+ what the choice of the Taliban's interim leader means US Edition - Today's top story: Packaging generates a lot of waste â now Maine and Oregon want manufacturers to foot the bill for getting rid of it [View in browser]( US Edition | 8 September 2021 [The Conversation]( If youâve ever struggled to extract some object like a TV remote control from a plastic clamshell container, you know that packaging uses a lot of material. In fact, it accounts for about one-fourth of all household waste in the U.S., and much of that waste is hard or impossible to recycle. Maine and Oregon have enacted laws that require packaging manufacturers within their borders to pay the cost of dealing with these wastes. Itâs the newest application of a concept called extended producer responsibility â holding companies accountable for the full life cycle of hard-to-dispose-of products. University of California, Berkeley environmental policy experts Jessica Heiges and Kate O'Neill explain how this kind of producer-pays scheme may help [catalyze progress toward a less wasteful economy](. Also today: - [Islamic law can be force for progress or tool for fundamentalists](
- [The subtle science of product placement](
- [Are teachers teaching 9/11 appropriately?]( Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Energy Editor
Packaging for consumer products represents a large share of U.S. solid waste, and barely half of it is recycled. iStock via Getty Images
[Packaging generates a lot of waste â now Maine and Oregon want manufacturers to foot the bill for getting rid of it]( Jessica Heiges, University of California, Berkeley; Kate O'Neill, University of California, Berkeley Maine and Oregon have enacted laws that require makers of consumer product packaging to pay for recycling or disposing of it. Will other states follow? Politics + Society -
[Who is Mullah Hasan Akhund? What does the Talibanâs choice of interim prime minister mean for Afghanistan?]( Ali A. Olomi, Penn State The caretaker leader for Afghanistan represents a compromise candidate for Taliban factions, but his reactionary past has drawn concern over the fate of minority and womenâs rights. -
[How someone becomes a torturer]( Christopher Justin Einolf, Northern Illinois University Interviews with former torturers in Saddam Husseinâs regime in Iraq reveal what it takes to be a torturer â which could help explain how to reduce the number of people who get tortured around the world. -
[Black Lives Matter: How far has the movement come?]( Kwasi Konadu, Colgate University; Bright Gyamfi, Northwestern University Like many social movements before it that began at the grassroots, Black Lives Matter is becoming a more conventional organization with top-down leadership. Education -
[What schools teach about 9/11 and the war on terror]( Jeremy Stoddard, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Diana Hess, University of Wisconsin-Madison The 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is an opportunity for teachers to focus less on recreating the day and more on what students can learn from it, two curriculum experts argue. -
[Data science education lacks a much-needed focus on ethics]( Jeffrey C. Oliver, University of Arizona; Torbet McNeil, University of Arizona Undergraduate programs are springing up across the US to meet the burgeoning demand for workers trained in big data. Yet many of the programs lack training in the ethical use of data science. Arts + Culture -
[The science of product placements â and why some work better than others]( Beth L. Fossen, Indiana University Global spending on product placements is expected to top $23 billion in 2021, about a 14% increase over the previous year. Environment + Energy -
[Wildfire burn scars can intensify and even trigger thunderstorms, leading to catastrophic flooding â hereâs how]( William R. Cotton, Colorado State University An atmospheric scientist and sailplane pilot describes why large areas of burned land can produce clouds and rainstorms. Ethics + Religion -
[How threats of hellfire helped keep âimmodestâ women in their place â from the ancient world to âMy Unorthodox Lifeâ]( Meghan Henning, University of Dayton Ancient Christian and Jewish texts threatened women with hellfire if they stepped out of line â and those terrifying visions still resonate in U.S. society today. -
[What is Sharia? Islamic law shows Muslims how to live, and can be a force for progress as well as tool of fundamentalists]( Kalpana Jain, The Conversation Day 6 of our Understanding Islam series. Sharia constitutes a broad set of rules that guide Muslims on how to lead an ethical life. The way Sharia is interpreted depends on who is using it and why. Trending on site -
[Tattoos have a long history going back to the ancient world â and also to colonialism]( Allison Hawn, Arizona State University The pandemic has made some people rush to get tattoos for different reasons. A tattoo historian explains why tattoos are often seen to be âtrashy,â a view likely influenced by colonialism. -
[Farmers markets are growing their role as essential sources of healthy food for rich and poor]( Edna Ledesma, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Alfonso Morales, University of Wisconsin-Madison Farmers markets arenât just for yuppies â they are increasingly serving customers at all social and economic levels, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
[Have we forgotten the true meaning of Labor Day?]( Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University The holiday began as a strike against excessive workweeks but now bears little resemblance to its worker-centric origins, even as the foundersâ gains are slowly lost. --------------------------------------------------------------- Todayâs graphic [A map of the United States with blue dots that represent electric vehicle charging stations. The darker dots represent clusters of many stations.]( [The Conversation]( Youâre receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](