landfill Archives – The Green Optimistic

Petitions Across Europe Vouch for Repairs of Broken Devices

Mila Luleva — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 09:26:02 +0000

Repair or Replace? This is the question when a device or a home appliance breaks. Unfortunately, it is often the case that people are not given the chance to decide. Not for long in Europe! Manufacturers are increasingly making devices and appliances in such a way that no one can repair them. Most smart phones, […]

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Mexican Scientists Grow Mushrooms on Diapers to Reduce Waste

Mila Luleva — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 08:35:54 +0000

Over the recent years, disposable diapers have contributed considerably to the already huge amount of plastics that end up in landfills. Taking up the challenge to put a full stop to this madness, a team of Mexican scientists converted this dangerous waste, and its content, into a medium to grow mushrooms. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, […]

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Solar Power Plant Replaces Landfill Site in Japan, Despite Challenges

Mila Luleva — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 17:51:15 +0000

Japanese engineers built an impressive solar plant on top of a former landfill site, despite the numerous challenges associated with harsh and very snowy winters, limited amount of incoming light and instability created by the tons of garbage underneath. The unique power plant with an output of 1.5MW, was constructed and will be maintained by […]

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Oslo Imports Trash for Power Generation, But There’s Not Enough Trash to Go Around

Benji Jerew — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:05:58 +0000

The city of Oslo, Norway, burns its trash in specialize plants for power generation and heating, but there are more trash-burning plants than there is trash to feed them. The situation is similar in other Northern European countries, which exceed 700 million tons of trash-burning power generation capacity. The problem is, in an age of […]

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E. Coli Infections on the Rise After Plastic Bag Ban

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:08:08 +0000

San Francisco’s ban on plastic bags is having major repercussions on public health, according to professors at the University of Pennsylvania and George Mason University. San Francisco has been at the global forefront in the ban on the use of non-compostable plastic bags. The ban was gradually phased into effect, and became fully enforced in […]

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University of Texas Doubles Electricity Output of Landfill

Benji Jerew — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 19:12:50 +0000

Landfills are not just an eyesore, but also produce methane as their contents decompose. Methane [CH4] is a greenhouse gas, and if not recovered, could accelerate climate change. On the other hand, recovered methane makes a great fuel, which can be used to generate electricity for the very residents and businesses contributing to the landfill. […]

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Biodegradable Trash Not Good For The Environment, Scientists Say

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:25:45 +0000

Everyone knows that biodegradable products are the best for the environment, and just because they disintegrate quickly they aren't a threat to anything... it seems not. Not that non-biodegradable materials are any better, but a recent study from North Carolina State University says biodegradable products are responsible for high methane emissions, a gas whose greenhouse effects are much more potent than those of CO2.

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Electricity to be Generated From Garbage Landfills Using Plasma

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:33:49 +0000

Unlike incinerators, which use combustion to break down garbage, there is no burning, or oxidation, in this process. The heat from plasma converters causes pyrolysis, a process in which organic matter breaks down and decomposes. Plasma torches can operate in airtight vessels. Combustion requires oxidization; pyrolysis does not.

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UK Researchers Use Bacteria to Generate Hydrogen from Landfills

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:21:39 +0000

As you already know, Earth's ecosystems are in a closed-loop. Researchers from the University of Birmingham have created a closed loop hydrogen energy eco-system based on two types of bacteria and a twist of fuel cell technology. How did they do that?

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