A major retailer is offering reusable plastic as a way to reduce paper waste. Starbucks, the large coffee chain, now has reusable plastic cups that customers can purchase along with their grande half-caf, double pump soy latte. Made out of 100% virgin polypropylene (PP), the plastic cups — in 12- and 16-oz sizes (tall and [...]
3-D Printer Recycles Plastic
November 29, 2012 By 1 Comment
A team from the University of Washington has won $100,000 in a contest in which it used a large 3-D printer to transform plastic waste into composting toilets and rainwater harvesting systems. The winnings from the international contest, 3D4D Challenge, will be used to form a company that will work with partners in Oaxaca, Mexico, [...]
Floating Plastics Help Create Alternative Fuel
April 20, 2012 By 1 Comment
NASA is developing a technology that uses large arrays of plastic tubes that float in seawater and contain algae that can be converted into fuel. The floating algae cultivation system, called Offshore Membrane Enclosure for Growing Algae (OMEGA), is designed to grow freshwater algae in municipal wastewater using photobioreactors, or flexible plastic tubes. NASA has [...]
