The European parliament has voted to ban single-use plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws and stirrers as part of a sweeping law against plastic waste that despoils beaches and pollutes oceans.
Source: www.edie.net
Key regions of Scotland, including Aberdeenshire, Tayside, Edinburgh and Glasgow could unlock up to £1bn through circular economy practices and principles, the report claimed. Aberdeenshire, for example, could generate more than £620m by overhauling waste management processes across key sectors, while Edinburgh-based breweries and distilleries could reap new benefits through reuse processes. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “These reports show the exciting potential of a circular economy where reducing waste and investing in keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible can release an estimated £1bn of economic opportunities for Tayside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. This demonstrates the overall scale of the opportunity for Scotland. “Scotland is already leading the way with its ambitious and challenging targets for recycling which are above and beyond the EU targets. However, we want the narrative to move beyond recycling to re-use, repair and remanufacturing of items. In this light, we are currently considering next steps for introducing a deposit return scheme which will help us achieve our ambitions.”
Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan was launched in 2010 and sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for a “zero-waste society”. It includes goals to achieve a 70% recycling rate for all waste, with a maximum of 5% sent to landfill by 2025. The report notes that the numerous breweries and distilleries in Edinburgh could add £1.2m to the economy each year by sending spent grain to be used for animal feed, anaerobic digestion and energy generation. In related news, Sturgeon has also unveiled the latest projects to receive support through the nation’s Circular Economy Investment Fund. More than £700,000 will be shared across three projects which aim to reuse household appliances in house clearances in Glasgow, recycle coffee grounds into bio-oils and deploy 3D metal printing technology.
Read the full article at: www.edie.net
Besides providing reliable water resources for agricultural production, rural development efforts in Myanmar should target rural water security in terms of safe water supply and sanitation, and by mitigating water-related hazards. However, very few studies are available over the status of water-related development in rural areas of the country, and consequently on suitable practical solutions. The present paper describes a participatory workshop undertaken involving 45 rural development officers of the Department of Rural Development (DRD) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI), aimed at identifying suitable sustainable land and water management (SLWM) practices to be developed in rural areas of the country. Adoption of water safety plans (WSP), water harvesting, and soil and water bioengineering were strongly supported, while the need of improving water sanitation, especially in the poorest areas, was made evident. Insights of the participatory process confirmed that the poorest regions of Myanmar have also the worst water management structures. The results of the present work can represent a baseline information and a needs assessment for future development projects in the country. However, there is a strong need of more studies and reports targeting marginalized rural contexts of Myanmar, to support an equitable development.
From the smallest of deeds, like recovering surplus food to give to people in need (and keeping the food out of the waste stream), to large renewable energy projects, UC Davis’ efforts in sustainability have the nation and world taking notice — again.
Veolia Water Technologies, a subsidiary of the Veolia group and leading specialist in water treatment, announces the Asia Pacific launch of the Barrel™, an integrated plug-and-play reverse osmosis (RO) technology. The Barrel will be showcased at the upcoming CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (18-21 April) and OzWater 2022 trade exhibition in Brisbane, Australia (10-12 May). With increasing demand for fresh water and rising concerns over scarcity in the region, the Barrel meets the challenges and expectations of the desalination market while producing fresh water complying with all water quality standards. It is also suitable for wastewater reuse and low pressure RO applications. The Barrel will empower users with an economically viable and sustainable source of fresh water.
The Spanish hotel chain is replacing single-use plastics with biodegradable or reusable materials.
The European Plastics Pact has become the first regional industry group to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastics Pact network.