Curiosidades

Rubbish is blocking some streets and leaving an unpleasant smell. Piles of rubbish have been set alight by residents in Naples angered by a continuing row about refuse. Local dumps are completely full and communities have blocked attempts to build new ones in their areas. BBC Online reports that refuse …

Huntingdon has became the first Quebec municipality to go plastic bag free – at store check-out counters, at least – and the transition has been surprisingly painless, merchants say. Canada.com reports that the Huntingdon bylaw means no retail outlet can distribute plastic bags, no advertiser can deliver fliers in plastic …

A new composting machine is turning students‘‘ leftovers at Aberystwyth University into food for plants. BBC Online reports that the Rocket composter can cope with 1.2 tonnes (1,750 litres) per week and takes just 14 days to convert waste from cafes into garden food. Leftovers from kitchens at the students‘‘ …

The Minnesota state legislature recently awarded US$400,000 to Koochiching County in the north-central part of the state to fund a feasibility study for a potential facility that would convert municipal solid waste (MSW) into energy. Biomass magazine reports that the plant, which would be located near International Falls, would use …

Reuters reports that Italy‘‘s army began shifting mountains of rubbish from schools and streets in the region around Naples on Monday to keep the city from grinding to a halt after more than two weeks of garbage crisis. Protesters angered at plans to revive a landfill in their neighborhood clashed …

China has launched a crackdown on plastic bags, banning production of ultra-thin bags and forbidding supermarkets and shops from handing out free carriers from June 1. Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that the government will impose limits on the use of plastic bags starting on June 1, as part of …

Green PC, the great little green blog on all things to do with personal computing, has come up with this superb list of action you can do both at home and at work to lower the impact of your IT. A New Year‘‘s action resolution. Natural Choices reports that the …

A rede de varejo Target oferece aos consumidores uma mensagem incomum sobre seus vales-presente, em algumas lojas: os cartões plásticos, informa a loja, são biodegradáveis – os consumidores só precisam se lembrar de gastá-los antes de jogá-los no lixo. Não se trata de um simples truque de marketing. Plásticos feitos …

Biodegradable plastics have gotten cheaper and more reliable, but some still object to their ecological footprint, according to The Christian Science Monitor Paper, plastic… or biodegradable? Yes, get ready to add a third option at the grocery store checkout line as biodegradable plastics enter the mainstream consumer market. It is …

A US start-up company Novomer is developing biodegradable plastics made from carbon dioxide. Environmentalresearchweb reports that the company, which recently received US$6.6 m in venture capital funding, claims that its plastics can contain up to 50% of the material by weight. Carbon dioxide is very unreactive and chemists have in …