ZDNet reports that Fujitsu has taken the use of biodegradable plastic beyond picnic ware and household items, and designed a notebook with a biodegradable chassis. The Fujitsu LifeBook sports a chassis made from a plastic made from cornstarch, rather than petroleum. When it is disposed of, the chassis will decompose …
Mais »USA – home deconstruction proves cost competitive and yields reusable materials
The US EPA reports that a terrace house located in Philadelphia‘‘s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood was chosen for experimental deconstruction. Long perceived as having little value, old and condemned properties are proving to be a treasure trove of architectural elements and reusable building materials. In a bid to promote deconstruction as …
Mais »Minhocas limpam lixo doméstico
O conceito é simples: as minhocas têm um apetite voraz por tudo o que é orgânico; logo, vamos dar-lhes todo o lixo que produzimos para que limpem, literalmente, embalagens de plástico, vidros, cerâmicas e outros objectos, permitindo a sua reciclagem e evitando a sua colocação em aterros. A empresa portuguesa …
Mais »30% da comida vai para o lixo
As famílias de países ricos deitam fora cerca de 30 por cento dos alimentos que compram, segundo um estudo apresentado na World Water Week, a conferência mundial sobre a água, que termina esta sexta-feira em Estocolmo, na Suécia. Segundo o director do Comité Científico do Instituto Internacional da Água de …
Mais »Canada – British Columbia launches industry-led E-waste programme
The Electronics Stewardship Association of British Columbia (BC) has launched a province-wide electronics stewardship programme. Globe-Net reports that Encorp Pacific has been contracted to deliver the new industry-led programme, which is built upon enhanced provincial recycling regulations. Encorp will collect and recycle computers, monitors, desktop printers and TVs. ESABC represents …
Mais »China – world‘s largest plastics recycling plant opens in Beijing
China Daily reports that the world‘‘s biggest plastics recycling processing plant, capable of recycling 60,000 tons of waste annually, has begun operating in Beijing
Mais »World – the price of virtue, getting people to recycle more
Here is an article from The Economist (June 7, 2007) on how to get people recycling more-even if they do not particularly want to. Plastics here, newspapers there, bottles in that pile, tin cans over there. Across the rich world tonight a small army of worthy householders will pick through …
Mais »UK – House of Lords to investigate waste reduction
The House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee has appointed a sub-committee, chaired by Lord O‘‘Neill of Clackmannan, to look at sustainable approaches to waste reduction. The inquiry will focus on the first level of the waste hierarchy, waste reduction, and will look into ways in which products and …
Mais »UK – HSE advice on removing petrol from scrap vehicles
The UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have published a good practice guidance document The safe recovery of petrol from end-of-life vehicles, in association with the end-of-life vehicle (ELV) industry. It provides advice on the safe removal, storage and disposal of petrol from vehicles that are being disposed of in …
Mais »Australia – confusing facts of the great nappy debate
Are biodegradable nappies really biodegradable? Is biodegradablity a good thing in a nappy? Faced with the stark choice between cloth nappies or commercial disposables, many mums have looked for a compromise. Biodegradable nappies seem to offer the convenience of a disposal with the social responsibility of a sustainable alternative. But …
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