Recycling and Waste News

November 27, 2024

Top Headlines

Bye-Bye Microplastics: New Plastic Is Recyclable and Fully Ocean-Degradable

Nov. 21, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new durable plastic that won't pollute our oceans. The new material is as strong as conventional plastics and biodegradable, but what makes it special is that it breaks down in seawater. The new plastic is therefore ...

Using Sunlight to Recycle Black Plastics

Nov. 25, 2024 — Not all plastics are equal -- some types and colors are easier to recycle than others. For instance, black foam and black coffee lids, which are often made of polystyrene, usually end up in landfills because color additives lead to ineffective ...

Tapping Excess Heat from a Camp Stove for Charging Power

Nov. 20, 2024 — New research may make it possible to keep electronic devices powered with another piece of equipment you're likely to bring with you while exploring the great outdoors: camping stoves. The work focuses on using the excess heat produced by stoves to ...

Study Calls for City Fashion-Waste Shakeup

Nov. 20, 2024 — With most donated clothes exported or thrown away, experts are calling for a shakeup of how we deal with the growing fashion waste ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:20pm EST

Environmental Impacts of Plastics: Moving Beyond the Perspective on Waste

Nov. 21, 2024 — The fact that plastics pollute the environment and generate problems has been well-researched in many areas. However, there is little information on the impacts of plastics on climate and ...

Research Highlights the Pressures Human Activities Place on Tropical Marine Ecosystems

Nov. 20, 2024 — The tropical coastlines of Southeast Asia are home to some of the most important and biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet. But as well as being ...

Research Aims to Roll Back Contamination Caused by Toxic Tires

Nov. 20, 2024 — A new study demonstrates a way to diminish the impact that tires have on the environment when they can no longer be used on vehicles. The process upgrades 6PPD -- a useful but environmentally harmful ...

New Method of Generating Eco-Friendly Energy

Nov. 19, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new method of growing organic crystals that can be used for energy-harvesting ...

Study Tracks PFAS, Microplastics Through Landfills and Wastewater Treatment Plants

Nov. 19, 2024 — Scientists find that most of the microplastics and the 'forever chemicals' known as PFAS cycle through landfills and wastewater treatment plants and ...

Modeling and Analysis Reveals Technological, Environmental Challenges to Increasing Water Recovery from Desalination

Nov. 18, 2024 — Using zero liquid discharge to increase water recovery from desalination is an emerging method to combat water scarcity, but is expensive, ...

New Study Investigates Insecticide Contamination in Minnesota's Water

Nov. 18, 2024 — A new study found that specific insecticides, called neonicotinoids, were found at high concentrations in some ground and surface water sources that could affect drinking ...

Plastic Bag Bans Have Lingering Impacts, Even After Repeals

Nov. 18, 2024 — A new study found that policies to curtail the use of single-use plastic bags in grocery stores and other retail outlets in Austin and Dallas, Texas, resulted in people buying more plastic bags, a ...

Recycling Batteries With Citric Acid

Nov. 15, 2024 — A simple, highly efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly process could provide a viable pathway for the sustainable recycling of depleted lithium-ion batteries (LIBs): No chemicals ...

Plugged Wells and Reduced Injection Lower Induced Earthquake Rates in Oklahoma, Study Finds

Nov. 13, 2024 — Wastewater injection resulting from oil and gas production in Oklahoma caused a dramatic rise in seismic activity in the state between 2009 and 2015. ...

Four Global Policies Could Eliminate More Than 90% of Plastic Waste and 30% of Linked Carbon Emissions by 2050

Nov. 14, 2024 — A new study determines that just four policies can reduce mismanaged plastic waste -- plastic that isn't recycled or properly disposed of and ends up as pollution -- by 91% and plastic-related ...

Machine Learning Predicts Highest-Risk Groundwater Sites to Improve Water Quality Monitoring

Nov. 12, 2024 — An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a machine learning framework that uses limited water quality samples to predict which inorganic pollutants are likely to be present in a ...

Fighting Microplastics for a Cleaner Future

Nov. 11, 2024 — Creating sustainable chemicals and developing better waste management will contribute to better sustainability. This research is part of figuring out how to make green hydrogen available for waste ...

Carbon Recycling Instead of Plastic Trash

Nov. 11, 2024 — Plastics are inescapable in our daily lives. The vast amounts of plastic garbage heaped in landfills and in the environment, however, are as problematic as the plastics are useful. A research team ...

Inland Delaware Watersheds Impaired by Human Waste

Nov. 11, 2024 — A new study suggests that human waste, both treated and untreated, is responsible for the waterway impairment in Delaware ...

Greener and Cleaner: Yeast-Green Algae Mix Improves Water Treatment

Nov. 8, 2024 — Researchers have discovered that the combination of green algae and yeast enhances the efficiency of wastewater ...

Up to 30% of the Power Used to Train AI Is Wasted: Here's How to Fix It

Nov. 7, 2024 — A less wasteful way to train large language models, such as the GPT series, finishes in the same amount of time for up to 30% less energy, according to a ...

Sewage Surveillance Proves Powerful in Combating Antimicrobial Resistance

Nov. 6, 2024 — Sewage surveillance is emerging as a powerful tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance with the potential to protect vulnerable communities more ...

Pathogens Which Cling to Microplastics May Survive Wastewater Treatment

Nov. 6, 2024 — Wastewater treatment fails to kill several human pathogens when they hide out on microplastics in the water, according to a new ...

Bio-Based Fibers Could Pose Greater Threat to the Environment Than Conventional Plastics

Nov. 5, 2024 — New research has shown that bio-based fibers caused higher mortality, and reduced growth and reproductivity, among earthworms -- a species critical to the health of soils globally -- than ...

Scientists Tackle Farm Nutrient Pollution With Sustainable, Affordable Designer Biochar Pellets

Nov. 4, 2024 — What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money? ...

Scientists Examine How Wastewater Practices in Florida Keys Impact Water Quality

Nov. 1, 2024 — Wastewater contains nutrients that can overfeed algae, leading to harmful algal blooms and pollution issues in the ocean and other waterways. A new study tracked how these nutrients migrate from ...

Research Uses Lasers to Detect Landmines, Underground Objects

Nov. 1, 2024 — Enough landmines are buried underground worldwide to circle Earth twice at the equator, but the identification and removal of these explosives is costly and time-consuming. New research could help ...

Microplastics Increasing in Freshwater, Directly Related to Plastic Production

Nov. 1, 2024 — Microplastics have been steadily increasing in freshwater environments for decades and are directly tied to rising global plastic production since the 1950s, according to a new study by an ...

A Paper-Aluminum Combo for Strong, Sustainable Packaging

Oct. 31, 2024 — Takeout containers get your favorite noodles from the restaurant to your dining table (or couch) without incident, but they are nearly impossible to recycle if they are made from foil-lined plastics. ...

New Method Successfully Recycles Carbon Fiber Composite Into Reusable Materials

Oct. 31, 2024 — New process addresses a current environmental challenge in the transportation and energy ...

Some Wildfire Suppressants Contain Heavy Metals and Could Contaminate the Environment

Oct. 30, 2024 — In fire-prone areas, water isn't the only thing used to quell blazes. Wildland firefighters also apply chemical or synthetic suppressants. Researchers explored whether these suppressants could ...

Strategy to Reduce the Amount of Propofol Waste in the Operating Room

Oct. 29, 2024 — Propofol is used in the operating room to induce anesthesia. To maintain anesthesia, a continuous infusion of the agent via a separate syringe pump is the standard procedure for total intravenous ...

Millions in the U.S. May Rely on Groundwater Contaminated With PFAS for Drinking Water Supplies

Oct. 24, 2024 — Approximately 71 to 95 million people in the Lower 48 states -- more than 20% of the country's population -- may rely on groundwater that contains detectable concentrations of per- and ...

No Significant PFAS Emissions Caused by Waste Incineration, Study Finds

Oct. 24, 2024 — Fluoropolymers have become an integral part of modern society, both in industrial and consumer applications. When these high-performance materials reach the end of their useful life, they can end up ...