Waste Management Archives - thesmartcityjournal.com

Teen scientists are tracking plastic pollution across Europe’s rivers

Thousands of teenagers across Europe have tracked plastic pollution in rivers, and the data they collected is starting to make waves Along a small stream in Spain, groups of teenagers are at work. One hovers around a black tarpaulin covered in wet pieces of plastic. Another stands on a small bridge, fishing with a net.…

citizen science, Environmental Impact, environmental innovation, plastic pollution, rivers, Sustainability

Changing Europe’s relationship with packaging

Researchers have explored a range of solutions to reduce single-use plastics, such as novel fibre-based packaging and reuse schemes Over a third of solid waste in EU towns comes from packaging. Plastics are the most widely used material, and research suggests the biggest reductions can come from changing the use of multilayer and multimaterial packaging.…

Turning the tide on plastic in Europe’s rivers

From drones and smart cameras to biodegradable packaging, EU-funded researchers are working to remove plastic from rivers before it ever reaches the sea From his bedroom desk in the Belgian town of Dendermonde, Gert Everaert used to watch the river Scheldt flow past. Barges and small boats drifted by. Birds fished. But the river also…

Why isn’t all plastic recyclable?

Most plastics look pretty much the same – but some get a second chance at life, while others are destined for burial or incineration. Polymer specialist Enzo Moretto breaks down the problem You rinse out your yoghurt pot, drop it in the recycling bin and feel smug. But then you hesitate: what about that plastic…

economy, innovations, plastic waste, recycling, Smart Materials, Sustainability

Nature’s own chemistry could help reduce waste and improve health

EU-funded researchers are studying chemical processes in nature to develop new, cleaner means of chemical production and computers that can communicate with the human body When Dr Andrés de la Escosura, an organic chemistry researcher at the Institute for Advanced Research in Chemical Sciences (IAdChem) in Madrid, Spain, set out to fundamentally change the way…

University of Toronto researchers design new method of recycling steel that could reduce industry’s carbon footprint

“Our study is the first reported instance of electrochemically removing copper from steel and reducing impurities to below alloy level” Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have designed a novel way to recycle steel that could help decarbonize several manufacturing industries and usher in a circular steel economy. The…

How to increase the rate of plastics recycling

A national bottle deposit fee could make a dramatic difference in reducing plastic waste, MIT researchers report While recycling systems and bottle deposits have become increasingly widespread in the U.S., actual rates of recycling are “abysmal,” according to a team of MIT researchers who studied the rates for recycling of PET, the plastic commonly used…

First Person: Japanese town leads the way to a low waste society

When the landfill in Osaki, in the southwest of Japan, reached capacity, an incinerator was the logical next step. Instead, the town decided to get serious about recycling. Kasumi Fujita, a town councillor committed to Osaki’s low waste policies, tells UN News what inspired her Ms. Fujita moved to Osaki in 2021 to work with…

Envac wins two calls for tenders for nearly 10 million euros for pneumatic waste collection in two French hospitals

Two of the ongoing projects incorporate the separate transportation and treatment of type III infectious sharp waste with on-site sterilization Envac has won two new tenders in France for a total amount of almost €10 million. euros. The company is deploying its technology in the New Artois Metropolitain Hospital in Lens and the Lariboisière –…

World’s biggest plastic sorting facility inaugurated in Motala (Sweden)

The facility, Site Zero, doubles plastic recycling compared to the previous plant. Up to 95 per cent of all packaging received will be able to be sent for recycling in the near future The key to successful plastic recycling is retaining the value of the material, which requires efficient sorting and recycling of each individual…