Archive for the 'Waste' Category
Beaches receive microplastic from machine washing synthetic fabrics
January 29th, 2012 by University College Dublin
Microplastic, polyester and acrylic particles of less than one millimetre in size, released from synthetic fabrics during machine washing, is contaminating the world’s shorelines.
Microplastics released from synthetic fabrics during the wash cycle enter the wastewater stream and contaminate beaches (click image to expand - ©RLLord)
According to a study led by Dr Mark Anthony Browne now with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara, California, over 1,900 fibres can wash off a single piece of clothing during a machine wash cycle and end up on the shoreline. Continue reading
Many pharmaceutical products survive sewage treatment intact
January 22nd, 2012 by Umea University
High levels of the anti-inflammatory substance diclofenac are released from wastewater plants, according to a study from IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Umeå University that was commissioned by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
“This is a wake-up call that this substance and several other pharmaceuticals are so difficult to break down,” said Jan Christiansson, the officer in charge at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Continue reading
Waste management and recycling can make a big contribution to economic growth and job creation
January 15th, 2012 by European Commission
Full implementation of EU waste legislation would save €72 billion a year, increase the annual turnover of the EU waste management and recycling sector by €42 billion and create over 400,000 jobs by 2020 according to a European Commission study.
(click on report cover to download)
Illegal waste operations in EU Member States are causing missed opportunities for economic growth, but stronger national inspections and better knowledge about waste management would bring major improvements. Continue reading
Guernsey public presentation on PSD sewage proposal at Beau Sejour on 12 January 2012
January 9th, 2012 by States of Guernsey Public Services Department
Guernsey’s Public Services Department invites the Guernsey public to a presentation on sewage treatment and Guernsey’s marine environment at 7 pm on Thursday 12 January 2012 at Beau Sejour Leisure Centre theatre.
This subject will be debated by the States of Guernsey later this month.
Intertek-Metoc studied the impact of Guernsey’s sewage on the marine environment. Continue reading
Finding a small scale solution to Guernsey’s household food waste
January 7th, 2012 by Richard Lord
Food waste and other putrescible material poses a problem when it is landfilled. When it is covered over it decays in an anaerobic (oxygen-less) environment. This process produces foul smells and methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas.
Food waste is a major component of household waste. At the Mont Cuet landfill it attracts gulls and rats.
When black bags with food waste in them are placed out for collection, gulls and other roaming animals can tear open the bags and spread food waste on the street.
Composting is an aerobic process. When done properly, it doesn’t produce foul smells, it doesn’t produce methane, and it does not attract vermin. Continue reading
5 Gyres shows the plastic pollution film ‘bag it’ on 18 December 2011
December 15th, 2011 by Events
(click image to expand - flyer courtesy of 5 Gyres)
5 Gyres brings to our attention the pervasiveness of plastic in our environment with their screening of the award winning film ‘bag it‘ through the online Constellation service.
The film is being shown at 2030 EST (US eastern seaboard time zone) on 18 December 2011. Continue reading
Wireless sensor rapidly detects presence of E. coli in coastal waters
December 9th, 2011 by Mary Ann Liebert Inc Publishers
Fecal contamination of public beaches caused by sewage overflow is both dangerous for swimmers and costly for state and local economies.
Current methods to detect Escherichia coli, a bacterium indicative of the presence of fecal matter in water, typically require 24 to 48 hours to produce a result.
An accurate, and economical sensor-based device capable of measuring E. coli levels in water samples in less than 1 to 8 hours could serve as a valuable early warning tool and is described in an article, “Autonomous, Wireless In-Situ Sensor (AWISS) for Rapid Warning of Escherichia coli Outbreaks in Recreational and Source waters,” in Environmental Engineering Science, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
(click cover to go to journal home page)
The article provides a detailed description of the autonomous, wireless, in-situ (AWISS), battery-powered device, which contains a prototype optical sensor that can measure changes in fluorescence intensity in a water sample.
In the presence of E. coli bacteria an enzymatic reaction will cause an increase in fluorescence. The AWISS can detect high concentrations of bacteria in less than one hour and lower concentrations in less than 8 hours.
Jeffrey Talley, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, and colleagues at Environmental Technology Solutions, Gilbert, AZ, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, present the results of a seven day demonstration project using the AWISS device.
The detection system developed is able to collect and analyze a water sample every 6 hours and to employ wireless transmission to send the data collected to remote monitoring stations. The authors compare the effectiveness of the AWISS to other E. coli detection methods currently approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Pathogens in the aquatic environment pose significant human and ecological health risks. The work of Professor Talley and his colleagues in developing a remote sensing instrument to detect and transmit pathogen water quality information is a major advance in helping safeguard human health,” says Domenico Grasso, PhD, Editor-in-Chief and Vice President for Research, Dean of the Graduate College, University of Vermont in Burlington.
Tech gadgets with a UK recycling value of £1.5 billion lost each year
December 8th, 2011 by O2
Research from O2 Recycle in the UK reveals over 6.2 million British people lose at least one tech gadget, including mobile phones, MP3 players, sat navs and laptops every year.
Nationwide losing a mobile phone is a common occurrence (click image to expand - ©RLLord)
With 17.5 million gadgets mislaid around the home or in public places, the UK is sitting on a potential cash bounty of £1.5 billion if every item lost was reclaimed and recycled instead.
Whilst 29% have no idea where they lost their gadget, the findings show that the British are literally leaving cash lying around with six in ten (59%) losing their gadget in a public place and 33% saying it is somewhere in their home. Continue reading
Avoid double taxation on wines and spirits in Guernsey
December 7th, 2011 by Richard Lord
The States of Guernsey budget for 2011 recommends a five pence tax increase on a 750 ml bottle of wine (5.5% to 15% of alcohol by volume) to bring the total tax per litre to £1.85.
The 2011 budget proposes a 34 pence tax increase on a litre of spirit to £10.01 per litre.
That is not the only tax homeowners will pay on a bottle of wine or spirit if they deposit their empty bottles in their household ‘black bag waste’, which is sent to the Mont Cuet landfill.
Ten heavy bottles put out in open bags for household garbage collection on 29 November 2011 (click image to expand - ©RLLord)
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