Here’s the Waste Robotics Market News including the 10 key news of this week in waste and recycling industries.
UK’s plastic waste may be dumped overseas instead of recycled
July 22, 2018 – Millions of tons of waste plastic from British businesses and homes may be ending up in landfill sites across the world, the government’s spending watchdog has warned. Huge amounts of packaging waste is being sent overseas on the basis that it will be recycled and turned into new products. However, concerns have been raised that in reality much of it is being dumped in sites from Turkey to Malaysia.
Is plastic and paper sent abroad for recycling ending up in landfill? Report finds Environment Agency’s handling of scheme is prone to fraud
July 22, 2018 – Plastic and paper sent abroad for recycling could be ending up in landfill, the Government’s spending watchdog warned yesterday. More than 7,000 firms that create packaging are part of the Packaging Recovery Note scheme – which is meant to ensure recycling sent abroad really does get recycled. But a report by the National Audit Office said the system is prone to fraud and recycling sent abroad could end up polluting the environment instead.
Sodexo Australia saves tonnes of food from going to waste
July 22, 2018 – Sodexo Australia will divert tonnes of quality surplus food each year that might otherwise have gone to waste. Sodexo will save more than 9920kg of surplus food, in a new partnership with online surplus food wholesale marketplace Yume. Sodexo Australia chief financial officer and country president, Mark Chalmers, said the partnership would see products purchased through Yume used at Sodexo sites across Australia.
Farmers markets have already solved the packaging crisis
July 22, 2018 – We can’t all shop at the farmers market – a pity, really, because, apart from everything else, it would solve the very 2018 problem of plastic-bag rage. Most farmers market stallholders provide no bags at all, so shoppers already know they need to bring their own (calico, paper, cotton nets, please). It’s a pity Coles and Woolworths didn’t manage to get that message across before they dropped single-use bags last month.
Got food waste? Easton Farmers’ Market launches composting program
July 22, 2018 – After 266 years of operation, Easton Farmers’ Market is trying something new. The market launched July 7 its Easton Compost Program, the city’s first residential composting initiative. It gives city residents — and those willing to travel to the market — the opportunity to make use of kitchen scraps and reduce food waste. Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., people can pick up a five gallon bucket with an odor-controlling lid at the farmers’ market in the city circle. Once the bucket is filled, people can bring it down to a drop-off station at the back of the town’s public market on Church Street.
Read more on Le High Valley Live
Capital Region food waste warriors wage ongoing battle
July 21, 2018 – Every Wednesday, Carly Perkins and intern Adam Kaszas leave the Radix Center’s colorful mural-adorned walls to drive through Albany on a truly stinky but noble mission. He’s on an eBike, pedaling hard to keep the battery going while hauling a metal wagon. She’s in an SUV with the windows down and the AC blasting. “It’s not good for the carbon footprint but on hot summer days, the rotten fruit and vegetable scraps just sort of melt into a stinky soup and the smell from the bins, oh, it’s just terrible, overwhelming,” Perkins said, laughing.
Three ways Hong Kong can cut plastic waste at fast-food chains
July 21, 2018 – The fact that we don’t seem to sense the urgency of our landfill issue doesn’t mean it’s not a pressing one. It’s high time that the government displayed the will and determination to tackle the waste problem. As for waste generated by fast-food chains, I suggest a three-pronged approach to tackle this. First, replace. Offer ketchup pumps instead of individual packets (as many eateries already do), use baskets rather than one-off boxes to place burgers and fries, and so on. We should also leverage the fruits of scientific research, by introducing biodegradable and compostable materials for packaging.
Read more on South China Morning Post News
Raimondo signs order to study impact of single-use plastic
July 22, 2018 – From the shores of Scarborough Beach, Governor Gina Raimondo Monday signed an executive order to study reliance on plastic waste and its impact on Rhode Island’s natural resources. The executive order specifically will create the “Task Force to Tackle Plastics,” a body that will include environmental groups, marinas, relevant industries, state agencies and state lawmakers. According to Raimondo, the order is taking aim at reducing reliance on single-use plastics throughout the state. “We must commit to a more sustainable future,” said Raimondo.
Plastic straws play only minor role in global plastics pollution
July 22, 2018 – Major retailers and municipalities are disavowing plastic straws, but they play a relatively minor role in plastics pollution. Why it matters: If all plastic straws ended up in the ocean in a given year, they would account for 0.03% of the plastics that enter the ocean annually. Many were moved in 2015 when they saw an image of an ill sea turtle with a straw stuck in its nostril, which prompted some of the bans in existence today. But there are far bigger culprits that harm marine life and ocean health, which some worry a straw ban allows people to ignore. Show less
Warwick researchers to help make biodegradable plastics more sustainableà
July 22, 2018 – With more than 300 million tonnes of plastic being produced annually across the globe, it does not help that they are notoriously difficult to recycle with the majority being sent to landfill sites or incinerated. Plastic pollution on beaches and their consequent harm to wildlife has led to the Prime Minister describing plastic waste as “one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world”. Researchers at the University of Warwick and University of York have now found that the ‘tree glue’ lignin found in plants and trees can be turned into biodegradable plastic.
