Waste
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Inventors
These plastics were ‘unrecyclable’. An Australian invention is changing that
Groundbreaking technology developed by University of NSW researchers transforms hard plastics from old office equipment into 3D printer feedstock.
- by Andrew Taylor
Latest
Australian invention turns trash into treasure
New technology designed by University of NSW researchers is turning hard plastics that would otherwise be destined for landfill into feedstock for 3D printers.
‘Read the room’: Ag Society urged to scrap second Shein Perth pop-up as petition gains momentum
Pressure is mounting for global fast fashion brand Shein’s Perth pop-up to be scrapped for a second time, with a petition calling on the host to reconsider its approval over environmental concerns.
- by Jesinta Burton
City of Melbourne sells rubbish services for $110 million to Cleanaway
Lord Mayor Sally Capp, in her final week in the role, said the ASX-listed Cleanaway would also redevelop the city’s waste-transfer facility in North Melbourne.
- by Cara Waters
The push to revive soft plastic recycling in Australia is quietly under way
Two years after REDCycle’s collapse, a pilot program is operating in 12 supermarkets – but one recycling executive says the big chains need to own their waste.
- by Adam Carey
‘A lucrative business’: Why 730 tonnes of tyres have been seized in Australia in the past year
Illegal exports of Australia’s waste, including tyres, are in high demand by international manufacturers, to create fuel oil for further plastics manufacturing.
- by Amber Schultz
Exclusive
Courts
‘It’s shameful’: Judge demands companies front court in WA waste-to-energy plant ‘lock out’ row
A Federal Court judge has lashed the companies embroiled in a long-running stoush over East Rockingham’s trouble-plagued waste-to-energy plant, claiming they are wasting the court’s resources.
- by Jesinta Burton
Exclusive
Recycling
Cycling’s dirty secret: 300,000 bikes a year dumped in landfill
The frenzy of bicycle purchases during the early COVID-19 pandemic is about to make the problem even worse. But one Sydney group has rescued almost 11,000 bikes from landfill.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
The everyday mistake sparking more than 1000 fires a year
Batteries being thrown in the bin are a growing threat to safety, bursting into flames as they degrade. Would people recycle them properly if they were paid?
- by Mike Foley
More than 170 countries want to reduce plastic globally. A handful are stalling
Australia is attempting to help a global push to end plastic pollution before it outweighs the biomass of the world’s fish by the year 2050. But other countries have different ambitions.
- by Mike Foley
Cocaine, porn, plastic bottles: What’s left behind on Sydney’s beaches
Roland Davies spent his life savings trying to clean up Sydney’s beaches with free coffees and a fire truck called Trish.
- by Andrew Taylor