Watch the video at Scientific American.
Costa Rican scientists are extracting valuable materials from the peel and stubble of pineapples.
Month: August 2018
Popular Black Hair Products Are Filled With Toxic Chemicals Linked To Disease, Study Finds
Read the full story in Vibe.
A new study claims that the most popular hair products for black women and children contain “multiple chemicals” linked to cancer, weight gain, asthma, and fertility issues, among other things.
Cajun Field steps up garbage ground game with composting initiative
Read the full story at KATC.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns fans attending the football home opener Sept. 1 might have goalposts in mind, but a new initiative aims to make compost part of their game-day strategy.
Trash cans inside Cajun Field have been removed to make way for stations that hold separate bins where fans can choose whether their garbage will be composted or recycled rather than sent to landfills.
Philadelphia Food Scraps to Become Gas to Power Trucks and Buses
Read the full story from Bloomberg.
Philadelphia’s food scraps may become fuel for buses and trucks, under a plan to build a $120 million anaerobic digester to produce natural gas.
Las Vegas Livestock Makes Use of Commercial Food Waste
Read the full story at Waste360.
During WasteExpo 2018, the company collected 14 totes and nearly 4,000 pounds of food scraps, which were processed and fed to livestock within 24 hours.
4 tips for fostering a sustainable company culture
Read the full story from GreenBiz.
A company’s culture isn’t defined merely by ping-pong tables and free lunches; employees want to feel like part of something bigger. That sense of community and fulfillment benefits employers, too; by one estimation (PDF), disengaged workers cause losses of close to $500 billion every year.
Happy employees are engaged, which depends partly on sustainable practices at work. When a company trades silence and waste for open communication and sustainability, employees respond positively. For instance, after implementing sustainable programs and zero-waste practices last year at our company, Earth Friendly Products, we saw an 18 percent decrease in health insurance premiums and a 30 percent drop in employee sick leave.
Environment, Events, Publications, Recycling, Statistics/Data sets, Sustainable materials management
Webinar: Advancing Sustainable Materials Management (SMM): Facts and Figures 2015 report
Thu, Sep 13, 2018 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDT
Register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3519169876089088003
This webinar will present the latest information about trends in U.S. materials generation, recycling, composting, combustion with energy recovery, and landfilling as described in EPA’s newly released Advancing Sustainable Materials Management (SMM): Facts and Figures 2015 report.
The report also includes data on construction and demolition debris generation as well as an economic indicators and trend data such as jobs, recycling and commodity values and tipping fees. In addition to highlighting the latest information contained in the report, this webinar also will describe EPA’s transition to presenting the data in a new web-based format
Greener Cleaning Playbook
The Greener Cleaning Playbook is designed to help sports facilities reduce the health and environmental threats associated with cleaning sports venues.
Beyond protecting health, the cleaning industry uses significant quantities of chemicals, paper products, cleaning equipment, plastic liners for waste receptacles, and other supplies. While these supplies are important to protect health, sport facilities can further reduce health and environmental impacts by selecting high-performing environmentally preferable products, which are often cost-competitive.
Furthermore, the cleaning industry employs about 4.5 million workers in the U.S. and has one of the highest rates of injury compared with other industries. Many of these injuries or other impacts on worker health are avoidable. Greener cleaning can help reduce those injuries. And converting to a greener cleaning program can offer sponsorship opportunities while providing an opportunity to educate fans about environmentally preferable cleaning products.
Should I Flush It? Most Often, the Answer Is No
Read the full story in the New York Times.
It might seem harmless at first: a thread of dental floss tossed in the toilet, a contact lens swirling down the drain of the bathroom sink. But even the tiniest of items can contaminate waterways.
The small fragments of plastic contact lenses are believed to be contributing to the growing problem of microplastic pollution. Pharmaceuticals, which are also frequently flushed down the drain, have been found in our drinking water, and the consequences are not fully known.
Larger products like wipes and tampons are also clogging sewer systems, resulting in billions of dollars in maintenance and repair costs.
Wondering what’s safe to flush or wash down the drain? We spoke with several wastewater management experts who explained why many frequently disposed items belong in a garbage can, not the toilet.
Wands for Wildlife Puts Discarded Mascara Wands to Work
Read the full story from Waste360.
The refuge, which receives donations from around the world, uses mascara wands to help care for and groom its rescued animals.
Environmental News Bits 