Q: Why can’t plastics of all types, instead of being initially sorted, simply be melted together to be separated later? It must be a monumental and error-prone task to separate truckloads of plastics. The reason plastics aren’t typically melted together and then separated later is a matter of both physics and economics. When any of [...]
Since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 there has been a steady increase in efforts world-wide to move the global human society towards environmental, social and economic sustainability. The growing evidence of rapid climate change has helped gather momentum. However, pulling strongly in the opposite direction is the relentless growth of consumerism, fuelled by [...]
I just came across this company called ReBinder that makes binders, CD Sleeves, notebooks, labels, folders, and tabbed dividers out of recycled paper. But I think the coolest thing they have is a recycled paper business card made of 100% recycled paper in a natural brown cardstock. All you have to do is download their [...]
While some people may already be buying the new “tubeless” toilet paper, most of us continue to buy the kind with the cardboard tubes in the middle. (And really, that tubeless kind called Scotts Naturals is only 40% recycled paper, so please don’t buy it. Buy 100% recycled content toilet paper instead.) But at the [...]
With both winter and the holiday season upon us, I would imagine there are a ton of people burning candles in their homes right now. While I 100% recommend you only burn eco-friendly candles to keep those toxic fumes away from you and your loved ones, at some point your candles are going to burn [...]
Dear EarthTalk: Given the environmental and economic benefits, why doesn’t the U.S. have a federal law mandating recycling nationwide? The U.S. government has historically relied on state and local governments to handle waste management in all of its forms, including recycling. Although there have been a few attempts to push legislation through Congress to mandate [...]
This has all the makings of a story straight out of The Onion but sadly it’s for real. Seattle, Washington recently passed an ordinance that allowed residents to “opt-out” of receiving the Yellow Pages at their homes, something I wish would happen in every city and state in the country. Dex Media West, SuperMedia LLC [...]
