English

Incineration: health and environmental consequences. Gochfeld M UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, USA. Incineration is considered one of the four primary ways to manage solid wastes, in conjunction with source reduction and reuse, recycling-composting, and landfilling. Incineration is currently used to destroy household and institutional solid waste, hazardous chemical …

New legislation in England and Wales now entitles local authorities to take action to prevent waste arisings, a task previously outside their powers. The Waste Minimisation Act allows local authorities to incorporate waste minimisation into their waste plans, promote waste prevention services, adopt waste reduction targets in waste contracts and …

The US National Soft Drink Association have reported that the recycling rate for soft drink containers reached 58.7 per em cent in 1997. Americans recycled 51.9 billion soft drink containers in 1997, a new record (up by 3.5 billion containers since 1996). the 51.9 billion units recycled last year included …

The US State of Oregon´s 1997 recycling rate reached 35.7 per cent, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality´s annual survey. this is the highest rate recorded in the six years since the survey was introduced, as a requirement of 1991 legislation. Oregon set a state-wide recovery rate goal …

A California, US company is testing a prototype wsate processing system which cooks garbage at 140°C in a rotating steam autoclave. Unopened bags of rubbish are said to be transformed – paper products are pulped for cleaning re-use, while food waste generate methane gas. Labels are stripped from glass bottles, …

Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has decided to establish a new standard for ‘eco-cement’, containing ash from incinerated municipal solid waste (MSW). The new standard would aim to come into effect in the year 2002. Eco-cement is a recycled product consisting of more than 50 per cent …

A new residential, office and commercial development in Los Angeles is being built from more than 90 per cent recycled construction and demolition waste. Some 75,000 tons of used concrete from old runways, steel and wood have been used in the development so far. More recycled materials are in store, …

A super-iron battery developed at the Technion-Israel institute of technology in Haifa, Israel has received a Technology of the year award from the US Industry week magazine. The battery lasts 50 per cent longer than conventional batteries and reduces the environmental impacts which can be caused by chemicals in alkaline …

“By the millennium, some 30 million tonnes of waste packaging will be recycled or recovered as energy across the Europe, reports Euwid Recycling &. This is around half the total and indicates some success in complying with EU legislative targets. The cost of recycling is said to range between DM …

“In 1997, Brazil recycled a record 64 per cent of aluminium cans, ahead of wealthier countries such as France, UK and Australia. Brazilian non-profit recycling association Cempre reports that 61.700 tons of aluminium (4,1 billions cans) were collected in 1997, a growth of 50 per cent in a single year …