Turbocharge for Vic recycling infrastructure

Sustainability Matters

January 18, 2021

Victoria’s recycling infrastructure is set for a turbocharge, with the federal and state governments making major investments to double the state’s domestic glass recycling capacity, increase plastic recycling by 40% and create 350 jobs. Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley — represented by Senator for Victoria Jane Hume and Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and

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Want to switch to reusable cups? Here’s how to get started 

GreenBiz Group

January 18, 2021

By now, you know the problem: Nearly 250 billion single-use cups are used globally every year — most of which end up in a landfill — and the environmental, economic and social costs are mounting. And that’s just cups. You also know the solution: In addition to recyclable and compostable alternatives, reuse models are quickly emerging as a fundamentally better alternative to single-use

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Water networks need to get smart, says report

Sustainability Matters

January 17, 2021

Smart water networks are at the forefront of smart city and IoT technology, with the sector set to boom in the coming years. A report released by IDTechEx predicts that, in the water pipe network alone, the industry of sensors will grow to over $3.5 billion by 2030. The report — Sensors in the Water and Wastewater Treatment Industries 2020–2030 — points to the need to create a smart water

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Soft plastics become sustainable concrete for Coles carpark

Sustainability Matters

January 11, 2021

RMIT engineers have partnered with Victorian recycling organisations Replas, RED Group and SR Engineering to develop a concrete material made from lightweight recycled plastic. Polyrok — a sustainable aggregate alternative — has enhanced durability and is lighter to work with than traditional concrete. Australians return 1.3 million pieces of soft plastic per day via REDCycle recycling

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5 circular economy questions for 2021

GreenBiz Group

January 11, 2021

As I begin to think about the year of content and coverage ahead, I thought I’d start things off by sharing some big questions I’ll be asking in 2021 — plus some predictions on how they might be answered.   1. Will companies align circular economy initiatives with climate goals, or continue to treat these as discrete initiatives?  Prediction: To date, only a handful of

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New facility to solve Vic's toxic waste challenges

Sustainability Matters

January 10, 2021

A new recycling facility to be built by Remondis Australia in Dandenong, Victoria, will process a third of the state’s solvent waste each year. The facility will give cleaning solvents, inks and paints a second life, turning them into products that can be reused by industry, such as secondary cleaning liquids used in spray guns, alternative fuels and raw solvent material. In addition to reducing

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5 sustainable packaging developments to watch in 2021

GreenBiz Group

January 4, 2021

For companies with sustainable packaging goals, 2025 is fast approaching. That’s the year when many have pledged to become zero waste, or to use 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging. But COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in those plans, with single-use packaging skyrocketing, low fossil fuel prices and disrupted recycling systems, already weakened by China’s 2018 plastics waste

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The sustainability year 2020 in review, in haiku

GreenBiz Group

December 29, 2020

Editor's note: Back by popular demand, smart cities consultant Sue Lebeck provides GreenBiz highlights from the past year in verse. You'll find her haiku from 2019 here. Rise before the Surprise Leaders gather for the first and last time in year of shelter-in-place. Learning on the Job Could ways to flatten coronavirus’ curve help bend climate’s curve

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3 takeaways from Colgate-Palmolive's 2025 strategy

GreenBiz Group

December 23, 2020

When you think of Colgate-Palmolive, the first thing likely to come to mind is its eponymous toothpaste or dish soap. But the company also owns a lot of other brands that offer other consumer packaged goods such as deodorant (Speed Stick), body soap (Irish Spring) and other household cleaning products (Fabuloso). And what are those items packaged in? Most of the time, plastic. The company was the eighth biggest

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3 circular economy trends that defined 2020

GreenBiz Group

December 21, 2020

As the year comes to a (welcome) close, it’s worth taking a moment to consider how the circular economy concept has emerged and evolved during this very particular year. Here are three trends that defined the circular economy in 2020, and what they might mean for the year to come.  1. Reuse is on the rise. Despite some setbacks posed by the pandemic (including misinformation about the safety of

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