Environmental-related news needs a focused discussion board!

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Here is the first contribution to an environmental discussion thread:

Sweden has such an excellent record of recycling, it has run out of garbage to fuel it?s clean-burning trash-to-energy plants.

STORY: Sweden Runs Out of Garbage: Forced to Import from Norway.
http://goo.gl/AL2JA

First time I read this, would Sweden consider importing wood-wastes (most notably junk furniture left out by many curb-sides) from North America; as wood-wastes burn more efficiently than garbage, as well as being easier, and more desirable to ship than garbage.

Much of these wood wastes consist of processed wood-wastes i.e., particle-board and press-board which cannot be burned cleanly; hence would otherwise take-up landfill space.

I don't think "oops" will work here.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... 54591.html

^ In my fave city. SMH

Here wrote:

I think it would be as long as they take off the foam and synthetic materials,they produce dioxins when burned.

And that oil spill is pretty disgusting and no oops can not apply just as it cant apply in the lac megantic disaster,they are still recovering after it though a lot of the oil was burned.like the bp oil spill,these things make me sick.
Anybody notice the increase in bp ads on american tv channels about a few years after it happened.

Processed wood e.g., press-board, particle-board burns more cleanly than garbage.

Sweden's waste-to-energy plants are about as 'clean-burning' as possible, hence the amounts of Dioxin released are way too small to present health-hazards.

Here wrote:

Thats good to hear,that stuff is very carcinogenic.i saw a special on cnn(toxic america by Sanjay Gupta)that put me off plastics for a couple of years.Lots of toxic chemicals released into the atmosphere

The 'waste-to-energy' plant in Vienna combines 'form and function' as a work of modern art!
http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/gre ... wer-plants

A proposed 'waste-to-energy' plant in Copenhagen will not only double as an urban ski-slope, but will emit a large ring of smoke every-time a ton of greenhouse gases are emitted. This will serve as reminders of our carbon footprint!

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... -ski-slope

^^^ very cool

Turning wastes-to-energy, that "holy grail" to boost social, economic, and environmental progress.

One of many examples:

STORY: Microbes: Cleaning-up and Improving Biodiesel's Act.
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles ... ls-act.htm

i dig this thread --i definitely would like to see more discussion of environmental issues. just wanted to add my two cents.

I was searching for a quebec company that makes catalytic converters for small engines(lawn mowers,snow blowers,weed eaters etc.) there a significant source of toxic emissions(i would have to search to find exactly what it is,i think its hydrogen cyanide but not sure).
i found this instead,Its a little old(last year) but its another step forward for cleaner emissions.

I cant post links on my phone so i copied it.

No single invention has done more to reduce toxic auto emissions than the arrival of the catalytic converter in the 1970s. Some 40 years later, a small Ontario company is preparing to hit the market with a revolutionary multi chamber catalytic converter (MCCC) that not only produces an even cleaner exhaust but also boosts gas mileage, and is less expensive to manufacture.

"We've proven the technology works for gas engines and we now have a commercial product that our customers are doing final validation testing on," says, Stefano Plati, of Woodbridge-based Vida Holdings Corp. "We're aiming to have this technology in vehicles by 2015."

Around here there are stories of garages replacing new ones and putting on old used ones to make money off them.They can be worth a lot of money.There also have been thefts at car dealers where the cat.converters have been stripped off the new cars overnight.

Enclosed is a link discussing a company's processes to reclaim oil from plastics wastes, as well as current initiatives of partnerships with recycling programs. Report also indicates that partnerships can be profitable:

LINK: https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/pk-clea ... oblem-0620

No oil in Sweden?

Special coatings that can be applied on such surfaces as roofing tiles, and roads can "eat smog!"

http://innovatedevelopment.org/2014/06/ ... for-lunch/

Environmental issues are greatly overblown.

^ But if left unmanaged, it can cause a significant change in worldwide lifestyle. If we relied solely on America's only oil reserves, Americans would only be able to drive and do other things with oil for about 3-6 years before everything goes dry. Not to mention the environmental damage that fracking can cause.

Hell, even agriculture can be environmentally degrading if not properly regulated. There's a lot of places in China that were basically accidentally turned into legitimate deserts because of too much agricultural practices. The term is known as "desertification", and a more famously known incident of desertification would be the Dust Bowl in the US during the Great Depression.

**Disclaimer, a lot of this is pretty generalized. Please refer to your own research.