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Global survey shows slow progress on unsustainable consumption guidelines Three years after UN Assembly ratification, a global survey has found slow progress from governments on implementing the Sustainable Consumption Guidelines in the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection. In a joint assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Consumers …

Irish EPA works to develop markets for recycled materials The Irish Environmental Protection Agency is soon to publish a report entitled A Strategy for Developing Recycling Markets in Ireland prepared by the Clean Technology Centre, Cork Institute of Technology. The report was prepared as part of the Environmental Research, Technological …

Germans still bin their batteries Germany is the only country – to the best of my knowledge – where it is actually illegal to throw a dead battery into the rubbish bin. This unenforceable law means that lots of householders in Germany must be criminals as many tons of toxic …

Self-recycling mobile phone? The first mobile phone capable of recycling itself will shortly go on display at the Science Museum’s new contemporary science wing – the Wellcome Wing. The phone, which has been developed by engineers from Brunel University with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), …

Chinese lawmakers call for urgent action against influx of foreign garbage The BBC Monitoring Service reports on an item from Xinhua (the New China News Agency) which may be of interest. While China is playing a greater role in the world’s manufacturing sector, some senior lawmakers and officials here have …

Bicycling recycling in China Ryoukan, a non-governmental organization in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, Japan has just launched a free bicycle rental service at the start of the month for people needing a bike for a short time. Asia Intelligence Wire reports that the bicycles used in the service–called Charippa–are recycled ones …

Analysis of the EU Eco-Industries, their Employment and Export Potential The environment directorate-general has published a report by ECOTEC Research & Consulting Limited which has collated available environmental expenditure data on the market for goods and services produced by eco-industries in both the EU-15 and the Candidate Countries, as the …

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (ARB) has accepted a proposal to ban the outdoor burning of household garbage at home by January 1, 2004. Burning of vegetation will still be allowed under this ban. The US EPA has determined that burning waste products at home is one …

The Japanese newspaper Daily Yomiuri reports that, a year after the enactment of a recycling law governing the disposal of four electrical home appliances, efforts needed to ensure the programme’s success have become clear. The law, under which television sets, air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines must be recycled, came …

Nickel-cadmium batteries in Germany – new study favours ban Rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries account for about 400 tons of the highly toxic heavy metal cadmium discharged into the environment in Germany every year. The most significant cause is that the present take-back systems for used batteries are apparently inadequate. A mere …