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UPDATE: “Buy Nothing” Groups Are Tackling Food Waste | Danielle Melgar

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Tips

STATEMENT: Flyers embarking on holiday travel should know their rights

As travelers try to navigate air travel this holiday weekend and in the weeks ahead, they should know their rights to a refund under federal law, and understand airlines’ policies on credits and vouchers, which flyers don’t have to accept when the airline cancels the flight.

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Blog Post | Consumer Tips, Food, Solid Waste

How to minimize food waste this 4th of July | Danielle Melgar

Planning ahead and getting creative with leftovers reduces food waste for a fun, sustainable celebration.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Release: New policy in effect erasing paid medical debt from credit reports

Consumer tips on how to check your credit report accuracy

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Blog Post | Consumer Tips

How to make sure your credit reports don’t include paid medical debt | Patricia Kelmar

Medical debt, even when it is paid off, remained on credit reports for up to seven years. That's about to change. Here's how to make sure paid medical debt doesn't lower your credit score.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Tips

STATEMENT: Flyers embarking on holiday travel should know their rights

As travelers try to navigate air travel this holiday weekend and in the weeks ahead, they should know their rights to a refund under federal law, and understand airlines’ policies on credits and vouchers, which flyers don’t have to accept when the airline cancels the flight.

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Release: New policy in effect erasing paid medical debt from credit reports

Consumer tips on how to check your credit report accuracy

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

STATEMENT: Senate confirms Consumer Product Safety Commission nominee; agency now at full strength

The U.S. Senate confirmed commission nominee Mary Boyle on Wednesday, nearly a year after she was nominated by President Biden, by a vote of 50-48. 

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Tips

Statement: CPSC warns public to stop using infant rockers after deaths

 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Tuesday took an unusual step to warn the public about infant rockers that haven’t been recalled.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Tips

Statement: Safe Sleep for Babies Act signed into law

After decades of danger and more than 200 infant deaths, President Joe Biden signed the  Safe Sleep for Babies Act into law on Monday.

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Result | Financial Reform

One Year Anniversary of CFPB

 

 

 

For the first time, a federal financial agency has placed consumers at the center of its work. That agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), turns one year old on July 21, 2012. The CFPB, established as a centerpiece of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, is the first federal financial agency with only one job: protecting consumers. It has special responsibilities to protect seniors, military servicemembers and students. The CFPB is also tasked with ensuring fair lending and promoting financial education and literacy. The CFPB protects you no matter where you buy financial products—at a bank, at a credit union, at a mortgage company or a payday lender.

 

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Result | Democracy

Registering Young Voters

During the past four election cycles, WISPIRG’s New Voters Project has registered more than 160,000 18- to 24-year-olds and increased voter participation among young voters.

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Stranded

When you rely on a powered wheelchair to get around, any delay in repair imposes a burden on your mobility and financial security. It can even become a matter of life and death. Yet, as “Stranded,” a new report from U.S. PIRG Education Fund found, a constrained market for wheelchair service and repair in the U.S. makes delays, of weeks or even months, common. 

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund, NRDC and Fashion FWD

Going Out of Fashion

PFAS use in apparel and other consumer products is coming under increased scrutiny from lawmakers. However, apparel manufacturers and retail stores don’t need to wait for the law to catch up to the proliferation of toxic PFAS. They can get out in front of the regulatory curve and protect their customers and the planet from PFAS pollution by immediately adopting policies to end the use of PFAS in clothing, footwear, and accessories. Indeed, some already have. 

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Tips

Dark Patterns: A step-by-step guide to protect your privacy on your phone

Apps and social media are a part of everyday life. They help us stay connected to the world around us. But it can be easy to overlook the risk involved with making personal information accessible online, especially when that information can be recorded, bought and sold by the companies running the apps.

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Food

Food recalls: 2021 Trends and What They Mean for You

There were 270 food and beverage recalls in 2021 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That marked a 27 percent decrease from 2020. But fewer recalls doesn’t necessarily mean safer food. 

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Product Recalls: Often Too Little Too Late

2021 reminds us the system is broken. Federal laws favor corporations, not consumers, and it can take months or years for the public to be warned about dangerous products.

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Blog Post

UPDATE: “Buy Nothing” Groups Are Tackling Food Waste | Danielle Melgar

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Tips, Food, Solid Waste

How to minimize food waste this 4th of July | Danielle Melgar

Planning ahead and getting creative with leftovers reduces food waste for a fun, sustainable celebration.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Tips

How to make sure your credit reports don’t include paid medical debt | Patricia Kelmar

Medical debt, even when it is paid off, remained on credit reports for up to seven years. That's about to change. Here's how to make sure paid medical debt doesn't lower your credit score.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post

Buying a car should be less confusing - and the FTC can help | R.J. Cross

It's easy to spend thousands more on a car than you meant to, especially when dealerships use tricks and traps to lock you into bad deals. The FTC has proposed new rules to help.

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Blog Post | Public Health

Update: American Medical Association recognizes health dangers of gas stoves | Lisa Frank

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Blog Post

UPDATE: “Buy Nothing” Groups Are Tackling Food Waste

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

STATEMENT: Flyers embarking on holiday travel should know their rights

As travelers try to navigate air travel this holiday weekend and in the weeks ahead, they should know their rights to a refund under federal law, and understand airlines’ policies on credits and vouchers, which flyers don’t have to accept when the airline cancels the flight.

Blog Post

How to minimize food waste this 4th of July

Planning ahead and getting creative with leftovers reduces food waste for a fun, sustainable celebration.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Release: New policy in effect erasing paid medical debt from credit reports

Consumer tips on how to check your credit report accuracy

Blog Post

How to make sure your credit reports don’t include paid medical debt

Medical debt, even when it is paid off, remained on credit reports for up to seven years. That's about to change. Here's how to make sure paid medical debt doesn't lower your credit score.

Solid Waste

PIRG hosts webinar with MythBusters' Adam Savage on Right to Repair

Our national network and the Right to Repair team organized a summit featuring keynote speaker Adam Savage from MythBusters. He shared his thoughts with us on the movement and we discussed our current progress on the Right to Repair campaign.

 

Solid Waste

Congress must reinstate Polluter Pays Tax to speed up toxic waste cleanups

The United States has a toxic waste problem. But a lack of funding has lead to a dropoff in cleanup completion rates, found "Superfund Underfunded," a report compiled by our research partners at U.S. PIRG Education Fund.

 
  • COVID-19 CONSUMER TIPS
    Avoid online scams, protect your credit and more. We have assembled a set of consumer tips and guides, and will add more in the days to come.
    OUR TIPS
  • THE FIX IS IN
    Our survey shows that independent shops are struggling to access parts, service information and repair software which is necessary to fix phones — which manufacturers won’t let these independent shops have.
    OUR REPORT
  • FOOD RECALL FAILURE
    Will your supermarket warn you about hazardous food? Our survey grades 26 of the largest grocery stores in the country to determine the efficacy of their policies and practices notifying consumers about food recalls.
    OUR REPORT
  • CHAIN REACTION V
    The overuse of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can cause life-threatening infections in people. Our report ranks restaurant chains on their policies relating to antibiotic use in their beef supply chains.
    SEE THE GRADES

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