recycling
Latest
Inhabitat's Week in Green: nanotech tea, pollution-sucking stones and the world's most efficient car
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week we saw the shattering of a new record as NYC's high-tech One Bryant Park skyscraper achieved LEED Platinum certification, making it the world's greenest office tower. We also turned over a new high-tech paving stone that can absorb airborne pollution and visited a hyper-efficient solar city in Germany that is able to produce four times the amount of energy that it consumes. The world of efficient transportation is also heating up as four electric vehicles blazed a trail through Europe in a race to circle the globe in 80 days. We also watched a team of DeLaSalle students unveil the world's most efficient zero-emissions car and took a look at an incredible electrified Porsche. Finally, sun-powered transportation reached for the stars as NASA unveiled plans to launch its solar NanoSail into space this fall. Nanotechnology is also changing lives here on earth as researchers revealed a nanotech tea bag that can purify a liter of drinking water for less than a penny. And speaking of liquid refreshment, this week we took a plunge in Manhattan's new recycled dumpster swimming pools -- and brought back tons of photos! But summer won't last forever, so if you're gearing up to head back to school next month be sure to check out our top picks for the best solar-powered book bags.
Cleveland approves $2.5 million for RFID recycling bins (update)
When it comes to trash can technology, there's little doubt the United Kingdom is on top, what with the bomb-proof and RFID-laden bins denizens have been subjected to for years. Still, the US has trialed traceable cans for some time now, and the city of Cleveland, Ohio's just decided to make them stick, shelling out $2.5 million last week for 150,000 households worth of electronically-accountable recycling. Unlike prior garbage tracing schemes, however, citizens won't be charged according to the raw weight of undesirables in their can, but rather tested to make sure at least 10 percent of the recycling bin's contents are actually recyclable -- else face a $100 fine. That may sound a little pricey, but let's face facts: if 91 percent of what you toss in your recycling bin is garbage, you're not exactly helping the planet. they aren't throwing recycling in the trash bin instead. If over 10% of a resident's trash is actually recyclable, they're slapped with a $100 fine, a costly reminder to take better care of the planet next time. Update: We read it wrong; it's actually your trash can that's measured for recyclables. That makes much more sense! [Thanks, Adam Z.]
Apple Battery Charger gets official: a battery charger, only you know, better (update: hands-on)
Apple's just slipped something into its iMac update press release that we didn't want to go unnoticed: a battery charger. Apple's AA battery-powered lineup now includes the wireless keyboard, the Magic Mouse (which seriously burns through the juice) and the Magic Trackpad, and for $29 you can score a dedicated charger for all that gear. The Apple Battery Charger comes with six long-lived NiMH rechargeable batteries which apparently have a lifetime of up to 10 years. Update: We just had a chance to get a quick hands-on with the little guy, and well, it's a battery charger. Apple tells us the charger has the lowest vampire power draw of any charger on the market -- the idea is for users to keep two batteries in each of their peripherals and two in the charger, so they can quickly swap out as the cells run out. Interestingly, the batteries are some of the only Apple products in recent memory that don't have an Apple logo on them -- they're just plain silver with "Rechargeable" printed on them. The charger itself has slightly nicer charging contacts than the usual spring-and-flap arrangement, and it features the same removable flippy-prong AC plug as Apple's laptop and iPad power adapters, so you can theoretically swap it for a longer power cord if you like. %Gallery-98293%
LCDs can be transformed from e-waste to infection fighters, says new research
Researchers at the University of York have discovered a possible use for discarded LCDs which should come as a relief to anyone familiar with the world's rampant e-waste problem. According to the report, which will be presented today at the Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in Washington, D.C., a process of heating, then cooling and dehydrating the PVA (polyvinyl-alcohol, the key component of LCDs) with ethanol produces a surface area of mesoporous material with great potential for use in biomedicine. The resultant product's anti-microbial properties can now be enhanced by adding silver nanoparticles, producing something which is anti-bacterial and can kill things like E.coli. The potential application of course, is that hospital surfaces could be made of it in the future. This is just one (major) step in a long-term project, so don't expect to see it in real life anytime soon.
Recycled ink cartridges used to build bike path in Australian National Park
We've certainly witnessed one too many ink cartridges perish at the hands of a crushing radial, but those instances all stemmed from fighting the good fight with frustration. Australia's National Park Service is giving those fed up with paying far too much for far too little ink another, more reasonable method of extinguishing their anger with the creation of a 17 kilometer long bike path connecting Alice Springs to Simpsons Gap in West MacDonnell National Park. 'Course, recycled ink cartridges are just part of the eco-friendly solution, but it's not too far-fetched to think that another couldn't be built entirely from what your own corporation trashes in a single month, right? On a related note, that guy looks like he's having an insane amount of fun. Jealous. [Image courtesy of Centralian Advocate]
Inhabitat's Week in Green: cow treadmills, electric cars, and the Milan Furniture Fair
The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. It was a busy week in green design as the design world's most important trade show, the Milan Furniture Fair, wrapped up, and Earth Day hit with full force on Thursday, April 22nd. Inhabitat brought you the most incredible green designs from Milan -- from LED lamps made almost entirely from soap to Inigo Mauerer's stunning new stripped-down OLED chandelier to gigantic architectural LEGO bricks (with life-size lego furniture to match!) We also caught wind of several curious new energy developments from across the pond -- first, the UK is hatching a plan to recycle human waste into fuel by piping biomethane from the sewage system back into homes in Oxfordshire. Meanwhile a farmer in Norther Ireland has created a treadmill for cows that he thinks could generate 6% of the world's power. More conventional alt energy sources are on the rise as well - this week researchers announced advances in dye solar cells that make strides towards grid parity and a gasification process that is capable of doubling biofuel production. Several major auto manufacturers also got our engines racing this week as they unveiled the next generation of sleek electric rides. Toyota officially revealed plans for a minivan sequel to it's ever-popular Prius while Chevy charged ahead with the MPV5, a larger version of the Volt sedan that seats five and packs extra space in the trunk. And finally, if classic cars are more your style, don't miss this cloth-covered retrofit to a rusty old MG Midget.
AT&T moves toward eco-friendly packaging, earns our approbation
Notice to all gadget makers and vendors: if you reduce your packaging and engage in environmentally conscious behavior, you'll get free press out of it and positive brand awareness to boot. Take for example AT&T's newly announced design specifications for its own-brand phone accessories and packaging requirements for cellphone makers. Both are geared toward minimizing the surplus of paper and plastic that tends to come with the purchase of your device, and both will require the use of recycled and recyclable materials. AT&T expects to save 200 tons of excess materials by the end of 2010, which is very encouraging, but also disturbing in that it lets us know we were wasting 200 tons each year that could, presumably, have been saved by some sager planning. Anyway, better late than never -- and guess what, it will probably end up costing the company less than those inane advert attacks on Verizon.
United Nations identifies e-waste as an urgent and growing problem, wants change
E-waste might be one of the biggest misnomers in the history of nomery -- the image it creates in the mind is of a bunch of email and document files clogging up your local internet pipes. The reality of it is that electronic waste is rapidly populating ever-growing landfill areas in so-called developing countries (they're poor, just call a spade a spade) and the issue has now garnered the attention of the United Nations. The UN Environment Programme has issued a wideranging report warning that e-waste in China and South Africa could double or even quadruple within the next decade, whereas India could experience a five-fold rise. Major hazards exist in the unregulated and informal recycling of circuit boards and techno gadgets, as processes like backyard incineration for the retrieval of gold generate toxic gases while also being wildly inefficient. The whole point of the report is to encourage some global cooperation in setting up modern and safe recycling facilities in the affected countries to ameliorate the problem, though being generally more careful in our consumption and disposal of electronics wouldn't do the environment's chances any harm either.
PrePeat rewritable printer lets you undo print jobs, no ink or toner used
Inkless / tonerless printers aren't exactly new, but here's a more novel approach: inkless, tonerless, and completely reusable. The PrePeat rewritable printer is exactly that: using special paper made of PET plastic, you can make all the flowcharts and meeting notes you need, and when you want to start fresh, feed the paper back in to start fresh. Upfront cost is 500,000 yen (about $5,600 in US) for the printer and 300 yen for each sheet, in lots of 1,000 -- which we're taking to mean at least another 300,000 yen / $3,360 to get some use out of it. Each piece of paper is said to work about 1,000 times, but no word on how much (if any) history can be extracted from the materials -- just keep that in mind should sensitive information be your daily trade. Video demonstration after the break.
ReCellular will recycle your phone and donate all proceeds to Haiti disaster relief
It might've been hard to watch pictures of the latest natural disaster striking the island of Haiti recently, but lending a hand in the relief effort shouldn't be. If you've got an older cellphone -- functioning or otherwise -- batteries, chargers, or other accessories, ReCellular wants to hear from you. The cellphone recycling company has launched a Phones for Haiti program, whereby you can donate your unwanted handsets and rest assured that 100 percent of the revenue raised from them will go to helping Haiti survivors rebuild. Partnering with the American Red Cross, ReCellular will even pay for the shipping of your castoff electronics, so really, how much easier do you want it?
Nintendo to Greenpeace: We do care about the environment
Greenpeace harshed on Nintendo's eco-coolness last week, and this week the House that Miyamoto Built is firing back. It's released a statement to Gamasutra saying that it takes environmental responsibilities seriously, and that the company is committed to saving energy, making both of its consoles energy efficient and using carefully picked and clearly-labeled materials in an effort to make post-usage recycling easy. To be fair to Nintendo, most of Greenpeace's argument against it was that the company didn't share information about what it did for the environment, and let's be honest here: Nintendo's not really one for sharing. While Nintendo did get blamed for increasing its CO2 emissions, most of Greenpeace's other complaints (as you can see in the PDF) were not actually about mistakes Nintendo was making, but its failure to share information or release reports about its operations. We can't really blame Nintendo for that -- on at least a few of its points, it seems Greenpeace's methodology was more responsible for the big N's bottom-of-the-barrel listing. [Via GoNintendo]
List of most-recycled phones has two RAZRs at the top, possibly being melted right into CLIQ molds
Remember back when RAZRs were the most amazing thing you'd ever seen and they ran like $400 on a two-year contract? Yeah, it feels like an eternity and a half ago -- and most owners seem to feel that way, too, because they're being recycled en masse these days. Phone recycling specialist ReCellular has released its list of the ten most-recycled handsets of the year, and by 2009 standards, there really aren't any surprises -- the chart reads like a directory of forgettable has-been dumbphones with the possible exception, of course, of the industry-changing RAZRs up top. It'll be interesting to see if or when the first smartphones break the top ten -- what do you think, a Treo or two?
Ask TUAW: Choosing an iPhone, used Mac disposal, wake from sleep, podcast software and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about getting an iPhone, disposing of old Macs, wake from sleep issues, exchanging a recent Mac purchase, podcast hardware and software, and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions. Tom asks: I'm considering an iPhone but want to know what my options are. Is the iPhone the best smartphone if I'm a Mac user? The short answer to that question is "Yes." The iPhone is the best smartphone for you if you use a Mac. It's designed by Apple to work seamlessly with your Mac and iTunes and for the most part, it does. For Mac users the iPhone offers the best user experience possible and keeps you, at least hardware-wise, entirely in the Apple fold. That said, the iPhone itself may or may not be the best smartphone for your needs. One drawback is that it's only available if you are an AT&T wireless customer. So, unless you are already an AT&T customer, or are willing to switch, you are out of luck. Plus, using AT&T on a daily basis can sometimes be challenging as it's network occasionally has issues. Also, the coverage in some areas is not quite as good as other networks such as Verizon -- even in larger cities such as Los Angeles, where I live.
How-to: recycle your old gadgets
We see a lot of gadgets come in the door here at Engadget. In fact, getting them in the door is actually the easy part... it's getting them back out that's a bit confusing. Recycling -- something that most of us do on a day-to-day basis with our trash -- is a bit stickier when it comes to gadgets. In recent years, however, most major consumer electronics companies have stepped up their games a bit and begun "take back" recycling programs of their own. There are a lot of resources out there if you want to rid yourself of old gadgets in a responsible way, but it can be a pretty overwhelming prospect, especially if (like us) you have an actual pile of old cellphones which has been growing since 1998. We thought about that a lot, and decided to try to make sense of all the wild masses of information out there on the internet, and to provide our readers a central location to look for all that information. Read on and see what we've come up with!
2010 Olympic medals include material from recycled circuit boards
The just-unveiled medals for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver certainly break with a few conventions in terms of appearance, but it looks like they also contain a few surprises that aren't immediately apparent -- namely, they're all made at least partly from recycled circuit boards. Of course, the circuit boards have also been recycled beyond recognition, but each of the medals do apparently sport a one of a kind design, not to mention some considerable heft (weighing between 500 and 576 grams apiece). Sure, it's not enough to make a dent in the e-waste problem, but it's a heckuva way to kick start a trend.[Via Technabob]
New Scientist and MIT track your trash for the good of the planet
On a long enough timeline, all gadgets, white goods, furniture and consumables end up in the trash bin, and the latest tech from MIT is designed to track their subsequent journey from your porch to the great beyond. Partnering with the New Scientist magazine, researchers are hoping that by mapping where garbage ends up, they can awaken that atrophied muscle of environmental awareness in us all. The project will attach SIM cards to particular items of trash, which will beep out their location information every 15 minutes. You might think this somewhat underwhelming -- given all the bells, whistles and bomb-proofing that garbage cans have been adorned with over the years -- but interest appears high enough to justify exhibitions of the project in New York and Seattle starting this September.
Take a tour through Panasonic's CRT & flat panel TV recycling center
Less remarked upon in our CES 2009 coverage was the green factor consistently mentioned in many presentations, with various manufacturers promising more responsible production facilities, and plans to offer recycling for all the old televisions that will be replaced in the years to come. Courtesy of AV Watch and Google Translate, we can take a tour through one of Panasonic's recycling facilities, where the latest breakthrough uses a laser beam to separate the front and rear glass of CRTs, allowing for three times faster processing. If there's anything better than machine translation, old TVs headed for certain doom, and lasers, we have no idea what it is.
Dell bans export of e-waste to developing countries
Dell -- which scored pretty poorly in the latest Greenpeace report -- has just officially adopted a ban of the export of e-waste as part of its policy. The company, which also has a recycling program, says it's been holding its partners to high standards for several years, but has revised its policy to conform to the Basel Convention, an international treaty that governs e-waste handling. E-waste is growing, toxic problem in developing countries like China and Ghana.
Australian Envirobank gives goodies for recyclables, plus a sympathetic ear
If you're in a state within the States that's instituted bottle and can redemption programs, you've probably seen automated recycling machines that accept the discarded shells of your formerly refreshing beverages and dispense real money in return. Australia is getting on-board with a similar machine that bribes folks to recycle, but in a somewhat more high-tech way -- and without the up-front redemption fee. The Envirobank accepts both cans and bottles, scanning the bar code to identify the product and also checking the material to make sure it's recyclable. Accepted containers are crushed and kept, while the kind-hearted recycler gets a coupon or credit of some sort for their efforts (details TBD). Interestingly, the machine sports a mysterious yellow button that will connect troubled kids to "somebody who will listen" -- a nice idea, but we're not entirely sure how many youths will be interested in pouring their hearts out to a big box in the mall food court.[Via The Red Ferret Journal]
Garbage-powered garbage truck now making its way across merry England
The Brits get all the cool stuff -- Queen Elizabeth II, The Sex Pistols... and now a rubbish truck that runs on rubbish (sort of). That's right: up in Huddersfield they've just unleashed a modded three-and-a-half ton Smith Edison Ford Transit garbage truck that tools around, picking up garbage, hauls it to a nearby Energy from Waste power station and recycling center which then burns the 'bage to make electricity for the next day's route. The garbage also produces about 10 megawatts of excess electricity per day which is dumped into the grid for added fun. The truck's got a top speed of about 50 miles per hour, and is apparently so quiet that the locals fear it could be dangerous to unsuspecting pedestrians. Maybe they could slap a speaker on there and pump some Oasis as a warning? Just a thought.
