LND topic: recycling page 1

recycling

Recovering copper from waste in a smarter way

May 9, 2026

Industrial waste often piles up in landfills, but some of it can actually become useful again. One example is copper electroplating sludge—a byproduct from plating processes that still contains valuable metals. Researchers tried turning this waste into pure copper using two common methods: heating a

business

Turning old tech into new treasure

May 1, 2026

Solar panels don’t last forever. After about 20-30 years, they stop working and often get thrown away. That adds up to a lot of waste—millions of panels every year. One company now sees this waste not as trash, but as a hidden source of gold and silver. Instead of digging for new metals, they want t

environment

Turning wood scraps into a tool for cleaning dirty water

April 6, 2026

Recycling leftover eucalyptus wood into biochar turns a common trash problem into a water-cleaning hero. Scientists took ordinary wood chips from eucalyptus trees and heated them without oxygen, creating a material that grabs arsenic from polluted water. In lab tests, one gram of this biochar remove

environment

Farmers’ Waste Choices: What Drives Recycling in Western Iran

April 4, 2026

In many parts of western Iran, farmers produce a lot of crop and orchard leftovers that can harm the environment if not handled properly. A new study looked at why these farmers decide to recycle or ignore that waste, using two well‑known theories about human behavior. The research combined the T

environment

Turning old batteries into water cleaners: a surprising win for tech and the planet

March 30, 2026

Every year, billions of used alkaline batteries end up in landfills, leaking harmful metals like zinc and manganese. Instead of just chucking them away, scientists found a clever way to give these batteries a second job. They turned battery scrap into tiny particles that can purify dirty water under

environment

Smart Pyrolysis: Turning Plastic Trash into Useful Oil

March 12, 2026

A new team effort in Germany is turning the way we think about plastic waste. The project, called Smart Pyrolysis, brings together a chemical company and a research institute to make plastic recycling smarter. Instead of burning or dumping plastic, the plan is to heat it in a controlled way so

environment

Chlorinated Paraffins in E‑Waste River: Where the Risk Lies

March 5, 2026

Short‑chain and medium‑chain chlorinated paraffins, common in plastics and metal‑working fluids, have become a hot topic because they stick around in the environment, travel far, and can build up in living things. Long‑chain variants are less studied but may also be a threat. In China’s Guiyu, a tow

politics

Exxon’s Legal Fight with California’s Attorney General Gets a New Twist

February 26, 2026

A Texas federal judge has cleared the way for ExxonMobil to sue California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, over remarks about the company’s plastic recycling claims. Judge Michael J. Truncale ruled that Bonta cannot rely on official immunity for certain statements, including a campaign email sent to

environment

Turning Trash into Treasure: How Old Shrink Wrap Gets a New Life

February 16, 2026

Ever wondered what happens to all that shrink wrap after it's used? It turns out, it can be turned into something new and useful. A special process called STRAP is making this possible. It takes old shrink wrap, full of inks, glue, and even bits of paper, and turns it into clean, clear plastic. Thi

environment

Recycling in Alachua County: What You Need to Know

January 28, 2026

Alachua County is doing pretty well with recycling, ranking fifth in Florida in 2024. But there's still a big problem: people putting the wrong stuff in recycling bins. This messes things up and makes recycling more expensive. So, what can you actually recycle? Bottles, cans, cardboard, and paper a