Kwazulu-Natal is home to the longest recycled plastic boardwalk in South Africa. The boardwalk in Isipingo, south of Durban, is made from a whopping 17 million plastic bottles – which would have covered about four rugby fields 2m deep. Some 650m long, it was a joint project between the Ministry …
Mais »Switzerland – nationwide camera recycling initiative launched
On the run-up to Christmas the run on digital cameras has begun. It is likely that friends and family members will be thinking about giving a camera as a present. Few know, however, that they will be paying an increased recycling fee. The fee allows used cameras to be returned …
Mais »Europe – recycling policy “too simplistic”
The European Union is becoming increasingly strict in its rules governing recycling in the automobile branch, but there seems to be little or no theoretical foundation for these rules. Antoinette van Schaik concludes this in her PhD thesis on car recycling, which she will defend on 8 December at TU …
Mais »UK – use of natural resources and products down one per cent in 2003
Between 2002 and 2003 the mass of natural resources and products used by the UK economy fell by 1 per cent. This primarily comprises domestic extraction supplemented by net imports. Resource use has fallen by 2 per cent since 2000 and by 13 per cent since 1990. The Environmental Accounts …
Mais »Ireland – Government encourages Cork developers to increase recycling of construction and demolition waste
“The continued and unfettered growth in waste across all sectors in our society is no longer sustainable and must be reversed in the longer term to better protect our environment for the generations to come!” announced Mr. Batt O‘‘Keeffe, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage …
Mais »USA – proposed waste incinerator regulations would cut 2,800 tons of air pollution annually
The US EPA is proposing new rules to reduce emissions of air pollutants from the last remaining category of waste incinerators requiring Clean Air Act regulation. This final category is called other solid waste incinerators (OSWI). OSWI consist of institutional waste incinerators and very small municipal waste combustors. Institutional waste …
Mais »Ireland – Dublin City Council to introduce Pay by Use/Volume System for household waste
You might be interested in some more detail on Dublin‘‘s interesting adoption of variable rate charging from January 2005. This system is designed to benefit the environment by encouraging housholds to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste materials and present their wheelie bins or tagged bags for collection when full. …
Mais »Germay – doubts on bioplastics remain despite government support
Germany has increased the R&D budget for renewable bio-materials. The German government will almost double its budget for research and development in naturally re-occurring materials next year, said the ministry for consumer protection, nutrition and agriculture. Plastics & Rubber Weekly reports that the ministry‘‘s parliamentary secretary of state Matthias Berninger …
Mais »Japan – eco-friendly ship bottom paint developed
Researchers of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology have succeeded in developing an organotin-free substance for ship paint that does not leach out any organometallic compounds into the surrounding seawater. Japan for Sustainability (FfS) reports that the research team, led by Professor Michiya Fujiki and represented by Assistant Professor …
Mais »UK – recycling and waste research: review of the environmental and health effects of waste management
A report has been published by the UK Government‘‘s Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) which presents the findings of a study conducted by Enviros Consulting in conjunction with Economics for the Environment Consultancy (EFTEC) to provide an assessment of the external costs and benefits to health and …
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