UBQ Materials, which claims it has developed a plastic-like material made from 100% unsorted household waste, has raised a $170 million funding round led by TPG Rise, TPG’s global impact investing platform, made through TPG Rise Climate, the firm’s dedicated climate investing fund, and The Rise Funds, its multi-sector impact investing fund. The financing round […]
‘We don’t need to buy more stuff’: the people who kit out their home for free
Many people turning to skips or sites such as Freecycle in a bid to save money and help the planetOne man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so goes the saying. That is certainly evident through the rise of exchanges on platforms such as Olio, Facebook…
Can I recycle a pizza box? We ask the expert
Recycling specialist Adam Herriott on what happens when household waste goes in the wrong bin – and what to do with compostable coffee-cup lidsOf all the memories I have of the pandemic last year, the image of bins sticks in my mind. Black bins piled h…
Virgin Media’s recycling promise gets zero marks
I needed to dispose of au unused set-top box and it told me to put it in the binLast year I upgraded my Virgin Media TV package, and, as result, ended up with two set-top boxes I needed to dispose of.One, sent in error, was new and unused. Despite my r…
The whole package: How plastics and sustainability startups achieve success
As people around the world become more aware and look to minimize the waste they produce, tech startups are coming up with solutions to help people and companies meet their sustainability goals.
Nth Cycle wants to revolutionize metals processing for recyclers and mine operators
There’s a lot of value in waste; just ask metals processing company Nth Cycle, which has developed a technology to help mining and recycling companies recover every bit of critical minerals from their operations. The company calls its technology “electro-extraction,” and Nth Cycle’s founder and CEO Megan O’Connor likened it to a water filter in […]
Maggots and mayhem: behind the scenes of Britain’s big bin crisis
Thanks to the HGV driver shortage, many refuse collectors are quitting to earn up to £30,000 more driving lorries. But what does this mean for our streets, as the rubbish and recycling piles ever higher? Andy Gee doesn’t mind when people call him a bin…
Recycling symbol can’t appear on non-recyclable items, California bill says
California wants to clear up confusion about which plastics can be recycled.
Going to e-waste: Australia’s recycling failures and the challenge of solar
More than 100,000 tonnes of solar panel waste are forecast to enter Australia’s waste stream by 2035The first time Dr Pablo Dias set foot in an Australian recycling facility to see how the nation’s e-waste was processed he was struck by disappointment….
Millions of electric car batteries will retire in the next decade. What happens to them?
The quest to prevent batteries – rich in raw materials such as cobalt, lithium and nickel – ending up as a mountain of wasteA tsunami of electric vehicles is expected in rich countries, as car companies and governments pledge to ramp up their numbers –…