Climate Adaptation
Cities Wonder Whether Recycling Counts as Essential During the Virus
While most major cities say they’ll continue curbside pickup, some smaller municipalities are dropping the service.
Workers collect recycled trash in Brooklyn, New York
Photographer: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
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As Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe and shut down most businesses, cities are grappling with what counts as essential. Most national governments around the world have agreed that garbage pickup will continue. In the U.S., recycling is regulated on the local level, and while most municipalities are promising to keep it, some smaller communities have already dropped it.