Hi,
So this post was requested on Twitter after our
September Top Tips about recycling. Today we will be talking about how to turn complete waste into something
reasonably valuable. This is basically a form of
upcycling
but to a more extreme level.
1. Ecobricks
So, almost a year ago we did a
post about ecobricks, but they are such a good example of turning waste into valuables that we
decided to put it here anyway.
Ecobricks are a building material made from plastic. The waste plastic is
washed and then compacted into a clean plastic bottle (also waste). The bottle
becomes very hard and durable. Multiple bottles can then be used as bricks and
cemented together.
The 'bricks' are strong and do not decompose. For more info, read
our post
where we go into more detail.
2. Metals
Although this may seem like something not worth the time. When you separate
the metals in waste (for example an old car), you can get usable metal out of
it. Seeing as metal doesn't decompose over time, it can be used again and
again. Some manufactured items contain precious or rare metals which are
actually quite valuable. So if these are separated from the rest of the waste,
they can be sold for the same price as they were before being manufactured.
3. Leather
Some leather companies will use the hides of already dead animals for their
leather production. These skins often come from the
meat/dairy industry
and would otherwise be considered waste. However, certain companies claim to
use these skins and save millions of tons of waste from landfills. These
claims cannot always be trusted, seeing as, after many meat production
procedures, the animal skins would not be reusable. But at least it's a start.
4. Paper byproduct
There are now hopes of turning a byproduct of
paper production
into quite valuable chemicals that can be used to make nylon. This method
would have environmental benefits when it comes to energy usage and chemical
waste. About 50 million tons of 'kraft lignin' are created in paper production
each year. It would normally be burned, producing
carbon dioxide, which then fuels the
climate crisis. So this new solution is very exciting.
5. Energy
So this is the most problematic option on this list. Turning waste into energy
is a widely used solution. Normally waste will be burned creating light and
heat, which can be converted into electricity. With the current energy
shortages, this seems like a great solution. However, the burning of waste
releases huge amounts of
CO2. It also destroys materials that could have been reused. So, this is a quite
controversial form of producing electricity. I am hoping to write a post where
I talk about this in more depth, so keep your eyes peeled.
Your Green World Blog Teamš
Sources:
https://eitrawmaterials.eu/turning-waste-into-valuable-resources-recycling-as-a-major-pillar-of-raw-materials-supply/
https://www.ameslab.gov/news/new-process-turns-paper-manufacturing-waste-into-valuable-chemicals
https://www.rts.com/blog/what-is-waste-to-energy/
Image:
This image, owned by
Redwin Law (on flickr.com) is
licensed under
CC BY 2.0.
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