A team of US chemists has found a way to convert unrecyclable mixtures of plastic into useful chemicals. Mixed materials usually end up in landfill because they are very difficult to recycle.
World Recycling
Your pictures on the theme of ‘recycled’
The BBC asked its readers to send in their best pictures on the theme of “recycled”. Here is a selection of the photographs we received from around the world.
Inside the UK’s biggest phone recycling facility
A study last year revealed the worth of smartphones in our drawers was £1bn, while five billion handsets were thrown away worldwide in 2022. Sky News visits a recycling facility that aims to make sure no device goes to waste.
These innovations are pulling plastic pollution out of rivers
The TrashBoom consists of floats made from standard plastic piping, attached to wire mesh barriers that resemble fencing. The mesh barrier extends down into the water to capture pieces of plastic floating below the surface.
This House Was Built Partly From Recycled Diapers
Meet the house that diapers built. Researchers have designed and erected a house that has shredded, disposable diapers mixed into its concrete and mortar.
The future of recycling could one day mean dissolving plastic with electricity
The team’s method relies on electricity and some nifty chemical reactions, and it’s simple enough that you can watch the plastic break apart in front of your eyes.
‘A real material for the future’: Could homes made of fungi?
Architects have created Lego-like bricks of fungi that could slash construction’s carbon footprint. Almost 40 per cent of annual global CO2 emissions are attributed to the built environment, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Shark in the water: This robot can collect 21,000 plastic bottles in a day
A daily feed for the WasteShark is around 500kg of debris or the equivalent of guzzling roughly 21,000 plastic bottles. Any rubbish collected in the robot’s belly is then brought back to shore, sorted and recycled or disposed of responsibly.
How Microbes Could Revolutionize Plastic Recycling
Deep in the Swiss Alps and the Arctic, scientists recently discovered microbes that can digest plastic, without the need for applying excess heat.
With a zap of electricity, recyclable (and recycling) polymers can form
A little electricity has helped a team of chemists to make sustainable polymers that could improve e-waste recycling, precious metal mining and perhaps even work as antimicrobials.
These sneakers are made from 100 per cent recycled materials
Each pair of sneakers contains 10 plastic bags and 12 bottles. The tote bag contains four plastic bottles and the box is made from recycled paper and has seeds in it which you can grow.
Watch Apple’s iPhone recycling robot Daisy punch out screws, freeze batteries, and more
Apple says iPhone is now 20% made from recycled materials and the goal is that eventually all new iPhones will be made from 100% recycled materials.