PFAS Contamination Prevention

Thank you to our customer Sasha (whose official title is Sasha Adkins, PhD, MPH, Advanced Lecturer in Environmental Health at the School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago) for educating us on the PFAS problem and alerting us to this news article from Massachusetts that prompted us to take more action on this problem.

PFAS are highly toxic fluorinated chemicals and are present in many household items. They have been referred to as forever chemicals in that they never break down and never go away.  This article from the Environmental Working Group does a great job of explaining the PFAS problem.

We’re going to be making another adjustment to what items we’ll take and we want you to know why. We are most concerned with the items that technically can be composted but might contain PFAS. Though the term has been overused since COVID-19 rocked our worlds, we are doing this out of an abundance of caution. We hope that you will join us in realizing that the inconvenience that this might cause you is worth it in the long run.

We want you to begin looking for alternatives to these items: microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes that are not brown cardboard, coated dental floss and any food service items that resist grease.

Thanks for helping us to continue to be part of the solution.

Mary Beth Schaye

Mary Beth strongly believes that “It’s always better to be doing something rather than nothing.” If you’re thinking of composting at home, she can help you work out what your particular “something” can be. She’s confident a solution can be tailored to fit anyone’s needs and ambitions. “Anyone who eats can be a CRI customer, whether you are an individual or a large organization. I want you to understand the advantages of composting, and I can show you how CRI can make it easy.” Mary Beth has successfully designed waste diversion strategies for individuals, schools, houses of worship, and other communities. She’s received the governor’s Environmental Hero award for her work at her daughter’s school. Whether you’re starting with a backyard bin, a kitchen bucket, a worm farm, or a large-scale commercial collection, Mary Beth can be your good-natured guide.

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