Aiming for Zero Waste

Farm waste may demand return of biofuels
NBCNews.com (blog)
The process aims to transform agriculture waste, most of which would normally be discarded, into a renewable source of fuel.

The renewable fuel sector "is maturing," said Peder Holk Nielsen, CEO of biotech company Novozymes, an active player in the biofuels industry. In an interview, Nielsen cited estimates that indicate fewer than 20 percent of agricultural waste could satisfy half of the world's gasoline demand by the year 2030.

"This is not phantom technology, it does exist," Nielsen said, dismissing a common concern that the process is detrimental to farming. "We're taking about a fifth of the agriculture waste that is left to rot in nature anyhow. American farmers can do this in two years' time; it's just a question of building the plants."

Consumers are already watching more and more TV on their mobile devices or the Internet, and pushing their old TV sets out the door. How will we manage the ongoing environmental impact that the accumulation of toxic ...

Dubbed “Zero TV” households by the Nielsen Co. since they don’t fit its usual definition of a TV home, their numbers are steadily increasing. This segmentprefers to watch their favorite content on a computer (37 percent), or Internet TV (16 percent), followed by smartphones (8 percent), and tablets (6 percent). In 2007, there were three million Zero TV residences in the United States that unplugged.  Today, the number of Zero TV households in the U.S. has increased to more than five million. Satellite dishes, antennas, and cable TV providers are all things of the past for this segment. Nielsen’s study suggests that this new group may have left traditional TV for good.

As broadcasters scramble to create ways to adapt their programming to modern platforms, unwanted TV sets belonging to former cable subscribers are showing up in in landfills.

The Economist
People are throwing out less—but not because they are recycling more
The Economist
SMUGGLERS WAY, a waste and recycling centre on the south bank of the River Thames, is busy first thing on a weekday.

BBC News
Northern Ireland launches 5p plastic bag charge
The Guardian Blogs (blog)
According to the European commission, plastic bags account for the majority of plastic waste polluting the marine environment.

The Northern Ireland Executive has introduced the carrier bag levy, in a move designed to significantly reduce the 250 million carrier bags distributed in the country each year.

Northern Ireland follows in the footsteps of Wales, which introduced a similar charge in 2011 and subsequently cut handouts of bags dramatically, with some retailers virtually eliminating the use of bags within a few months of the launch of the levy.

The Northern Irish levy will cover all single use carrier bags, including those made from paper or plant-based materials such as starch, on the grounds that alternatives to plastic bags also have environmental impacts.

However, the levy will not apply to reusable bags and some small paper and plastic bags, such as those used for medicine or hot food.

Bloomberg Clean Fuel From Trash, Crop Waste to Match Corn-Ethanol by 2016 Bloomberg Ethanol made from inedible matter such as crop waste and household trash will match the price of corn-based ethanol by 2016, potentially spurring output of the...

“If our survey proves accurate, cellulosic ethanol will make meaningful inroads into the vehicle-fuel market during the last years of this decade,” Harry Boyle, a biofuel analyst at BNEF, said in the statement.

Ethanol production from edible crops such as corn has raised concern that grain plantations are being converted, cutting food supply and pushing up prices. Using non-edible plants or waste can help save the more fertile land for food and avoid the need to shift edible crops into more sensitive areas such as forest and peatland, which store carbon dioxide.

Countries across the world are setting targets to reduce the use of fossil fuels in vehicles to cut imports and meet carbon-reduction goals. In the U.S., where corn-based ethanol already is competitive with gasoline, the Renewable Fuel Standard requires gasoline and diesel producers to blend 36 billion gallons of biofuel a year into their products by 2022, including 16 billion gallons of cellulosic fuel.

EU News Jeremy Irons: public need to take responsibility for plastic waste problem The Guardian The European Commission hosted the conference with Irons and Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik to announce the publication on Thursday (7 March)...

Potočnik stressed the need for societal change to curb the impacts of waste and drawing attention to regions in Italy and Spain’s Basque Country - Capannori and Gipuzkoa - which had managed to reduce their waste output to near zero.

“Plastic is often perceived as a cheap and disposable material in our ‘throw-away’ society, and recycling rates are low,” he said. “Half of all plastic waste generated in Europe goes to landfill which should be avoided as plastic can contain hazardous components and disposal can result in undesirable emissions and concentrated, polluting residues.”

But to Potočnik waste disposal presents a “huge opportunity” for resource efficiency. He conceded that the world relies on plastics for many industries, saying that he was “for the dematerialisation of industry in a way that keeps industry in Europe”.

A new study reveals that consumers may consume more resources when there is an option to recycle than they do when there is no option to recycle.

This study has major implications for consumers, policy makers, and “green” marketers. Recycling may not be as harmless of an environmentally-friendly endeavor as we may think. Because we subconsciously justify using more materials when recycling options are available, we end up demanding more energy usage in the production of those additional resources. The additional production of materials we feel justified in using indiscreetly takes a toll on the environment as well.

“Green” marketers, it would seem, have the upper hand on this one. As long as consumers use recycling as a justification to use more resources, producers of “recyclable” products are likely to sell more of those products.

As consumers, if we truly want to have a positive impact on the environment, we need to recognize that recycling should not be used as a license for greater and more careless consumption. If we want to save the planet, we will pay just as much attention to how much materials we are using in total as we do to the amount that we are recycling.

frequently asked questions about paper and how it is recycled (Tip #4 : Staples do not have to be removed when recycling paper http://t.co/OuVWV1EG)

made from earth and 100% natural fibers, the stools and lamps require zero energy in production, are fully renewable and compostable.

made from earth and natural fibers, 'terra' by tel-aviv-based designer adital ela is a series of 100% organic products and furniture. 
the objects can be produced anywhere with local earth and agricultural residue, require zero energy, create no pollution and are 
fully renewable and compostable. the series is developed using a unique compression process that combines indigenous knowledge
and contemporary production methods. at the end of its lifecycle the objects can be either re-molded by the user or simply returned 
to earth. the grey objects for example, are made from left-over earth extracted from a significant archeological site in jerusalem - 
creating a unique and rare natural sense and scent to every room. 'terra' is being presented during milan design week 2013.

Members of the European Parliament and other leaders discussed successful regional zero waste practices and analyzed ways to achieve 50% recycling goal.

Currently in Europe, only 40% of waste is recycled, while 37% goes to landfill and 23% to incinerators. Despite a commitment to recycle 50% of municipal solid waste by 2020, recycling in Europe is not supported the way it should be, and financial incentives still go to promote incineration, directly undermining the EU waste hierarchy.

Pål Mårtensson, Coordinator of Zero Waste Sweden, explained the urgency of moving toward zero waste: “This is a very important and clear message, we have to take care of all the recyclable items we can. We can’t burn or landfill these resources, we have to be careful with all things we call waste, because most of it is not waste, it´s very valuable products that we can reuse and recycle in a modern and intelligent way—and we have to do so, we can´t wait, we have to do it now!”

A wave of new publicly-funded incinerators being built to burn rubbish could be mothballed before they are even turned on, amid claims there will not be enough waste to fuel them.

The UK already has 32 rubbish incinerators but plans for 100 new ones are in the planning stages with local authorities around the country. The rush to build the new plants is rooted in the idea that they can be a cheaper alternative to sending rubbish to landfill, while creating renewable energy at the same time.

But in building scores more incinerators, critics claim Britain is in danger of repeating mistakes made by the Netherlands and Germany, both of which have proved unable to find enough rubbish to fuel them. The Dutch rely on imported waste – some from the UK – to fuel their plants.

Efforts to decrease food waste have led the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to launch a campaign calling on ways to utilize and sell ugly fruits and vegetables.

Supermarkets often reject fruits and vegetables solely for cosmetic reasons, leading to excessive amounts of wasted food, according to Tristam Stuart, a food waste writer and campaigner. FoodNavigator reports Stuart saying, “The waste of perfectly edible ‘ugly’ vegetables is endemic in our food production systems and symbolises our negligence” But, he adds, “it is also a huge opportunity: By persuading supermarkets to change their standards, and by developing processing and other ways of marketing this produce, we can help to increase on-farm incomes and food availability where it is needed most.”

The UN estimates that at least one-third of the world’s food ends up wasted at some point along the supply chain. And particularly in the developed world, manufacturers and retailers that employ inefficient practices are largely to blame for the waste. As much as 250 pounds of food is waster per person per year throughout Europe and the U.S.