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Page Updated:
January 31, 2021

• Recycling News
Current Recycling
News Stories

See the latest articles on the subject of Recycling, dating back one year.

Recycling and Waste Reduction


You have just finished a fast food meal, and you throw your uneaten food, wrappers, cup, utensils and napkins into the trash. You don't think about that waste again. Ony our neighborhood trash day, you push your cans out to the curb, and workers dump the contents into a big truck and off it goes. You don't have to think about that waste again.
But have you ever wondered, as you watch the trash truck pull away, just where that garbage ends up?

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Of Interest
  • • Don’t Just Recycle - TerraCycle
    Closed-Loop Solutions

    TERRACYCLE - TerraCycle's goal is to focus on hard-to-recycle materials, developing circular solutions for otherwise linear systems. Today they recycle millions of pounds of such material on a weekly basis, diverting it from our landfills and incinerators.

    When looking at a new waste stream we first focus on moving it from a linear disposal system to a circular one, and then over time to a platform that is as closed loop as technically possible.
  • • What We Can Recycle?
    13 Household Items You Didn’t
    Know You Could Recycle
    This List Might Suprise You

    They include:
    1. Eyeglasses,
    2. Carpet,
    3. Christmas Lights,
    4. Tights & Stockings,
    5. Toothbrushes,
    6. Prosthetic Limbs,
    7. Pet Fur,
    8. Bras,
    9. Brita Water Products,
    10. Motor Oil.
    11. Tennis Balls,
    12. Keys,
    13. Toilets
  • • More About Recyclable Items 13 Household Items You
    Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

    -The recycling basics are pretty easy: put paper, plastic, and glass in their appropriate containers so your local recycling center can process them correctly.

    But what do you with those odd (yet somehow everyday) household items filling up our drawers, closets, and garages? While we don’t want to throw them away in the trash, we’re not sure what to do with them. Thanks to this helpful little infographic, you can now take care of your toothbrushes, toilets, and tennis balls with ease!

    Click now for the Live Brighter blog.
  • • Recycling For Kids (1)
    Having Children Take
    Respnsibility for a Clean Planet

    Fun Presentation and Game about Recycling - Natural Resource Facts about Paper and Aluminum and How To Recycle for Kids - Green Living Strategies Presented by Children of the Earth United - Environmental Education for Kids of all Ages, Teachers and Families.
  • • Recycling For Kids (2)
    Children Learning About Recycling
    and Having Fun at the Same Time

    Nico is on a quest to help save the planet! He’s passionate about sharing his knowledge of recycling with everyone, so join Nico on his journey to reduce, reuse and recycle with tips and fun activities. Once you have the practices down, you can share your recycling knowledge with your family and friends too!


    Learn more about Nico by clicking now.
  • • Check Out This Recycled "Green" House
    Modern Recycled Container House in South
    Africa Operates 100% Off Grid

    Mar. 10, 2017- Sustainable design has taken longer to get off the ground in South Africa largely due to expensive construction methods.

    When Johannesburg-based Architecture For A Change (A4AC) took on the challenge of building a modern green home in the country, they aimed to make the house not only environmentally friendly but also affordable. They cut costs by using upcycled shipping containers and other repurposed materials to build Cliff House, a lifted flying container house with an economical, energy-efficient design.

  • • From Trash to Building Material
    What Is Poly Brick?

    It's a revolutionary building material made from 100% recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate Polymer. It is translucent, naturally insulated, and durable. The modular 3-D honeycomb self-interlocking structure makes it extremely strong without any chemical adhesives, while weights only 1/5 of the standard curtain wall systems.
  • • It’s Not Just Trash Anymore
    One Person’s Trash is
    Another's Renewable Energy

    The practical benefits of organic products don't necessarily end when it goes down the drain or into the trash. There is quite a bit of useful energy left in the items we discard.
  • • More About Plastic Waste
    Pollution
    (And What We Can Do About It)

    Plastic is literally at our fingertips all day long. Keyboards. framed computer monitor, mice. The amount of plastic we encounter daily doesn\’t end there. Chances are, you can relate. Plastic is an epidemic.

    But where does all this plastic go?
  • • Plastic Bottles Become Shoes and More
    Timberland Transforms Recycled Plastic
    Bottles Into Shoes and Bags

    Mar. 3, 2017- For its latest collection, Timberland is turning to the bottle—the plastic bottle, that is. The outdoor-wear maker has teamed up with Thread, a Pittsburgh, Penn.-based manufacturer of sustainable fabrics, to transform plastic bottles from the streets and canals of Haiti into a dapper collection of footwear, bags, and T-shirts.
  • • A State-by-State Guide to Landfill Bans
    What’s Banned in Landfills:
    A State-by-State Guide

    Earth91/ Nov. 27, 2017 - In some cases, it’s not about whether you should recycle an item, but instead whether you must.

    That’s because in the U.S., there are no federal laws regarding recycling. There wasn’t even a law regarding waste generation until the Solid Waste Disposal Act in 1965, which eventually became the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and set procedures for landfills and collection of household waste.

    This means any items banned from landfills are decided at the state (or, in some cases, city) level. Only one U.S. state, Montana, currently does not have any landfill bans.
  • • Beer Waste Into Clean Water+
    Microbes Turn Beer Waste
    Into Clean Water, Energy

    November 1, 2015 -Cambrian Innovation is extracting clean water and energy from waste streams at two California breweries with a secret set of microbes.

  • • An New Role for Discarded Plastics
    Netherlands: Plastic Roads to
    Be Made From Recycled Ocean Waste

    Sept 16, 2016 - After the floating farm, Rotterdam will be the first city in the world that plans to build roads using plastic waste rescued from the oceans. These are polymer blocks, reminiscent of Lego pieces with which we played as a kid, and presented as the ecological alternative to stop pouring concrete.
  • • 3D Printing Our Way Out of Waste
    Is 3D Printing the
    Answer to Plastic Waste?

    January 29, 2015,  -You’ve probably heard a lot about 3D printing in the last few years. "Printing" is sort of a misnomer. Also referred to as "additive manufacturing," it’s the process of creating an object from a digital file by layering filaments to form the finished product. It’s been hyped as a revolution that will make conventional manufacturing obsolete, allowing people to create the products and tools they need in their own homes.

  • • Canon™ Cartridge Recycling
    Canon Environmental Technologies, Inc.

    In 1990, Canon introduced a cartridge recycling program for all-in-one laser beam printer toner cartridges through its Clean Earth Campaign Program. The goal of the program is to achieve zero landfill waste by reusing parts, recycling materials, and employing energy recovery. Canon’s all-in-one cartridges have components that can be recycled and reused by Canon.
  • • Electronics Recycling
    Recycling Electronic Waste
    Responsibly: Excuses Dwindle

    Maybe you replaced old electronics over the holidays or you’re just sweeping out the old and ushering in the New Year. Either way, you’ll need to do something with your old devices. For everyone’s sake, including Mother Nature’s, try to get rid of your old technology the right way.

    Click now to read how
    and watch the video.
  • • Light From Discarded Batteries
    Discarded Laptop Batteries Keep the Lights On

    Millions of discarded batteries have more than enough life to power home lighting for one year, researchers in India say.

    Many of the estimated 50 million lithium-ion laptop batteries discarded every year could provide electricity storage sufficient to light homes in poor countries, researchers at IBM say.
  • • The LandfillHarmonic
    There's No Such Thing As Waste

    Click now to watch this entertaining video and see what we mean.
  • • Self-Destructing Plastics & Recycling Awareness
    Self-Destructing Plastics and Recycling?

    CleanTecnica , Aug. 15, 2018  - Evian says it will produce all its plastic bottles from 100% recycled plastic by 2025. Starbucks made headlines this summer with its pledge to eliminate plastic straws by 2020. British supermarket Morrisons said it would bring back “traditional” brown paper bags for loose fruit and vegetables, which means that 150 million small plastic bags will be removed from circulation. But is any of this foot-stomping about plastics really enough? Isn’t it time for to ask the world’s scientists to research and develop polymers or plastics with built-in self-destruct mechanisms?

    Interested? Click now for whole story.
  • • The Last Straw
    Make the Last Straw You Got From
    a Restaurant Your Last One

    A disposable plastic straw is used on average for a whopping 20 minutes. It’s longer than the four-second lifespan of the plastic stirrer you may use to swizzle your coffee or tea, but 20 minutes is still just a tiny fraction of the several hundred years it could spend in a landfill.

    One straw may seem insignificant, but consider this: someone who uses one straw a day for the next decade will toss 3,650 pieces of plastic into the landfill—and there’s a chance that plastic may get lost along the way and end up in the ocean.
  • • Using Bugs to Clean Up Waste
    Dong Energy Funds
    First Power Plant Using
    Bugs to Clean Up Waste

    July 1, 2016- Dong Energy A/S’s REnescience plant in northern England will use enzyme technology to “wash”; organic matter from unsorted waste, creating a slurry that can be turned into a gas for use in power generation or motor fuels, said their VP of commercial bioenergy at Novozymes.

  • • CO2 As a Refrigerant
    A Good Use for CO2

    Volkswagen, Daimler, Audi, BMW and Porsche have announced plans to develop CO2 technology as a more climate-friendly refrigerant for air conditioning systems.

    VW says CO2 as a refrigerant — also known as R744 — has lower greenhouse gas effects than conventional refrigerants, with a GWP (Global Warming Potential) value of 1, or 99.3 percent below the European Union-specified GWP limit of 150.
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Recycling News (In the Past Year)
  • • Reimagining Recycling to Keep Landfills Plastics-Free
    Some Material is Too Difficult
    to Recycle into Useful New Products

    Jan. 27, 2021 (ScienceNews)-It feels good to recycle. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from dutifully sorting soda bottles, plastic bags and yogurt cups from the rest of the garbage. The more plastic you put in that blue bin, the more you’re keeping out of landfills and the oceans, right?

    Wrong. No matter how meticulous you are in cleaning and separating your plastics, most end up in the trash heap anyway.
  • • Fashion Trends Are Often Recycled
    Now More Clothing Can Be, Too

    Jan. 26, 2021 (NY Times Climate Forward)- This article is part of our new series, Currents, which examines how rapid advances in technology are transforming our lives.

    Sustainability in the fashion industry was once the focus of only a handful of designers like Stella McCartney and outdoor gear companies such as Patagonia.
  • • Wind Turbine Blade Recycling - Yes, It's Happening
    GE Teams Up With
    Veolia to Make That Happen

    (Renewable Energy World), Dec. 8, 2020 -GE Renewable Energy announced today that it signed a multi-year agreement with Veolia North America (VNA) to recycle blades removed from its US-based onshore turbines during upgrades and repowering efforts.

    Veolia will process the blades for use as a raw material for cement, utilizing a cement kiln co-processing technology. VNA has a history of supplying repurposed engineered materials to the cement industry. Similar recycling processes in Europe have been proven to be effective at a commercial scale.
  • • Batteries Must Be Redesigned For Easier Recycling
    This Could Avert a
    Looming E-Waste Crisis

    (The Conversation, Oct. 22, 2020 -As concern mounts over the impacts of climate change, many experts are calling for greater use of electricity as a substitute for fossil fuels. Powered by advancements in battery technology, the number of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on U.S. roads is increasing. And utilities are generating a growing share of their power from renewable fuels, supported by large-scale battery storage systems.

    These trends, coupled with a growing volume of battery-powered phones, watches, laptops, wearable devices and other consumer technologies, leave us wondering: What will happen to all these batteries once they wear out?

  • • Recycling Paper Adds a Price to the Environment
    It's Only Meaningful
    When Powered by Renewable Energy

    (ZME Science), Oct. 20, 2020 -While it’s usually seen as a good practice, recycling paper is actually meaningful to the climate only when it’s powered by renewable energy, according to a modeling study. Greenhouse gas emissions would increase by 2050 if we recycle more paper, as current recycling methods rely on fossil fuels, researchers found.

    A circular economy is expected to achieve sustainability goals through efficient use and reuse of materials. Waste recycling is an important part of a circular economy. However, for some materials, the potential environmental benefits of recycling are unclear or contested, say researchers from University College London.
  • • Recycling is Fast Expanding Across the UK
    This is in Spite of the Pandemic

    (ZME SCIENCE), -Sept. 23, 2020, Despite the challenges and restrictions brought in by the coronavirus pandemic, the United Kingdom seems to be turning more environmentally aware, at least in one regard. According to a new report, nearly nine out of ten households claim they regularly recycle. According to the same research, people say they are more prepared to change their lifestyles to protect the environment.

    Recycle Now, a government-funded recycling campaign managed by the a waste advisory body called Wrap, carried out a survey to UK households on recycling. They found that up to 73% said to be willing to do more for the environment, which is up from 68% in 2019. Also, 93% agreed that “everyone has a responsibility to help towards cleaning up the environment.”
  • • Is Recycling paper Really Good For the World’s Climate?
    It's Only Meaningful When Powered by Renewable Energy

    ( ZME Science), Oct. 20, 2020 -While it’s usually seen as a good practice, recycling paper is actually meaningful to the climate only when it’s powered by renewable energy, according to a modeling study. Greenhouse gas emissions would increase by 2050 if we recycle more paper, as current recycling methods rely on fossil fuels, researchers found.

    A circular economy is expected to achieve sustainability goals through efficient use and reuse of materials. Waste recycling is an important part of a circular economy. However, for some materials, the potential environmental benefits of recycling are unclear or contested, say researchers from University College London.
  • • Yes, Pizza Boxes Can Be Recycled After All
    An We Thought
    That We Couldn't

    SIERRA Magazine, July 28, 2020 -When Eric Nelson looks back on his years as a waste reduction manager at the University of Kansas, what stands out are the pizza boxes. "One year, there was a first-week event for all the clubs and organizations," he told me on a phone call from Lawrence. "I think Pizza Hut sent over like 500 medium one-topping pizzas." That was great for the hungry college students, not so much for Nelson, who spent the evening schlepping 500 pizza boxes to the dumpster "because we couldn't recycle pizza boxes."

    It's advice from the dawn of curbside recycling: Don't put your pizza box in the blue bin because the greasy cardboard and cheese scraps make it unrecyclable. For years, conscientious recyclers followed this advice, and tens of billions of pizza boxes were sent to landfills and incinerators. The intentions were good, but it turns out that the advice wasn't.

    New research reveals that, so long as you remove all the pizza, the cardboard container that held your Veggie Supreme can be readily recycled into something new.
  • • Building Recyclable, Next-Generation Turbine Blades
    Recyclable Turbine Blades

    May 11, 2020 (Renewable Energy World) -We have come a long way since the first Earth Day in 1970.

    As of January this year, there were nearly 1.5 million electric cars driving on U.S. roads, we recycle and/or compost approximately 35% of our waste (Environmental Protection Agency), and roughly 20% of U.S. energy generation comes from renewable sources (U.S. Energy Information Administration).

    According to the American Wind Energy Association, wind energy generation has grown by 7.3 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity for every year of the last decade. And, as of 2019, there was approximately 96 GW of installed wind capacity in the United States and 591 GW worldwide.1

    While the expansion of renewables is undoubtedly a positive shift, not all renewable energy is renewable from start to finish.
  • • Phone Cases That Use Recycled Ocean-Bound Waste
    WAKE LifeProof Is the Provider

    May 8, 2020 (inhabitat) - In an effort to find a balance between protecting the significant investment in our cellular devices and protecting the planet, LifeProof has developed a phone case that sources materials diverted from the ocean and simultaneously supports organizations directly involved in providing safe water, protecting ocean life and maintaining river habitat.

    WAKE, the newest case line from LifeProof, is made from 85% recycled plastic waste. Materials for the protective case are sourced from fishing nets and ropes to help prevent those plastics from reaching the ocean. The plastics are then woven into a polypropylene material that is both durable and strong. This practice reduces the need to produce virgin plastic, and the company also offers a program to recycle your phone case when you decide to make a change.
  • • The Importance of a Circular Economy
    The EU Push For a
    Circular Economy to
    Have Longer-Lasting Products

    Mar. 13, 2020 (ZME SCIENCE) - Produce, use, and throw away? No, better reduce, reuse, and recycle, says the EU. The paradigm of the current linear economic model could be coming to an end, replaced by a circular economy, a system that seeks to better use the resources available and reduce their environmental impact.

    The European Union (EU) wants to move forward in that direction and introduced a new Circular Economy Action Plan, with the objective of reducing the bloc’s consumption footprint and double its circular material use rate. By doing so, the EU’s GDP would increase an additional 0.5% by 2030.

    The EU acknowledged that many products are currently being manufactured in such a way that they break down fast and can’t be reused, repaired, or recycle. Instead, green products should be the norm, rewarding manufacturers of products based on their sustainability performance, according to the bloc’s plan.
  • • Ocean plastic: How Recycling Creates Tomorrow’s Problems
    How Recycling Could
    Create Tomorrow’s Problems

    Feb. 27, 2020 (Environmental Health News) - Sometimes plastic recycling is so much worse than just letting trash be trash.

    But first, let's thank European supermarket chain Lidl for trying. We all must. Plastic pollution is an enormous challenge. Unfortunately they, like many, are ignoring the toxic dimension of plastic recycling. Until efforts to solve the plastic crisis fully understand plastic toxicity, they risk making today's solutions into tomorrow's problems. And not just tomorrow's minor problems—we're talking societal-disruption and extinction-scale problems.

    Our research team this week found a story in The Daily Mail about Lidl's plan to wrap fish in plastic recycled from "ocean-bound plastic" collected off beaches in Southeast Asia.
  • • The House That Trash Built: Turning Clutter to Handicrafts
    Myanmar Start-Up Turns Clutter to Handicrafts

    Mar. 4, 2020 (REUTERS) — From a distance, ChuChu Design, a single-storey building across the river from Myanmar’s bustling commercial capital, looks like any other on the impoverished outskirts of the city.

    But on closer inspection, the roof has been fashioned from old tyres, the walls are made of glass bottles and the lampshades from melted plastic, all items upcycled by the social enterprise as part of a mission to educate people about waste.

    ChuChu – named after the Burmese for “plastic house” – sells handicrafts and fashion products recycled from the thousands of tonnes of trash dumped in Yangon every day.

  • • Recycled Plastic Can Become a Buddist Monk's Robe
    Thai Buddhist Temple
    Recycles Plastics Into Robes

    Feb. 6, 2020 (REUTERS)—At a Buddhist temple south of Bangkok, a monk watches as a machine presses down on thousands of water bottles, before a giant bale of crushed plastic rolls out with a thud.

    The plastic is destined to be recycled into polyester fibers, which will be made into fabric for saffron-colored robes for monks.

    The recycling temple of Wat Chak Daeng is one bright example of recycling for Thailand, one of five countries that account for more than half of plastic in the world’s oceans.

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