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.
Researchers have uncovered new insights into how phosphorus from recycled materials moves through soil—offering guidance to support more sustainable fertilizer use. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth, yet ...
Biotechnology
Jun 10, 2026
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6
Following the devastating Northern Rivers floods in New South Wales in 2022, roughly 14,000 truckloads of water-damaged materials were sent to landfill.
Environment
Jun 10, 2026
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60
Water pollution caused by pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other organic contaminants is an increasing global issue, especially in regions with limited wastewater treatment infrastructure. A new doctoral thesis from Umea University ...
Biotechnology
Jun 8, 2026
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14
A common explanation for why waste management sometimes fails is that carelessness breeds more carelessness. Now, research from the University of Gothenburg shows that dirty waste disposal rooms can evoke feelings of disgust ...
Environment
Jun 7, 2026
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15
The quality of recycled plastic tends to be higher when the waste is pre-sorted by households compared with plastics recovered from mixed waste at a recycling facility in the Netherlands, research in Nature suggests. While ...
Environment
Jun 4, 2026
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7
Picture a pile of trash the size of Manhattan and taller than one and a half Empire State Buildings. That's how much plastic waste the world is predicted to be generating every year by 2050 if nothing is done to change course.
Environment
Jun 3, 2026
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59
Nearly a billion pounds of plastic film mulch is used in American agriculture each year, and most of it is dumped into landfills. New research from Washington State University shows that recycling could be a feasible alternative, ...
Environment
Jun 1, 2026
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59
Ahead of World No Tobacco Day May 31, the American Thoracic Society and our Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) partners reiterate the need for countries to urgently implement decisions made at the 11th Conference ...
Environment
Jun 1, 2026
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9
If health care were a country, it would be the fifth largest carbon emitter on the planet—between the European Union and the Russian Federation, with CO2 emissions in the sector higher than all of aviation and shipping combined.
Environment
May 21, 2026
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8
By combining demand-driven life cycle assessment with a multi-objective optimization framework, researchers identified potential optimal solutions for reusable bubble tea packaging systems under actual market demand conditions. ...
Environment
May 20, 2026
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