A new battery-sized portable generator than produces electricity from vibrations could take the place of normal batteries in gadgets. The device could replace the huge numbers of conventional batteries that are currently used in the modern world’s ever-expanding number of portable gadgets and which often end up polluting landfills. Many standard batteries are thrown out with the normal refuse and end up in landfill sites where they can leak toxic chemicals, causing great harm to the environment. The Vibration Energy Cell batteries recently displayed by a Japanese electronics company could radically reduce the practice of throwing away old batteries, thereby lowering ... Full Story

Non-profit organization Call2Recycle has launched a battery-recycling challenge for people in the United States. Call2Recycle is the only free programme in the USA that offers to collect and recycle batteries and mobile phones. Call2Recycle recently challenged Americans to join the MyCall2Recycle campaign and help the programme dig up and recycle a million pounds (454 tonnes) of batteries by 1 October. Consumers are being urged to comb through their homes for any old rechargeable batteries and mobile phones. Call2Recycle is asking people to check basements, garages, attics, closets and other storage space. Call2Recycle has a network of 30,000 locations where the public ... Full Story

A recently-completed anaerobic digestion (AD) plant will be ready to start injecting its first renewable gas into the national gas grid by the autumn. The Adnams Bio Energy plant, in Norfolk, was recently completed. A joint project by the Southwolds-based brewer, Adnams, and Bio Group, an renewable energy firm, will be the first plant in Britain producing renewable gas from organic waste for use in vehicles and for injection into the national grid. The plant will generate the gas from organic waste produced by the Adnams brewery, plus food waste from local sources like restaurants, hotels and retail operations. The waste ... Full Story

Tesco is running a trial of green fuel produced from the methane generated by landfills. The UK retailer is using the liquid biomethane in 25 light commercial vehicles handling delivery of products bought through its online shopping service. The fuel is being supplied by Gasrec, the first company in Europe to produce liquid biomethane. Tesco has done a deal with the firm to supply the clean fuel for 5.3-tonne light commercial vehicles in the delivery fleet for Tesco.com based at Tesco’s Greenford depot. Tesco has said that if the trial proves successful, it could expand its use of liquid biomethane vehicles. To ... Full Story

Thousands of old Apple phones are being recycled by gadget geeks eager to raise some cash for the new model. According to a study by mobile phone price comparison site Sell My Mobile, the iPhone 3G was recycled more than any other phone last month. People trading in the second generation phone are getting an average of £170 in cash back according to the results. For many customers, this money is being put straight towards the new iPhone 4 model. The 16GB and 8GB iPhone 3Gs, along with the third generation Apple phone the 16GB iPhone 3GS, topped the charts when it ... Full Story

After Bulgaria opened its first facility for electric appliances and equipment recycling on 28 June, it has become the largest and most high-tech plant of its kind for Eastern Europe. Located near Sofia in the town of Novi Iskar, the new WEEE processing plant will help create 150 new jobs. Utilising German technology, the plant will be able to complete the recycling process for all electronic equipment in one building. As the largest of its type in Europe, factory owners, Nadin Jsc, based in Bulgaria, have invested BGL 40 million in the building of the site. Outfitted with two conveyor lines, one ... Full Story

By 2012 current EU recycling laws requiring that a quarter of all batteries be recycled. According to Scott Butler from the European Recycling Platform (ERP), it will require everyone getting involved to achieve this goal. In a three minute film segment, the ERP has created an educational opportunity for teachers across the country to utilise when informing students of the importance of recycling. The video, a response to the 1 January 2010 European directive, follows 12-year old Ollie Osman as he use batteries in his toy car and then takes them to school to be recycled. The new European Directive states that ... Full Story

An European Parliament committee has begun to push for a steep rise in recycling and reuse of plastics within the EU by urging green collection schemes to handle more electrical waste during pickups. The move comes the parliament's environment committee makes amendments to the EU's waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) directive. According to the amendments, EU member states will be required to collect at a minimum 85 per cent of WEEE generated in their country in time for 2016 targets. The increase would be a large jump from the previous expectation of 65 per cent of WEEE collected by 2016. The ... Full Story

A new mobile recycling firm, ShP will partner with Middle Eastern retailer Emax in a multi-million pound agreement that will see Emax offer mobile phone recycling for the first time in the area. The consumer mobile phone recycling service will be offered at Emax electronic stores across the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Dubbed 'Cash for Mobiles', the service will allow customers to hand in redundant mobiles in exchange for cash. The collected phones will then be processed and recycled by ShP. Working mobiles will be refurbished and sent out to developing nations. Those that are not able ... Full Story

Dell has announced a partnership with Indian trade association MAIT in order to properly dispose of toxic electronic waste throughout India. India is one of the nations that have been flagged as having a mounting issue with WEEE, or e-waste.  IT companies, such as Dell, often see their products dumped in the developing nations either by contracted waste firms or by users who no longer want them. Dell has said it will look into exploring the issue, in order to prevent harmful build up of dangerous methane gases at landfills. Part of Dell's plans to do this may include investing in recycling ... Full Story

Leading UK IT recycling companies have begun calling for industry standards across the board as it is revealed that the industry is still full of corruption. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive was passed into law in 2007, but has yet to be properly publicised, enforced or policed said channel players. Chris Sutton, Remploy e-cycle's general sales manager, said that a large majority of public sector bodies and businesses still fail to properly screen recycling services firms before contracting to them. Mr Sutton also urged for firms to focus on the importance of properly destroying data. According to Mr Sutton ... Full Story

As millions of Britons continue to hold on to old electronics, charity foundations are appealing to them for their used and unwanted electrical items. According to a new report, old CD players, kettles, toasters, radios, and other electronics could be used for much better purposes, if the millions hoarding them turned them in to be recycled. Now that plastic bottles, newspapers, and beverage cans are regularly recycled, local authorities have moved on to the growing amount of redundant electronics that are accumulating in households each year. WRAP said this weekend, that electrical goods mark the final frontier in British recycling efforts. Only ... Full Story