The landfill's closure and the fact that it no longer received new waste was the most important factor in determining the efficiency of the gas collection system. Closed sites were 17 percentage points more efficient at collecting gas than open sites actively receiving waste. New targets for methane The US EPA has proposed new regulations that align with the goal of reducing emissions at landfills. The proposed modifications of the municipal landfill rules pursuant to the Clean Air Act aim to lower the emission threshold at which a dump is required to design and construct an active gas collection system....

The European Parliament has approved a law that aims to reduce the use of plastic bags on the continent by half by 2017 and by at least 80 percent by 2019. The European Parliament has voted in a draft law aiming to reduce the use of plastic bags across Europe by half by 2017, and further by at least 80% by 2019. Some of the suggested measures are taxes on bags and mandatory replacements with biodegradable substitutes. In Ireland and Denmark, there have already been some success stories. We found in a research paper that I and my colleagues had...

In Europe, waste-to-energy plays a major role in the waste industry. In Europe, there is a high demand for heat. This means that efficient waste incinerators with tight controls are very common. Australia is a new market with low community acceptance, and no government policies are encouraging its adoption. The federal announcement, along with a parliamentary inquiry in New South Wales and several projects that are in the pipeline, signals a growing interest in waste-to-energy and waste-to-fuels. What is solid waste fuel, and how does it fit into a sustainable waste management future in Australia? Solid waste fuels are what? Australians are becoming wasteful....

A peer-reviewed study published on August 23 has confirmed what Exxon said internally about climate change was quantitatively different from their statements. Researchers Geoffrey. Supran and Naomi Oreskes found that 80 percent of internal documents and peer-reviewed publications that they examined between 1977 and 2014. They acknowledged that climate change was real and caused primarily by humans. The study found that over 80 percent of Exxon paid editorial advertisements during the same period focused specifically on doubt and uncertainty. Many people are shocked by the stark contrast between internal discussions of cutting-edge climate science and external campaigns to discredit climate change. What was happening at Exxon?...

This article is part of our series on Science and Research Priorities announced recently by the Federal Government. Here is the series introduction by Australia's chief scientist, Ian Chubb. Joanne Daly CSIRO Fellow and former Group Executive of Agribusiness and Chief of Division at CSIRO The agricultural and food industries play a significant role in the Australian economy and are a part of our national identity. The industry is set to continue as the global demand for foods increases over the next 40 years. These industries, while not a significant part of Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), provide jobs in both rural...

This would reduce methane by 51.4 million carbon-equivalent tons (MtCO2e) in 2020 to 35.9 million tonnes in 2030. The government has not yet provided any specific plans for meeting this commitment. In terms of global heating, a tonne (or 28 tonnes) of CH4 is the equivalent of approximately 28 tonnes (or 450 kilograms) of CO2. The CH4 remains in the atmosphere for a much shorter time compared to CO2, which means it has a significant short-term impact on global warming but a smaller effect long-term. The main goal must still be to reduce CO2, which can stay in the atmosphere between 300 and 1,000...

In many parts of Nairobi, particularly in the lower and middle-income areas, there are no waste collection systems. Private waste collection services are flourishing in high-income areas. Residents pay a lot of money without knowing exactly where their waste ends up. Nairobi's county government has admitted it cannot manage the waste produced by 2,475 tonnes per day. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is a city with a population of the same size but only produces 1,680 tonnes per day. Major problems plague Nairobi's current system of waste disposal. The City has failed to prioritize solid waste management, and there is inadequate infrastructure. There are also multiple actors involved...

If no action is taken, the cost to Australia will be 87.7 Billion in ten years. Australia's number one cause of illness is preventable chronic disease. Conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary heart disease can be linked to unhealthy diets and lifestyles. We can also tackle the two issues of obesity and food wastage together. Avoid overconsumption of food. The consumption of excess food is not nutritionally necessary, uses precious resources in the food system, and manifests itself as obesity and overweight. The first of the Australian Dietary Guidelines is For a healthy weight to be...

The government's Measuring What Matters Report, released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, paints a mixed picture of Australia's national well-being. Positively, we have seen an increase in life expectancy, increased income, improved job opportunities, and a better acceptance of diversity over the last two decades. There has been little progress in mental health despite the fact that Australians have more chronic illnesses. While we have made improvements in school results, we still lag behind other countries and spend less time on developing new skills. He says that after a test run of a national wellbeing framework in Treasurer Jim Chalmers first...

After years of discussions, international negotiations on the global plastics agreement resumed in Nairobi, Kenya, at the UN Environment Programme Headquarters. From today to Sunday, November 19, the third session of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution takes place. The goal of the committee is to create a legally-binding agreement that will be finalised by 2024 to address all aspects of the plastics life cycle, including production, design, and disposal. The treaty, which involves 175 countries, is designed to revolutionize plastic waste management by paving the path for new industries and technologies. Plastic pollution is a problem that...