The NFL, in partnership with PepsiCo, Purchase, New York; Aramark, Philadelphia; U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis; SMG; West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, Minneapolis, announced that 91 percent of all trash generated at Super Bowl LII was responsibly recovered through composting, recycling and reuse. The landmark project marks the highest diversion rate achieved at the Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium and at any previous Super Bowl.
Nearly 63 of the 69 tons of game day waste generated was recovered through recycling or donation for reuse (62 percent) and composting (29 percent). Recovering waste through composting and recycling reduces waste disposal costs and provides several environmental benefits including reduction of landfill use and reduction of the greenhouse gas generated by the landfill process.
“The zero-waste legacy project is a testament to teamwork, with multiple partners coming together to achieve an ambitious environmental goal,” NFL Environmental Program Director Jack Groh says. “The NFL is proud that this program was not only successful at Super Bowl LII, but will also serve as a permanent installation at the stadium and leave a lasting impact on the community.” via APR innovations
Plastics recycling a chance for chems, Europe could be birthplace for new opportunities
LONDON (ICIS)–Higher plastics recycling targets do not necessarily have to be detrimental to EU polymers producers, who will find new business opportunities in the recycling industry, according to the director general (DG) of EU trade group Cefic.
Marco Mensink said the industry welcomed the European Commission’s recycling targets published in January, but added that the 28 countries within the EU will need to improve their recycling systems in order to achieve a more unified approach.
As the sustainability of crude oil- and natural gas-based feedstocks has come to the frontline, as some products are hardly recyclable, Mensink said that petrochemicals would still use oil and gas for decades to come given its abundance and profitability.
“I don’t agree with the statement that more plastics recycling will mean fewer plastics will be produced: You can make plastics from recycled plastics. As we have seen with other virgin materials, like steel, glass or paper, there is a lot of growth to be achieved from recycled materials,” said Mensink.
…. Cefic’s DG also mentioned China’s ban on imported plastics – European countries are no longer able to send their plastics waste there – but despite all the challenges, Mensink remained optimistic about the possibilities recycling policies could bring to chemical companies.
“We thought that overall the plastics strategy was quite reasonable. It talks about the market opportunities, and this would be one point where Europe can globally lead the way: we are set to develop new chemistry on the back of all these questions [regarding a true circular economy],” said Mensink. via recycling for chems
Recycling Technologies announces a £1 million equity investment from InterChem
UK plastic waste to chemical specialist, Recycling Technologies, has secured a strategic £1 million equity investment from global oil trader, InterChem.
The company began a fund raising on the crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube, on February 16th 2018. It said that th fund raising has attracted considerable support from over 1400 investors. InterChem’s investment, on the same terms as existing and new Crowdcube investors, brings the total amount raised to date to just under £3.4 million, which is very close to Recycling Technologies’ current cap of £3.7 million
According to Recycling Technologies, its RT7000 machine recycles all types of plastics, including those considered unrecyclable such as films, coloured and laminated plastics including crisp packets and food pouches.
The RT7000, recycles this broad range of household plastic waste into an oil commodity called Plaxx® which is said to replace fossil-fuel derived feedstock in new polymer production and industrial waxes. … via InterChem
But, the following excerpt is what we must not forget, because it could mean death to our oceans and without healthy oceans, how could humanity survive?
Diver takes a dip in Bali's sea of plastic
Plastic, plastic everywhere.
That's the impression you get from Rich Horner's video shot March 3 in Bali's Manta Point. Horner, who studied mechanical engineering at University of Brighton, went for a dive to take in the ocean's wildlife, and instead he found plastic. A lot of it.
“Some plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic sheets, plastic buckets, plastic sachets, plastic straws, plastic baskets, plastic bags, more plastic bags, plastic, plastic, so much plastic!” Horner wrote in a Facebook post.
“Surprise, surprise,” Horner wrote, “there weren't many Mantas there at the cleaning station today… They mostly decided not to bother.”
Indeed, only a single manta ray is visible in Horner's video, braving the plastic storm.
Most of the plastic, according to Horner, wasn't single-use plastic, like bags or straws, but mostly “general plastic packaging, for packaging almost everything we buy in the shops/supermarket.”
The video dramatically calls attention to the ways plastic freely circulates in our oceans, but Horner hopes viewers see this as a symptom of an another issue: overpopulation. … via Bali's sea of plastic
Conclusion
A very disturbing picture all round, but how well is your country doing to recycle? To find out click here for the best performing nations in recycling.
