waste
Defra publishes local authority fly tipping enforcement league tables
23 August 2023Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has published league tables ranking local authorities in England on fly tipping enforcement. The league tables are based on data from the 2021/22 financial year and show which local authorities issued the most fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and the ratio between incidents reported and FPNS issued. Defra ... Mai mult
How the ‘circular economy’ went from environmentalist dream to marketing buzzword
9 August 2023Can plastics be circular? At a recent conference, companies’ answer was a resounding yes. At a conference in Seattle this summer, Coca-Cola set up shop in an exhibition hall to show off one of its most recent sustainability initiatives. A six-foot-tall interactive jukebox invited passersby to listen to “recycled records” — seven audio tracks that, ... Mai mult
The roads of the future could be paved with plastic
7 August 2023Most plastic never gets recycled. The construction industry could offer a solution. Despite the fact that waste plastic can be recycled, in the U.S. less than 10% of it actually is. Part of the problem is a lack of demand for the plastic coming out of recycling facilities. But according to researchers from Stanford University, ... Mai mult
All smartphones, including iPhones, must have replaceable batteries by 2027 in the EU
14 July 2023The European Union is officially requiring all smartphones to have replaceable batteries by 2027. This week, the European Council adopted the regulation designed to reduce waste and break up monopolistic practices from tech companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google that make it difficult to replace parts without having to buy a brand new phone. This ... Mai mult
New York City zero waste package, including mandatory residential organics program, becomes law
10 July 2023A bill that directs the New York City Department of Sanitation to roll out a mandatory organics collection program for residents became law on Saturday without a signature from Mayor Eric Adams. The bill was passed by a veto-proof majority of the New York City Council on June 8 in a package dubbed the Zero Waste ... Mai mult
The AI trained to recognise waste for recycling
3 July 2023Approximately 2.24 billion tonnes of solid waste was produced in 2020 alone, according to the World Bank. It says the figure is likely to rise by 73% to 3.88 billion tonnes by 2050. Plastic is particularly problematic. From the start of large-scale production of the material in the 1950s until 2015, more than 8.3 billion tonnes ... Mai mult
More crumb rubber in Tasmania
19 June 2023The Tasmanian Government is expanding the the use of crumb rubber in the state’s road resurfacing tenders from 1 July 2023. Michael Ferguson, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport said the opening of a new crumbed rubber blending plant in Launceston demonstrates the growing use of recycled materials in road surfaces, underpinning a record road and ... Mai mult
Finally, a solution to plastic pollution that’s not just recycling
7 June 2023Plastic recycling doesn’t work, no matter how diligently you wash out your peanut butter container. Only about 15 percent of plastic waste is collected for recycling worldwide, and of that, about half ends up discarded. That means just 9 percent of plastic waste is recycled. The rest — some 91 percent of all plastic waste — ends up ... Mai mult
Challenge to stop solar panels becoming a ‘waste mountain’
4 June 2023Photo source: bbc.com While they are being promoted around the world as a crucial weapon in reducing carbon emissions, solar panels degrade and become gradually less efficient. After about 25-30 years it’s typically more cost effective to replace them with new ones. Experts say billions of panels will eventually all need to be disposed of ... Mai mult
