Columns
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Why you shouldn’t be a ‘straw-man’ environmentalist
The “straw bubble” has burst. We’re midway through 2018, and we have seen an explosion of efforts and local action to eliminate plastic straws. Some of the world’s largest companies, including McDonald’s and Starbucks, have banned them from some of…
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Windsor Mill’s circular economy reduces waste
You’ve heard about ecosystems: the way all living things in a given area interact with each other and their environment. There’s a similar concept in sustainability called “industrial ecology,” which is the notion that industrial processes benefit from mimicking the…
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Microplastics have invaded Antarctica
Microplastics are dispersing all over the world – in the water column, sediments, and marine animal diets – even reaching as far south as the pristine environments of Antarctica.
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How to clean up our universal plastic tragedy
Twenty five years ago, I spent a summer removing plastic packing bands and plastic nets from 135 entangled Antarctic fur seals on Bird Island, South Georgia in the sub-Antarctic. Plastic marine waste discarded by the fishing industry were the primary…
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G7 Ocean Plastics Charter fails zero waste goals
It’s estimated as much as eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans each year; this massive problem of plastic pollution will not be solved without strong commitments to reduce single-use plastics. Recycling will not solve the…
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If we can’t recycle it, why not turn our waste plastic into fuel?
Australia’s recycling crisis needs us to look into waste management options beyond just recycling and landfilling. Some of our waste, like paper or organic matter, can be composted. Some, like glass, metal and rigid plastics, can be recycled. But we…
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Quick Spin: Reviewing the Mack LR
Mack’s LR is purpose built as a residential refuse collection chassis equipped with a Heil Half/Pack Odyssey collection body. It came to market in 2015 and received a few upgrades in 2017. TORONTO, Ont. –When I was just four years…
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The eye in the sky that can spot illegal rubbish dumps from space
More than 1,000 illegal waste sites spring up across England each year – and there are probably far more that haven’t been recorded.
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Seaweed, Indonesia’s answer to the global plastic crisis
Indonesia is also the world’s largest producer of red seaweed, whose carbohydrate element is the key ingredient for bioplastics
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Stakeholders look to close loop on compostable packaging
What’s holding back greater uptake of compostable packaging? Factors such as composting/recycling infrastructure, public perception, and local government policies all play a role. To better understand the issue, the NZWC Product Design and Packaging Working Group engaged stakeholders in the compostable packaging industry in an examination of…
