Recycling, as a topic, encompasses the collection, separation, processing, and reintroduction of post-consumer or post-industrial materials into manufacturing cycles to displace primary raw resources. Scientifically, it involves material-specific pathways such as mechanical and chemical recycling for polymers, re-smelting and refining for metals, and deinking and pulping for paper fibers. Research addresses process efficiency, contamination control, life cycle assessment (LCA), and system-level optimization of material flows within circular economy frameworks. Key metrics include recovery rates, material quality retention, embodied energy, and net environmental impact relative to landfilling, incineration, or virgin-material production.
Keeping food waste out of landfills provides climate and other environmental benefits, and Vermont requires residents to divert these materials to better management pathways. With other states considering similar policies, ...
Environment
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Mandatory curbside collection of soft plastic (chip bags, bread bags, plastic wrap) has just been pushed back from 2027 to 2030.
Environment
15 hours ago
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Who should pay when a product becomes waste—the company that made it or the public? That question sits at the center of extended producer responsibility (EPR), a policy strategy that shifts recycling costs onto manufacturers ...
Environment
22 hours ago
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A new study by Caroline Ganglo and Stefan Karlowsky from the Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences (IGZ) investigated whether human excreta-derived fertilizers are suitable for replacing mineral fertilizer in kohlrabi ...
Agriculture
Jul 15, 2026
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As the adoption of electric vehicles continues to grow, so does the need for the safe and permanent storage of battery materials and industrial chemical waste. Certain waste streams require disposal in what are known as Category ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 11, 2026
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A new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that the transition toward a circular plastics economy is hindered by systemic interdependencies and internal contradictions within ecosystems.
Environment
Jul 3, 2026
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Newcastle University researchers have demonstrated that plastic bottles attached to fishing nets can help dolphins detect and avoid being caught and killed in the deadly gear.
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2026
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The global push for a transition to green energy has sparked demand for critical minerals such as lithium, vanadium, copper and cobalt. These are needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Sub-Saharan Africa ...
Environment
Jun 29, 2026
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In the future, microorganisms could help return hard-to-recycle plastics to the recycling loop. Nick Wierckx, a molecular biologist at Jülich, explains the opportunities offered by biological recycling processes and the challenges ...
Biotechnology
Jun 19, 2026
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41
An RMIT University innovation uses ultrasound to extract leaf protein from discarded cauliflower leaves, identifying a potential new use for vegetable scraps. The process could help food manufacturers turn vegetable waste ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 16, 2026
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