China to ban all waste imports on 1 January
Waste imports to China will be banned from January 1, 2021, state media has reported. It marks the end of a three-year phase-out of accepting rubbish from overseas. China has imported solid waste since...
Tagged: waste
Britons hope to keep sustainable habits post-COVID-19
Britons are keen to continue with low-carbon lifestyle choices adopted during lockdown, according to research by The University of Manchester and Cardiff University. Two wide-ranging surveys suggested lockdown had encouraged buying and traveling less, reduced energy...
Swiss researchers explore environmentally friendly cement
Cement manufacturing accounts for around 7 percent of global CO2 emissions. Alternative types of cement use new ingredients, but the effects of these on performance are largely unexplored. A Swiss research institute hopes to...
H&M opens ‘circular fashion’ store
Fashion giant H&M has opened a store in the Swedish capital Stockholm with a focus on ‘circular fashion’, including clothing rentals and repair services. Global fashion chain H&M re-opened its flagship Sergels Torg store...
Grain from breweries could be converted into fuel for homes
A researcher at Queen’s University Belfast has developed a low cost technique to convert left over barley from alcohol breweries into carbon, which could be used as a renewable fuel for homes in winter,...
Cigarette butts hamper plant growth
Cigarette butts – the most common form of litter on the planet – significantly reduce plant growth, according to new research. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University have conducted the first-ever study showing the damage...
Top UK architects declare climate emergency
Seventeen Stirling Prize winners, including Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects, have released a declaration calling on UK architects to create “architecture and urbanism that has a more positive impact on the world...
People recycle more if they know where it goes
People will recycle more if they know what becomes of their disused plastic, paper and metal, according to a new study. Publishing their work in the Journal of Marketing, the researchers undertook six surveys...
Ikea to trial furniture rental in push toward circular economy
Furniture giant Ikea will test renting furniture in 30 markets worldwide as part of its efforts to reduce waste and drive sustainability. Ikea has announced that it will test furniture leasing in 30 markets...
UN launches sustainable fashion initiative
The fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and responsible for 8 to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. The new UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion will work to change this. Launched...
3D printing can transform how we live in cities
Greater use of 3D printing in cities has the potential to drive innovation and sustainability by putting manufacturing back in the hands of communities, reducing transport and waste and increasing local jobs. The ‘fabrication...
Recycling rates hit record highs in Europe
Recycling rates in the European Union have reached 55 per cent, with the rates of plastic packaging recycling nearly doubling since 2005. Recycling rates and the use of recycled materials in the EU are...
Scientists find green alternative for drug production
The production of drugs, pesticides and smart phone displays often demands cost-intensive and wasteful processes. Now, scientists have developed a resource-saving green alternative based on the non-toxic metal manganese. For the production of...
World Habitat Day focuses on municipal waste
This year’s World Habitat Day focused on responsible municipal solid waste management, which is rooted in six Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. The global observance on 1 October was held at UN-Habitat headquarters in...
Two-thirds of food packaging ends up in landfill
Only a third of plastic used by households in the UK can be recycled, the Local Government Association has warned. The rest is sent to landfill. The blend of plastics used in packaging...
McDonald’s set to slash emissions
McDonald’s has become the first restaurant company to set approved science-based targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The Science Based Targets initiative is a collaboration between WRI, WWF, CDP and the UN Global...
EU seeks to give millions access to safer drinking water
The European Union wants to give millions of people across Europe better access to safer tap water. Better management of drinking water would avoid unnecessary loss of water, reduce plastic waste and contribute to lowering the CO2 footprint. The...
Major companies commit to 100% eco-packaging
Eleven leading brands, retailers and packaging companies have pledged to use 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025 or earlier. Currently only 14 per cent of plastic packaging worldwide is collected...
New initiative to improve environmental health
Two UN agencies are teaming up to combat environmental health risks, which claim around 12.6 million lives per year. The partnership between the UN environment agency UNEP and the World Health Organization (WHO) includes...
Nature´s own replacement for plastic
Plastic trash is a rapidly growing environmental problem. But a biodegradable and natural material could replace plastic packaging and eliminate this problem, reports Idun Haugan from Norway. Plastic is in many ways a wonder...
