Taiwan: Counting firmly on Circular Economy

Taiwan was once known as „Garbage Island“. In several steps, the island managed the transition from an agricultural to a high-tech industrial economy. If it is already a „Recycling Leader“ too, as media announced, remains to be seen. Taiwan, evolving from an agricultural economy to a nation focusing on the “development of foundational designs and […]

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COP 26 – Recycling Is the Key

The Global Recycling Foundation is calling for Recycling to be at the forefront of discussions when World leaders gather for the COP26 meeting in the UK in November 2021. Recycling, known as the Seventh Resource, is today having an effect, but is too often overlooked for its ability to help preserve our forests, oceans, and […]

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Metal Recyclers Mark Global Recycling Day by Setting Ambitious Net Zero Emission Targets

Leading metal Recyclers mark the Fourth Global Recycling Day, on March 18th, by setting ambitious net zero emission targets. Every year, recyclables save over 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions, according to the Global Recycling Foundation. The organisation projects this will increase to one billion tonnes by 2030. Major recycling companies, such as European Metal […]

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European Plastics Industry: Largely Optimistic Despite Impact of Covid-19

Though initial vaccine rollouts are yet to spark full-blown optimism in the European plastics industry, just around half (47%) of the companies across all sectors and regions expect their business performance in the first half of 2021 to outpace results from the previous six months. Another 42% see a stable business situation in the coming […]

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Desalination Brine: Raw Materials in Deep Sleeping Beauty Sleep

Worldwide, 15,906 operational desalination plants turn fresh or brackish water into around 95 million cubic meters of desalinated water for human use and 142 million of brine daily. Although 177 nations feature such plants, only four nations – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar – produce 55 percent of global desalination waste. Desalination plants […]

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As Cities Grow, the Internet of Things Can Help Us Get on Top of the Waste Crisis

Total global waste is expected to double from nearly two billion tons in 2016 to an estimated four billion tons by 2050 as consumer-oriented urban populations grow. As population growth increases consumption and waste, managing this waste is becoming an ever-greater challenge. The Internet of Things (IoT) can be used to develop smarter and more […]

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Less Waste – More Resources: Australia’s National Waste Policy

Australia is planning to implement a circular economy – with all the advantages that this brings. The country’s National Waste Policy, published in 2018, provides a framework for collective national action on waste management, recycling and resource recovery until 2030. Up to now, the country has landfilled a large part of its waste or taken […]

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Portugal Suspends Waste Imports

Portugal has suspended imports of waste until the end of 2020 to protect domestic landfill capacity, news agency Reuters reported in May, referring to a statement of the government. The country usually attracts waste from other European states because of its low waste management fees: The treatment of a ton would cost 11 Euro; the […]

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Applying Standards to the Circular Economy

The circular economy calls for a radical shift in production and consumption. Continual cycles recover and restore products, components and materials through strategies such as reuse, repair, remanufacture and, ultimately, recycling. It is a systemic approach to managing resources. Material efficiency is an essential part of the circular economy. It consists of the preservation of […]

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USA: Recycling of Coal Mine Equipment

The metal division of Land Betterment Corporation can clean up the environment by entering into a partnership to recycle retired coal railcars and old coal mine infrastructure. As reported, it has entered into a multiyear agreement with a “third party scrap metal company”. Under the terms of the partnership agreement, the company will allocate certain […]

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