Most dumped microwave ovens are functional or easily repaired

May 18th, 2012 by The University of Manchester

The vast majority of the millions of microwave ovens thrown away every year could be easily fixed and reused, according to University of Manchester research.

Making simple repairs could save the UK could save millions of pounds Sterling by replacing fuses or plugs rather than throwing away perfectly reusable microwaves with brand new ones.

In the paper “Electronic product returns and potential reuse opportunities: a microwave case study in the United Kingdom“, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, PhD student Azadeh Dindarian and her team examined 189 microwaves at refuse centres and found that 54% of microwaves in a single year appeared to be disposed of simply for cosmetic reasons or because they had minor faults, and that 85% could be safely repaired. They have also found that some simple changes in design could prevent some of these faults from happening altogether.

Azadeh Dindarian inspects the components of a microwave oven (click image to expand - image courtesy of The University of Manchester)

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Plastic in sea alters marine ecology

May 9th, 2012 by Scripps Institution of Oceanography

A 100-fold upsurge in human-produced plastic garbage in the ocean is altering habitats in the marine environment, according to a new study led by Ph.D. graduate student researcher Miriam Goldstein at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

SEAPLEX chief scientist Miriam Goldstein in New Horizon's science laboratory on 5 August 2009 (click image to expand - ©Scripps Institution of Oceanography).

In 2009 an ambitious group of graduate students led the Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (SEAPLEX) to the North Pacific Ocean Subtropical Gyre Continue reading

A personal journey to reduce waste

May 3rd, 2012 by Andrew David Thaler

We tend towards waste.

As a nation, as a community, and in our personal lives, waste is ubiquitous and often imperceptible.

That we can afford to discard is an unfortunate side effect of having a high quality of life.

Waste is not always a bad thing, either.

We’re comforted by the fact that our doctors use disposable needles, that food can be packaged and preserved, that soiled diapers can be discarded.

Disposability is freedom from the tedious chores of our grandparents and great-grandparents. It is access to time that can be spent with our loved ones or engaged in more fruitful pursuits. But there is still plenty of unnecessary waste that exists purely for convenience.

Those of us who consider ourselves environmentalist, good stewards of the earth, are often just as guilty of waste, myself included. Continue reading

Fire resistant straw bale buildings and zero waste restaurants

May 2nd, 2012 by Richard Lord

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO),  Australia’s National Science Agency, tested the fire resistance of a building with magnesium oxide board cladding and straw bale insulation.

The building, which withstood temperatures of 1000° Celsius, was designed by Joost Bakker who said that straw is the biggest waste product on Earth. Continue reading

WorldWatch Institute’s State of the World 2012 outlines what is needed for global sustainable prosperity

April 30th, 2012 by Worldwatch Institute

(click on book cover to go to publisher's website)

Over the last 50 years, the world’s middle and upper classes have more than doubled their consumption levels, and an additional one to two billion people globally aspire to join the consumer class.

The planet cannot maintain such increases in resource demand without serious consequences for both people and ecosystems, concludes the Worldwatch Institute in State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity.

The book, the 29th in a series that Worldwatch began in 1984, stresses that we must act quickly to redefine our understanding of the “good life” and redouble our efforts to make that life sustainable. Continue reading

St Martin’s School PTA car boot sale on 19 May 2012

April 19th, 2012 by Events

(click on image to download PDF file of flyer)

St Martin’s School PTA are having a fundraising car boot sale on 19 May 2012 from 2 pm to 4 pm.

The cost is only £5 per car.

The PTA makes a little money to put towards their Trim Trail project and you keep the rest…plus there will be tea and cakes!!

Quite a few pitches have gone already, if you are interested please contact Jody Lyn Coupe on 07781 422996 or email jody @ cwgsy.net

Using bacteria to recover dwindling phosphate resource from sewage

March 30th, 2012 by Society for General Microbiology

Bacteria could be exploited to recapture dwindling phosphate reserves from wastewater according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in Dublin in late March 2012.

Phosphorus – in the form of phosphate – is essential for all living things as a component of DNA and RNA and its role in cellular metabolism. Around 38 million tonnes of phosphorus are extracted each year from rock. Most of this extracted phosphorus goes into the production of fertilizers to replace the phosphates that plants remove from the soil. However, it is a scare natural resource and current estimates suggest that reserves of phosphate rock may only last for the next 45-100 years. Continue reading

Biogas from food waste to power Oslo city buses

March 23rd, 2012 by The Research Council of Norway

An Oslo bus powered by biogas produced from sewage sludge (click image to expand - image ©Ruter As/CatchLight Fotostudio AS)

Banana peel, coffee grounds and other food waste will be transformed into green fuel for Oslo’s city buses starting in 2013.

The Norwegian capital’s new biogas plant will also supply nutrient-rich biofertiliser for agriculture.

The plant will be able to process 50,000 tonnes of food waste annually, converting it to environment-friendly fuel for 135 municipal buses as well as enough biofertiliser for roughly 100 medium-sized local farms.

The biogas production processes were developed through long-term Norwegian research with funding from the Research Council of Norway. Continue reading

Sure’s new community project to clear litter from Guernsey beaches

March 23rd, 2012 by Sure

Beaches in Guernsey will be cleaner this summer as part of Sure’s new community project.

On the last Friday of each month, staff from Sure will be clearing rubbish from one of the island’s beaches.

Some of the Sure Beach Cleaning team - left to right - Jan Vaudin, Nadine Vermuelen, Jessica Bisson, Chris Burgess, and Mike Stratford (click image to expand - image courtesy of Sure)

‘Sure is one of the largest companies in the island and as our business and facilities have grown, we have become one of Guernsey’s top consumers of power,’ said Sure chief executive Eddie Saints. Continue reading

Surfers Against Sewage Big Spring Beach Clean on 24 & 25 March 2012

March 19th, 2012 by Surfers Against Sewage

(click on image to go to SAS Spring Beach Clean webpage)

SAS needs your hands on the beach on 24 and 25 March 2012.

The annual SAS Big Spring Beach Clean has been removing marine litter from UK beaches for many years with the help of community volunteers.

SAS are calling on the coastal communities across the British Isles to join them for the SAS Big Spring Beach Clean on 24 & 25 March 2012 to help make this year’s event the biggest ever. Continue reading