Curiosidades

EurActiv provides a handy an overview of the main EU policy debates that will dominate the agenda in 2005. Lisbon strategy: The mid-term review to be presented at the Spring summit will use the input from the Kok report to try and refocus the ambitious, but so far relatively unsuccesful …

The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive strategy against mercury pollution. High doses of mercury and its compounds can be fatal, but even relatively low amounts can seriously harm the nervous system. There is evidence that mercury pollution, in particular where it exceeds the international accepted safety levels, for example …

Local authorities across England have been set limits on the amount of biodegradable municipal waste they can dispose of in landfill sites. Environment Minister Elliot Morley has confirmed the final allocation of landfill allowances for England‘‘s 121 waste disposal authorities. Allocations have been set in advance of the launch of …

One third of garages, tyre dealers, and tyre repairers have had old tyres illegally fly-tipped at their site according to a new survey published by the Environment Agency. The survey, which questioned 225 randomly selected garages and tyre firms about their knowledge and experience of tyre disposal, found that a …

Albertans who buy televisions and computers will have to pay more when the province begins collecting an electronics recycling fee starting Tuesday. CBC reports that the new levy will add up to C$45 to the cost of new televisions and up to C$12 for computer components. Consumer electronics contain pollutants …

Scotland is lagging behind the rest of the UK in household waste recycling, peaking at 12.8% in 2003/04. Data published in a report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on local authority waste arisings show that of the 2.6 million tonnes (Mt) of household waste produced in 2003/04, around 0.35 …

San Francisco, which has long prided itself on environmentally friendly policies, is debating whether it should become the first U.S. city to tax grocery bags to encourage recycling. Reuters reports that the city‘‘s Department of the Environment will vote on whether to recommend a 17 cent fee on each bag, …

Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Shimadzu Corp. and Hiroshima University have jointly developed the world‘‘s first technology that can efficiently generate hydrogen and methane from bread waste. Japan for Sustainability reports that their research group announced that their small-scale experimental system had run successfully for over 6 months. The National Institute of …

Seeking data for future regulation, the US government has told factory-style farms that generate huge amounts of animal waste they can escape potentially large fines if their air pollution is monitored. Associated Press reports that the offer by the Environmental Protection Agency is intended to produce the air-quality data needed …

A series of commercial trials to assess the use of recycled PET plastic (rPET) in retail packaging is being funded by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme). Involving a number of the UK‘‘s leading brands and retailers, it is the first time that rPET will be used in such …