Recycling ships for scrap is a known asbestos exposure hazard, yet this study is one of few to trace asbestos-related cancer rates in shipbreaking workers. The results, obtained from former shipbreakers in Taiwan, show higher rates of cancer overall, especially oesophageal and lung cancers.

A 2013 study has estimated the costs of upgrading existing ship recycling facilities to more environmentally friendly, and regulatory compliant, standards. The research focuses on alternatives to the ‘beaching’ method of shipbreaking, widely criticised for its environmental impact and safety record.

Ship recycling at the end of a ship’s useful life aims to make the shipping industry more environmentally sustainable and is a major source of employment in developing countries. However, there are associated health, safety and environmental concerns. This study argues these concerns are due to inappropriate design and explains how ‘design for recycling’ can reduce the costs and risks of ship recycling.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) can measure the environmental impact of the different stages of a ship’s life cycle, from design to dismantling. This assessment focused on the impact of recycling the metal parts of a ship and did not consider the crucial impact of the hazardous materials present on board. The results showed that re-use of metals had environmental benefits, but overall these were small compared to the environmental impact of other life cycle stages, such as operation.

The development of future recycling technologies must be informed by data about products and materials that will enter the waste stream, but such forecasts are subject to a high level of uncertainty. In this study, researchers have proposed a methodology for predicting emerging waste materials, applying it to silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) panels. The findings show that closed-loop recycling — when post-consumer waste is recycled to make new products — of PV panel materials could mitigate up to 0.2% of the annual environmental impact of Flanders1, Belgium, if suitable technology was developed.

Indium, a unique metal, is in short supply worldwide and is not recycled at the end of its life (EoL). Indium is used in a wide range of technologies, causing regions across the world that are reliant on its import — such as Europe — to be concerned about security of supply. Primary sources of indium are thought to be sufficient for medium-term needs, but with growing demand comes growing concern over long-term supply. A new study has conducted a material flow analysis and examined secondary sources of indium within European ‘urban mines’ and in-use stocks (IUS) of indium products, identifying these as potential sources of 500 tonnes of indium — if it were recycled at EoL.

A new study explores how to weigh up the costs and benefits of technologies that extract phosphorus from livestock waste for re-use as fertiliser. Findings from a US case study suggest that recycling phosphorus in this way can cut both water pollution levels and the costs of cleaning up the mineral. However, the technologies’ long-term economic feasibility depends on the yield, quality, and market value of the recovered phosphorus.

Recycling waste products between companies in industrial recycling networks can bring environmental and competitive benefits. A recent study on whether such networks can be used to advance sustainable development more broadly suggests companies first need a clear, shared network identity before other types of sustainability-oriented cooperation can take place.

A large proportion of ships are recycled on the beaches of developing countries in Asia. This study considered shipbreaking in Bangladesh, using critical scenario analysis to explore different futures for the industry and its workers. The paper suggests that a radical shift in socioeconomic and political structures is needed to enable environmentally sound practices while retaining employment opportunities for local people.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) and other regulatory influences are essential to battery recycling in Finland, a new study finds. The researchers compare this with the situation in Chile, where a lack of appropriate legislation prevents recycling companies from overcoming the technical and financial challenges of battery recycling. The study helps policymakers understand how political, social, and cultural factors can support companies in their move towards circular-economy business models.

A new study has analysed public perceptions of greywater re-use systems in Barcelona, which are being increasingly employed to save water during times of shortage. Several factors, including perceived health risks, system reliability and maintenance costs, appear to influence public acceptance of the technologies.

Sustainable management of phosphorus requires better information on how it flows through the environment via consumption and waste. New research from Sweden has found that 40% of phosphorus released by Gothenburg to the environment is in sewage sludge and a further 40% is in incineration ash. This suggests that phosphorus could be recycled from solid waste as well as from wastewater.

The economic viability of wastewater reuse projects could be better determined using methodology from a new study. The authors developed a five-step cost-benefit analysis framework to assess a planned wastewater reuse project within the catchment of the Yarqon River, in Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, Israel. It was found that the scheme could have a net present value of $4.83 (€4.34) million per year. The authors highlight the relevance of identifying external as well as internal economic, social and environmental costs of such projects.

Phosphorus can be extracted in viable quantities from fly ash, a by-product created when municipal solid waste is burnt in incinerators, according to research conducted in Sweden. Sufficient phosphorus could be recovered from the country’s incinerators to meet 30% of the Swedish annual demand for mineral fertilisers, say the researchers.

A study of the pollution caused by ship scrapping in Alang, India, shows significantly higher levels of heavy metal and petroleum hydrocarbons in sediment and seawater, compared to a control site. The researchers also found reduced populations of zooplankton — a critical food source for marine biota — and increased numbers of pathogenic bacteria.

Pollutants have been shown to alter the structure of bacterial communities in the coastal waters around the Alang-Sosiya shipbreaking yard in north-west India. The research analysed seawater from two sites near Alang-Sosiya and from pristine sea water taken 10 km from the coast. The results provide a clearer idea of changes to the microbial ecology near a large ship recycling yard.

The Alang shipbreaking yards in India recycle almost half of all end-of-life ships worldwide. The major activity at the yards is plate-cutting, used to recover steel from ships. This process consumes nearly 29 kg of oxygen and 7 kg of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and emits almost 22 kg of CO2 per 1 km-long cut with a 1 mm depth. This study reveals the carbon footprint and resources consumed in the cutting of steel plates. The method used to derive these findings could be adapted to ship dismantling yards worldwide.

The ship-recycling industry — which dismantles old and decommissioned ships, enabling the re-use of valuable materials — is a major supplier of steel and an important part of the economy in many countries, such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Turkey. However, mounting evidence of negative impacts undermines the industry’s contribution to sustainable development. This Thematic Issue presents a selection of recent research on the environmental and human impacts of shipbreaking.

Dangerously high air pollution in the vicinity of shipbreaking yards has been detected by a recent study, where the concentrations of toxic chemicals in the air were found to be above carcinogenic risk limits (as set by the World Health Organisation). The research, carried out in Chittagong, Bangladesh, noted that shipbreaking activities and the subsequent processing and treatment of materials – particularly the burning of waste — result in emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

Phone recycling has become so easy, convenient and, in some instances, profitable, there’s really no reason not to do it.

U.S. Postal Service expands electronics recycling program. Customers can trade in old cellphones for cash at 3,100 USPS retail locations.

AT&T customers recycled 50,942 devices in a single week, setting a new Guinness World Record.

And it's potentially more efficient than an LED.

Think you're an expert at talking trash? Then you won't be afraid to test your recycling knowledge.

Dell makes recycling its old laptops fairly easy, but most companies make it tough for customers to return no-longer-usable electronics for safe disposal.

The future of electronics recycling may be in donating used items. With the proliferation of household as well as personal consumer electronics, there’s a ser

There's no way around it: highly efficient, long-lasting compact florescent lamps are a green godsend but with one small (well, not so small) hitch … each bul

We know our old CRT television sets are loaded with lead, our batteries are bursting with heavy metals and although strides have been made in reducing mercury c

Plus: The daughter of the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin stars in Hallmark movie.

Plus: NBC's 'Parenthood' wins green seal.

Plastic bag and film recycling can certainly come with a language barrier. Take this quiz to understand the vocabulary, and the world will thank you.

Feel free to leave your heart in San Francisco, but don't forget to drop those old boxer shorts and blouses in one of the city's new textile recycling bins.

Modular carpeting behemoth Interface expands a coastal cleanup/recycling initiative that benefits impoverished fishing communities in the Philippines.

Celebrate Ada Lovelace Day with this story about a young teen shining in her STEM field.

Brighter Living with Jill Cordes: Quick tips for expanding your normal recycling routine.

Thousands of consumer products made from recycled materials confirmed radioactive.

See how much plastic you can keep out of landfills if you start recycling in the bathroom today!

Author Adam Minter explains the growing pressures on recycling that ultimately go back to the consumer.

Japanese scientists have found a special bacteria, Ideonella sakainesis, that likes to eat polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET.

Dumpster diving may seem like a victimless crime, but it can land you in real trouble.

Single-stream recycling may be convenient, but it has a few pitfalls. And what consumers don't know can hurt the recycling process.

China will turn away 24 types of recyclable material imported from the U.S. and other countries due to concerns over contamination.

The deposit-based Norwegian approach to plastic bottle recycling is an attractive, effective one.

Several bee species have begun using manmade plastic waste to build their nests, according to several studies.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering (MHIENG) and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company (MGC) were selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to conduct joint research on the effective recycling of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from the refinery at Tomakomai City, Hokkaido Japan where the CO2 is captured and stored by the existing demonstration plant. Further utilizing of the demonstration plant currently employed for CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS), the three companies will collaborate on research activities for CO2 Capture and Utilization (CCU) in order to produce methanol from captured CO2. The research is expected to run until February 2021.

Just because you put plastic items in the recycling bin, doesn't mean they get recycled.

The attitudes of Pompeiians towards death and waste was very different from our own.

COLDFALL Corporation is accepting Transmute Coins, cryptocurrency from its patrons as payment for transmutation of tires, plastics, coal, and carbon-based materials.

Under this agreement, Liberty Tire Recycling will supply crumb rubber to Phoenix Industries for the manufacture of their line of PelletPAVE™ products, used by the asphalt paving industry to improve performance of hot mix asphalt.