Greatly Increased Metal Recycling!

“Covanta has increased ferrous metal recycling from waste to bottom ash by upgrading its magnetic sorting systems” their waste energy facilities’ new method could potentially recover 7.5 million tons of metal each year.

Bottom ash is what results from burning mixed solid waste (Covanta burns this to generate energy), combustion and air pollution control take place and then, bottom ash is produced. The amount of metals in the ash is significant and magnets are then used to capture the metals from the ash which will then be recycled.

By updating their equipment they found that they were able to capture more ferrous and nonferrous metals from waste. The rare earth magnetic scrap drum is one such piece of equipment, as it has the power to attract more metals across its surface compared to other magnets.

Some weeks ago we posted some amazing articles about capturing precious resources and using magnets.

This article talks about a satellite equipped with a giant magnet in space that collects orbiting debris: https://wastetracking.wordpress.com/2014/06/24/japan-prepares-to-launch-giant-net-into-orbit-to-sweep-up-space-debris/

And these robots are designed to separate more debris from mixed construction and demolition debris: https://wastetracking.wordpress.com/2014/07/26/for-those-in-robotics-construction-and-waste-prepare-to-be-amazed-by-zenrobtics/

It turns out that magnets do a lot more than just deliver music to our ears.

Source: http://www.waste-management-world.com/articles/2014/08/case-study-increased-metal-recycling-from-waste-to-energy-ash-with-rare-earth-magnet.html

 

 

#Beach day #clean up day =) #OurOcean2014

 

We told you about clean up #OurOcean2014 a little over a month ago but we figured that while the weather is still so nice out we would remind you that organizing a beach clean up is even easier by visiting this page: https://wastetracking.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/looking-for-a-good-weekend-activity-look-no-further-than-ourocean2014-and-giveback/

There’s information on what to do before and during a beach clean up, and adding #ourocean2014 to your social media posts while organizing this will help your event gain visibility. If you have any questions of want to invite us, please Tweet us @WasteTracking we can also help you spread the word!

 

 

Don’t Recycle That Pizza Box Until You Read This

Oil/grease is one of the worst contaminates in the paper recycling process because paper recycling undergoes a heat process, gets mixed with water and pulverized to paper pulp to make recycled paper. If there is oil in the paper pulp mixture then the paper ends up having spots and holes.

About three years ago we wrote about the fact that many corrugated cardboard pizza boxes are recyclable if and only if they are clean. You can read about the pizza box recycling debate here.

We hope that by spreading the word about this and providing you with some visuals about the seriousness of ruining entire batches of recycling because you didn’t know that oil soaked cardboard shouldn’t be recycled in any amount, we can make people aware of this simple point: it might be better to throw that oily box away.

If you still want to recycle that pizza then there are great ways to go about this:

1. If the top half of the pizza box has no grease on it then feel free to rip that half away from the bottom and recycle the top half!
2. Share this article with others who could learn a thing or two about how recycled paper is made, trust us, they won’t forget the next time they have an oily pizza box!

The Biggest Factor in How Much We Recycle Is…

The number 1 factor that effects whether or not someone will or will not recycle is their knowledge about what can be recycled. Yolonda Wright conducted 200 surveys to see what factors play a key role in determining the likely hood that one will recycle.

Yolonda wrote about UC Berkeley’s first Recycling Summit, 2001 that promoted campus recycling by increasing access to recycling and refuse containers, the campus bought recycled paper and even established a materials exchange.

In addition to one’s knowledge (a distinction was made between general knowledge and “knowledge about what can be recycled), demographics, knowledge of recycling bin location, age, area of study and more factors were considered.

Our blog has a lot of ideas for those who are already motivated to recycle. We also talked about people in correctional facilities that recycle quite a bit thanks to the training that they receive during their positions. For more about sustainable jobs, please click here and Yolonda’s study can be found here.

Do you find this easy or hard to believe? Let us know what you think on Twitter http://twitter.com/wastetracking

Shocked that some cities still need to consider construction recycling

Just read in the news that Burlington, Vt. is currently considering recycling their construction waste…

The good news is that the city is starting the process of making recycling construction waste a requirement for building permits.

Although this was shocking news for us, it does make since that because construction is on the rise in the Berlington, Vt., this is just now being addressed.

Best wishes to the city and their diversion efforts!

 

Source: http://www.mychamplainvalley.com/story/d/story/burlington-considers-construction-recycling/13736/AJ_hUwH6BkmMlficA-2YRw

Another great Green article from WasteTracking.com

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For those in #robotics, #construction and #waste, prepare to be amazed by @zenrobtics

The ZenRobotics Recycler currently separates Metal, Wood and Stone from mixed construction and demolition debris. The separator received the Global Cleantech Cluster Association’s Later Stage Award for Best in Waste Management at the end of 2013 and ZenRobotics Ltd. is working on increasing the features of this product. Separating mixed construction and demolition debris is important because currently people perform their arduous task and their labor could be use very effectively elsewhere in waste facilities. Not only does this take a dangerous and tedious task off of the hands of waste facility employees, but this robot even improves recovery rates and sorting efficiency.

Jaakko Särelä, CEO of ZenRobotics, says that ““It is already clear that clean technology will develop to a globally significant business sector. What is now needed is a national strategy for the development of environmental technology”. The minimum amount of reclaimed debris that the sorter can reclaim annually is 12,000 tons with the potential to sort up to 60,000 tons. In addition, the sorter little energy, and only costs $1.36/hour to operate.

 

Source: https://mygreenhalo.wordpress.com/

Another great Green article from WasteTracking.com

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How do planners decide where to build a waste station?

In New York, there were lawsuits that sought to lock out the construction of a controversial waste-transfer station from the East River at E. 91^St St. in Manhattan.

The plaintiffs, argued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in issuing the city a construction permit saying that they failed to look hard at the environmental consequence of building the station at that aforementioned location.

On the contrary Manhattan Federal Judge Paul Crotty said that the decision to build a 10 story waste transfere station on East 91^st St. is “rational and well-supported”.

 

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/judge-dismisses-lawsuits-seeking-block-construction-upper-east-side-garbage-transfer-station-article-1.1863023

 

Another great Green article from WasteTracking.com

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#Smart Table Has a Full Cycle #Design

This short (under 4 minute) film illustrates a full cycle, mixed use table that lets people cultivate, garden, cook, eat, wash dishes and repeat.

If you don’t have the time to watch the whole cycle unfold, then here’s the CliffsNotes, Wiki, or actually StudioGorm version of it:

 

Source: http://www.studiogorm.com/flow2.html

Another great Green article from WasteTracking.com

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New washing machine uses less #water, #energy, and #chemicals

It’s not news that certain parts of the world have drought emergencies right now but Xeros has an new invention that is helping reduce the travesty. Xeros came out with a polymer bead laundry system which comes with enormous savings and benefits that currently attracts mainly commercial locations. This new laundry system is currently impacting the hotel, gym, and hospital industries in a great ways.

By reducing consumption in commercial laundry, hotels can conserve valuable resources, gain competitive advantages, market themselves as green to increase their brand value and improve customer loyalty in addition to reducing costs.

The Xeros washer works by utilizing the hydrophilic properties of polymer beads. Scientists at the University of Leeds School of Textiles discovered that these beads, mixed with a small amount of water and a special detergent act as magnets for stains and dirt to clean laundry better and more gently than traditional methods. These reusable polymer beads also last for hundreds of washes before they need to be recycled and the Xeros polymer bead laundry system uses 80% less water, 50% less energy, about 50% less detergent and results in better cleaning results compared to traditional methods.

(Sources: http://www.waterworld.com/articles/iww/print/volume-14/issue-3/features/wiser-washing.html

And

http://mygreenhalo.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/what-uses-80-less-water-50-less-energy-about-50-less-detergent-and-results-in-better-cleaning-results-compared-to-traditional-methods/ )

Another great Green article from WasteTracking.com

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@foodfuelfuture Sustainable America’s #infographic on composting in small areas!

Composting in small areas is a little tricky ( mainly because of the box needed, which can be purchased here: http://bit.ly/1mcaBnO ) but once you have a vermicomposting bin then composting is much easier since the red wigglers involved can migrate away from the compost when they have finished eating. Wastetracking.com has researched composting with worms extensively and we find this infographic to be really illustrative and it helps make vermicomposting easy!

 

You can find out more about Sustainable America and donate to their cause here!: http://www.sustainableamerica.org/

Happy composting! Let us know how it turns out.

Another great Green article from WasteTracking.com

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