Recycling and Waste news and discussions

[wjfox]

Hermit crabs are 'wearing' our plastic rubbish

9 hours ago

Hermit crabs all over the world, which scavenge shells as armour for their bodies, are turning increasingly to plastic waste instead.

The conclusion is based on analysis of photos, taken by wildlife enthusiasts, and published online.

Scientists said they were "heartbroken" to see the extent to which the animals were living in our rubbish.

They said two-thirds of hermit crabs species were pictured in "artificial shells" - items that humans discarded.

The discovery is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68071695



Credit: Shawn Miller

[Powers]

Hermit crabs are 'wearing' our plastic rubbish

9 hours ago

Hermit crabs all over the world, which scavenge shells as armour for their bodies, are turning increasingly to plastic waste instead.

The conclusion is based on analysis of photos, taken by wildlife enthusiasts, and published online.

Scientists said they were "heartbroken" to see the extent to which the animals were living in our rubbish.

They said two-thirds of hermit crabs species were pictured in "artificial shells" - items that humans discarded.

The discovery is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68071695



Credit: Shawn Miller

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[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

Could product passports revolutionise the way we shop?

1 March



"Every year across Europe, there are about 30 million mattresses that are at the end of their life," says Benjamin Marien. "The vast majority of them end up in landfill or being burned."

Marien is a director at Aquinos Bedding, which makes 1.2 million mattresses per year. The company uses pure polyester covers for most new products because it can be recycled, as opposed to a mix of materials that cannot be separated.

"You see more and more initiatives popping up for dismantling and recycling mattresses," he says. "But that doesn't really help if the dismantler has no idea what the mattress is made of. That's why I'm very excited about the digital product passport."

Digital product passports (DPPs) are being introduced across the EU to improve sustainability. They capture data about the environmental impact of products, their composition, their production and history. Industrial and electric vehicle batteries will be the first products to have mandatory DPPs, from 2027. Other product categories, including textiles, are expected to follow by 2030.

"The European Commission thinks that if the final customer is better informed, they can put pressure on the manufacturer and the distributors [to develop more sustainable products]," says Dr Natacha Tréhan, an expert in procurement and the circular economy at the University of Grenoble Alpes. "It'll increase eco-design. I'm very happy about this because 80% of environmental impact is determined at the design stage."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68283317