The largest end-of-life vehicle recycler in the UK, EMR has acquired ‘a significant stake’ in Australian recycling company Renewable Metals in a multi-million dollar deal which will see a novel demonstration-scale battery shredding and critical minerals refining plant built in the UK. Renewable Metals has developed a highly differentiated recycling process which has fewer steps…
By Kathryn Willis, CSIRO; Britta Denise Hardesty, CSIRO; Katie Conlon, Ph.D., Portland State University, and Win Cowger, University of California, Riverside In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon…
The federal government has launched its Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy, which will be phased in from July and initially see companies bidding for government construction services contracts needing to meet agreed sustainability outcomes, including products with recycled content. In an announcement from environment minister Tanya Plibersek (pictured on right) on Wednesday, two phases of the…
RMIT University and Visy have partnered up to develop energy-efficient bricks, which switch out clay for recycled materials and show promise in boosting energy-efficiency. The new bricks contain a minimum of 15 per cent waste glass and 20 per cent combusted solid waste (ash), as substitutes for clay, according to a statement from RMIT University…
Lithium ion battery materials company Lithium Australia has increased battery recycling at its Envirostream facilities (pictured) as agreements with overseas manufacturers lead to higher collection volumes. The company told investors it collected 344 tonnes of batteries during the March quarter, including 177 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), an 18 percent increase in LIB collection volumes…
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) From soft plastics waste to structural building panels Australian composites manufacturer Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (SIS) has revealed innovative structural building panels made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and discarded soft plastics. The lightweight, high-strength composite panels are…
Australian composites manufacturer Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (SIS) has revealed innovative structural building panels made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and discarded soft plastics. The lightweight, high-strength composite panels are the first in the world to be manufactured using post-consumer mixed soft plastics, which are blended with a proprietary material matrix, according to an announcement. The…
The Queensland government has announced $2.5 million dedicated to a new solar panel recycling pilot program, which it says is the first in the nation, and comes alongside $3 million dedicated to renewable industry association grants. In a statement on Friday, the state government said that “thousands of solar panels” from the state’s homes, businesses…
Paper, packaging and recycling business Visy has announced that an average of 63 per cent recycled content in its glass packaging across Australia and New Zealand for the financial year so far, a 5 per cent increase on the previous financial year. In a statement on Tuesday the company said the figure is higher still…
Plastic recycling startup Samsara Eco has announced the next step in its partnership with athletic clothing brand lululemon, launching their first product containing “enzymatically recycled polyester” on Thursday. According to a statement from the pair, a limited edition Packable Anorak jacket by lululemon contains “a variety of inputs, including mixed plastic waste, lululemon apparel at…
