Today’s Solutions: November 22, 2024

Novel technologies could incre

Novel technologies could increase UK’s recycling rates tenfold

When we throw something in the recycling bin, we like to think that plastic waste will be reincarnated into something else. Sadly enough, the reality is that most of the plastic being produced today is non-recyclable and winds up in the landfill. To deal with all that non-recyclable plastic, a host Read More...

This environment-friendly hous

This environment-friendly house is made out of 600,000 recycled plastic bottles

When plastic bottles are recycled they can be made into lots of things, but in a first, Canadian builders have figured out a way to turn your everyday plastic waste into a home. D Composites, a construction company, built a three-bedroom home along the Meteghan River in Nova Scotia from more Read More...

How a dying Swedish town went

How a dying Swedish town went from industrial powerhouse to recycling empire

The city of Eskilstuna in Sweden was once a steel-producing powerhouse, but as the industry declined rapidly throughout the 1970s, so did the town. It now has an unemployment rate that is almost double the national average of 8%. But the town has come up with an answer: recycling! Far from the Read More...

Finally, recyclable toothpaste

Finally, recyclable toothpaste tubes are hitting the market

Want a simple way to stop producing waste? Stop brushing your teeth—that way, you don’t throw all those toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes into the trash. OK, maybe that’s not a very cleanly option, which is why it’s good that Colgate is creating the first-ever recyclable toothpaste Read More...

Renewology could hold the key

Renewology could hold the key to solving the plastic crisis

While plastic water bottles are rather simple to recycle, other low-grade plastics such as plastic bags usually wind up in the landfill. That’s because it’s hard to turn low-grade plastics into anything of value. Plus, they often get tangled in the sorting equipment of recycling centers, Read More...

Starbucks is testing a reusabl

Starbucks is testing a reusable cup scheme for airports

Travelers looking to get a quick fix of coffee before a flight use more disposable coffee cups than you can imagine. At Gatwick airport alone, more than 7 million paper cups are used each year, with most ending up in the landfill. Aware of this striking fact, Gatwick airport is testing the UK’s Read More...

How Olay could lead other beau

How Olay could lead other beauty companies to start use refillable packaging

While skincare products may be a good way to keep your body beautiful, the way they’re packaged is only making the world a dirtier place. The good news is that the beauty label Olay is becoming the first major global skincare brand to test refillable packaging in an attempt to reduce plastic Read More...

This British company is using

This British company is using old coffee cups to make reusable coffee mugs

Disposable coffee cups are a pain to recycle. That’s because typical paper coffee cups have a plastic lining, which means that in order to recycle them, you need to separate the materials, which requires specialized equipment. You would hope that more people would start using reusable cups rather Read More...

Recycling can be confusing for

Recycling can be confusing for consumers. This company is out to change that

Each year, people trash 12 billion tons of flexible plastic packaging, according to the consultancy Resource Recycling Systems. Cheap and ubiquitous, items like grocery, dog food, and snack bags are recyclable in theory but are often made from layers of different materials that are too costly and Read More...

Taiwan was once known as ‘Ga

Taiwan was once known as ‘Garbage Island’. Now it’s a model of recycling success

In the ’80s and ’90s, Taiwan had one of the world’s worst urban waste problems. Its landfills overflowed and mountains of rubbish clogged street corners, earning it the unflattering moniker “Garbage Island.” Fed up with the accumulation of waste, people across the country demanded action. Read More...