English

China drafts law to control pollution China is planning environmental regulations which will include waste-related topics. The Xinhua news agency reports that China will legislate to encourage clean production and control pollution brought about by its rapid economic expansion. The draft clean production law, tabled to the NPC Standing Committee …

Scottish sustainability indicators published Twenty-four sustainable development indicators have been published by the Scottish government as part of a new framework policy for sustainability. The document recommends a special focus on energy, resource use and transport. Indicators, some including time-specific targets, include greenhouse gas emissions, tonnes of waste landfilled and …

Resources Balance 2001: Green Dot is helping to reduce harmful greenhouse gases By recycling around 2.3 million tonnes of lightweight packaging (aluminium, plastics, composites and tinplate), the German packaging waste recovery system – DSD – has succeeded in saving a good 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in Germany in the …

American consumers are throwing away a record 100 billion beverage bottles and cans a year. Litter and waste problems have prompted legislators in 15 states and Puerto Rico to propose refundable deposits on a wide range of beverages, from soft drinks and beer to the increasingly popular bottled waters, juices, …

Reuters reports that German Environment Minister Juergen Trittin was quoted on Friday as saying the country aimed to widen a deposit system to encourage recycling of drinks cans from January 1, 2003. “I have proposed to the chancellery that we introduce the obligatory deposits on January 1, 2003. We want …

The Plastics Recycling Council have just launched a project to generate a range of standards for the plastics recycling industry. The BPF Recycling Council Ltd is the not-for-profit company that represents the UK plastics recycling industry. This industry converts over 400,000 tonnes of waste plastic into new products every year. …

Waste made work for more than 30,500 people across Canada in 2000 OTTAWA (CP) – Waste made work for more than 30,500 people across the country in the year 2000, says Statistics Canada. More than 23,400 were employed by waste management industries disposing of municipal, construction and demolition waste. Those …

E-waste flooding landfills You might be interested in this piece on waste EEE from USA Today. Yesterday’s computers, cell phones, VCRs and television sets are headed for the nation’s 2,200 landfills by the ton. Cities and states are scrambling to cope with electronic waste. Although discarded electronics make up only …

Recycling used items not a waste of time and saves money – China Daily The Chinese Government recently hatched a plan to recycle industrial and family waste and, in the process, yield 55 billion yuan (US$6.62 billion) a year within five years. The State Economic and Trade Commission’s plan would …

US – New tools target health care waste Aiming to reduce the amount and toxicity of waste that comes from caring for patients, four national agencies launched a new phase in a landmark collaborative effort called Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E). ENN reports that the groups, the US Environmental …