A trash compactor rolls over an active dump site at Pioneer Crossing Landfill in Birdsboro, Pa.
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Apartments have lower waste recycling rates than houses, which means the growing numbers of apartment dwellers could add to Australia’s waste management crisis. But there are solutions to the problem.
Hannah Blumhardt, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
New Zealand plans to shift to a circular economy but planning is split between agencies, is inconsistent and and contradictory, and it perpetuates a business-as-usual approach.
Life-cycle assessments of food packaging often omit the impact and possible toxicity of plastics leaking into the environment. Excluding these factors gives plastics an unjustified advantage.
In many cases, it just seems easier and cheaper to replace than repair broken devices. But it needn’t be that way.
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Right to Repair laws make it easier for consumers, repairers and tinkerers to fix their broken goods. It’s an attractive alternative to the dangers of overflowing e-waste.
A new grocery delivery service offers a new way to think about low-waste shopping.
RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/AAP
Australia’s recycling woes belong to everyone, from households to government to business. It’s time to stop pointing fingers and get to work on a solution.
Indonesia is not the only country to turn back contaminated waste.
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Every year the US burns more than 34 million tons of garbage in incinerators. These plants are major pollution sources, and most are clustered in disadvantaged communities.
Recycling is a messy system at the moment. Here’s how we can clean up our act.
Single-use biodegradable plastics include claims that they break down quickly into benign end products, but the reality is more complex.
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New types of biodegradable or compostable plastic products seem to offer an alternative to conventional plastics. But they may be no better for the environment.
The amount of landfill in Australia is expected to rise since China is no longer buying our recycling waste. But there are easy solutions to this big problem.
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Millions of tonnes of plastic garbage winds up in our oceans each year. Voluntary pledges haven’t worked. It’s time for Canada to advocate for an international plastics treaty.
A model wears one of the author’s original zero waste designs.
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The scale of fast fashion is so massive it can easily eclipse sustainability initiatives. We need investment in new technologies to revolutionise the industry.
Soft Landing recycles the materials of mattresses that otherwise get dumped in landfill.
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City dwellers are individually starting to do their bit to live sustainably. Now pioneering businesses are aiming to make ecological and social sustainability part of their bottom line.