Curiosidades

Canada – Toronto executive committee backs ‘pay-as-you-throw‘

Toronto homeowners will feel it in the wallet if they put out more than a bag of garbage every two weeks if measures approved unanimously yesterday by a key city committee win council approval next month. The Toronto Globe & Mail reports that under new user fee rules slated for …

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USA – new bricks made from coal plant waste

New research suggests bricks made out of the ashes from coal fires are both structurally and environmentally solid. UPI reports that the alternatives to clay bricks, which take more energy to produce, are also cheaper, LiveScience reported. Traditional clay bricks need extreme heat for production, while coal ash bricks can …

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UK – biodegradable car debut

The Guardian reports that a biodegradable car has made its British debut at the Science Museum in London, at an exhibition to celebrate 100 years of plastic-making. Incorporated into the body panels of the single-seater Toyota I-Unit are degradable fibres from kenaf, a type of Asian hemp. The driver controls …

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Canada – company acquires the power to vaporise waste

A Canadian company has acquired the only plasma gasification technology commercially proven to vaporize old boots, beds and baby diapers and transform the household waste into energy such as electricity. Calgary‘‘s Alter Nrg, which started trading on the TSX Venture Exchange on April 17, 2007, has purchased Pittsburgh‘‘s Westinghouse Plasma …

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UK – double award for world first recycled milk bottle packaging

A project funded by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) scooped two awards at the 2007 Starpack Packaging Awards, held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. WRAP‘‘s project to develop recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) milk bottles, delivered by core project team of Nextek, Nampak and Dairy Crest, won a …

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UK – double award for world first recycled milk bottle packaging

A project funded by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) scooped two awards at the 2007 Starpack Packaging Awards, held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. WRAP‘‘s project to develop recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) milk bottles, delivered by core project team of Nextek, Nampak and Dairy Crest, won a …

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UK – Government backs remanufacturing and reuse of goods

RRF member Oakdene Hollins has won £700,000 of funding to run the UK‘‘s Centre for Remanufacturing & Reuse. Working with leading companies in the £5 billion sector, universities and other Government agencies, it will promote the remanufacture of used goods and equipment. This returns them to market in as-new condition …

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Japan – at Honda, "nothing goes to waste"

TheAsahi Shimbun reports that in looking at alternative fuels, nothing goes to waste when Honda Motor Co. gets involved. The automaker is hard at work trying to produce bioethanol from rice straw and other inedible waste, a welcome development given that food prices are rising as demand grows for biofuel …

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USA – traditional recycling stagnant in North Carolina, analysis shows

Despite growth in overall recycling, North Carolina residents have showed no interest in improving their traditional recycling habits. Collection of traditional recyclables, such as cans or newspapers, was stagnant during the 2006 fiscal year, according to an analysis released Thursday from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "There …

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New Zealand – Government considering use of waste levies

In February 2007, the Government signalled its preference for the creation of a waste levy to fund projects to encourage recycling and recovery of waste. One product of this process is a recently-published report which sets out to provide the NZ Ministry for the Environment with an understanding of the …

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