This “superworm” eats and degrades plastics
Researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered that thanks to a bacterial enzyme in their gut the Zophobas morio “superworm” can eat through polystyrene plastic. This is the main compound of Styrofoam. Over a three-week period, the research team fed these “superworms” Read More...
5 rules that will make you a better recycler
According to a 2019 Covanta survey, a staggering 62 percent of Americans worry that they are recycling incorrectly. To make recycling easier and more effective, governments and companies will have to work together to reduce the amount of trash we produce while devising more responsible ways to Read More...
The Ocean Cleanup’s sunglasses fund even more cleanup missions
We at The Optimist Daily have been following The Ocean Cleanup project since its first plastic-capturing voyage back in 2019. From that point forward, we’ve enjoyed reporting its progress, from removing plastic debris from rivers to eventually becoming the largest trash-collecting system of our Read More...
This startup uses a plant-derived material to make roads carbon negative
Similar to building new roads, repairing existing ones is not an environmentally friendly endeavor. One of the main problems is bitumen, a fossil fuel-derived binder that holds asphalt together. A startup in Norway is recycling old roads using a plant-based binder instead, a process that could Read More...
Upcycling your "business," 5 uses of human waste
At The Optimist Daily, we keep our ears keened for news about upcycling. It’s an impressive hack, making productive use of discarded materials and waste, turning what was trash into something new. It’s a great solution toward making sustainable products, and we’re always looking for creative Read More...
Tapping the creative force, art changes minds in a changing climate
“The arts matter because we matter, and our stories matter. We are moving miracles, walking creators engaging in a cosmic dance. The art we express is timeless.” –Mohammed Sheriff, Division Coordinator at the National Endowment for the Arts (USA) By Oliver Kammeyer At The Optimist Read More...
This sustainable solar panel can go on buildings or your clothes
When you see the new sunlight-absorbing material developed by Carvey Ehren Maigue, an engineering student from the Philippines, the colors might remind you of the Aurora Borealis. In fact, Auroras were what inspired Maigue when he named his new game-changing material, AuREUS. This is a new Read More...
This is how old batteries could help plants grow
Properly recycling our used batteries is key to preventing toxic waste from polluting the environment. With that said, recycling rates in Australia are quite discouraging, with about 97 percent of alkaline batteries ending up in landfills. A company called Envirostream wants to change that by Read More...
Designers turn unrecyclable clothes into high-quality textiles
One of the biggest environmental concerns regarding textiles is that most of them are difficult to recycle once they reach the end of their use. This is because these materials typically contain a variety of types of fibers, quality levels, and colors, which makes sorting difficult on an industrial Read More...
Food waste prevention law takes effect in New York
According to estimates, the state of New York is responsible for about 7.8 billion pounds of food waste every year. That’s equivalent in weight to over 17,000 Statues of Liberty. In a bid to curb the humongous amount of organic waste that ends up in landfills, the state has recently joined the Read More...