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News & Lifestyle › February 21st, 2011

Japanese Inventor Turns Plastic Bags into Oil

Megan Dobransky, February 21st, 2011

Plastic grocery bags have long been the ire of consumers and cities. They’re often not picked up in standard curbside recycling programs. They’ve been taxed or charged, and some cities have outright banned them. Soon all of the negativity could be turned into praise. A Japanese inventor has discovered a way to turn plastic bags, bottles and caps into usable ... read more

2 Comments

Tagged energy, number5plasticPolypropylene, number6plasticpolystyrene, oil, plasticbag

Published in Plastic


Recycle Reusable Bags for Charity

Alexis Petru, February 21st, 2011

You bring your own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store to cut down on all those single-use plastic bags. But what happens when you’ve stockpiled too many reusable bags or when your bags are worn-out and no longer usable? ChicoBag, the Northern California maker of reusable bags, has a Repurposing Program that accepts all types of reusable shopping bags ... read more

2 Comments

Tagged plasticbag, recycle

Published in Plastic


5 Ways to Be a Better Recycler

Jennifer Berry, February 21st, 2011

We've got good news, and we've got bad news. The good news is that Americans are doing a better job recycling, at least when it comes to one particular type of materials: plastics. According to a recently released report on non-bottle plastic recycling rates for 2009 by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), "A minimum of 479 million pounds of post-consumer ... read more

4 Comments

Tagged cellphone, computers, constructionmaterials, number1plasticPETE, number2plasticHDPE, number3plastic, number4plasticLDPE, number5plasticPolypropylene, number6plasticpolystyrene, plasticbag, plasticbottle, rechargeablebatteries, recycle

Published in Plastic


Reduce Your Food Waste in 10 Minutes

Gloria Dawson, February 21st, 2011

Updated on May 16, 2011 After working as a food-service volunteer at a homeless shelter, Jonathan Bloom became passionately aware about all the food we waste in this country. An average American throws away nearly 200 pounds a year. The good news is, once you’re looking for it “you see food waste everywhere,” says Bloom, and that awareness can help ... read more

19 Comments

Tagged book, composting, guide, kitchen, organic, organicwaste, packaging, plasticbags, reduce, solidwaste

Published in Household


Pocket Parks Fight Urban Decay, Crime

Mary Mazzoni, February 21st, 2011

Approximately 40,000 lots sit vacant in Philadelphia, leaving many neighborhoods blighted and desolate. But residents and community groups are revitalizing their communities by reclaiming vacant land and establishing “pocket parks.” Like many urban areas, Philadelphia neighborhoods suffering from a vacant land problem are often perceived as unattractive to developers, and the lots can become hotspots for crime. But residents of ... read more

6 Comments

Tagged composting, organic, organicwaste, reduce

Published in Garden


A Budgeter’s Guide to Rainwater Harvesting

Haley Paul, February 21st, 2011

With much of the U.S. digging itself out from piles of snow, those toasty July days seem an eternity away. But the warm, dry months will come, and there is no time like the present to start planning a rainwater harvesting system to help offset your skyrocketing water bill once the hot summer months arrive. Where to use harvested ... read more

4 Comments

Tagged guide, reduce, reuse, waterquality

Published in Household


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