South Africa – plastic bottles transformed into boardwalk

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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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