Despite a report that states the sightings of vermin in AWC areas have increased by as much as 23% since 2005, Waste minister Joan Ruddock has dismissed claims that fortnightly waste collections are linked to vermin. The Esure Home Insurance study, published July 3, claims that since the fortnightly collections scheme was introduced, residents have seen a 23% increase in squirrels, a 17% increase in mice, a 39% increase in wasps, and a 12% increase in rats. In what seemed to be an obvious correlation, many of the 1,000 people surveyed blamed the collections scheme and 52% said they were "angered by ... Full Story

People tend to know a lot about specific areas of recycling but may not think about exploring alternative methods of going green. Here are 5 questions posed by the EPA and Compost.org: 1. What is the impact of composting? Composting, the process of converting organic materials into soil, is a simple way to reduce garbage by one-third and preserve living organisms. Did you know tea bags, coffee grounds and corn husks can be composted? 2. Can print cartridges be recycled? Yes. In fact, many manufacturers offer print cartridge recycling free of charge. For example, HP offers free recycling for its ink and toner cartridges ... Full Story

Dell and Goodwill have been working together on recycling computers for quite some time. In fact, it was in 2004 that Goodwill Industries of Central Texas, Dell, and the City of Austin introduced the Austin Computer Recycling Project (ACRP). At the time the pilot program was "the first comprehensive computer recovery, reuse and recycling opportunity with kerbside collection" for Austin residents. Today, the program is so successful that the Austin Goodwill store has been receiving computers from residents throughout the city as well as 15 surrounding counties. Austin Goodwill's Christine Banks reported that the Austin Goodwill has been receiving a staggering ... Full Story

ermit the Frog always sang, "It's not easy being green," but some manufacturing companies in Augusta, Georgia firmly disagree. Cleaning products supplier Kamo Manufacturing Company, Inc. plans to open a retail store that will focus on selling green-certified products. Management at the Augusta Marriott Hotel & Suites have uncovered substantial savings by switching to 100% recycled bath and facial tissue. Cartridge World's Robert Amos has spared 50,000 used printer cartridges from ending up in area landfills while making money in the process. A standard toner cartridge takes up to 400 years to disintegrate in a landfill. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Dale Kemery said ... Full Story

Mobile phone recycling seems to be on the minds of everyone, especially charitable organisations. No matter where in the world you may be, recycling mobile phones is an incredibly simple way for charities to raise much needed funds. This has been proven time and again by many organisations, including The Canadian Association of Food Banks. The Association of Food Banks started the highly successful "Phones for Food" campaign in 2004 and has managed to raise over $250,000 in just four years. "It is such an easy thing for individuals or families to do and it's very tangible," says CAFB Executive Director ... Full Story

Students from five Boston, Massachusetts area high schools have taken on the responsibility of sorting recyclables at the Wentworth Institute of Technology's recycling center. The center recycles plastic, paper, cans, and bottles, all of which must be sorted before being sent out. The students are member of the STRIVE Citicycle Program, which hires and trains high school students with disabilities. Every morning, the students arrive at WIT, where they work to collect recycle bins from 900 dorm rooms and 480 offices. These services provide a great number of benefits, from helping the environment to teaching the kids important life skills ... Full Story

E-waste plagues practically every country in the known world. There are some locales that are making decent headway in the battle to keep old CPUs out of the trash and among them are Romania and Turkey. Scientists in Romania and Turkey have succeeded in solving one of the world's most perplexing environmental dilemmas - what to do with discarded circuit boards. Discarded circuit boards and other computer waste contain high levels of toxic chemicals including lead, mercury, antimony trioxide, arsenic, polybrominated flame redundant, cadmium, selenium, chromium, and cobalt. Statistics show that by 2010 approximately 100,000 mobile phones and 300,000 PCs ... Full Story

Many of us can't wait to get our hands on the latest and fanciest mobile phone on the market. After all, mobile phones are the way to stay in touch and everyone likes to look good while using one. When the time comes to replace your old handset, you should be asking yourself, "Where do old mobile phones go to die?" Unfortunately, the answer is usually, "a landfill". Concerned about the astounding rate in which people are overturning their mobile phones and e-gadgets, the United Nations has chosen gadget-obsessed mobile phone users to be the keynote topic at the five-day conference ... Full Story

Heidelberg, the world leader in printing presses and digital technology, recently used the stage at drupa 2008 to announce that it is expanding its Saphira range of consumables. Based in Germany, drupa 2008 is the world's largest printing and graphic arts exhibition in the world. While at drupa 2008, Heidelberg will also launch an extended system solution for its InkLine automated ink supply system, which will now be known as InkStar. InkStar cartridges manufactured from recycled materials, which corresponds well with Heidelberg's two-stage cutting and shredding system, which will appear at drupa, can dispose of empty cartridges while reducing waste ... Full Story

On June 11, The Order to create the Waste and Recycling Board was laid before Parliament and is set to appear for approval before a General Committee in the House of Commons on July 2 and a Grand Committee in the House of Lords on July 8. The long term goal is for the Board to allocate the £84 million over three years to waste projects in the capital, to help London reach its aim of managing 85% of the waste it creates by 2020. If approved, the Order will create the London Waste and Recycling Board, a body responsible for providing ... Full Story

Renewable Energy Strategy, a consultation organisation launched by John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, has announced a proposal designed to restrict the amount of organic waste that typically goes into a landfill. The proposal also intends to maximise its use as a renewable fuel. The plan outlines a scheme to enable the UK to meet its projected 15% renewable energy target by 2020. If the programme goes as planned nearly one third of electricity will be generated from renewable items. As many eco conscious people know, renewable energy is a key element in a carbon neutral ... Full Story

Composters are finding themselves stuck in the middle between the high demand for fertiliser and the rapidly rising cost of petrol. This is both good and bad news for the composters. High demand means that their businesses are booming, yet the petrol prices are causing the cost for the compost to go up and in some cases, be a bit scarce. Last year, over 50% of all the compost manufactured from "source-segregated waste" was utilised by the agricultural marketplace. Earlier this week, industry members stated that the composting market was "buoyant" due to a booming interest from the farming sector and steadily ... Full Story