Nearly all of Ireland’s third level colleges are now litter-free and a model for other public places to follow, according to a litter survey by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL). Launching its 2012 litter league, IBAL says those in charge of keeping clean public amenities like hospitals, train stations and shopping centres should look to … Read more
Following the Silver award received by The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt in 2010, a Gold Standard recognition was this year awarded to the hotel by the Green Hospitality Awards on account of the improvements made by the hotel and the Environmental Action Plan focusing on energy, waste and water management. Environmental upgrades at the hotel include increasing … Read more
Galway-based greentech company, Cellulac, has been approved for a record €2.8 million grant from the European Commission to commercialise its biorefining technology that converts agricultural waste into lactic acid. Cellulac is a high-potential start up client of Enterprise Ireland which supported the company in its bid for this significant grant. Lactic acid is used in … Read more
Top performing EU Member States have recycling rates of up to 70 % and bury virtually nothing, whilst others still landfill more than three-quarters of their waste. A new report from the European Commission explains that by combining economic instruments the best performers have turned waste from a problem into a resource. A mix of landfilling … Read more
University of Leicester students are set to try their hand at genetic engineering – and hope to create a new organism which could rid us of decades of plastic rubbish. Second-year Biological Sciences undergraduates are taking part in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition this summer, and aim to construct a biological machine that … Read more
People in Wales recycled 49% of their waste between October and December 2011. This is a record increase of 6% against the same three months in 2010. The latest report published by the Welsh Government on local authority municipal waste management shows that for the second successive quarter people have recycled almost half (49%) of … Read more
The Government has announced the provision of Eur2.15 million in grants to local authorities – Eur900,000 under the Anti-Litter & Anti-Graffiti Awareness Grant Scheme, for public education and awareness initiatives in relation to both litter and graffiti, Eur750,000 for a new Litter Enforcement Scheme, and a further Eur500,000 under the Tourist Season Anti-Litter Grant Scheme. … Read more
Scientists and food industry experts in the UK are hatching a plan to turn egg shells into plastics that could be used to manufacture anything from food packaging to construction materials. They also hope to extract material from egg shells that may prove valuable in the pharmaceutical industry. The Food and Drink iNet is funding … Read more
In the EU27, 502 kg of municipal waste was generated per person in 2010, while 486 kg of municipal waste was treated per person. This municipal waste was treated in different ways – 38% was landfilled, 22% incinerated, 25% recycled and 15% composted. The amount of municipal waste generated varies significantly across Member States. Cyprus, … Read more
Repak Ireland has welcomed the findings on packaging recycling contained in ‘Environmental Indicators Ireland 2012’, the report just published by the CSO, which highlights Ireland’s ever improving approach to the recycling of packaging. It is part of a detailed piece of research, by the CSO, based around environmental data. Dr Andrew Hetherington, chief executive of … Read more