A 20-year infrastructure strategy for South Australia was recently released by Infrastructure SA, encompassing short and long-term strategies to grow the state’s resources sector.
National Hydrogen Roadmap: pathways to an economically sustainable hydrogen industry in Australia
Australia has yet to create its own solar or storage industry, relying instead on global solutions. There also remain serious sustainability challenges to broad adoption of lithium batteries. However, hydrogen offers a new, sustainable energy storage and transport future. Download your details below to receive this important Whitepaper. Read more
Good News: NSW to fast track planning approvals
In a bid to combat the economic downturn brought about by COVID-19, NSW Minister for Planning and Public spaces, Rob Stokes, has revealed the government’s Planning System Acceleration Program.
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A waste bacterium for our times
Scientists have discovered a bacterium that feeds on toxic plastic, not only breaking it down but using it as food to power the process.
The research has been published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology and identifies a new strain of Pseudomonas bacteria which is known to withstand harsh conditions, such as high temperatures and acidic environments. The bacterium, is the first that is known to attack polyurethane and was found at a waste site where plastic had been dumped.
The German researchers, at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ in Leipzig who are behind the discovery, fed the bacterium key chemical components of polyurethane in the laboratory and found the bacteria can use the compounds as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy.
However, they believe that it might be 10 years before the bacterium could be used at a large scale. According to the research, the next step would be to identify the genes that code for the enzymes produced by the bug that break down the polyurethane.
Sydney household waste trends revealed in waste audit
The Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) with 11 members councils representing 1.7 million residents holds the most comprehensive longitudinal data set of household consumption and waste disposal behaviour in Australia. The region is characterised by cultural and socio-economic diversity from the inner-city terraces to the leafy suburbs of Sutherland.
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Electronic items among most wasteful gifts, according to Victorian survey
New research has revealed that tech gadgets such as mobile phones and tablets are the most unwanted gifts in Victoria.
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APCO report details Australia’s progress towards improving packaging sector
The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has released the Australian Packaging Consumption and Resource Recovery Data report, which outlines the flow of packaging in Australia’s resource recovery system.
Australian researchers find way to extract polyester from mixed fabrics
QUT researchers have found a treatment to extract and reuse polyester from polyester/wool mix fabrics.
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Food waste increase of $1b in 2019 reveals ongoing challenges for Australia
Australians wasted a total of $10.1 billion worth of food last year, which was more than the year before, a Rabobank report has revealed.
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Second volume of Inside Waste Industry Report out now
The second volume of the Inside Waste Industry Report 2017-2018 is out now. The volume, ‘Policy & Regulation’, provides readers with an in-depth insight into Australia’s waste sector, policies, targets, and progress on a state-by-state basis.