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 …

Every three months a helicopter flies over Hong Kong‘‘s restricted border region near Shenzhen, the special economic zone in China‘‘s southern Guangdong province. Its purpose is not to survey the dramatic landscape of the closed area – which after five decades of enforced isolation has evolved into one of south …

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 …

DHL is one of the first UK businesses to gain Environment Agency (EA) approval for its WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) compliance scheme. Having met the EA‘‘s comprehensive range of criteria to gain approval – including meeting strict standards for reporting systems, quality assurance, logistics infrastructure and financial stability …

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 …

Western Australia faces an environmental crisis with hundreds of thousands of litres of waste oil accumulating in garages and workshops each month because a fall in demand for recycled oil has left licensed storage and processing facilities full. Thewest.com.au reports that the Motor Trade Association warned yesterday of illegal dumping …

They‘‘re a favorite Thanksgiving side dish, praised for their health benefits and the source of a roughly US$70 million industry. Now, Massachusetts cranberries are being lauded for something far less glamorous: their waste. The Nashua Telegraph reports that confronted with mounting piles of cranberry skins left over from Ocean Spray‘‘s …

The London Evening reports that that pay-as-you-throw is on the Government‘‘s agenda. A tax on household waste which will make families pay for every bag of rubbish they leave out is on the cards, a Downing Street report reveals today. The Prime Minister‘‘s policy officials are studying schemes for pay-asy-ou-dump …

An environmental initiative from London-based musicians ReCoup – they are releasing a single, “Remind You”, in March 2007 and the song is based specifically on mankind‘‘s environmental impacts. To highlight this ReCoup are distributing the single with recycled crisp packets as the CD‘‘s cover. Why crisp packets? They are hard …

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 …