Australians generate mountains of waste, and we need more help to recycle and reuse it

By Melita Jazbec, University of Technology Sydney; Monique Retamal, University of Technology Sydney; Nick Florin, University of Technology Sydney, and Stuart White, University of Technology Sydney Australians largely support transforming the economy to increase recycling, repurpose products and reduce waste, according to a new report from the Productivity Commission, but they are being impeded by…

Fashion’s second chance: Pact and BlockTexx team up to rescue clothes from landfill

Your old T-shirts and jeans might soon get a glamorous second life, as plastic recycler Pact Group and clean technology company BlockTexx joined forces on Friday to tackle Australia’s growing mountain of discarded clothing. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to explore an end-to-end rescue mission for unloved polyester and cotton-blend garments. Instead of…

Envirostream, ZECO Energy announce five-year battery recycling agreement

Livium’s battery recycling subsidiary, Envirostream Australia, has signed a five-year recycling agreement with battery and solar systems supplier ZECO Energy. In an ASX statement on Tuesday, Livium said the agreement, which is dated to February 19, will see Envirostream provide exclusive recycling services for end-of-life residential and commercial energy storage system (ESS) battery packs supplied…

Taking the ‘forever’ out of ‘forever chemicals’: we worked out how to destroy the PFAS in batteries

By Jens Blotevogel, CSIRO and Naomi Boxall, CSIRO Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store excess renewable energy for later use, supporting the clean energy transition. Australia produces more than 3,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste…

Applications open for CSIRO’s free Innovate to Grow: Recycling and Circular Economy SME program

Applications have opened for the latest cohort of SMEs working in the recycling and circular economy sectors through CSIRO’s free Innovate to Grow program. The eight-week, purely online program will be run with Deakin University’s Recycling and Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH), which is funded through the federal government’s Trailblazer program. According to a statement…