recycling
Latest
Apple says its products will be carbon-neutral by 2030
Apple promises to make its supply chain and all of its products carbon neutral by 2030.
Apple launches its in-store trade-in program for Macs
You can now trade in your old Mac at the Apple Store rather than through the mail.
Uber sends thousands of Jump e-bikes to the recycling heap
Uber has sent thousands of electric bikes to be recycled for scrap as part of handing operations of their Jump e-bike division to scooter-sharing company Lime.
Green apps to help you celebrate Earth Day indoors
Green apps can set you on the right path to being environmentally friendly, even when that path doesn’t take you outside.
Polestar's latest concept EV is designed for sustainability
Polestar has yet to deliver its first EV, but that isn't stopping it from outlining the vision for its future cars. The automaker has unveiled a concept sedan, the Precept, that showcases both the company's evolving design language and its technological goals. To start, gone is the Volvo-esque grille held over from gas-powered cars -- the front is now devoted to driver assistance and safety features with a camera and two radar sensors. There's also a conspicuous LiDAR pod above the windshield for "increased driving assistance."
Sega Europe is moving to recycled packaging for PC games
Remember when PC games came in a box and you had to buy them at a store? Apparently that's still a thing. To curb pollution and waste, Sega Europe is committing to using 100 percent recycled and 100 percent recyclable packaging for its PC games. The company promises that the boxes and manuals will have a premium look and feel, so collectors can still display their games with pride. The packing materials are printed with water- and vegetable-based inks to further cut down on waste. Even the shrinkwrap is recyclable.
Sonos gives a lame reason for bricking older devices in 'Recycle Mode'
Sonos has a good reputation for building quality speakers, but its latest move has disappointed some buyers. Recently, the company offered a trade-up program, giving legacy customers 30 percent off the latest One, Beam or Port. In exchange, buyers just had to "recycle" their existing products. However, what Sonos meant by "recycle" was to activate a feature called "Recycle Mode" that permanently bricks the speaker. It then becomes impossible for recycling firms to resell it or do anything else but strip it for parts.
Dell says it will power all of its facilities with renewable energy by 2040
Dell has announced new sustainability initiatives as part of the "Progress Made Real" plan the company shared on Tuesday. The centerpiece of the company's new climate change plan is to source 75 percent of the power for all of its facilities from renewables, and 100 percent by 2040. Dell also plans to make its supply chain and devices more energy efficient along the way. For comparison, Apple announced that as of last year all of its facilities were powered by renewables -- though it was able to achieve that milestone by taking advantage of carbon offsets and credits.
Sonos offers its early adopters a 30 percent trade-in offer on new speakers
If you've been hanging onto an old Sonos speaker for forever but have been interested in switching to a recent model such as Move, One or Port, the company might tempt you further with its Trade Up program. If you have an eligible speaker, you can claim 30 percent off a new one and recycle your existing product.
The North Face’s high-tech Futurelight jackets are finally here
It uses a proprietary nanospinning technology that lets air move through fabric easily and according to the company offers more venting than ever before.
In search of upcycled food that actually tastes good
I wish I could say that I only recently encountered the trend of transforming used grain into something edible, but then I'd be ignoring evidence of me eating dog treats made at a microbrewery a few years back. The worst part is that I tell Zagat on camera that "these are some of the best I've had," full-on admitting that I've consumed pet food before. My tastes don't usually run so beastly. But those treats didn't contain much more than grains, oats, honey, peanut butter, and the like, so no judgment, please. When Hops & Grain started making these things a few years ago, it was called recycling food waste. Because no one wants to eat anything deemed waste, another term is now in vogue: upcycling.
Apple will use recycled rare earth metals in the iPhone's Taptic Engine
Apple has a new strategy to make its products more environmentally friendly. Moving forward, the company plans to source the rare earth metals needed to build the iPhone's Taptic Engine from recycled components. The Taptic Engine is the small linear actuator that generates the iPhone's signature haptic feedback. Apple introduced the component in the first-generation Apple Watch before bringing it over to its smartphone lineup with the iPhone 7. According to Reuters, the Taptic Engine accounts for about one-quarter of the rare earth metals used in the manufacturing of a single iPhone.
House of Marley unveils an eco-friendly alternative to AirPods
Sustainable speaker and headphone brand House of Marley is releasing its first set of truly wireless earbuds, the Liberate Air, made from bamboo and recycled materials.
Researchers suggest 100 percent renewable energy isn’t very green
In order to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius, we'll need to rely on renewable energy, electric vehicles (EV) and battery storage. But creating that infrastructure will dramatically increase our need for metals like cobalt and lithium. A report released this week cautions that a spike in demand for those and other metals could drain the planet's reserves and lead to dire social and environmental consequences.
Apple is making it easier to recycle iPhones in the US
With Earth Day just around the corner, Apple announced it's quadrupling the number of locations US customers can send their iPhones for recycling. The company's recycling robot, Daisy, will now disassemble select iPhones returned to Best Buy stores in the US, KPN retailers in the Netherlands, as well as those recycled at any Apple Store or online through the Apple Trade In program.
Adidas made a running shoe that's fully recyclable
As part of its recent pledge to only use recycled plastics by 2024, Adidas has revealed a new running shoe that is made from 100 percent recyclable materials. The Futurecraft Loop was designed using nothing but thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a plastic material that dons the entire sneaker, including the tongue, laces, upper and the midsole with Boost cushioning technology. Adidas says it has been working on this project for the past six years, and the goal with it is to do its part in generating less plastic waste.
Recycling robot can sort paper and plastic by touch
It can be a pain for workers to sort recycling, both because of the safety and the sheer monotony of it. But how do you get robots to do the job when they can't always tell the difference between a can and a cardboard tube? For MIT CSAIL, it's simple: give the robots a sense of touch. Its researchers have developed a recycling robot, RoCycle, that uses sensors in its hand to determine the nature of an item and sort it accordingly. A strain sensor gauges an object's size, while two pressure sensors determine how squishy that object may be, whether it's easily-crushed paper or more rigid plastic. It can even detect the presence of metal, since the sensors are conductive.
'Zero-waste' Loop delivers Coke and Häagen-Dazs in reusable packaging
A lineup of the world's biggest consumer brands are joining a zero-waste online shopping project that delivers items in refillable and reusable containers. Loop -- announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week -- is an online shopping platform that wants to save customers the hassle of recycling by adopting the age-old model of the milkman.
Samsung will replace plastic packaging with eco-friendly materials
Samsung is once more improving its environmental footprint in response to pressure. The company has outlined plans to begin replacing plastic packaging with more sustainable materials. From the first half of 2019 onward, it'll ditch regular plastic in boxes for phones, appliances and other products with bioplastics, recycled plastics and paper. It's even changing product designs to reduce its waste -- phone chargers will have a matte finish that doesn't require a plastic protection film to remain pristine during shipping.
Amazon encourages you to recycle your old gadgets
Amazon has launched a new portal called "Second Chance," which compiles information on how to recycle, repair and return devices. The e-commerce giant calls it a "one-stop shop" where you can learn how to responsibly get rid of old gadgets lying around and taking up space. You can go there to see how much you can get if you trade your devices in and to learn how to start the process. It will ask if your device still holds a charge and if it's broken before giving you a quote. You won't get a lot of money from the deal, but if you don't want to sell the device on your own, that's one way to get a gift card towards future purchases and 25 percent off a new Echo device.
