Curiosidades

A long-standing case over Germany‘‘s mandatory return scheme for used cans and bottles was dropped by the Commission after changes were introduced in the system to make it compatible with EU internal trade rules. Euractiv reports that the Commission closed an infringement procedure against Germany‘‘s mandatory deposit system for used …

Hong Kong‘‘s first environmental levy, aimed at making consumers pay 50 HK cents for a plastic bag, will kick off with a bill to the Legislative Council next month, according to a government source. The HK Standard reports that the government will table the tax bill in Legco as the …

working group set by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment has prepared its proposal for a national waste policy. This proposal for nationwide strategic plan for waste treatment and waste prevention principles, goals and the government‘‘s steering plans is going to be approved by the Council of State. The goals …

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to require about 100 of the city‘‘s largest grocery stores and pharmacies to use only biodegradable plastic bags or recyclable paper bags. That means San Francisco is likely to become the first major city in the USA to ban the conventional plastic …

Plasterboard manufacturers in Great Britain have signed up to an agreement that is set to bring a significant reduction in the amount of waste plasterboard sent to landfill. The voluntary agreement was initiated and brokered by the Gypsum Products Development Association (GPDA) which, in Great Britain, represents Knauf Drywall, British …

There‘‘s an old joke about the number of people it takes to change a light bulb. But because the newer energy-efficient kinds contain tiny amounts of mercury, the hard part is getting rid of them when they burn out, reports ENN citing Reuters. Mercury is poisonous, but it‘‘s also a …

A good example from the Star Tribune of the problems when good motives clash with poor systems design. Every day at lunchtime in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District, students diligently separate food waste from other garbage. Leftover pizza goes in one bin, plastic forks and foam plates in another, empty …

Here is an interesting editorial from South Africa‘‘s Cape Times. THE short answer is: not much. As my colleague Melanie Gosling revealed last November, despite the fact that more than R100 million has been raised from the 3c levy on every “thick” plastic bag we‘‘ve bought from supermarkets since 2003, …

San Francisco‘‘s Board of Supervisors were due to consider passing an ordinance that would require large supermarkets and pharmacies in the city to replace non-biodegradable plastic bags with reusable or recyclable bags, a move that would make San Francisco the first city in the US to introduce such a ban. …

“We are telling people to start collecting their organic wastes for collection the week of April 2,” Peel Region director of waste Andrew Pollock said as the Region launched its green bin organic composting program, a key plank of its waste reduction strategy. The Region has delivered green bins on …