee?
The people and companies creating trash should be the people and companies responsible for disposing of it. If Meijer & other grocers want to profit off these products, they should do their part to make sure they are recycled properly.
Listening, Hyvee?
Meijer testing new large capacity bottle return machines
Two Meijer stores are testing new large capacity bottle return machines that can accept several containers at a time.
www.abc12.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Great! Now a national bottle bill please.
The people and companies creating trash should be the people and companies responsible for disposing of it. If Meijer & other grocers want to profit off these products, they should do their part to make sure they are recycled properly.
Listening, Hyvee?
The people and companies creating trash should be the people and companies responsible for disposing of it. If Meijer & other grocers want to profit off these products, they should do their part to make sure they are recycled properly.
Listening, Hyvee?
Litter of the day: a pair of water bottles picked up along a local trail.
Why doesn't Iowa's bottle bill cover these? Why do lawmakers think they should be treated differently than beer cans and pop bottles? Would I be picking up dozens of these a week if they had a ten-cent deposit?
#bottlebill
Why doesn't Iowa's bottle bill cover these? Why do lawmakers think they should be treated differently than beer cans and pop bottles? Would I be picking up dozens of these a week if they had a ten-cent deposit?
#bottlebill
January 30, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Litter of the day: a pair of water bottles picked up along a local trail.
Why doesn't Iowa's bottle bill cover these? Why do lawmakers think they should be treated differently than beer cans and pop bottles? Would I be picking up dozens of these a week if they had a ten-cent deposit?
#bottlebill
Why doesn't Iowa's bottle bill cover these? Why do lawmakers think they should be treated differently than beer cans and pop bottles? Would I be picking up dozens of these a week if they had a ten-cent deposit?
#bottlebill
Iowa's Bottle Bill is in dire need of updating, but the legislature seems to think it's working fine.
My 2025 data begs to differ:
* 673 water bottles
* 447 beer cans
* 150 pop cans
* 234 shooters
* 120 beer bottles
* 98 energy drink cans
* 98 pop bottles
* 64 sports drink bottles
#bottlebill
My 2025 data begs to differ:
* 673 water bottles
* 447 beer cans
* 150 pop cans
* 234 shooters
* 120 beer bottles
* 98 energy drink cans
* 98 pop bottles
* 64 sports drink bottles
#bottlebill
Bottle bill supporters face same challenges, new economic conditions for 2026
Bottle bills will face the same hurdles as in years’ past, but supporters in places like Maryland and Washington hope new perspectives on domestic manufacturing and EPR can help make their case.
www.wastedive.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Iowa's Bottle Bill is in dire need of updating, but the legislature seems to think it's working fine.
My 2025 data begs to differ:
* 673 water bottles
* 447 beer cans
* 150 pop cans
* 234 shooters
* 120 beer bottles
* 98 energy drink cans
* 98 pop bottles
* 64 sports drink bottles
#bottlebill
My 2025 data begs to differ:
* 673 water bottles
* 447 beer cans
* 150 pop cans
* 234 shooters
* 120 beer bottles
* 98 energy drink cans
* 98 pop bottles
* 64 sports drink bottles
#bottlebill
Always fascinated to find these fancy heavy glass shooter bottles littered out on the ground as if they were common gutter Fireballs. It's like winning a really crappy lottery.
January 23, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Always fascinated to find these fancy heavy glass shooter bottles littered out on the ground as if they were common gutter Fireballs. It's like winning a really crappy lottery.
Prickly Lettuce is one of my favorite weedy plants. The pale yellow flowers are so pretty and delicate sitting atop a giant prickly monstrosity.
Prickly Lettuce, Spanish Needles and other crackweeds shot somewhere south of Oregon Avenue on 8/8/25.
#Weeds
#Weeds
January 21, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Prickly Lettuce is one of my favorite weedy plants. The pale yellow flowers are so pretty and delicate sitting atop a giant prickly monstrosity.
Ten tiny glass bottles of Absolut, all picked up along a quarter-mile or so. They actually have a deposit, but imagine if it were a quarter, having kept up with inflation, instead of a paltry nickel.
You could buy another tiny glass bottle of Absolut with the proceeds.
#bottlebill
You could buy another tiny glass bottle of Absolut with the proceeds.
#bottlebill
January 21, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Ten tiny glass bottles of Absolut, all picked up along a quarter-mile or so. They actually have a deposit, but imagine if it were a quarter, having kept up with inflation, instead of a paltry nickel.
You could buy another tiny glass bottle of Absolut with the proceeds.
#bottlebill
You could buy another tiny glass bottle of Absolut with the proceeds.
#bottlebill
Nice summary of the recent committee half-hearted review of Iowa's 2022 changes to the bottle bill.
What's frustrating is that this is an obvious problem with a proved, tested solution...if only lawmakers have the will. There aren't many problems that are this simple to fix. #bottlebill
What's frustrating is that this is an obvious problem with a proved, tested solution...if only lawmakers have the will. There aren't many problems that are this simple to fix. #bottlebill
January 2026 Newsletter
January 2026 Newsletter
www.sierraclub.org
January 20, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Nice summary of the recent committee half-hearted review of Iowa's 2022 changes to the bottle bill.
What's frustrating is that this is an obvious problem with a proved, tested solution...if only lawmakers have the will. There aren't many problems that are this simple to fix. #bottlebill
What's frustrating is that this is an obvious problem with a proved, tested solution...if only lawmakers have the will. There aren't many problems that are this simple to fix. #bottlebill
Reposted by mss
It’s weird that Trump can stand up to allies but not Russia
January 17, 2026 at 11:37 PM
It’s weird that Trump can stand up to allies but not Russia
"Many Americans now describe a feeling that is hard to name but impossible to ignore: estrangement. A sense of being out of place in one's own country. Not because of disagreement or political loss, but because the moral language of the nation no longer sounds familiar. "
Editorial: We are in moral exile. We must resist.
Authoritarianism thrives on resignation. This is why the most urgent task before us is not simply political opposition, but moral recovery. We must relearn what it means to be a people capable of nonv...
www.ncronline.org
January 9, 2026 at 7:19 PM
"Many Americans now describe a feeling that is hard to name but impossible to ignore: estrangement. A sense of being out of place in one's own country. Not because of disagreement or political loss, but because the moral language of the nation no longer sounds familiar. "
As if littering our roads and waterways isn't bad enough....
Toxic substances in PET bottles scrutinized by researchers
Virgin and rPET bottles in Michigan and California leached additives and hazardous chemicals, per a study funded by the Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling. It’s the latest research to raise question...
www.packagingdive.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:37 PM
As if littering our roads and waterways isn't bad enough....
Reposted by mss
NPR's Jan. 6 archive brings together reporting, video, documents and testimony to show what really happened during the Capitol riot. Explore the timeline, cases and evidence behind the attack.
Jan. 6, 2021: A visual archive of the Capitol attack
NPR’s Jan. 6 archive brings together reporting, video, documents and testimony to show what really happened during the Capitol riot. Explore the timeline, cases and evidence behind the attack.
n.pr
January 5, 2026 at 1:24 PM
NPR's Jan. 6 archive brings together reporting, video, documents and testimony to show what really happened during the Capitol riot. Explore the timeline, cases and evidence behind the attack.
Patterns on cement + the blue plastic of a bottle cap. Not quite art, but visually interesting nonetheless.
December 31, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Patterns on cement + the blue plastic of a bottle cap. Not quite art, but visually interesting nonetheless.
More than 30 flimsy plastic water bottles picked up in just an hour walking around the neighborhood. A lot has changed in 50 years, but littered beverage containers are still a HUGE problem. Time to catch up and include water bottles in Iowa's bottle bill.
December 28, 2025 at 1:35 PM
More than 30 flimsy plastic water bottles picked up in just an hour walking around the neighborhood. A lot has changed in 50 years, but littered beverage containers are still a HUGE problem. Time to catch up and include water bottles in Iowa's bottle bill.
Interesting article about litter in different neighborhoods in Manhattan.
Also includes a bit about how litter is managed in affluent areas vs. less affluent areas, which parallels our Downtown District and its Ambassadors program vs. the rest of the city on our own.
Also includes a bit about how litter is managed in affluent areas vs. less affluent areas, which parallels our Downtown District and its Ambassadors program vs. the rest of the city on our own.
What Can Hundreds of Pieces of Litter Tell Us About Manhattan?
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Interesting article about litter in different neighborhoods in Manhattan.
Also includes a bit about how litter is managed in affluent areas vs. less affluent areas, which parallels our Downtown District and its Ambassadors program vs. the rest of the city on our own.
Also includes a bit about how litter is managed in affluent areas vs. less affluent areas, which parallels our Downtown District and its Ambassadors program vs. the rest of the city on our own.
How Iowa's bottle bill works. It's a closed-loop system that helps keep recyclables out of our landfills, and effectively internalizes the costs of the garbage generated by an industry to those creating the garbage, instead of offloading to our municipal waste systems.
December 21, 2025 at 1:48 PM
How Iowa's bottle bill works. It's a closed-loop system that helps keep recyclables out of our landfills, and effectively internalizes the costs of the garbage generated by an industry to those creating the garbage, instead of offloading to our municipal waste systems.
Busch Light, your camo cans can't hide the fact that you are the most-littered deposit container I picked up, topped only by non-deposit water bottles.
Will you support a better bottle bill in IA, and a national bottle bill, to keep your garbage off our streets?
Will you support a better bottle bill in IA, and a national bottle bill, to keep your garbage off our streets?
December 21, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Busch Light, your camo cans can't hide the fact that you are the most-littered deposit container I picked up, topped only by non-deposit water bottles.
Will you support a better bottle bill in IA, and a national bottle bill, to keep your garbage off our streets?
Will you support a better bottle bill in IA, and a national bottle bill, to keep your garbage off our streets?
Always fun finding glass bottles on the ground. Kind of a throwback to a time when the nickel bottle deposit actually meant something.
Thanks for the trash, Coors! How about a national bottle bill so your garbage ends up recycled instead of in our waterways and natural spaces?
Thanks for the trash, Coors! How about a national bottle bill so your garbage ends up recycled instead of in our waterways and natural spaces?
December 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Always fun finding glass bottles on the ground. Kind of a throwback to a time when the nickel bottle deposit actually meant something.
Thanks for the trash, Coors! How about a national bottle bill so your garbage ends up recycled instead of in our waterways and natural spaces?
Thanks for the trash, Coors! How about a national bottle bill so your garbage ends up recycled instead of in our waterways and natural spaces?
Reposted by mss
New York isn't the only place working towards a bottle bill! Legislators and advocates in Washington D.C. are advancing a bill that would include a dime deposit for bottled and canned beverages sold there ♻️⭐️
streetsensemedia.org/article/bott...
streetsensemedia.org/article/bott...
A deposit-based bottle recycling program could offer homeless communities an opportunity to make a profit - Street Sense Media
Councilmember Brianne Nadeau sees a proposed bottle bill as an income opportunity for low-income residents.
streetsensemedia.org
December 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
New York isn't the only place working towards a bottle bill! Legislators and advocates in Washington D.C. are advancing a bill that would include a dime deposit for bottled and canned beverages sold there ♻️⭐️
streetsensemedia.org/article/bott...
streetsensemedia.org/article/bott...
Bald cypress cones on my favorite bald cypress tree. It's nice to have a steadfast friend you can always stop by to visit, any day of the year, no questions asked.
December 13, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Bald cypress cones on my favorite bald cypress tree. It's nice to have a steadfast friend you can always stop by to visit, any day of the year, no questions asked.
What's the point of Congress passing an almost-trillion dollar military spending bill while they stand idly by as hostile foreign actors tears our country apart from within via social media influence campaigns designed to divide us and make us hate each other? There's no point in defending a husk.
December 11, 2025 at 1:22 PM
What's the point of Congress passing an almost-trillion dollar military spending bill while they stand idly by as hostile foreign actors tears our country apart from within via social media influence campaigns designed to divide us and make us hate each other? There's no point in defending a husk.
Alas, they neither "refreshed" nor "recycled".
Pepsi, maybe a better bottle bill--a national bottle bill--would do more to make sure your garbage doesn't litter our streets than a sad little request on your labels?
Pepsi, maybe a better bottle bill--a national bottle bill--would do more to make sure your garbage doesn't litter our streets than a sad little request on your labels?
December 11, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Alas, they neither "refreshed" nor "recycled".
Pepsi, maybe a better bottle bill--a national bottle bill--would do more to make sure your garbage doesn't litter our streets than a sad little request on your labels?
Pepsi, maybe a better bottle bill--a national bottle bill--would do more to make sure your garbage doesn't litter our streets than a sad little request on your labels?
Reposted by mss
Of all the things the US has chosen to do differently than the rest of the world, I think this may be the dumbest. You'd have trouble finding any urban neighborhood in Europe or Latin America without a plaza. It's just so basic. And yet the US has virtually none! No public space, no public.
Every neighborhood needs a leafy pedestrian plaza—a place to meet friends, grab a bite, or just relax.
December 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Of all the things the US has chosen to do differently than the rest of the world, I think this may be the dumbest. You'd have trouble finding any urban neighborhood in Europe or Latin America without a plaza. It's just so basic. And yet the US has virtually none! No public space, no public.
Reposted by mss
Iowa's bottle bill was undermined by the legislature in 2022 when it allowed stores that sell this trash to opt out of taking it back.
Thank goodness for redemption centers like the Can Shed, who are investing in our communities and providing an important service in keeping our roadsides clean.
Thank goodness for redemption centers like the Can Shed, who are investing in our communities and providing an important service in keeping our roadsides clean.
December 7, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Iowa's bottle bill was undermined by the legislature in 2022 when it allowed stores that sell this trash to opt out of taking it back.
Thank goodness for redemption centers like the Can Shed, who are investing in our communities and providing an important service in keeping our roadsides clean.
Thank goodness for redemption centers like the Can Shed, who are investing in our communities and providing an important service in keeping our roadsides clean.