Plastics recycling firm Closed Loop Recycling is planning to open a series of plants across Britain. The company, which produces food-grade rHDPE and rPET, has hired UBS bank to help raise £30 million in financing for its plans. Closed Loop Recycling already has a plant in Dagenham, Essex, which has been operating since 2008 and has been very successful. The company is now intent on building a second plant on Deeside. The Dagenham plant already produces 35,000 tonnes of plastic bottles from consumer waste every year. The new plant will bring total annual production capacity up to 85,000 tonnes. The combined ... Full Story

Northern Ireland continues to fall behind other parts of the United Kingdom in recycling. Figures just released show households in Northern Ireland were recycling less than a third of their waste in the first quarter of 2010. By contrast, homes in England were already recycling at the rate of 34 per cent by 2007/2008. Northern Ireland’s domestic recycling rate in the first three months of this year was up by just 0.2 per cent over the same period in 2009. Meanwhile, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is forecasting England’s recycling rate will hit 40 per cent by the ... Full Story

The future of the London Olympics could be at stake with the discovery of radioactive waste under the Olympic park site. Trace amounts of radium and thorium were found buried under the main stadium, but the Olympic Delivery Authority is adamant that there is no risk to attendees or participants during the Games. Experts, however, are saying that the site will need to be reassessed after 2012, prior to any further developments of the location. John Large, an independent nuclear analyst, said that there is a little doubt that radiological risk analysis will have applicability and validity for future uses, such as ... Full Story

Scientists are saying that Sperm whale faeces can be used to absorb excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Research conducted in Australia on the Southern Ocean Sperm whales has shown that the large ocean mammals produce up to 50 tonnes of iron per year. According to the scientists, this production stimulates growth spurts in tiny marine plants that can absorb CO2 during the photosynthesis process. These phytoplankton, when in contact with sperm whale populations, can absorb up to 400,000 tonnes of carbon from the air. The rough equivalent of twice as much as whales produce by breathing. The study concludes in the ... Full Story

A consortium of academic, governmental, and industry organisations emerged to help bring the conversion of carbon dioxide waste into diesel fuel via concentrated solar energy into reality. The alliance, which aims to promote and commercial technologies that will move the process along, includes Renewable Energy Institute International (REII), Pacific Renewable Fuels, Quanta Services, Clean Energy Systems, Desert Research Institute, and Sandia National Laboratories. Commercial partners have also joined to further technology in existing commercial plants. At present, overall carbon dioxide emissions in the US have risen 17 per cent from levels in 1990. If left to grow further, analysts predict it will ... Full Story

According to research scientists in China cigarette butts may have a more useful purpose than previously thought. Published in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, a science journal, the study highlights ways that cigarette butt recycling could potentially be financially viable. Experts say that by immersing discarded cigarette ends into water as many as nine different chemicals, including nicotine, can be removed and salvaged. Litter from cigarette butts is a universal phenomenon. Anywhere in the world that one goes, they can find them. On pavements, beaches, natural trails, and sidewalks, cigarette trash is one of the most prolific forms of kerbside rubbish. Roughly 4.5 ... Full Story

Corus steelworks in Port Talbot announced the completion of a massive £60 million investment aimed at helping the firm reduce its carbon footprint. The plant was previously the biggest carbon dioxide emitter in Wales, employing 5,000 people and producing 7m tonnes in emissions. Now, the new owners Tata Steel will recover by-product gas recycling it into fuel. By doing so, the company has estimated CO2 cuts of 240,000 tonnes each year. Additionally, the move will reduce dust particle emissions by 40 tonnes each year. Currently the steelworks requires 140MW of energy, but only half of that is internally generated. In addition the ... Full Story

Britvic had announced recently that its spring water brand ‘drench’ will soon be Britain’s first drinking water to use recycled plastic material. With its bottle made from a plastic called recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET), consumers will be able to enjoy drinking drench without even worrying about the environment. The new packaging of drench will be produced as part of a trial that will include a million of 500ml bottles that contain 10 per cent rPET. The plastic material will be sourced from Closed Loop Recycling, the world’s first PET and HDPE recycling plant based in London, in conjunction with Britvic’s bottle ... Full Story

Starting on Monday businesses and battery manufacturers are looking at a range of new laws which aim to increase the battery recycling rates in the United Kingdom.  The government decided to put the responsibility for recycling batteries on the shoulders of those who produce them.  Currently the United Kingdom only recycled about three percent of its batteries which means that most of them end up in landfills.  Not only does this take up a huge amount of space in landfills, but batteries can leak harmful chemicals which can then contaminate water supplies.  A recent study aimed to find out exactly ... Full Story

Over the last year the European Union has gotten serious about setting regulations for its member nations when it comes to recycling and waste management.   The EU laid out its directives which included lowering the amount of waste sent to landfills and increasing recycling rates.  This set things in motion as some countries, specifically the United Kingdom, were well behind where they needed to be in terms of recycling and were still sending far too much rubbish to landfills.  As the new year comes in there are going to be even more laws concerning recycling, as the EU responds to ... Full Story

Although most people in the United Kingdom have done better at recycling household waste there are still some areas in which people are falling behind.  One of these areas is battery recycling, in which the United Kingdom ranks near the bottom of the European Union.  Battery recycling is important for many reasons but mostly because batteries contain corrosive chemicals which eventually leak out of the battery casing.  These chemicals leech into soil and eventually end up in drinking water where they can poison the supply and pose a range of health issues to human beings.  The European Recycling Platform is ... Full Story

When people think of recycling they usually think about paper, plastic, and aluminum, but one of the biggest threats to the environment may be in your hand right now.  Batteries are piling into landfills by the ton which creates many unique environmental threats.  Some are unsure how to recycle batteries while others didn't know it was possible or simply don't care.  Either way millions of tons of batteries are getting dumped into the landfills around the world.  Local councils around the United Kingdom are stepping up their efforts to increase battery recycling and awareness. Most people wouldn't think that a few ... Full Story