recycled

Australia began turning waste plastic into railway sleepers in 2015, saving timber; the recycled material could last up to 50 years

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Australia began turning waste plastic into railway sleepers in 2015, saving timber; the recycled material could last up to 50 years

Australia began experimenting with railway sleepers made from recycled plastic in 2015, turning material that might otherwise have gone to landfill into a component designed to sit beneath railway tracks. Developed by Integrated Recycling with researchers at Monash University’s Institute of Railway Technology, the Duratrack sleeper is made from about 85% post-consumer plastic waste, including … Read more

An Indiana man planned one Hobbit house; seven years later, he had built an 11-building fantasy village from recycled and secondhand materials

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An Indiana man planned one Hobbit house; seven years later, he had built an 11-building fantasy village from recycled and secondhand materials

PC: Free Press Indiana News Rick Sparks never intended to build a village. The Tolkien fan originally planned a single Hobbit-inspired house on a 3½-acre property outside Connersville, Indiana, as a weekend getaway. Seven years later, that house has become his residence, and the site has grown into Rackshire, an 11-building fantasy village. Its Tolkienesque … Read more

Meet Caymus Maxson, the 16-year-old California teen who started Trash Turtles at 10, led 50+ beach cleanups, removed 6+ tons of debris, recycled 75,000+ cigarette butts and became a 2026 Barron Prize winner

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Meet Caymus Maxson, the 16-year-old California teen who started Trash Turtles at 10, led 50+ beach cleanups, removed 6+ tons of debris, recycled 75,000+ cigarette butts and became a 2026 Barron Prize winner

Maxson said the decision to start Trash Turtles came from seeing rubbish being pushed towards the sea (Photo: Surfrider) At 10, Caymus ‘CO’ Maxson noticed something wrong on a beach in Madeira Beach, Florida. In February 2020, she saw beach trash being raked towards the water’s edge. She realised that the incoming tide could carry … Read more

In 2017, Dubuque turned recycled plastic equal to about 67,000 water bottles into 14 floating islands; the 2,674-sq-ft system now adds plant, fish and bird habitat to Bee Branch Creek

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In 2017, Dubuque turned recycled plastic equal to about 67,000 water bottles into 14 floating islands; the 2,674-sq-ft system now adds plant, fish and bird habitat to Bee Branch Creek

There are 14 islands totaling 2,674 square feet. Each island is a miniature replica of the natural archipelagos of the Mississippi River. Before the islands were placed in the creek, four prototype designs in a variety of shapes and sizes were developed. Sometimes the answer for a city that has fought floodwaters for years isn’t … Read more

Retired wind turbines are being transformed into tiny solar-powered houses and recycled skis by a Swedish company

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Retired wind turbines are being transformed into tiny solar-powered houses and recycled skis by a Swedish company

As much as wind turbines are important, once their blades are decommissioned, all that’s left for them is to live in landfills for years. Europe is on track for a record win year, with 8.8 GW of new capacity installed in the first half of 2026, a 30% jump year on year. That’s enough electricity … Read more

Rhode Island pilot recycled 80 short tons of fibreglass from old boats using a $105,000 NOAA grant, turning shredded hulls into cement material

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Rhode Island pilot recycled 80 short tons of fibreglass from old boats using a $105,000 NOAA grant, turning shredded hulls into cement material

A Rhode Island pilot is demonstrating how fibreglass boat recycling could provide an alternative to sending old and derelict vessels to landfill. The programme shredded fibreglass hulls and sent the material to a cement manufacturer for use in cement production. According to a Rhode Island Marine Trade Association Foundation report, the pilot recycled 80 short … Read more

MIT scientists developed a way to turn discarded plastic into strong building materials, with recycled composites already used in a 40-foot bridge

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MIT scientists developed a way to turn discarded plastic into strong building materials, with recycled composites already used in a 40-foot bridge

A new MIT-backed company is turning discarded plastic into structural parts for buildings and infrastructure. Atlas Building Composites has developed an AI-powered robotic manufacturing platform that shreds single-use plastic, melts it, and fuses it with American-made fiberglass. The resulting composite is then formed into parts such as foundations, decks, and trusses using large-scale 3D printing. … Read more

Priced out of Melbourne, an Australian couple bought 1.5 hectares in Tasmania for $330,000; in 2022 they began a recycled bottle Earthship and completed the home nearly three years later for $880,000

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Priced out of Melbourne, an Australian couple bought 1.5 hectares in Tasmania for $330,000; in 2022 they began a recycled bottle Earthship and completed the home nearly three years later for $880,000

For Matt Ellis and Kate Tucker, buying a home in Melbourne became a familiar cycle of hope, bidding and disappointment. The couple wanted to remain close to their community and friends, but they were repeatedly outbid in the inner city market. Eventually, they looked far beyond Victoria and found a more affordable path near Cygnet … Read more

Scotland’s first commercial wind farm recycled and reused 99.9% of materials from 26 old turbines, with blades turned into construction polymers

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Scotland’s first commercial wind farm recycled and reused 99.9% of materials from 26 old turbines, with blades turned into construction polymers

Scotland’s first commercial wind farm has reached a major milestone in dealing with turbine waste after almost three decades of operation. Hagshaw Hill in South Lanarkshire, which began operating in 1995, was decommissioned and repowered with 14 newer turbines after its original 26 turbines were dismantled in 2023. A Mott MacDonald assessment commissioned by ScottishPower … Read more

In 2023, Australia paved two suburban roads with 135,000 recycled coffee cups and the equivalent of 1.2 million glass bottles, cutting the asphalt’s carbon footprint by 24%

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In 2023, Australia paved two suburban roads with 135,000 recycled coffee cups and the equivalent of 1.2 million glass bottles, cutting the asphalt's carbon footprint by 24%

What happens to a takeaway coffee cup after the last sip? In most cases, it ends up in landfill because the thin waterproof lining inside the cup makes conventional recycling difficult. In Australia, however, thousands of these discarded cups have found a very different second life: as part of the material used to build roads.In … Read more