Category: Waste & Waste Management
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India Divided on How to Deal with Biodegradable Waste
While Kochi Corporation and the municipalities of Thripunithura, Thrikkakara, Angamaly, Aluva and Kalamassery continue to transport waste to the dumping site at Brahmapuram, a number of local bodies have started embracing methods that treat biodegradable waste at source itself.
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Bioplastics From Waste Fats
Using bacteria to replace plastics derived from fossil oil. 450 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year. PHAs represent a tentative approach to defeating the plague that is plastic. PHA stands for Polyhydroxyalkanoates.
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Lighting Made From Tobacco, Hemp and Brewing Waste
High Society Studio is based in South-Tyrol, Italy, with a focus on creating plant-based lighting by upcycling waste products such as hemp, tobacco, pomace (solid remains of wine production), beer brewing remains, and coffee silver skin.
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Scotland Plan To Send Biodegradable Waste to Swedish Incinerator Creates Scandal
A row has erupted over a council’s plans to ship biodegradable waste from Scotland to a Swedish incinerator.
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Indonesia Sends Back Plastic Waste to New Zealand, US, UK, Belgium and Spain
Indonesia has vowed to send back contaminated plastic waste – in a move some say exposes New Zealand’s “dirty secret” of shipping used, low-grade plastic offshore.
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European Bioplastics Believes FEAD is Anti-Bioplastics
FEAD Position Ignores Role of Compostable Plastics in Achieving Circular Economy.
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iPhone Inventor Thinks Dow CEO is a Liar
Nest Founder Says Plastic Apologists Are ‘Lying’. Tony Fadell, iPod inventor, iPhone co-inventor is on a warpath against plastics.
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DOW CEO Has the Solution to The Plastic Crisis
‘The Most Environmentally Friendly Material Out There’: Dow CEO Has a Counter-Argument to the Plastic Backlash.
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Virginia To Test A System That Turns Household Waste into Bioplastics
Waste management authority pilots a program using UBQ Materials’ technology, which takes a wide variety of household waste and turns it into a bio-based thermoplastic.
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Lignin From Agro-Waste Helps Make Useful Nanocomposites
Lignin is a complex organic polymer rich in polyphenols with antimicrobial qualities.
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Scotland Food Waste Causing More Greenhouse Gas Than Plastic
Food waste is a bigger cause of climate change than plastics, according to Zero Waste Scotland.
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Poland Invent New Method To Convert Food Waste into Bioplastics
At the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, researchers led by Prof. Juan Carlos Colmenares have now succeeded in producing Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) out of waste from food production.
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National Geographic Discovers New Form of Plastic Pollution
Pieces of plastic that are gray, round, and resembling rocks and pebbles are hiding in plain sight on the beaches of southern England.
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Microplastics Found in 90 Percent of Colorado Rainwater Samples
Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that are making their way into everything from drinking water to marine life, and now the U.S. Geological Survey says they’re falling from the sky when it rains, according to a new report.
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Coca-Cola is Against Reusable Cups
An email sent by Coca-Cola to the Belgian Government was leaked in the press. Coca-Cola seems to be against using reusable cups at music festivals.
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Which is Better for the Environment: Compostable Bioplastics or PET?
There are numerous options in food packaging materials, and many major food packagers and retailers often make a choice based on non-scientific information.
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Asian Countries Are Sending Back The Waste of Wealthy Countries
Several Southeast Asian countries, sick of being the wealthy world’s rubbish dump, have in recent weeks turned back container-loads of waste from foreign shores.
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How To Increase Composting in Australia
With all the recent discussion about plastic exports, it’s easy to forget that organics remains our single largest recycling opportunity, writes Rose Read CEO of the National Waste Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC).
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Turning Agro Waste Into Bioplastics
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Italy’s port city of Genoa is making bioplastics from agro-waste. The institute has tied up with the city’s central vegetable market for sourcing raw material.
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New Zealand Mayor Clashes With Cosmetic Company Sephora Over Waste Disposal
Matthew Tukaki, Executive Director of the Council and Chair of the Auckland District Council has called on Sephora to answer for accusations of dumping of materials into the drains on Queen Street.
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Cambodia Sends Plastic Waste Back to U.S. and Canada
Scores of plastic waste shipments have been arriving in Southeast Asia from Western countries, and now the Asian nations are pushing back.
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Cigarette Butts and Not Plastic Straws Are Largest Human Caused Pollutant
The plastic straw has been at the forefront of conversations about damaging man-made waste but cigarette butts have turned out to be an even bigger problem. An estimated 4.5 trillion butts are littered globally each year, The BBC reports, and their effects are incredibly harmful.
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Committee on Climate Change Asks Ban on Biodegradable Waste to Landfill
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says the UK should bring forward a ban on biodegradable waste to landfill to 2025 after a new report published by the Committee revealed the UK to be ‘lagging far behind’ on efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, a recommendation that has split opinion within the waste industry.
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New Zealand Turns Food Waste Into Bioplastics
An ingenious new solution being engineered at the University of Canterbury (UC) aims to turn food waste into valuable chemical components that could be used to make bioplastics.
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Japan’s Visionary Leadership and the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision
The Honourable Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, showed clear leadership and determination to solve the plastic waste problem during the G20 Summit in Osaka (28-29 June).
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Japan Fights Waste Ahead of G-20 summit
Japan has a plastic problem. In a country where cleanliness and neat packaging have long been considered good service, almost everything, from single bananas to individual pieces of vegetables, pastries, pens and cosmetics is sold plastic-wrapped.
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New Plastics Pact in Belgium
The Belgian Food Industry Federation (Fevia) published 6 targets regarding plastic packaging. Although, they didn’t call it as such, it’ s a kind of Plastics Pact.
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Italian Embassy Does Marketing Campaign With Novamont
Six months into its latest UK diplomatic mission, the Italian Embassy in London has reduced the amount of waste it produces by approximately 20 per cent, while 50 per cent of it is recyclable and 30 per cent compostable.
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Initiatives To Monetise Plastic Waste
Plastic Bank and 3R Initiative are industry led initiatives aimed at reducing plastic waste by increasing value of plastic waste.
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BBC Unveils The Criminal Practices of Recycling in Malaysia
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall finds UK plastic waste abandoned in Malaysia For his series War on Plastic.
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Philipinnes To Return Garbage that Came from Australia
Australia’s garbage will be the next to be shipped out of the Philippines.
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Australian Firm Gets Oxo-Biodegradable Trademark
A small Australian company has received approval for the nation’s first certified trademark for oxo-biodegradable plastic products.
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Can Plastic Be Biodegradable? New Study Suggests the Jury is Out
Anyone with an interest in green, eco-conscious living knows that plastic has become a major environmental concern in recent years.
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Compostable Food Packaging may Contaminate Compost
US research flags presence of potentially hazardous substances leaching from takeaway containers. Andrew Masterson reports. Additives used to make allegedly bio-friendly takeaway contains waterproof and oil-repellent have been found in compost.
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Malaysia Returns 3000 Tonnes of Plastic Waste
Malaysia has said it will send back 3,000 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic waste to countries including the UK, America, Australia and Canada.
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Australia and the International Waste Management Fraud
Australia is in the middle of a media storm regarding their waste export.
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Is The Recycling Industry on the Verge of Collapsing?
The Southeast Asian region has seen a spike in imports of mainly plastic waste after China last year stopped plastic waste imports to cut down on pollution.
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Stanford Experts Discuss Challenges and Opportunities in Disposing of Waste
Recycling is becoming harder and more expensive in the U.S. and policymakers are increasingly seeking solutions to mounting trash. Stanford experts are reassessing how we create and dispose of waste.
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Row Blows up over Disposal of Bioplastic Bags in West Sussex
A row has blown up over the disposal of ‘compostable’ bioplastic bags in West Sussex following concerns raised by a leading Horsham councillor.
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DuPont Teijin Films Makes Progress in Chemical Recycling
DuPont Teijin Films has announced the launch of its new LuxCR depolymerisation process which upcycles post-consumer waste.
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New Consortium Will Convert Biomass Waste into Furfural
Biorizon is setting up a consortium around the conversion of biomass waste into furfural. We’re looking for waste streams, such as manure, cellulosic biomass residuals, spent grain, digestate and sludge. And for end-users to evaluate bio-aromatics in applications, such as coatings, lubricants and adhesives.
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Using Camel Cricket Bacteria to Degrade Plastic
A micro-organism discovered in greenhouse camel crickets can degrade lignin from wood, say researchers in the US. The new finding, which kickstarted thanks to a citizen science project, could help in the quest to find other organisms that break down different types of polluting waste, such as plastic.
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What is the Difference Between Biodegradable, Compostable and OXO Biodegradable?
Let’s look at the Difference Between Biodegradable, Compostable and OXO Degradable plastics.
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Technology Turns Wastewater Algae into Biofuels and Bioplastics
Startup receives support from two environmental accelerator programs
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Reducing Animal Waste and Bioplastic Skin
Following the trends of last year—when she presented a series of clothing and furniture made of horse hides designer Valdís Steinarsdóttir now tackles the issue of waste generated in the meat and plastic industries.
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Starting Small: Why bioplastic straws could be a little shift in a big new direction
In 2015, a German marine biologist filmed a distressed sea turtle as it yawned and hissed while, off-screen, a small cadre of people speculated about what was stuck up its nose. Armed with pliers, one person pulled at the tip of the protrusion while others held the turtle down. Eventually they learn it’s a plastic…
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US Company Revolutionise the Recycling of Bioplastics
Los Angeles startup sees possibility of mechanical recycling of PLA
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How to Recycle Biodegradable Coffee Cups?
Just 0.25 % of the 2.5 billion cups disposed of annually in the UK are recycled.
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Spain Invents Bioplastics From Horticultural Waste
Researchers of The Circular Lab have developed a new bioplastic that is compostable, recyclable and biodegradable at sea.
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Bacteria Converts Wastewater into Bioplastics
Domestic and industrial wastewater contains substrates and nutrients that could be used to produce biofuels and bioplastics.
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Canadian Student Transforms Food Waste into Bioplastics
University of Toronto Student Luna Yu converts food waste into PHA.
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Operation Ocean Clean Up Has Started
System 001 was invented by dutchman Boyan Slat and launched this weekend to remove between 40.000 and 80.000 tons of plastics between Hawaii and California in the next five years.
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Australian Institute of Packaging Teaches Sustainable Packaging Design
The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) will give a sustainable packaging design course covering bioplastics.
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France Issues its Plastic Policy
French Government has issued its action plan and objectives to tackle the plastic problem. We quote: France is declaring war to plastics.
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Australia Will Convert Plastic Waste into Fuel
Australia has just opened a new waste conversion plant in Sydney that will convert landfill into fuel.
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The Future of Expanded Polystyrene
Let’s have a look at the past and future of Polystyrene
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Is using Recycled Plastics in Textiles Good?
Both newspapers published an article regarding towels made from recycled plastics. Their perspective was different and it brings up an interesting point.
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The Plastic Recycling Fairy Tale
Here’s a summary of plastic recycling and the Chinese Recycling Scandal
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Scientists Find Way to Break Down Biomass 30 Times faster
Scientists from Imperial College London have found a method to accelerate the process of breaking down biomass by 30 times.
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Greenpeace finds Microplastics in the Antarctic
A Greenpeace Report reveals traces of microplastics in the Antarctic.
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Belgian Plastic Waste Plan is Weak
The Flemish Government (Flemish dutch speaking region) asked the packaging industry to come up with a plan to reduce the use of plastics and litter. The plan the industry came up with lacks ambition. Some consider the plan to be a bit of a joke in fact.
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Canada Aims at Zero Plastic Waste
The Canadian plastics industry aims to make all plastic packaging recyclable or “recoverable” by 2030, and actually entirely diverted from landfills by 2040.
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A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy
The European Commission is supposed to discuss the future of plastics in Europe today and is expected to adopt a Directive proposal called “A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy” soon. However …
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The Plastic Circus Was in Town
Apparently an international event took place in Malta last week with Politicians, Industry, Media, NGO’s, Science and Academia. The cocktails were delicious, the sea was delightful and the beach was great.
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Hong Kong, Plastic and Solving the Plastic Waste Problem
Hong Kong, it’s relationship to plastic and some insight on how to solve the plastic waste problem.
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Theresa May at War with Plastics
Theresa May, UK’s Prime Minister, wants to ban single use plastic products to reduce ocean pollution and the plastic waste problem. Products such as cotton buds and plastic straws could be banned in the UK as from next year.
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Separate Recycling Streams for Biodegradable Plastics – A Hot Waste Legislation Topic in Europe
The Association of Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) recently called for greater investments to be made for the implementation of separate recycling streams in the Member States. This call was totally supported by the European Bioplastics Association (EUBP) and is part of the current hot debates and careful consultations on the upcoming EU Strategy on Plastics…
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PEF Integrated in EU PET recycling
This is big news coming from Synvina (the JV between Avantium and BASF) as the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) – a voluntary initiative of industry organizations representing waste collectors, plastic recyclers, PET material producers and brand owners, gave an interim approval for the recyclability of polyethylene furanoate (PEF).
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We had Waste-to-Fuel. Now, we have Waste-to- Film
You’d heard about Waste-to-Fuel. This is a good example of the circular economy: beer spent grain fibers are used as a biodegradable waste resource to form hot-blown breathable thin films.
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Turning Vegetable Waste Into Bioplastics
Italian team find new ways of converting vegetable waste into bioplastics. Italian researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) have found a new way of turning vegetable waste directly into bioplastics that they say is more efficient and environmentally friendly than existing techniques to produce bioplastics. Current bioplastics are created by processing plant material to create monomers,…
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Australian Bioplastic Waste Management in China
Cardia Bioplastics selected to supply bioplastic waste management bins & kitchen waste bags to China Nanjing Jianye District.
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