Curiosidades

Each year, in the European Union alone, 1.3 billion tonnes of waste are thrown away, some 40 million tonnes of it being hazardous. Reducing household waste has become an area of prime concern for national governments, policy makers and local communities. Irish researchers have recently used an innovative approach to …

The landfill on Amran Road in Sana‘‘a is full of items deemed to be of no value. Only after a series of searches for recyclable goods is waste dumped into the landfill. Yemen Observer reports that garbage collection is something that is generally noticed by the public only when it …

Sweden‘‘s IKEA will charge US customers five cents for disposable plastic shopping bags in what the international furniture giant said was a first step to ending their use altogether. Reuters reports that IKEA said the decision to stop giving away free bags to customers aimed to reduce the estimated 100 …

Ireland‘‘s Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. Dick Roche, T.D. has announced that the environmental levy on plastic shopping bags would be increased from 15c to 22c per bag with effect from Sunday 1st July 2007. The plastic bag levy which came into effect on 4th March …

Researchers at the Kansas City-based University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) and Midwest Research Institute (MRI) are testing an innovative alternative fuel technology in a pickup truck owned and operated by the Kansas City Office of Environmental Quality. This technology may revolutionize the capacity of natural gas to power vehicles. Current natural …

Studies assessing the recycling of waste plasterboard from commercial refurbishment projects have shown that it is economically viable, according to a report published and funded by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme). Key findings of the report indicate that: recovering and recycling plasterboard waste from commercial refurbishment sites is economically …

The move comes in a joint initiative involving representatives from all areas of the retail sector and in response to a concerted call for action from Environment ministers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They have agreed to support the campaign together with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and …

A stream of protests has hit India‘‘s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for sanctioning municipal waste-to-energy (MWTE) projects that are collapsing under an avalanche of incombustible effluent, according to IPS-Inter Press Service, cited in Power Engineering International. "The technology of converting waste to energy from purely organic wastes …

In light of a significant increase in the amount of leftovers during the one-week Chinese New Year holiday, the Environment Protection Administration (EPA) urged the public to adopt an environmentally friendly "green diet." The China Post reports that leftovers account for around a quarter of the garbage generated by the …

Australia will be the first country in the world to ban traditional incandescent light bulbs, says Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Globe-Net reports that according to the plan, yellow incandescent bulbs will be replaced by more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs by 2009. "By that stage you simply won‘‘t be able to …