America’s economic slowdown is hurting all kinds of industries, but it is taking an especially hard toll on the favored Green business of recycling. According to Energy and Environment Daily, the demand for recycled materials has bottomed out, leading to a buildup of huge storage piles of unwanted stuff. In Massachusetts, a 2,000-ton pile of bottles, cans, newspapers, and other material has been stuck in a warehouse, with the cost of recycled paper going from $145/ton just a few years ago to $5/ton today. After working so hard to increase recycling, cities don’t want to discourage people from doing [...]

So-called “cyber-trash” – or garbage produced from old, discarded computers and circuit boards – has become a problem of mega-bite proportions. But if some researchers in China have their way, one potential technology could transform yesterday’s computers into tomorrow’s park bench. This, according to Science Daily, which notes that a process has recently been developed by two Chinese scientists that can recycle the non-metallic materials found in computers into a substance that can be used for such diverse items as sewer grates, park benches and fences. The recycled material, in fact, is nearly as strong as reinforced concrete, and [...]

As California continues to suffer the ravages of drought, now comes some good news that may help alleviate future water shortages. A new technology has been developed by scientists at the Palo Alto Research Center that both cleans and recycles water at an incredibly fast rate. According to the Environmental News Network, this new technology relies upon a spiral filtration system where water is pumped through small, lightweight discs removing dirt and other impurities. Although this system produces water that’s not quite pure enough to drink, it operates five times faster than conventional methods, which makes state officials optimistic [...]

We all know how to get rid of old files on our computers by sending them to the recycling bin. But what about getting rid of our old computers themselves? That's the issue raised in a recent article in The Baltimore Sun which notes that with technology spawning faster and cheaper computers every few years, so-called "e-waste" could soon become a problem of megabyte proportions. Especially concerning is that thousands of discarded monitors contain tons of toxic lead necessary to shield users from radiation. And when you consider as many as 600 million computers in the U.S. are obsolete, [...]

Having to sort tin cans, plastic bottles, and stinky leftovers is no fun for anyone. But a new technology in Australia called the UR-3R may just end up disposing of this old-fashioned recycling by hand. According to freelance author Chris Prunty, garbage trucks bring waste straight to the new facility, where huge magnets pick out the metal, and a conveyor quickly sorts organic from inorganic waste. The organic material, like old foodstuff, is fed into percolators to be turned into compost, while the glass, paper, metal, and plastic is recovered for future use. It's still a bit pricier than [...]

When you think of items to place in the recycling bin, you no doubt think of tin cans, plastic bottles and newspapers. But for the folks in spruce grove in Alberta, Canada, recycling also includes egg shells, corn husks, and old leftovers. This is because of the town’s new curbside “organics” recycling program, where residents can take material that once was alive, place it in a special aerated cart, and send it to a local composting facility. This novel program has already diverted over 13,000 metric tons of residuals from the local landfill, which has then been sold to [...]

A decade ago or so, no earth-friendly activity was more popular than recycling. But now, with the alleged garbage crisis no longer making headlines and Americans finding other priorities, recycling has taken a downturn across the nation. According to an article in USA Today, Americans recycled two-thirds of our aluminum beverage cans in 1992, but now, that number is less than half. Plastic bottle recycling has also declined, from 37% in 1995, down to just over 20% today. With many states dramatically missing the high recycling targets they set for themselves in the 1990's, it appears reality is settling [...]

Sales of compact florescent light bulbs have burgeoned in recent years as more and more environmentally-conscious Americans seek to take advantage of their energy savings and extended usability. But with increasing numbers of florescent bulbs making their way into landfills, a new problem has emerged with regard to the release of mercury, and this has some health officials concerned. According to CNET News, an average florescent bulb contains about five milligrams of mercury, which while not very much, is nevertheless still a threat for groundwater contamination. Crash efforts are thus being undertaken to spur more recycling, and environmentalists are [...]

We all know how to get rid of old files on our computers by sending them to the recycling bin. But what about getting rid of our old computers themselves? That's the issue raised in a recent article in The Baltimore Sun which notes that with technology spawning faster and cheaper computers every few years, so-called "e-waste" could soon become a problem of megabyte proportions. Especially concerning is that thousands of discarded monitors contain tons of toxic lead necessary to shield users from radiation. And when you consider as many as 600 million computers in the U.S. are obsolete, [...]

Having to sort tin cans, plastic bottles, and stinky leftovers is no fun for anyone. But a new technology in Australia called the UR-3R may just end up disposing of this old-fashioned recycling by hand. According to freelance author Chris Prunty, garbage trucks bring waste straight to the new facility, where huge magnets pick out the metal, and a conveyor quickly sorts organic from inorganic waste. The organic material, like old foodstuff, is fed into percolators to be turned into compost, while the glass, paper, metal, and plastic is recovered for future use. It's still a bit pricier than [...]

Throw away your recycling containers and forget those trips to the bottle return center, because recycling household waste is a load of, well, rubbish. That, according to the Telegraph of London, which reports how five leading environmentalists in Sweden have reversed decades-old wisdom and now argue that burning garbage is better for the planet and the economy than recycling. The Swedish group said that the vision of a booming recycling market is still just a dream, and note that collecting household cartons is quote “very unprofitable.” they also pointed to technological improvements that have made incineration much cleaner, and [...]

Bottle bills, which place a roughly five cent deposit on beverage cans and bottles, have long been controversial. Indeed to date, only eleven states have seen fit to pass them. Nevertheless, according to Environment and Climate News, a number of state legislatures including Illinois, Tennessee, and West Virginia are seeking to enact such laws in the near future. Proponents claim these bills reduce litter and foster recycling, but opponents note they burden consumers and businesses, undermine local curbside recycling efforts, and serve as a tax on the poor. With battle lines being clearly drawn, we can expect to see [...]

A decade ago or so, no earth-friendly activity was more popular than recycling.  But now, with the alleged garbage crisis no longer making headlines and Americans finding other priorities, recycling has taken a downturn across the nation.  According to an article in USA Today, Americans recycled two-thirds of our aluminum beverage cans in 1992, but now, that number is less than half.  Plastic bottle recycling has also declined, from 37% in 1995, down to just over 20% today.  With many states dramatically missing the high recycling targets they set for themselves in the 1990's, it appears reality is settling [...]