The world's second biggest exporter of clothes, Bangladesh is looking to technology to gain control of the fashion industry's other major product: textile waste. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/05/asia-pacific/bangladesh-textiles-tech-waste/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #bangladesh #textiles #waste #tech #recycling
Alan Zimmerman
boosted
Earthship Brighton and the Low Carbon Trust
"Earthships are cutting edge 'green' buildings, constructed using waste car tyres and other recycled materials. They use the planets natural systems to provide all utilities - using the sun's energy and rain to provide heat, power and water."
https://www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton/earthships
#SolarPunkSunday#EarthShips#ReUse#GreenBuilding#Recycling#SolarPower#Architecture#Design#GreenBuilding#Sustainability#SustainableLiving#Brighton #BrightonAndHove#Sussex
Earthship Brighton and the Low Carbon Trust
"Earthships are cutting edge 'green' buildings, constructed using waste car tyres and other recycled materials. They use the planets natural systems to provide all utilities - using the sun's energy and rain to provide heat, power and water."
https://www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton/earthships
#SolarPunkSunday#EarthShips#ReUse#GreenBuilding#Recycling#SolarPower#Architecture#Design#GreenBuilding#Sustainability#SustainableLiving#Brighton #BrightonAndHove#Sussex
The government of South Australia has banned the use of fish-shaped small soy sauce containers, commonly provided with takeaway sushi and bento boxed meals, as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/03/japan/australian-state-bans-plastic-soy-sauce-bottles/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #australia #plastic #shoyu #recycling #environment #restaurants
Bjørnar (he/him)
boosted
Turns out the USA already mines all the critical minerals it needs (like cobalt, lithium, rare earths) - we just throw them out instead of using them.
Not surprised. I worked with an industrial chemist who was an efficiency expert - he was convinced that the USA's infrastructure was built on the principle of "Energy is free, resources are free, just make stuff whatever way is easiest." He saw so many processes which used NatGas to heat a vat, then cooled the contents using chillers, then NatGas again to heat, etc. He cut the cost of production significantly by transferring heat between vats using heat exchangers, increased cooling efficiency through piping changes - well known methods that the original designers just couldn't be bothered to do, because energy is free, right?
I also knew a pharmaceutical VP who told of getting a request for a particular chemical used in manufacturing. He contacted headquarters in Switzerland, they got back with a good price, he made the sale. When he next visited the main office, they showed him the "production" facility - the chemical was a byproduct of a process they were already doing, and rather than throw it out, they'd been packing it away in vacuum sealed boxes in unused rooms of the building for decades because it would be wasteful to throw it away. As it happened, that "waste product" became a sizeable revenue stream for the company - any US firm would have just trashed it.
Turns out the USA already mines all the critical minerals it needs (like cobalt, lithium, rare earths) - we just throw them out instead of using them.
Not surprised. I worked with an industrial chemist who was an efficiency expert - he was convinced that the USA's infrastructure was built on the principle of "Energy is free, resources are free, just make stuff whatever way is easiest." He saw so many processes which used NatGas to heat a vat, then cooled the contents using chillers, then NatGas again to heat, etc. He cut the cost of production significantly by transferring heat between vats using heat exchangers, increased cooling efficiency through piping changes - well known methods that the original designers just couldn't be bothered to do, because energy is free, right?
I also knew a pharmaceutical VP who told of getting a request for a particular chemical used in manufacturing. He contacted headquarters in Switzerland, they got back with a good price, he made the sale. When he next visited the main office, they showed him the "production" facility - the chemical was a byproduct of a process they were already doing, and rather than throw it out, they'd been packing it away in vacuum sealed boxes in unused rooms of the building for decades because it would be wasteful to throw it away. As it happened, that "waste product" became a sizeable revenue stream for the company - any US firm would have just trashed it.
Japan is pacing efforts to find new sources of critical minerals and leading the surge in urban mining. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/21/japan/science-health/urban-mining-critical-minerals/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #rareearth #mining #waste #recycling #minerals #metals #environmentministry #internationalenergyagency #nationalinstituteformaterialsscience #japan #china
Ah, so that's where the old clothes go we put in the textile recycling bin.
The ones that some company promises get "reused" or "recycled". I guess burning them on another continent counts as one of those.
Been wondering what the truth is behind the corporate copywriting.
https://www.greenmemag.com/environment/why-ghana-has-become-a-dumping-ground-for-fast-fashion-waste/
Its very small but a good proof of concept:
Talks aimed at striking a landmark global treaty on plastic pollution fell apart Friday, in a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/15/sustainability/plastic-waste-talks-collapse/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #waste #pollution #un #recycling
The Japanese government is considering requiring handheld fans to be recycled, in the wake of a host of fires caused by rechargeable electric devices during disposal work. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/13/japan/recycling-handheld-fans/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #recycling #waste #meti #batteries
Talks on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were stumbling Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on how far the proposed agreement should go. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/10/sustainability/plastic-talks-failing/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #pollution #waste #recycling #un
Talks at the United Nations on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution have made insufficient progress, the negotiations chair warned Saturday in a frank midway assessment. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/09/sustainability/platic-negotiations-not-sufficient/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #recycling #pollution #un
Anke
and 1 other
boosted
In my continued quest to make recycled deck boxes... I've got this new one! Made it following a tutorial by a lovely man who spoke only German.
Unfortunately, this one is just a little bit too small to properly fit a commander deck. Not the fault of my poor German skills though! I just added in extra panels to glue it more solidly instead of just using tape like he did and forgot to include that in the measurements.
I'll be changing the glue flaps for the next build and adding a few centimeters for safety, but I think I got this one down. For now, this can house a bunch of six sided dice I thrifted the other day (retired casino dice, so extra nice).
A picture showing the same box from the side showing it nicely closed.
A picture of a deck box made out of a generic rice krispie cereal box. It's shown with its lid open so you can see slightly inside.
In my continued quest to make recycled deck boxes... I've got this new one! Made it following a tutorial by a lovely man who spoke only German.
Unfortunately, this one is just a little bit too small to properly fit a commander deck. Not the fault of my poor German skills though! I just added in extra panels to glue it more solidly instead of just using tape like he did and forgot to include that in the measurements.
I'll be changing the glue flaps for the next build and adding a few centimeters for safety, but I think I got this one down. For now, this can house a bunch of six sided dice I thrifted the other day (retired casino dice, so extra nice).
A picture showing the same box from the side showing it nicely closed.
A picture of a deck box made out of a generic rice krispie cereal box. It's shown with its lid open so you can see slightly inside.
Guess what % of plastics have been #recycled? No prizes :(
@infobeautiful thanks for sharing! I see again the infamous 1% :(
In this case #greenwashing #plastics through the concept of #recycling to keep the profits for the #top1pct is one
.
Only a meager 16% of recycled plastic is actually reused. Only 1.4% of used once plastic is reused
Of course I will keep recycling plastic and we all should but the difference can only be made by reducing / eliminating the use of plastic, especially single use plastics. (Hard to do but trying)
Negotiators will take another stab at reaching a global pact on plastic pollution at talks opening Tuesday in Geneva but they face deep divisions over how to tackle the health and ecological hazard. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/08/02/sustainability/plastic-waste-treaty-talks/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #waste #recycling #pfas
Zhejiang's innovative recycling model.