Associated Press reports that Hong Kongers littered country parks with 460 tons of rubbish last month, when SARS fears prompted thousands of residents to go out to the scenic areas for fresh air. Some 1.4 million people visited the territory’s 23 country parks in April, when Hong Kong’s SARS outbreak …
Mais »Recycling effort lets athletes tread lightly
Indiana piles up a mountain of used tyres every year and spends a mountain of cash trying to get rid of them. The Indianapolis Star reports that now, five schools in the state will become the proving ground for a novel experiment in recycling — grinding up the tyres into …
Mais »South Africa plastic bag tax arrives to mixed reaction
There has been a deal of media interest in the new plastic bag tax, introduced by the South African Government early in May. Here are some extracts (some before the tax was introduced, some after) from articles by the SA Broadcasting Corporation: South Africans not happy to pay for plastic …
Mais »Bacteria speed recovery of precious metals from automotive catalysts
Clean, cheap way to recover valuable metals from industrial wastes is a world first for Birmingham, UK research team Bacteria could soon have a major role to play in recycling precious metals from spent automotive catalysts and other industrial wastes. Scientists at the University of Birmingham have made a patent …
Mais »Mountain of garbage cleaned from Everest
For years, the slopes of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, were littered with heaps of oxygen bottles, food packets, tents, batteries, and other climbing paraphernalia left behind by mountaineers. “An estimated minimum of 290 tons and a maximum of 1,115 tons of garbage have been left in the area,” …
Mais »Naples, Italy ready to send rubbish mountain north
The streets of Naples and the surrounding towns were piled high with rubbish after waste disposal centres announced that they had reached maximum capacity. The UK Guardian reports that officials were preparing to transport rubbish to the north amid fears that the Naples mafia was planning to cash in on …
Mais »Web-based recycling “map” aims to boost wood waste recycling in the UK
Interactive resource allows wood waste producers access to details of over 400 collection and recycling facilities The UK’s rapidly growing wood recycling industry now has an important new resource literally at its fingertips – an interactive web-based map to help producers of wood waste to identify collection and recycling services …
Mais »US EPA gears up for mercury lamp recycling programme
The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is seeking applications for the development and implementation of a mercury lamp recycling outreach programme. In FY 2002 Congress appropriated funds to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the development and implementation of a lamp (light bulb) recycling outreach programme to increase awareness …
Mais »Europe”s environmental progress at risk from unsustainable economic activities
The state of the environment across Europe has improved in several respects over the past decade, but much of the progress is likely to be wiped out by economic growth because governments have yet to make significant strides towards decoupling environmental pressures from economic activity. This is one of the …
Mais »New GIS system will cut transport to waste management sites
A new geographical information system (GIS) that is soon to be launched will allow firms in the construction and demolition industries to reduce their transport of bulky waste by locating the nearest most suitable waste management site. Edie reports that the system will be web-based, and will be launched in …
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