Recycling and Waste News
August 6, 2025
Top Headlines
Aug. 1, 2025 — A jaw-dropping 515-mile lightning bolt lit up the skies from Texas to Kansas City, smashing previous records and reshaping our understanding of extreme weather. Thanks to advanced satellite tech, scientists like Randy Cerveny and Michael Peterson ...
July 27, 2025 — For over two decades, satellites have quietly documented a major crisis unfolding beneath our feet: Earth's continents are drying out at unprecedented rates. Fueled by climate change, groundwater ...
July 26, 2025 — A new eco-friendly plastic called LAHB has shown it can biodegrade even in the extreme environment of the deep ocean, unlike conventional plastics that persist for decades. In real-world underwater testing nearly a kilometer below the surface, LAHB ...
July 21, 2025 — Millions of tons of plastic in the ocean aren't floating in plain sight—they're invisible. Scientists have now confirmed that the most abundant form of plastic in the Atlantic is in the form of ...
July 16, 2025 — Twenty-five years after first warning that oil spills would wane while invasive species and climate impacts would surge, an international team revisits its coastal forecasts and finds many bull's-eyes, alongside surprising misses. Plastic pollution, ...
July 6, 2025 — DEHP, a chemical used in plastics, may have contributed to over 356,000 heart-related deaths globally in 2018—most heavily in Asia and the Middle East. The chemical, linked to inflammation in arteries, is found in items like food packaging and ...
July 3, 2025 — Tropical trees are dying faster than ever, and it's not just heat or drought to blame. Scientists have uncovered a surprising culprit: ordinary thunderstorms. These quick, fierce storms, powered by climate change, are toppling trees with intense ...
June 28, 2025 — Parts of New Orleans are sinking at alarming rates — including some of the very floodwalls built to protect it. A new satellite-based study finds that some areas are losing nearly two inches of elevation per year, threatening the effectiveness of ...
June 27, 2025 — At Flinders University, scientists have cracked a cleaner and greener way to extract gold—not just from ore, but also from our mounting piles of e-waste. By using a compound normally found in pool ...
June 26, 2025 — South Australia’s tiny pygmy bluetongue skink is baking in a warming, drying homeland, so Flinders University scientists have tried a bold fix—move it. Three separate populations were shifted ...
June 24, 2025 — Wildfires don’t just leave behind scorched earth—they leave a toxic legacy in Western rivers that can linger for nearly a decade. A sweeping new study analyzed over 100,000 water samples from more than 500 U.S. watersheds and revealed that ...
June 21, 2025 — Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an astonishing new material: a printable gel that’s alive. Infused with ancient cyanobacteria, this "photosynthetic living material" not only grows but also removes CO₂ from the air, twice over. The ...
Latest Headlines
updated 1:53pm EDT
Aug. 3, 2025 — Plastic pollution is a mounting global issue, but scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have taken a bold step forward by creating a new ...
July 26, 2025 — What would happen if a nuclear war triggered a climate-altering catastrophe? Researchers have modeled how such a scenario could devastate global corn ...
June 20, 2025 — Arctic peatlands are expanding with rising temperatures, storing more carbon at least for now. But future warming could reverse this benefit, ...
June 19, 2025 — During Earth's ancient Snowball periods, when the entire planet was wrapped in ice, life may have endured in tiny meltwater ponds on the surface of ...
June 19, 2025 — AI researchers in Switzerland have found a way to dramatically cut cement s carbon footprint by redesigning its recipe. Their system simulates thousands of ingredient combinations, pinpointing those ...
June 18, 2025 — In a surprising twist during an air quality study in Oklahoma, researchers detected MCCPs an industrial pollutant never before measured in the Western Hemisphere's atmosphere. The team suspects these ...
June 15, 2025 — Atmospheric rivers, while vital for replenishing water on the U.S. West Coast, are also the leading cause of floods though storm size alone doesn t dictate their danger. A groundbreaking study ...
June 13, 2025 — Where do microplastics really go after entering the environment? MIT researchers discovered that sticky biofilms naturally produced by bacteria play a surprising role in preventing microplastics from ...
June 12, 2025 — Mercury contamination is surfacing as a serious concern in parts of Georgia and South Carolina, particularly in regions like the Okefenokee Swamp. University of Georgia researchers found alarmingly ...
June 8, 2025 — In a world where over a billion smartphones are produced yearly, a team of researchers is flipping the script on electronic waste. Instead of tossing out older phones, they ve demonstrated a ...
Earlier Headlines
June 2, 2025 — Electronics often get thrown away after use because recycling them requires extensive work for little payoff. Researchers have now found a way to change the ...
June 2, 2025 — Researchers have developed a deep learning model called LSTM-SAM that predicts extreme water levels from tropical cyclones more efficiently and accurately, especially in data-scarce coastal regions, ...
June 2, 2025 — California Central Valley, which is known for the agriculture that produces much of the nation's fruits, vegetables and nuts, is a major contributor to a growing dust problem that has profound ...
May 29, 2025 — Hurricane Ida wreaked an estimated $75 billion in total damages and was responsible for 112 fatalities -- including 32 in New Jersey and 16 in New York state. Yet the hurricane could have been even ...
May 29, 2025 — A new study reveals that the aerobic nitrogen cycle in the ocean may have occurred about 100 million years before oxygen began to significantly accumulate in the atmosphere, based on nitrogen isotope ...
May 29, 2025 — Lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries are crucial for the transition to electric vehicles, and global demand for lithium is set to grow rapidly over the next 25 years. A new analysis looks at ...
May 29, 2025 — In a major advancement for sustainable construction, scientists have created a cement-free soil solidifier from industrial waste. By combining Siding Cut Powder and activated by Earth Silica, an ...
May 27, 2025 — Researchers find that iron powder, an inexpensive alternative to activated carbon, does a better job at filtering PFOS from water -- it's 26 times more ...
May 27, 2025 — Most people have witnessed -- or rather smelled -- when a protein enzyme called sulfite reductase works its magic. This enzyme catalyzes the chemical reduction of sulfite to hydrogen sulfide. ...
May 27, 2025 — A new study has found that a smartphone app that tracks household water use and alerts users to leaks or excessive consumption offers a promising tool for helping California water agencies meet ...
May 27, 2025 — Researchers conducted a systematic review of 99 scientific publications that compared the flora or fauna of old-growth forests, managed forests and clearcut sites in boreal Europe. The reviewed ...
May 23, 2025 — As sea levels climb and weather grows more extreme, coastal regions everywhere are facing a creeping threat: salt. Salinization of freshwater and soils adversely affects 500 million people around the ...
May 22, 2025 — Engineers developed a membrane that filters the components of crude oil by their molecular size, an advance that could dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed for crude oil ...
May 22, 2025 — A review has stressed that agricultural soils now hold around 23 times more microplastics than ...
May 21, 2025 — A serendipitous observation has led to a surprising discovery: a new class of nanostructured materials that can pull water from the air, collect it in pores and release it onto surfaces without the ...
May 21, 2025 — Hurricane winds are a major contributor to storm-related losses for people living in the southeastern coastal states. As the global temperature continues to rise, scientists predict that hurricanes ...
May 21, 2025 — Large shifts in UV radiation at Lake Tahoe are associated with wet and dry climate extremes, finds a new ...
May 20, 2025 — Photovoltaic systems are increasingly being installed not only on roofs but also on open land. This does not always meet with citizens' approval. What is known as agrivoltaics (Agri-PV), ...
May 19, 2025 — Nanoplastics are everywhere. These fragments are so tiny they can accumulate on bacteria and be taken up by plant roots; they're in our food, our water, and our bodies. Scientists don't ...
May 16, 2025 — Janus heterobilayers -- dual-sided materials with unique properties -- may be the key to efficiently creating clean hydrogen ...
Monday, June 2, 2025
- Researchers Develop Recyclable, Healable Electronics
- Researchers Use Deep Learning to Predict Flooding This Hurricane Season
- Human-Caused Dust Events Are Linked to Fallow Farmland
Thursday, May 29, 2025
- 2021's Hurricane Ida Could Have Been Even Worse for NYC
- Rock Record Illuminates Oxygen History
- EV Battery Recycling Key to Future Lithium Supplies
- Waste to Foundation: Transforming Construction Waste Into High-Performance Material
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
- Just Add Iron: Researchers Develop a Clever Way to Remove Forever Chemicals from Water
- Cryo-Em Freezes the Funk: How Scientists Visualized a Pungent Protein
- Home Water-Use App Improves Water Conservation
- Nordic Studies Show the Significance of Old-Growth Forests for Biodiversity
Friday, May 23, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
- A New Approach Could Fractionate Crude Oil Using Much Less Energy
- Scientists Say Microplastics Are 'silently Spreading from Soil to Salad to Humans'
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- Engineers Discover a New Class of Materials That Passively Harvest Water from Air
- Wind-Related Hurricane Losses for Homeowners in the Southeastern U.S. Could Be Nearly 76 Percent Higher by 2060
- Extreme Weather Cycles Change Underwater Light at Lake Tahoe
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Monday, May 19, 2025
Friday, May 16, 2025
- Designing the Future of Clean Energy: Janus Heterobilayers Lead the Way
- Ancient Ocean Sediments Link Changes in Currents to Cooling of Northern Hemisphere 3.6 Million Years Ago
Thursday, May 15, 2025
- A Vicious Cycle: How Methane Emissions from Warming Wetlands Could Exacerbate Climate Change
- Scientists Use Fossils to Assess the Health of Florida's Largest Remaining Seagrass Bed: Surprisingly, It's Doing Well!
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- Drinking Water, Select Foods Linked to PFAS in California Adults
- Engineers Tackle Sunlight Intermittency in Solar Desalination
- Sharp Depletion in Soil Moisture Drives Land Water to Flow Into Oceans, Contributing to Sea Level Rise
- Microplastics in Texas Bays Are Being Swept out to Sea
- New Catalyst Boosts Efficiency of CO2 Conversion
- Understanding Carbon Traps
- Climate Change Is Turning Coastal Lagoons Into 'salty Soup'
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
- Growth Before Photosynthesis: How Trees Regulate Their Water Balance
- Enhanced Activity in the Upper Atmosphere of Sporadic E Layers During the 2024 Mother's Day Super Geomagnetic Storm
Monday, May 12, 2025
Friday, May 9, 2025
- Metals and Hormone-Disrupting Substances Pose Real Threat to Sustainable Agriculture and Water Management in Europe
- Urine, Not Water for Efficient Production of Green Hydrogen
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- Feat of 'dung-Gineering' Turns Cow Manure Into One of World's Most Used Materials
- Is Virtual-Only Couture the New Clothing Craze?
- New Roadmap Advances Catalytic Solutions to Destroy 'forever Chemicals'
- Smart Spongy Device Captures Water from Thin Air
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
- Replanted Rainforests May Benefit from Termite Transplants
- Discovery: A Better, More Targeted Termite Terminator
- Practical New Tool Created for Detecting Nanoplastics and Microplastics in the Environment
- Breakthrough in Fuel Cell Recycling Turns 'forever Chemicals' Into Renewable Resources
Monday, May 5, 2025
- Western US Spring Runoff Is Older Than You Think
- Are Agricultural Pesticides an Environmental Threat?
- Artificial Oxygen Supply in Coastal Waters: A Hope With Risks
- Are at-Home Water Tests Worth It? New Study Shows Quality Can Vary Widely
Friday, May 2, 2025
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Rare Earth Element Extraction Bolstered by New Research
- 'Scratching' More Than the Ocean's Surface to Map Global Microplastic Movement
Monday, April 28, 2025
- 'Wood You Believe It?' Engineers Fortify Wood With Eco-Friendly Nano-Iron
- Flood Risk Increasing in Pacific Northwest
- Dangerous Synthetic Opioids and Animal Sedatives Found in Wastewater
Friday, April 25, 2025
Thursday, April 24, 2025
- A New Recycling Process for Silicones Could Greatly Reduce the Sector's Environmental Impacts
- Keeping Tabs on Native Woodlands in Times of Flood and Drought
- Could Seismic Signals from Earthquakes Mask the Signals of an Underground Explosion?
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
- Toxic Blooms in Motion: Researchers Map Algae Patterns in Lake Okeechobee, Florida
- Micro-Nano-Plastics Found in Artery-Clogging Plaque in the Neck
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
- Telemedicine Had an Impact on Carbon Emissions Equivalent to Reducing Up to 130,000 Car Trips Each Month in 2023
- Trash Talk: As Plastic Use Soars, Researchers Examine Biodegradable Solutions
Monday, April 21, 2025
- Harmful Microplastics Infiltrating Drinking Water
- Microplastics: What's Trapping the Emerging Threat in Our Streams?
- How Safe Is the Air to Breathe? 50 Million People in the US Do Not Know
Thursday, April 17, 2025
- Nutrients Strengthen Link Between Precipitation and Plant Growth, Study Finds
- Researchers Warn of a Threat to Water Safety from Wildfires
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Microbes in Brooklyn Superfund Site Teach Lessons on Fighting Industrial Pollution
- A Step Toward Harnessing Clean Energy from Falling Rainwater
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
- Growing Wildflowers on Disused Urban Land Can Damage Bee Health
- Inactive Components in Agricultural Runoff May Be Hidden Contributors to Drinking Water Hazards
- Colombia's Peatlands Could Be a Crucial Tool to Fight Climate Change: But First We Have to Find Them
- Corn Leads to Improved Performance in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
- Making Desalination More Eco-Friendly: New Membranes Could Help Eliminate Brine Waste
Monday, April 14, 2025
Friday, April 11, 2025
Thursday, April 10, 2025
- Drug Pollution Alters Salmon Migration
- Global EV Adoption Fails to Cut CO2
- Caspian Sea Decline Threatens Endangered Seals, Coastal Communities and Industry
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
- Bio-Oils for Greener Industrial Applications
- Potable Water Happy Byproduct of Low-Cost Green Hydrogen Technology
- Multi-Virus Wastewater Surveillance Shows Promise at Smaller, Site-Specific Scales
- Decarbonization Improves Energy Security for Most Countries
- Nanoplastics in Soil: How Soil Type and pH Influence Mobility
- Starch-Based Microplastics Could Cause Health Risks in Mice
- 'Forever Chemicals' Are Everywhere: Most of Their Health Effects Are Unknown
Monday, April 7, 2025
- Scientists Discover Microbes in Earth's Deep Soil
- Researchers Discover Why Plastic Sheds Dangerous Fragments
Friday, April 4, 2025
Thursday, April 3, 2025
- Electrochemical Method Supports Nitrogen Circular Economy
- Researchers Recycle Wind Turbine Blade Materials to Make Improved Plastics
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- Plant Doctor: An AI System That Watches Over Urban Trees Without Touching a Leaf
- Biodegradable Fake Fingernails Make Manicures More Sustainable
- Electrochemical Process Separates Valuable Industrial Chemicals from Animal Waste
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
- Rocky Mountain Snow Is Contaminated, Study Shows
- Surprising Number of Environmental Pollutants in Hedgehogs
- We Know Nanoplastics Are a Threat -- This New Tool Can Help Us Figure out Just How Bad They Are